Sorn Thai Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in McLean

I had the absolute pleasure of visiting Sorn on 3/20/2025. From the moment I walked in I was in awe of the decor which is a great sign. There was so much sun light, the flowers were colorful/pretty and the space was open with gorgeous furniture. We were greeted with a smile and were seated in the window which was nice with warmth. My girlfriend and I ordered a coke which came in a can, Thai iced tea, and water. I’m not kidding when I say that was CRISPIEST coke I’ve had in my life. I like to drink half but I drank the entire thing. My girlfriend loved her iced tea which I didn’t try but the vibrant color made me super jealous that I didn’t try it now that I think about it. Let me just put out there that the dishes that the food was served on and the glasses we drank out of were beautiful. Little details like that-you can tell there was so much thought that went into this restaurant. For starters we ordered the dumplings, papaya salad, shisito peppers with mushrooms, crab rangoons, and spring rolls. (We were hungry; YES). Everything was literally to die for and I ate an enormous amount. The lime vinaigrette in the papaya salad was to die for. I’m not a fan of mushrooms because of the texture but they were coated in a dressing that made me forget I was eating a mushroom. The spring rolls were a favorite of mine; like spectacular-let me have 14 of them! For entree, I got the basil fried rice with chicken and my girlfriend got one of the curries; I’m blanking on which one but she loved it and would not let me take it. She normally lets me have her food or at least offer🙃 Everything was sooo good that I visited again on 3/22/2025.

I went with my family. I got the same thing except, I got the drunken noodles and a guava margarita. The drunken noodles were beyond good. My 3 year old daughter loved them! And quite frankly, that was the best and most refreshing margarita I’ve ever had. My mom ordered a Prosecco which she’s already afraid about it being flat; and it wasn’t. She loved it! The other new thing I tried was the veggie spring rolls that made me dance in my seat. The customer service was a 100/10 both times I’ve visited. It’s the prettiest space with a semi open kitchen which I appreciate! It’s really a great time. As you can tell, I...

UPDATED REVIEW

Had dinner here last night and noticed a few changes Ordered veggie spring rolls which were still good but were placed in the sauce instead of the sauce being served on the side which makes the bottom of the roll soggy.

Green curry chicken also good but less of it and didn't taste quite as fresh as before.

Bartender and wine were great!

Do we have a new chef in the building???

Just finished dinner here. What a lovely space. Love the tile on the walls. You can see the kitchen in the back and it is so clean! This makes the restaurant even more appealing.

I had a glass of pinot grigio (very good). We ordered fried green beans (delicious), chicken and veggie egg rolls (both could have been hotter inside but good).

Entrees were green curry chicken (delicious), chicken ka pro (delicious), eggplant (delicious), and branzino (good). The portions are small.

No dessert.

The wait staff is very friendly.

They have a nice bar.

One big turn off was that there was a dog in the restaurant. It was not an emotional support dog or a work dog. There is no place for dogs inside a restaurant. Keep them outside. In Fairfax County, Virginia, having dogs in restaurants generally constitutes a health code violation, as Virginia food laws prohibit live animals on food establishment premises, with exceptions for service animals and certain outdoor dining areas with specific conditions. Maybe the new owners don't know this regulation but they need to learn quickly in order not to be cited.

Would I go back? Absolutely....can't wait! This restaurant is a much needed wonderful addition to the McLean dining scene. THANK YOU...

I read a news article online and decided to come here on opening day. I always try to give any restaurants I try a chance but usually end up disappointed over 90% of the time. This was sadly the case here at Sorn Thai.

Our menu for the evening included the following:

Grilled Steak NumTok Kua Gling Kanom Jeen NamYa Yen Ta Four Noodle

The food here is oddly very sweet; maybe it was intended to be catered to Americanized palates but it didn’t sit well with my Asian palate. The steak on the numtok was fairly tough while difficult to chew and would not be a dish I would order again; it was served with a sickly sweet chili lime sauce. The kua gling had good flavor but was on the sweeter side. The kanom jeen namya was tasty (along with the picked vegetables) but the portion size was severely lacking, especially with the rice noodles and fish fillet. I could’ve consumed three portions easily given the volume of food on the dish. The yen ta four noodle featured (you guessed it) a very sweet pink broth.

The portions were quite small (for all the dishes) which makes it difficult for Sorn to compete with every other Thai restaurant in the DMV area that generally serves healthier portions. Regarding the service, it was fairly good but was slow (both in food delivery and attentiveness) due to the large number of customers that started to trickle in heavily by 5:30 to 6 PM.

The best option in the DMV for casual Thai food still seems to be Padaek. Solid, reliable, and consistent. I also enjoy the pad thai at MyHome Thai Bistro in...