My favorite Thai spot! Yum water cress and pad see ew are the best. Would highly suggest to all.

I have ordered food from this place many times but a few things bother me. When I order dishes without meat and add egg or tofu in place of it, I am charged extra. My vegetarian drunken noodles had two pieces of tomato and some tofu, and no vegetables! Even still, I was fine with paying $30 for two meatless dishes until I got home tasted my pad thai. The entire dish treated burnt due to the red tofu being burnt. Yes, burnt! This establishment thinks it's okay to serve roast customers burnt food. Definitely never ordering from here ever again! read more

I really enjoyed eating here! I had many dishes for the first time here, and there was a lot of variety beyond the Thai usuals. The deep fried watercress was indeed a treat, as well as the fried rice. I also enjoyed the calimari. We ordered a bunch of dishes and many of them were great but didn't fully stand out. I would love to come here again! read more

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Excellent Thai food, nice menu. Nice atmosphere. Small portions. Somewhat overpriced. Service can be slow.

#wheaton #maryland Overall the most of the food was delicious. We had pad thai, labigag salade, payang curry and sticky rice dessert. But the smell in the restaurant was somehow horrible... smells like a dead chicken... :( read more

Ruan Thai - Thai Near Me - Wheaton, Maryland

Great food... amazing portion sizes. Only complaint is that I got cashews in my watercress salad after asking for no nuts (the tupperware even said "no nuts" in the dish that had nuts added). Will certainly order take out again. read more

I love their Pad Thai. They have great service and awesome food. Highly recommended for Thai.

My go to thai restaurant. Very close to my house. Great variety of menu items. Delicious dishes. Good portions. Reasonably priced. Have bern coming to this place for 4 years and I keep coming back for more. read more

I'm a repeat customer of Ruan Thai. I'm a sucker for Thai food and there are 2-3 places in the Silver Spring area that I go to in order to quench the thirst for Thai. Ruan Thai is probably the top of that list. I'm docking a star due to the parking situation - but really I don't fault the owners for that. Most of the time it's not an issue as there is a decent amount of on-street parking (bring quarters for the meters!). I have never had a problem with the service here - in fact, I recently brought my friend here for her birthday (as well as her sister). We have a tradition of being really mean to each other and the wait staff at first seemed very taken aback until we explained. After that point they were very friendly and even laughed at some of our antics. We weren't vulgar or anything! They have no problem splitting checks if that's what is needed. Further, the service is quick and they monitor your beverages to see if you need refills. The food is downright delicious. My favorite dishes at any Thai restaurant are the Pad Thai and any type of curry. Both of those dishes here are well prepared, well executed and served with large portion sizes (even at lunch!). I generally end up having a healthy amount to take home - even when I go and share with friends/family. I've also never had to wait for a table here. The tables are also spaced far enough apart that you don't feel like they are cramming people in their restaurant. A lot of restaurants do this and while I'm willing to deal with it - it makes me very cramped up very quickly. Their Thai Iced tea is also excellent - I get that anytime I go get Thai food. However, it's not a tough drink to make so I don't necessarily add or subtract any points for this. Bottom line is that if you don't mind potentially parallel parking, COME HERE FOR THAI. It is great food in a great, spaciious but casual environment. You will not be disappointed. Use caution with parking in the lot - they do tow if you're in the wrong spot. read more

Very very oily, weak flavored food. Decent appetizers (satay, spring rolls, soups) but not good entrees (drunken noodles - flavor profile completely wrong, kra pao too oily, panang curry too oily). Good mango sticky rice read more

The service was so bad. We ordered 2 chicken tom yum, one drunken noodle, and one shrimp pineapple fried rice. The appetizer, chicken tom yum tasted nice. But then the main order turned out to be stir-fried seafood with rice and shrimp fried rice without even a pineapple in. We didn't complain about the fried rice but the other thing we asked to be changed to what we ordered, not even a sorry, not even a thank you given by the server. And charged $1 for the menu they remembered wrong? Really? We love thai food, but for this reason we won't come back again. Tip for the server: you repeated the order right, but then if you can't remember, write down in a note. read more

