Reviews of Absolute Thai Restaurant (Restaurant)

Perla Jarillo

I love Thai food so I have tried it out in different places and this place is still my favorite. I really like noodles in this place, specially, drunken noodles, they are spicy but delicious, you can taste the fresh basil. Also try the Pad Thai with an ice Thai tea. The staff is friendly and efficient. I highly recommend this place.

Victor Tan

If you are looking for high prices, this isn't the right place. If you are looking for something with lots of space around you, this isn't the right place either. If you are looking for something that makes you feel special... keep looking. However, if you are looking for good, simple Thai food where the value is high and the food is the main thing, not decor, not privacy then it will be hard to find a better place for basic Thai fare than this restaurant. No regrets. No doubts. Will revisit often when in town. Absolutely.

Yaisa Strickland

Food LOOKED good and was priced well but it was lukewarm and our server basically ghosted. Cocktails were low priced but tasted terrible (very watered down). Not many people were in the restaurant and it looked like the staff was watching a game/show with friends or staff who weren't working. There are better Thai options. Would not return because of service.

Jihyeon Cha

Food was good. Nice atmosphere. My server seemed nice but other servers didn't. I saw them looking at me and talking back about me. Yeah

Katrina Aronoff

The food was fantastic! The duck with the red curry was gorgeous, and the chicken fried rice was gobbled up by my 8 and 6 year old. Chicken wings app is a must!

JP Howard

This is a wonderful low-key Thai restaurant. Friends have enjoyed the pad thai and panang curry. I have really enjoyed the drunken noodles, thai street noodles (soup), and the pad see ew. The appetizers are all generally very good. I really like their wings--when we have gone with children, the chicken won-tons were a fan favorite. The iced tea is a passion fruit tea and excellent in its unsweetened form, even for someone who grew up drinking sweet tea. It gets crowded at lunch, but it seems like you can always find a table. Dinner crowds some on the weekends, but during the week and on Sundays you can get the restaurant with just a few other people at dinner and enjoy a quieter more intimate experience. This is one of my favorites that is in regular rotation for both personal and work lunches and dinners.

MzCafe

Enjoy the food, wish I could get 2 of the spices to go in bulk.

Tae Hee Kim

The entrees were fine, although a little too sweet. The white rice, however, was mushy and disgusting; I could not even finish half of it. It seemed as though they put in way too much water and overcooked the rice to some extreme degree, or perhaps simply used rice that was no longer fresh. Either way, it was probably the single worst bowl of white rice I have ever had in my life... Sigh.

Khanh Nguyen

Bad service, the restaurant is dirty !!

Tracey Elkins

Not someplace I would revisit. I ordered Panaang chicken, but pretty sure I got peanut sauce, and the Pad Thai was not like I have had. Very mediocre

K Lopes

Worse customer service I've ever experienced from a restaurant owner. I simply didn't like what was prepared and literally had to argue to get my refund. Never going back. Other Thai restaurants ROCK.

Leo Nardo

Good food. Fast service. The place was small but who cares. I'm there for the food!

Brad Tanner

Did takeout but the restaurant was nice in an "authentic" way. Food was wonderful. I ordered the Ka-Prao ($13) which is listed as a fairly spicy dish and it was definitely on the hotter side. Taste was excellent. I would say the amount of food was "fine", but I would have preferred a just a little more for take out and $13 per dish. I would definitively go back again

Scott Strong

Good food, nice people, attentive service. Better than it looks from the outside.

Sai Siddarath Kalva

Food was a little above average. Nothing special. But service was really poor. And even though the menu clearly says "gratuity added on parties of 5 or more" they'll automatically charge you gratuity no matter how many are in your party. If you're a tourist be careful for this trap.

Rafael Serrano

Excellent Food. I have never had a bad meal here. Good service with lots of room for improvement.

Malavika Deodhar

Food, service and quantities were great. It was super busy so there wasn't much space to move around....but great experience overall

Majd Alkassem

I have only been to Absolute Thai for lunch. It's normally crowded. They have a big selection of food and the service is good. I just think that there is a lot of competition around that area of that cuisine, so the food is good. Typical rice and noodle lunch dishes are served.

