Sam Phao Thai Cuisine — Restaurant in Alexandria

I just wanna run through the streets screaming "SAM PHAO THAI!!!!!" but I feel like people would judge me.

Go away, people! So rude..

This place is legit. I know it b/c Kelsey lived in Thailand and she said it was legit. Thailand, not this review. This place is also legit via kelsey approving of it via ...ok nm that joke died.

So it's super duper good. I used to get the Ka Prow (Kra Pow..ka pow...it has like 80 names depending on the eatery). Then one day i saw Gang Ped Yang. That there be crispy duck in red curry (curry paste + coconut milk), with bamboo shoots, pineapple for a hint of sweet, some basil leaves, bell peppers, and that's pretty much it. Is it amazing? Oh, I don't know, I'd put it up there next to the level of that time when Peter Griffin fought that Chicken Suit guy in Family guy. Yeah, I went there.

So, ever since getting that dish I pretty much try to find it at every Thai place. Sometimes if you ask for it by name they all look surprised and will make it for you, even if not on the menu. Thai people are the bestest. Kawaaaiiii! (that's japanese btw..doesn't belong, but it's cute. Literally).

I have to admit, I might have had a streak where I went here too damn often. I walked in one day and the lady was like "the usual" and i was all "wait...the duck?" She concurred and then i smiled and laughed while sitting down. The first step is admitting you have a problem...

So, not only do they remember me here, but the service is usually top notch. My water NEVER runs out (except when it does). Seriously, they're coming check on me every 3 minutes-ish when I'm there for a quick lunch. Dinner can be a different story, but they still come about every 5ish minutes if not to just walk by and see if it's all good. It's always all good! Oh, they also know I want extra bamboo in my dish :)

Other dishes we've tried: Chicken Pineapple (yes...that's worded strangely, but order it and you'll see why). The fried crab appetizer is pretty ridiculously big and good as well. The mussels, surprisingly great, but name one thing in curry that isn't great! Don't bother, cuz you can't.

So, lets do a run down.

Food - Amazing. Service - Amazing. Atmosphere - Unique. It feels like you walked into somebody's house in old town and they just happened to have a tiny tv and a tiny bar inside of it. It's cozy, simplistic, and doesn't try to fall into some trend (modern, rustic, etc). It just is, and...

Food was absolutely terrible, service was slow and disorganized, and the restaurant is in need of deep cleaning.

Ordered the fried tofu- lacked flavor. The sweet and sour sauce was too loose,and didn't cling to the appetizer.

Papaya salad- needed more flavor, likely fish sauce. Lacked spice overall.

Curry fried rice was so bad that we sent it back. The rice was hard. There was zero seasoning. Just warm rice with a few pieces of veg and paltry looking beef

Green curry J- all the vegetables in the curry were undercooked and too crunchy. The curry was more of a soup as it was too loose. It also lacked flavor. I asked for fish sauce to try and doctor it up at the table.

Pad Thai J- lacked flavor. Lacked tamarind. No egg present. Tasted like a basic stir fry noodle dish with light soy sauce--a far cry from pad Thai.

Overall, this place is a sad excuse for a Thai restaurant. My only guess is they are trying to cater to a very vanilla audience with basic palettes and no real desire for authentic Thai cuisine.

Oh, and right before we got there the waitress had mixed up the checks of the two tables beside us, overcharging one table. This was quite the embarrassing and awkward way to start our meal. We should've left then and there.

They should be ashamed of the food...

My son and I decided to try based on the positive reviews and are so happy we found this restaurant. My son has been obsessed with Pad Thai since he was 4 years old meaning he has 13 years of experience as a pad Thai enthusiast. We have gotten paid Thai often from many restaurants every time we have seen a Thai restaurant in the DMV and various cities while on vacation. He is obsessed with the Pad Thai here. He was blown away and asked could we go back immediately.

I always order drunken noodles and these blew my mind. They were flavorful and extremely enjoyable. They were a little sweeter than the ones I have tried all over which was amazing and welcomed since I like things a little sweeter. However, not too sweet and the entire drunken noodles flavor profile was there and amazing. This is now my favorite restaurant for drunken noodles. My other local spot has great drunken noodles as well but the more pungent flavors have them beat.

I too look forward to returning and trying other offerings as I don't think this restaurant is capable of producing a bad dish. I truly recommend this restaurant and hopefully, I will have more updates about other offerings...