Ruan Thai has become one of our favorite neighborhood sports, and our go-to for Thai. Delicious!! We especially love the fried rice, dumplings, and pad see ew. read more

I got the Pad Thai, it is actually a lot of food but i think it is missing a little zest, should have probably made it spicy. I came in with high expectations but the food tasted as good as other places. read more

The food was wonderful, but expect a long wait if you're in a large party. We were there with a party of 10 and it took over an hour for our food to start to arrive. Not everyone's food came at the same time so some were done eating while others were waiting. read more

My extended family has been coming here since Ruan Thai opened 20 years ago. It is our default restaurant, whether to carry out or sit down. The food is always excellent, whether we go with our usual picks or try something new. The ambiance is fine for a tiny strip mall. The service and kitchen speed are usually efficient, even if the latter is not polished. We've never had a negative experience that warranted leaving less than our standard 20% tip. Which brings me to my one gripe and the reason for my review. When the server brought the bill last night, it included a tip tacked on (I think it was 16%). This for a family of five that was in no way fussy or demanding. So the 16% is what our aunt paid, effectively costing the waitress a few dollars. When and why was this tip policy imposed? You should drop it. read more

I don't eat Thai as much as I used to but when I do it's Ruan Thai. You get real spiciness and superb Thai flavor. I may need to make a trip real soon. read more

We always love to go to this restaurant. The pad Thai and Pad see ew are among our favorites. It can sometimes take a while for them to make your food, but it is more than worth it. read more

So I absolutely love the food here. I got the drunken noodles to go and I really liked it. It was hot enough and well seasoned honestly I recommend and writing this review I'm thinking of ordering that right now (but I won't because I cooked ). Now I am not giving this place a 5 because I didn't like the smell of the place when I stepped in (yeah yeah I know it's weird... so SPARE ME) I have a very sensitive nose and that was the first thing that stood out to me when I stepped into the place. Obviously I would recommend this place and would order takeout from there again! Editing the review I went back there with a friend we got our food to go and she concurred that the place smelled weird. read more

I studied abroad in Thailand back in college, and Ruan Thai tastes like the real thing. As other reviewers have mentioned, the Yum Watercress is awesome. Their pad thai is excellent, and I am also a big fan of their curries and their moo ping (barbecue pork skewers with sticky rice). read more

My husband and I are Ruan regulars, and in the "best Thai food in Wheaton" debate it hands down gets our vote. Sure, we cheat on Ruan every once in a while, but generally only with Charm Thai or Amina simply due to the fact that we can UberEATS it to our house. Favorite dishes are any of the curries (I'm partial to green or panang but they're all good), drunken noodle, pad thai, moo korb pad prik khing. You've already been warned about the parking situation, but no harm in repeating. Don't risk it. You WILL get towed! read more

This place has some of the most delicious Thai food in the area. They also have an easy way to order online for takeout if you don't want to eat in the restaurant. Parking is limited but there is a garage about a block away read more

That is really traditional Thai Resturant , I love their Grill pork and grill chicken read more

Ruan Thai - Thai Near Me - Wheaton, Maryland

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Great food! Tastes just like the food in Thailand :) The yum watercress is so delicious!

My family is from Thailand. We only go to 3 Thai Restaurants in the DMV areas and Ruan Thai is one of those 3. We always enjoy the food here. Our favorites are yum watercress, pad see eaw, pra dook foo, duck noodles, and Lad Na. But everything here taste delicious! read more