Mar Ijo

Good food. Fast service on a busy days

Sirena Bazile

The food is still good but I wasn't happy about trying to order a drink at 6:57pm, 3 minutes before happy hour ended, and being told no, it's over!

Aviv EM

Pretty good food, but not wheelchair accessible. Cramped and easy to trip in places. Usually long wait.

chinwe eneh

Service was good. The Green Wonton Soup was good too.

Amol Naik

Nice food. Ambiance is decent however worth for the price of the food. Quick service

Ivan Verduci

Very nice and characteristic place. The food was awsome

Zuri Songbird Rhodes

This place is great. I've been back so far 3 times and counting. And each time I've gone with different friends. Conviently located on the side of the Verizon Ctr. It's a nice hole in the wall retreat. I would recommend this place.

Kristina Phillips

Been here a few times now - Spring rolls are delicious and I've ordered the chicken green curry every time - it will truly make your face sweat (so hot) and so good. Service is never awful but it could be better - it's the little things... like providing napkins or remembering to bring silverware before the food comes.

Paul Andrews

Really great staff... very friendly... let me sample a beer when unsure and was generally very helpful!

Lynn Gottschalk

Not very many people here, mediocre atmosphere, small portion.

Chrissy

Great price for how much you get. We ordered one dinner plate and it was big enough to serve two people. Definitely would recommend if you love Thai food. I also had ordered he basically fried rice with beef and it was amazing. It was hot and spicy enough that anyone can handle.

Phil Reichers

Food is good and quick. Price is reasonable. Location is right across the street from Verizon Center and can generally get seated quickly even when an event is taking place. Happy Hour is good too.

Greg Johnson

The Jungle Curry was HOT. Man up before ordering that

Ed Alexander

Good Thai food across from the Capital One Arena

Jing Qian

Pros: - crispy spicy duck was good, but a little too much breading and huge chunks - panang seafood curry was good, too - Thai iced coffee was good - nice, quiet restaurant, staff was friendly; manager responded to my request quickly - price is reasonable Cons: - not sure what, but something feels a little off; seems not quite as refined as it could be Overall, I would recommend this place. Had a good experience.

Whitney Jarrett

Best pad thai in chinatown

timliu75 tim

A Thai restaurant lies near the heart of the Chinatown. I visited the place in a freezing winter evening and decided to eat something very spicy to warm my body. I ordered the Jungle plate with beef and the dish didn't let me down. The flaming hot taste almost made me sweat! The portion size was just right. A little pricy but is acceptable (in D.C.).

Kobi Enwemnwa

Food good...service, not so much. We felt we needed to ask for a menu after sitting for 10 minutes

Nick Cowley

Came here with my family, it was excellent. We were seated and served quickly, the staff was very courteous and helpful, and the food was delicious. I'll be returning next time I'm in town. Great value for the price (relatively inexpensive).

Meg Smith

Standard Thai fare. Fresh flavors though a bit salty. Service is friendly, prices are reasonable.

MinhSon NGUYEN DUY

Terrible customer service

Sean Stegmaier

Good Thai fried rice and drunken noodles. Good dinner portion sizes. Quick service on a game night.

Michael Anderson

I love their green curry. Give me beef, give me chicken, it's doesn't matter, give me shrimp. Just mix it with green curry and out some rice on the side. The food here is so good. You would never look at this place and think I should eat there. The outside doesn't look like the inside. And the inside doesn't look like they would serve amazing food. But they do!! There was one surprise after another. And the staff is amazing as well. I go here all the time!

A Alvis

Absolute Thai is by far the best thai I've had in DC. Being from Seattle, I have found it difficult to find Thai food that can compare to the delicious fare in the PNW.

Katie T

This was the some of the best Thai food I've had in a long time. The atmosphere is a little nicer than average, but you can come wearing jeans. There is patio seating, bar seating and plenty of tables. One thing odd about the bar is that your knees hit the bar before you can reach the table so that's a bit uncomfortable. Service was excellent and food was great. I ordered the Panang Curry which was very yummy and not too spicy. I'd like a little less peanut flavor in my Panang though. There was no parking, but that's expected with being in downtown. Loved it and will be back again.

