Thai Square — Restaurant in Arlington

My new favorite Thai restaurant in the DC area. I had been here once before a couple of years ago, and while I remember it being good I didn't think about coming back given my other Thai restaurant choices in the area. However, during a recent conversation to one of my Thai friends who lives in the area, he insisted that Thai Square is probably the best an most importantly most authentic of the Thai restaurants in greater in Washington, D.C. My partner and I came on a Friday night, and while it was busy we were able to get a seat. The menu is extensive and we ordered our perennial favorites: somtum Thai (papaya salad), Crab Fried Rice, and Crispy Pork Belly with Chinese Broccoli. I was also craving a Thai sausage so we ordered a Northern Style Thai sausage (sharing the sausage and the papaya salad). The somtum was prepared perfectly with just enough spice in the sauce, my husband loved the flavors so much that he kept the plate it was on and used the sauce/dressing to flavor his fried rice. The Thai sausage was outstanding - beautifully crafted sausage with an amazing blend of herbs and spices, and frankly it tasted just like Thailand with a sids of shredded ginger, peanuts, and chilis. Service was prompt, courteous, and very caring - our server returned several times to ask if we need anything and to makes sure we were enjoying our food. My partner's crab fried rice, was per him the best he has had in the area (he fancy's himself a bit of fried rice connoisseur) - and I can say the chunks of crab were definitely larger and more generous than I have seen anywhere since Thailand. And finally, one of my favorite Thai dishes Kana Moo Grob or Crispy Pork Belly with Chinese Broccoli was as good as most places in Bangkok - the vegetables and meat were sautéed just as they should be, and the broccoli and the pork belly were crispy and savory, with just the right proportion of fat on the meat. Thai square is definitely my new favorite Thai restaurant in the Washington D.C. area. If you love Thai food, or if you know good Thai then you will definitely approve of Thai...

Update after visiting with newer / newest owner (March 2018): Black bean and sticky rice: the sticky rice is not the same. Its more fluffy and not as sticky as before. This is the only place in the area that I know sells this. So when I go to Thai Square, ordering that is a must. The staff initially didn't understand how I was asking to have my red curry brought out in a large bowl, although I wasn't asking for a larger portion. This was a regular and easy with the previous owner and staff. Someone else commented on their curry being brought out on a plate. Who does that? I was told the cook(s) is/are the same but overall I couldn't help but have that feeling that things seemed smaller - plates, portions, drinks, etc. The amount of rice seemed less, as well as the glasses for the Thai iced tea seemed smaller. Lastly, the decor. You can tell this owner is targeting a different audience. It looks very commercial, especially with that clock sized Coca Cola bottle cap on the wall. Kinda like Cracker Barrel with all the "items" all over the place. For these reasons, I've decided to change my review.

My experiences at Thai Square have been excellent. I routinely travel from Charles County, MD to Thai Square because I have yet to find a better restaurant with better food AND better service. The decor is very simple but has improved dramatically since their renovation. When trying other Thai restaurants, I often try the same dishes that I normally get at Thai Square and am usually disappointed. Hence the reason for traveling ~ 30miles one way. If going on the weekend, one must go early to avoid standing outside just to be seated. Its worth it, but I'd much rather sit inside and eat than stand...

I suggested Thai Square as a lunch spot to meet up with a friend. The restaurant is small, located on Columbia Pike. I managed to snag a parking spot almost right in front of the restaurant. There's only street parking available. Do not park in the adjacent parking lot unless you want to be towed.

We decided to split a number of dishes: +Larb kai (Minced chicken with red onion, mint leaves, ground roasted chili pepper and lime juice) +Crispy spring roll +Tom yum koong (shrimp and mushrooms in a hot and sour lemongrass broth) +Country style curry (beef in traditional country-style curry sauce with Thai eggplant, bamboo shoots, string beans and fresh chili peppers) +Crispy honey roasted duck with basil (honey roasted duck, sautéed with basil leaves and chili peppers)

The tom yum koong and crispy honey roasted duck were my favorites. They brought out the tom yum koong in a Thai hot pot soup serving bowl and lit a tea candle inside the chamber to keep the soup hot. Love the shrimp and straw mushrooms in the dish. The duck was oh-so crispy.

Service was iffy. The servers aren't super friendly and at first, they were slow to come to our table to even get our drink order. The food came out pretty quickly though and overall, they weren't rude or disrespectful.

Overall, nice spot to grab...