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If you're looking for scrumptious Thai food and friendly service, then Ruan Thai is the place to be! Upon entering the restaurant, my family and I were seated almost immediately. Surprisingly, the restaurant was not as crowded as I would have expected for a Friday night. As starters, we ordered the curry puffs and Yum Watercress. The curry puff was just *meh* to me. It was on the sweeter side, and I didn't taste any chicken in my puff. However, I really enjoyed the Yum Watercress! The fried watercress was accompanied with shrimp and squid in a lime dressing. As delicious as the Yum Watercress was, I feel that the dish was a bit over-saturated with dressing. Next time I order Yum Watercress, I will probably ask for the dressing on the side. My family and I ordered the crab fried rice, country curry with beef, and fried mussels as our main dishes. Holy smokes... the crab fried rice at Ruan Thai was money! The country curry with beef came with various vegetables-- eggplant, baby corn, and string beans, to name a few. We asked for only one chilli pepper on the spice meter, as opposed to the three chilli peppers it usually comes with. One chilli pepper was the perfect amount of spice for me; hot enough to get a kick, but not so spicy that I couldn't enjoy the dish. The fried mussels sat on top of a bed of stir-fried bean sprouts and came with a spicy sauce. It was delicious, but got a little heavy after the first few bites. I appreciate the generous portions they serve at Ruan Thai and feel that I am definitely getting the most bang for my buck there. By the time we were getting ready to leave (at about quarter to nine), the restaurant was packed! I'm looking forward to dining at Ruan Thai again in the near future. read more

Last night my wife and I took my father-in-law to Ruan Thai. We were trying to figure out which Thai would be the best in the area and thanks to Yelp! we limited it to two. As we were preparing to go, my father-in-law mentioned that he was talking with a friend and they raved about the deep-fried water cress. First, I am happy to say that gone are the days when each and every Thai restaurant wants to make a pun on their name: Bow Thai, Thai Goes to the Runner, Thai me up and gag me, please! I did a little research and found that a Ruan is a stringed instrument and was not surprised to see one in the restaurant. I like the "thai" to music and food, sorry I couldn't help it! Okay, so we did get the aforementioned water cress appetizer. It came out in a hot pile of golden fried deliciousness dressed with Cilantro, red and spring onions, and peanuts. When you ate the seafood (because this is really what the dish is all about) you get flavors of the sea, crisp batter, bright acidity in the form of vinegar and citrus, a chew from the shrimp and squid, and the umami undertones of just the right amount of fish sauce. The cilantro and onion are not simply here to brighten the dish visually, but play well with all of the flavors and the water cress, deep fried (who knows how dry the chef has to get them for the batter to stick) become a star along side the seafood friends. For dinner we ordered three dishes: Pad Thai (because this is our first time here and this is the best way for me to judge the strength of their cooking), Panang Curry (see previous parenthetical...), and chile eggplant because we love eggplant. The Pad Thai is some of the best I have had. We got the chicken and it came with pork in it as well. I am not the biggest fan of bean sprouts, but those are easy enough to pick off. The curry dish was full of flavor, bright flavor! There was a good bit of spice to it, but I might ask for more next time. Sadly the eggplant was one texture, and the thai basil was the most assertive of the flavors. Won't get that again, but we're already talking about getting the Druken Noodles and getting the appetizer again. We had leftovers a day later and they held up well. If you are looking to get a couple of meals out of the food, that will not be a problem. The service was attentive for us, but we got there old people early. We also found the team concept of serving a little confusing, but our drinks were kept full and the food came out hot and we were asked how we liked everything. There is a sense that the folks here take pride in their food and caring for you while you are there. Bottomline: We are fans and will be back soon. Get the fried water cress. We didn't go wrong and I hope that means you won't either. Joyful Eats! read more

At the end of Shallow Hal, Jack Black realizes that Gwyneth Paltrow may be ugly and fat on the outside but once he sees past all of that, he finds her inner beauty. Such is Ruan Thai. From the outside, you may be tempted to keep on driving... but you would be missing a real treat if you did. The rough edged exterior gives way to a delightful and intimate restaurant serving up some of the best Thai cuisine around. We've been "Eatin' in Wheaton" lately and Ruan Thai was on the docket for a try. On your way in, check the specials board in the window. We heeded the chef's suggestions and were rewarded for our efforts. Yum Watercress is a delicious salad of crispy fried watercress, onions, fried squid and shrimp tossed in a spicy/ fish sauce. Yum is right! We were fighting over the last morsels on the plate. Equally good are the curry puffs. Like a cross between a samosa and an empanada, delicate pastries are filled with a mild potato curry and served with the traditional cucumber pickle. Very nice. Entrees were also real hits. I had the Pad Prik Khing with chicken. Tender chunks of white chicken sauteed in a fiery red chile sauce with green beans. There were some interesting notes to the sauce and I'm not certain, but I would bet it had ground dried shrimp in it. Truly addictive. My dining partner in crime ordered the Panang curry Shrimp. A luscious dish and as good a panang curry as I've ever tasted. Rich, thick, slightly sweet and quite spicy, the panang arrived in a beautiful clay crock. Once the shrimp were gone we enjoyed the remainder of sauce by either slurping up spoonfuls, or drenching the perfectly cooked jasmine rice with it. Like tastebud nirvana. Service was very friendly and efficient. There are a number a great looking items on the menu that I've not seen at other Thai restaurants. I'm looking forward to many more visits to come. She might not be prettiest girl at the ball, but she sure knows how to dance. read more