Andrew Solow

Had the Pad See Ew and was very good. Went for lunch and portion size and price was good. Definitely going back before an event at Verizon Center.

Lara Bryant

Food was good and came quickly when we ordered but service was inattentive and probably understaffed. We had to wait to get seated, to order, and flag someone down to get our check. Cocktails were a little pricey for a restaurant this size and in this price range. I had the pad thai - tasted nice and fresh.

Tracy Smith

Absolutely wonderful! Food is great... Service is too. Its not much on the outside but don't let that fool you.

Matt Smith

Great food, friendly service. Pretty much what you want in a good restaurant.

Dave Seefeld

Great food and atmosphere. We arrived around 6pm and were seated immediately. Service was fast and the food arrived quick.

SERGio ANDRES URREGO RODRIGUEZ

Really bad service and the food was just ok.

Leslie & Michael McQuade

Good service, quick and delicious! Will go back.

Xiao FENG

They automatically included a 20% tip on check yet forgot to not include "Gratuity included" on receipt, hoping you would add another tip on top of that. When asked about this they blamed the computer system they use.

Jon Shay

Really good Thai. Two levels spicier than you think it will be though.

Robert Herschbach

Excellent food and service. Enjoyable atmosphere and people.

Tim C

A very good restaurant. I usually get drunken noodles or pad thai, and it's always done well. The prices are decent as well, especially for Chinatown, with good serving sizes. Their spicy hot levels are much spicier than normal Americanized restaurant fair, which is excellent. You always have the option of getting it non-spicy. You don't always get the option to go as spicy as they do.

Nope McKee

Excellent food.

Kerry Wei

One of the worst services I have seen. Slow response to order/team requests, no napkins given, no checking on the food but force charging 20% tips (for 4 people + 1 kid) without ahead notice. What a business.

Alexandria Lockett

I came here after visiting the Newseum because it was a short walk (10 minutes). The food is reasonably priced, decor is nice, and the staff is friendly and attentive. Although their menu did not have as much variety as many Thai restaurants I have been to, the Pad Thai and Massaman Curry exceeded my expectations. I also liked that they had a "healthy section" of their menu and a fairly large dessert menu. I would definitely come back again!

Matthew Mroz

I get this for lunch a few times a month. Always delicious, and fast. Reasonably priced.

Aden Wilson

Food was good but the service was slow and bad Plus the restaurant ran out of multiple main food items, including coffee, deserts, etc.

Luc

Love this place!! Excellent food, great service, predictable, convenient and quick.

CoachWayne Evans

Convenient. Nice atmosphere. I arrived at noon, on a Sunday, as they were opening. Host was willing to accept me as first customer of the day ( although I wasn't sure if he really wanted a customer). Table server was friendly but offered no recommendations. (Atypically low Thai-restaurant service levels). Table tops are a bit grubby. Needs a glass top. Food: potpourri shrimp: very tasty curry. Well balanced dish. Shrimp were spot-on. Egg and crab were a bit dryer than I expected. Good portion. Decent.

Afolabi Cardoso

The delicious food, on time service and warm hospitality makes up for the decor. I would recommend Absolute Thai if you’re looking to eat good Thai food! Definitely revisiting

Marina Akers-Epps

This is my 3rd time and loved every one!!

Tyrone H

Food is great and drinks are fine. Service sucks. I'm still sitting here and it's been around 10 min with my napkin on my plate and nothing. Still waiting. .....

Shane Mecham

Stopped in for a quick bite. Food was really good. We had a group of 6 and the service was great. Quick and delicious. Would come back of if I'm in the neighborhood again.

Syed M Quader

Very flavorful and tasty food. I had the Shrimp tom yum soup which was just amazing. Also the penang curry was awesome. Definitely recommend it.

Ashwath Hegde

Please avoid this place. This was the worst Thai food that I have had in my life:(

Ramon Zegpi Lagos

It is spicy even if they say it is not

Lydia Wilkins

Some really great flavors and dishes here. Maybe steer clear of the pad thai. It was just okay. But I loved the soup.

