Do to the recent construction on 19th street I had not gone into Mai Thai before. I knew Mai Thai was there but never went in. My mistake! First off I love Thai food so I am not the harshest critic on it. Mai Thai’s restaurant is beautiful it is such a shame that they did all tat construction right in front as I missed this amazing decor and food. The entrance to this place kind of hides what inside as it is lower than street level and is hard to see in.

The decor of Mai Thai is beautiful it is a large open space that flows from front to back with the main focal point being the bar on the right. The bar is beautiful and provides a large area for people to congregate and hang out. The room is decorated with a mix of traditional and modern Thai art which provides for a different feel than most Thai restaurants.

So on to our meal we ended up getting three appetizers the Fresh Garden Rolls, the Crispy String Beans, and the Mango Salad.  The Mango Salad was my favorite it was different than papya salad it had mango, red onions, and cliantro tossed with crispy coconut.  It was so good!  It was similar to papaya sald but you could taste the mango and the crunchy coconut.  The crispy sting beans were good too.  They are baiscally tempura friend green beans a nd a sweet dipping sauce.  The fresh garden spring rolls were great as well and the peanut sauce was delightful.  Overall the appetizers were great.

For the main course we ended up splitting three courses between the four of us.  We ended up getting the Ka Pow Chicken, Cashew Chicken, and the Crispy Fried Rock Fish.  My favorite Thai dish is the Ka Pow Chicken which is a mix of peppers, chilis,garlic, and basil which always makes for a great meal. It was fantastic and had some nice heat. The Cashew chicken is fried pieces of chicken combined with a sweet house sauce.  Last but definitely not least was the Crispy Rock fish which was amazing. The rock fish consists of the whole fish deep friend topped with roasted chili paste and garlic sauce. Overall the food was wonderful and I will defintely go back.

The service at Mai Thai was good but it was lunch time on Sunday and our poor waiter seemed over work.  It seemed like it took a little while for me to get my drink refills.

Overall Mai Thai has a amazing food in a beautiful restaurant.  They also have parties every once in a while and I heard they are pretty fun as well.  So if you are looking around Dupont Circle  for some Thai food check out Mai Thai.

Mai Thai
1200 19th Street. N.W.
Washington. D.C. 20036
(202) 452-6870