Yelp + GOOG411 + GPS = Awesome! I was in Wheaton for lunch, and was restaurantless because my original destination was under construction. Where to go? So I flipped through the Yelp file cabinet in my mind and opened the "Wheaton" folder. I remembered the glowing reviews of Ruan Thai. But where is it?? I dialed GOOG-411 and spoke to my automated-voiced friend, found the address, entered it into my GPS and I was there! Sometimes technology really does help! :D I'm not quite as enthusiastic, however, about my actual experience at the restaurant. It was okay, but far from five stars. The lunch special was a pretty great deal, though the choices all seemed the same. I ordered the green curry with chicken and chose the spring roll side. He had the pad thai with the lemongrass soup. Everything was pretty standard -- I don't really see how this is that much better than other Thai restaurants in the area (Benjarong, Amina Thai, Thai Tavern, etc.) aside from the amazing value. I was also surprised that they only had one server/busperson for the entire restaurant (about 15-20 tables) during peak lunch hours...though I've experienced much worse service at a place with a more favorable server-customer ratio. It's not a bad Thai restaurant or a great Thai restaurant. It's just...a Thai restaurant. read more

I'd have a hard time hearing arguments that there is a better Thai restaurant in Wheaton, MD than Ruan Thai. Why? The dishes go well beyond what you find in traditional Thai restaurants and the execution is superb. Here is what I ordered: 1) Tom Kha soup w/shrimp (large): First and foremost, at this portion size, you are ordering enough tom kha for at least 4 moderately sized people. Under no circumstance should you order this only for yourself. The presentation of Tom Kha is somewhat interesting in that the soup comes bubbling in a contraption similar to how hot pot is served in Chinese restaurants. The soup remains temperature hot for the majority of your meal, and we used the delicious coconut broth to flavor the rice. 2) Fried squid salad with dried shimp and cashew: The lightly battered, golden squid , cut in thick pieces, was the star of the show. The tiny dried shrimp added an interesting textural element, and the cashews brought forth a contrasting nutty flavor to the sweet, slightly vinegary dressing. The different flavors were quite complex and it was interesting to note how the kitchen managed to mesh them well in one dish. Everyone at my table loved this dish. 3) Papaya salad: A relatively standard preparation that was light, sweet, and refreshing. Basically, it was everything you want to counterbalance the spicier elements in Thai entrees. It's worth an order. 4) Red Curry Tofu (country style): Served in a red bowl without coconut milk, the tofu, mixed vegetables, and spices are concentrated and far spicier than your typical Thai "curries". Although I enjoyed it as it was presented, it was also enjoyed by borrowing from the Tom Kha to make a rather makeshift red curry dish. 5) Fried Chicken stuffed with pork and shrimp: Disappointing. The lightly fried golden batter uncovered a mishmash of pork/shrimp that didn't hold well to the chicken. I'd skip this one. 6) Fried Pork Belly w/Chinese Broccoli and Oyster Sauce: A rather self explanatory dish, but the little splashes of salty oyster sauce played very well with the stalks of Chinese broccoli. Some pieces of pork belly were a bit tougher than I would have liked, but the skin pieces had a delectable softness that was almost subliminal when fried to a perfect brown. Overall, I liked this dish and found it a bit more interesting than what I usually find at Thai restaurants. We didn't save room for dessert, but I can say after trying a decent chunk of the Ruan menu that at least the appetizers and entrees are worthwhile. I would trust Ruan to further expand my current knowledge of Thai offerings. read more