Shashi Bellamkonda

It doesn't look so good from the outside but inside is nice. Food is awesome and friendly staff.

Adri Guzman

Great food!

Phaisan Ngamjit-anan

Good Thai food. Not expensive

Jason Strachman Miller

Great food. Highly recommend the spicy eggplant and tofu.

rafael hashiba

Good food, fair price Do not order shrimp, it comes only 4 pieces. Beef is great

Danielle Carnes

Best Tom Kha Gai in town! Perfect for casual meetings.

Jack W

Great PadThai, but ask for mild if you don't like a kick to it. Drunken Noodles are good too. Directly across from the Verizon Center, and practically empty before Caps games. Reasonable prices considering the location.

Merlin Williams

I had just gotten into town and a friend of mine and I decided to look around and search for some Thai food. We found Absolute Thai conveniently located behind the Verizon Center. It was a busy Friday night for most of the restaurants on the 6th street. We luckily got a table at here before the whole dining room filled up. All three courses came out of the kitchen in an extremely timely manner. My highlight was the Chicken Pad Thai. My friend really enjoyed the fried tempura ice cream. He forced me to take a few bites because he was really loving it and said he would kick himself, if he ate the whole thing by himself. I have to say that was a great way to end the meal. The Thai Smile Martinis were delicious! I would definitely recommend one of those if you want to try a signature martini. If not, then they have Shock Top, which gets no complaints here!

Richard Kim

Food here is great. Very tasty. I come here all the time, it’s consistently good.

Benjamin VanEvery

Basil fried rice was mediocre

Jenni Salas

Delicious and large lunch portions. I got the Tom Yum Gai Sub Noodle Soup with veggie spring roll. My friends loved their meals too. Portions are so large we took leftover to go for another lunch. Atmosphere is nice and service is quick and friendly.

Elisha McNeil

My regular order is tofu pad thai - no meat, no extra vegetables. Went there a couple of times and food was average/good enough. However, on my last visit I found a shrimp shell in my food - not a full, cooked shrimp, but an empty shrimp shell that looked like it had been half eaten or come from somebody's finished plate or something. I was so grossed out. After I called back for a refund, which I got, the person on the other line offered to give me a coupon for my next visit. I didn't take it because I will not be back. Dine at your own risk.

j Gregory Barton

Lovely service, tasty food, appropriate portions, average décor--a touch homely in places. I would def recommend. Families would be at home and are welcome.

John Wildgrube

Nothing fancy here, but the food is good and reasonably authentic.

Ashley Bellamy

On 10/18 I had the drunken noodles. THEY WERE ABSOLUTELY A MESS! They were bland and they lacked flavor.

Eka Melani

Great food, quaint atmosphere and good service. My colleague and I came here for dinner during their HH so we ordered the deep fried beef strips and Thai fried chicken for appetizers. The beef was tasty (much better than I-Thai's) but the fried chicken was mediocre at best as it tasted like a normal frozen wings that they deep fried. For dinner I had the duck red curry and my colleague had the shrimp green curry. We asked for a 3/4 spice level and they delivered, quickly too! The food was well seasoned (no MSG, so they're not cheating!) with a generous portion. For the quality of food, portion and price this place easily worth the trip.

Ant J

Very good Thai restaurant. The food was affordable and tasty. Portions are more than abundant for one person and the services was fast and attentive.

V. Bosier

Wonderful menu and great service.

Aisha Yakub- Gamawa

Ordered dinner (7pm) for delivery, this is THE WORST Thai food i have ever had. I ordered fried rice & shrimp, pad Thai and rice and green curry. Everything was very dry and cold. The food was probably cooked 7 am. I’m guessing the good reviews here are probably from the employees.

Allison Stone

Service was fast and very polite. Pad thai is second best only to pad thai I have had in Bangkok. Fantastic prices and delicious!!!

Eze Wosu

The menu is a bit limited but they have perfected everything they serve.