Ruan Thai, a place where expatriates go to eat authentic Thai food in the D.C. area, does catering for the Thai ambassador, even though I don't see any formal functions being held in the restaurant any time soon. The small restaurant is a veritable hole in the wall, which is not to say that the restaurant is not clean or that the service is poor--in fact, the opposite is true--just don't go there for the ambience. The food, however, is one of the most delicious and authentic of all the metro area Thai restaurants, and for those who have never lived or been to Thailand, that is a very good thing. One of the more subtle, tell-tale signs of an Americanized Asian restaurant is the lack of Chinese broccoli in dishes, as this Asian vegetable has a slightly bitter, pungent flavor. You won't be disappointed at Ruan Thai, as many of the dishes avoid the cheaper as well as bland American equivalent. Although most of the dishes are a sure thing, the som tum (papaya salad) stands out as one of the best I've ever had in the U.S. or Thailand (I know, blasphemy!). The noodles are also a delight because they are prepared so that they are the right texture, chewy but not too dry and--most of all--not soggy, which can't be said for the majority of the less authentic Thai restaurants. Ruan Thai is frequented by both Thais and non-Asians alike. Beware: If you don't see any Thai patrons eating at a Thai restaurant, you may be there solely for the ambience. read more

This place makes me want to change my nationality to Thai. SO delicious. I made the mistake of ordering 10000000 things off the menu, when realistically, I couldn't even finish my entree if I tried. The tom kha soup is AMAZING, creamy and delicious. TIP: Stir it up before you eat. The first time I just starting eating the coconut milk from the top and didn't realize all of the seasoning and flavor was settled on the bottle of the bowl. The drunken noodles are delicious, crispy tofu and ginger sauce, panang curry... mmmm! Also try either thai iced tea or thai iced coffee... both very good! TIP #2: Park on the street and walk there. read more

Tucked away in a little strip mall, this place should definitely be considered a hidden gem. There are three Thai places in Wheaton and this is definitely the best. There's Nava Thai, Dusit Thai and Ruan Thai. I've had all three and Ruan wins. You can tell they really pay attention to the quality of the food here and it seeeems more authentic (I can't really say considering I haven't been to Thailand). It's not just a trap for whiteys like me to experience the Thai experience. The difference is the ingredients. It's not the artificial neon stuff, or stuff out of a can. You can tell this is fresh and just pops with flavor. In order to do a true side-by-side comparison with Nava Thai (which I have written about and love), I ordered my good standard: the Penang Curry. So much better here because it was fresh. It was more brothy than the dish at Nava, which is more saucy. This one also came with A LOT more chicken. I had two servings of leftovers. And I could have that broth for just a soup. Sweet, yet pretty darn spicy too. We also order the tom kha gai soup for an appetizer. It was also better than the one at Nava. Again for the same reasons with fresher flavors. It was a little thicker too and once again, more chicken. The only problem with this place is the decor/mood and the service. I don't have super high expectations, but it's pretty cruddy inside. It's kind of cafeteria style with really ugly chairs. Still, the place was HOPPIN' on a Friday night. The secret's definitely out. That leads me to my second negative and that's the service. It took about 15 minutes before we even had a server check in with us for water. We got that and just placed our order at the same time. If these two things really matter to you, then you should probably go to Nava. It has excellent service and a really warm feel to the place. It feels like you're eating dinner at their house that just happens to have a lot more tables. But if you care more about the food, definitely get Ruan Thai. Or heck, just get takeout. read more

4.25* A group of friends were led to the "best" Thai restaurant in the Wheaton area and to my surprise...found out it was not Nava Thai. It was a bit of a shock for me..nevertheless the experience would be positive one at the end of the night... Our table ordered 4 dishes: 1) Yum Watercress- appetizers (deep fried crispy watercress). This dish reminds you of a very well deep fried watercress in tempura dishes at Japanese/Korean restaurants. It was super crispy, but not extremely oily and definitely not over-fried. It was almost perfect...except that the soy sauce in the dish was overpowering and a bit too salty. A little tweak and this dish would have gotten a 4.5*. 2) Deep Fried Whole Flounder-extremely crispy and comes with two sauces (curry based and soy sauce based). The sauces came in a medium sized bowl which made me think that it was the curry we ordered at first. The curry based sauce masks the taste of the fish b/c of the powerful curry flavoring. However, I found the soy sauce based sauce to be pleasing..although it was a tad bit too salty (as the dish above). Again a bit of a tweak on this minor problem and the dish would have gotten a 4.5*. 3) Green curry and pak prik khing. The dishes were average...at what I would expect at an average Thai restaurant. Average meat quality/seasonings/flavorings for the Pad Prik Khing. The Green curry had an overpowering coconut base and lacked the spice and the complexities in the flavoring found in better dishes elsewhere. Conclusion: I could see that there is a mixed bag of dishes at this restaurant. My recommendations are to go for the yum watercress and the deep fried whole flounder. They will not disappoint and in the future, I will be coming here routinely to satisfy my cravings for Thai food. read more

well.. I've seen very good reviews about Ruan Thai and so I always wanted to try it sometime. Finally I did sometime on the weekdays for lunch, but it was very disappointing.. Maybe because it was lunch time and offering just a few lunch specials (6.95?), nothing seemed to be any special or authentic.. but I know some people might say not to complain considering the price.. well.. if I can get better authentic food, I'd rather pay a few bucks more and enjoy it rather than getting thai-wanna be more like spicy chinese food at low price. Not-fancy decor is just fine with me but most thai authentic restaurants don't have to be this run-down look.. In fact, lots of restaurants or eateries in Thailand are well decorated. I would just stick to NoVA for authentic (serving water without strange tap water taste) thai restaurants with more than 1 server (lunch time there was only 1 server.. I felt bad for her). read more

3.5 stars This has been on the list for a while...finally made it -- and it was a bit uneven, but the good was sooo very good. Appetizers - Bean thread was ok -- but certainly doesn't compare to the Thai Square gold standard for bean thread. - Yum watercress -- was very good, watercress, shrimp and calamari all lightly battered and fried, served with red onion, some fresh watercress and lime dressing. Main - Chicken with cashews and green onion -- was a bit disappointing, something just tasted off. - Duck kha prao -- delicious. The duck was well seasoned with skin on, wok fried with basil, peppers and onions -- absolutely delicious. One of the ten best duck dishes I have ever had and one of the 10 best Thai dishes as well. Maybe future visits will be a bit more consistent with a little experience and learning this place strengths......but certainly in my top 10 for DC Thai. Don't come for the ambience, there isn't much. Will return. read more

We have dined at Ruan Thai several times, I find their food exceptional. However the dining experience is not worth going to the restaurant. At last nights dinner, we waited about 10 minutes after seating before someone recognized we were there and ready to order. I admit I am a professional, so I am hypercritical. There doesn't seem to be any management on the floor and the servers work so hard, but it doesn't seem to be cohesive. There are serious design flaws and I know the restaurant was renovated in the past couple of years. The rear of the restaurant has tons of wasted and ugly service space that should be hidden or relocated. The pick up area should be in the front of the business. Pick up patrons have to walk by diners. There needs to be a wind block so everything the restaurant opens a waft of cold or hot air doesn't bother diners. Relocating the pick up might serve to create a better waiting area, and wind block, also freeing space for nicer tables I could continue. but won't. The food is very good! But service and dining experience makes the rating OK read more