Brian Rowe

Quick service, cheap prices, and food as expected for an American Thai restaurant.

Kevin Chan

Nice sized portions. Had an authentic, healthy, and specialty sides of the menu to order. We had the Thai Fried Rice and Healthy Green Curry. Both were tasty and met my expectations. Not the best but good and inexpensive.

Hilda Kroll

Every time my friend and I come back we try something new. Today we shared Absolute Thai Noodle and Tofu Gai Sub from the special lunch menu. The portions are very large and the $11 cost includes an egg roll. With Thai iced tea, it was a bargain lunch for under $15. For a couple of dollars more, there are lots of good choices on the regular menu. We've always found the service good and the staff friendly.

Mark Chomiczewski

First Thai restaurant we visited during our stay in Washington DC. Staff is very friendly and responsive, and this is a Thai restaurant run by Thai folks. This place has a nice vibe, seating is a little tight but once you get settled in you feel right at home. Bar appears to be fitted nicely, but we ordered a single tap beer which was served cold. We ordered one basil fried rice with chicken and one basil with chicken and a fried egg. Portions were decent, and the spice levels were spot on (the fried rice was ordered as a 5 out of 10 level and was perfect). The rice used in the fried rice was softer than what I like, which means it was clumpy, where I prefer rice cooked with less water. Service was great, never ran out of water. Everything was clean and had a nice authentic Bangkok decor. Being Thai food snobs we reserve a perfect 5 stars for places that can also cook to authentic Thai tastes. For Farang taste you can’t go wrong here!

Nishant Mendiratta

Worst Thai food I ever! The worst worst thing is it was not every authentic. It was so bad that we ordered 2 dishes and couldn’t finish even one of them, still paid some $30 and also parking charges. Nothing could be bad than this.

Kenneth Kilgour

The decor is not what wins you over here. And the coffee is instant, as at most Thai restaurants. But the food is real tasty, and, as you would expect, there are lots of vegetarian options. The service is efficient! At lunch, you may linger if you like, or you can be back to work inside an hour.

Drew Arel

The best chicken wings I have ever tasted, I will definitely be taking people here and trying the rest of the menu.

Vickie Weed

Thus was our first visit. Our server was quite attentive, checking on us and refilling water and tea often. We drink alot I guess! The food was delicious. Our group ordered drunken noodles, spicey fried chicken, fried rice and red panang curry chicken. Too bad we live in a different state...otherwise we would frequent this restaurant.

Betsy Stephens

Prior to attending a performance of Oresteia at the Shakespeare Theatre/ Harmon Hall, a friend and i had a delicious meal at Absolute Thai. Knowing that the portions are large, we shared an order of Penang Curry and a starter of fried shrimp (delicious). The staff were lovely and the prices reasonable. Absolute Thai is now our go-to restaurant prior Shakespeare performances!

Ambereenmbawany Mmunawarbawany

Good food.

Matthew Muir

Solid basic Thai. Chicken coconut soup, and green papaya salad, were nice and spicy.

Lloyd Rose

One of the best Thai places in DC. The Panang curry is my favorite. Service is always good. Also although there have always been people there, I've never had to wait for a table.

Renee Spence

They accommodated our party of 15 with no problem, we were served promptly and respectfully, the food was delicious and the restaurant was clean. I would recommend

황인서

It was terrible! The food and also the service! I ordered fried rice but it was not fried rice It was too sticky and has terrible taste! It was not Thai food at all. And also they were very very bad at service. They gave us a bill including the tax with their bad service. I am really really angry with their attitude and food.

Andrew Derksen

I'd love to tell you how I felt about the food at this place, but we never made it that far. The ambience was nice and the waitstaff was polite, but when my co-worker tried to order a beer, they refused to recognize his Puerto Rican driver's license as a valid form of ID. Then they made the mistake of asking him for his passport to verify his age, because he obviously wasn't a citizen. Last I checked, while not a state, Puerto Rico is definitely part of the United States. We're both old enough to have seen "Raiders of the Lost Ark" in theatres, and we have enough grey in our hair and our beards - so age verification could not have been an issue. We walked out and found another Thai restaurant down the street that did accept his ID.

Volodymyr Yaskulka

Good quality food, at expected D.C. prices. Noisy during lunch time, otherwise comfortable atmosphere.

Benjamin Edgar

Ordered chicken pad Thai and it was the worst I've ever had. Mostly rice noodles, not much meat or other vegetables. And the sauce was slimy and tasted a little weird.

Nimesh Dinubhai

Good healthy food.

Rebecca Rucker

Slightly above average food but the service was a bit snippy when you asked for anything. I'd be willing to try it again, maybe she was just having an off night.

Jake

We had dinner here the other day and really enjoyed our experience. The server was tentative and made some great recommendations. My wife had the chicken pad Thai, and I had the duck curry, both were delicious and fresh. The duck was very tender and the curry was great. Would recommend.

Chris Thompson

Very good food, great service and good happy hour prices just outside Capital One Center

Erin Dominick Anderson

Wonderful food, good prices, can't beat the location. Staff were excellent and attentive.

Abigail Osomo

Great food! The bathroom could use some more cleaning, but decent place.

Soyoung Kim

Very very terrible food!! Service was awful and food wasn't like real thai food. It was really different when I ate in Thailand. I was so disappointed! !!!!!:( I will never go this restaurant again!!! Also they didn't give exact change . Please look carefully after they give change!

Danielle Duran

This place looks like a strange corner restaurant but it is beautiful inside with fantastic food, and great service.

Vinnie McMahon

For someone who loves Thai food, this is pretty mediocre. However the Thai tea was delicious. For an American who isn't into Thai food, this place is certainly adequate. Service was good and the restaurant itself was nice inside.

George Handjinicolaou

Very taste. Surprisingly so

Ryan Cease

I'm very impressed. Really cool atmosphere and the food yass! This restaurant is awesome. Do hit it up!

Yating Zhang

Tom Yum Goong soup is nice and authentic but the Pad Thai is too sweet and lack of Thai-style seasonings I think. It tastes like rice noodle with sweet chili sauce. Sorry for picky because I do like Thai food and tried many Thai restaurants all over the world.

K Y

Had the worst experience here. The waitresses are super rude and expects tips. Don't waste your time here when there's so many other places to go to.

Long Huynh

This is a good Thai place. I will have to update this review. I am reviewing based off of 1 visit and 1 dish. Drunken Noodle: I came during lunch. I ordered drunken noodle. I asked for Thai Spicy. I did not get Thai Spicy but it may be because of my extremely hot palette. The the vegetables were perfect. The noodles were also great. They are the thinner flat noodle versus the thick flat noodle that seem to be very hard to find in the DMV. My beef was good but it did not take much of the flavor from the sauce from the drunken noodle. Some of my pieces were tender while others were tough. The portions were perfect! I don't want the person reading this think that this place is not good because it is. I am giving it three stars because I have had other versions of drunken noodle that I like slightly better. Like I mentioned I love thick noodles. I also have a very spicy and salty palette. Maybe they were light on the dark soy sauce but the sauce seemed to sit in the back ground. I was expecting for it to be more prominent. Customer Service: I was greeted when I came in. I was sat a table very quickly. My food came out in less than 5 minutes. My water was constantly being refilled. I was in and out very quickly. I was greeted on the way out as well! Customer service here is phenomenal! I hope to come back and try their other dishes!

Jorge A. Bustamante

Really good food. Great little spot. Pretty big menu.

Ricardo Daley

Nice place but didn't feel comfortable. Food was OK. Service was OK. Maybe it was might at the staff just didn't feel like it.

Ricky Govea

Just order the drunken noodles. Absolute Thai is absolutely great

Michael Austin

Stopped in for some spring rolls. They were fantastic and the staff was more than helpful. We will be back soon.

Kermith Tristani

I love this place. It's quiet quaint, great food great service. The green curry is amazing . I always come here Every time I come to DC

Minhthanh Nguyen

Staffs were disrespectful...definitely won't come back again

Ron Costigan

Dumpy kind of place. We went during lunch. The "Drunken Noodle " was good.