My sister and I stopped here for an early dinner tonight before we ran our errands. I haven't been here before, but she has dined here a handful of times. Ruan Thai is located in a strip mall (more like a half strip) with very limited parking. There are a few spaces allotted to each storefront. We decided to park on the street, as some businesses won't hesitate to get your car towed if you park in a space reserved for their customers. The metered parking is limited to 30 minutes, Monday - Friday, from 9am - 6pm. We came at around 5:40pm, so we popped a quarter into the meter and walked to the restaurant. Inside we were warmly greeted and were able to select where we wanted to sit. The dining room has limited seating, so I recommend calling ahead to see how crowded it would be. We came at a good time, but as we were eating our meal, it got more busy with several large parties and people coming in for takeout. It looked like the larger parties had called ahead, as the waitstaff were shifting tables around to accommodate their party. That night we saw a lot of families, so I am going to guess that either the kids are adventurous eaters, or perhaps this restaurant has a little something for everyone. For a starter, we ordered the Yum Ped Yang, which is "spicy sliced duck with chili paste and lime juice" ($6.95). It came out on a bed of lettuce greens, with a medley of julienne ginger, parsley, sliced red onions, and carrots. The portion of duck was generous enough for two people. It was soft and tender, room temperature, and was a bit fatty. The dressing was hot and tangy. My sister thought it could be better without the ginger, but I thought it was pretty good. It provided a little bite but didn't burn your taste buds off, though your mileage may vary. For our main entree, we got their deep fried whole fish with a chili and basil leaf sauce (Pla Tod Lard Prik). They have various whole fish on the menu with different sauces, but our server said this one, along with the catfish with string beans and chili, are the more popular dishes. She also suggested having the sauce on the side, which was great since my sister doesn't like too much sauce, whereas I do, so this was a good compromise. The whole fish take about 20 minutes to prepare, so if you are hungry, I would recommend ordering an appetizer. By the time we finished our duck, the fish came out. I think we got a whole flounder! As far as deep-frying goes, I think it may have been cooked a little too long, but it was still hot and delicious. The sauce that comes with it was so tasty. You can smell the Thai basil wafting to your nose the moment you spoon it on the fish. It was sweet and provided a little heat, but again, nothing over the top. We were given two bowls of rice which didn't get refilled--at this point in our meal the service was so-so, but they did refill our water glasses. And I don't know how it happened, but we ate the whole thing! The only thing I think would improve this dish is if they didn't cook the fish too long and if they served it with fresh leafy greens. We had to wait a bit to get our bill. The two dishes we got ended up being $43.40 with tax. The fish was market price. I thought it was a bit high, especially since they have salmon and catfish priced at $11-13, but it is flounder, which is a pricier fish. They were able to split the bill between two credit cards with no fuss. Overall, a good experience and I look forward to returning soon. read more

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Thai Cuisine. It is somewhat difficult for someone like me who has access to alot of the more authentic foods in NYC to come to MD and try to find a place that can replicate that 'home authentic' food without the Americanization of the taste. Recently, after a visit to my home away from home, MD, this little jewel of authentic tastiness was revealed to me. This isn't a huge restaurant, but it's reasonably sized for about 15 tables or so worth of guests. We ordered the chicken with chili and basil, fish with black bean sauce, chinese broccoli with crispy pork, soft shelled crab in sweet and sour sauce, the beef salad and the stuffed chicken wings. The food was very flavorful. The chicken was spicy but not very spicy (for those who aren't a fan of spicy food). The fish was not overly fried and cooked well. I'm not used to eating it with black bean sauce (I prefer the chili and basil) but it was good nonetheless. Nothing much to say about the chinese broccoli or the salad, because they were simple dishes. I did not try the papaya salad, so I couldn't compare the spicyness. I had a gripe with the stuffed chicken wings because they weren't done the way I'm used to (they weren't really wings and the 'stuffing' wasn't really much), and they were too breaded for me. I do have a favorite Thai restaurant that I frequent in NYC, (which I have not reviewed yet, fearing everyone will go there) and this place can be the place I go to when I'm here. The food is good, the flavors are similar to where I eat in NYC and the food is actually spicy, not just advertised as spicy. This place is better than Benjarong and Tara Thai, most definitely. read more

Very good Thai food. With one exception, I have loved everything I have ever eaten here. The interior upgrade helps a lot. I see that some people complain about the service and the long waits for food, but what do you expect from a small kitchen? I don't mind waiting...especially if the food is this good. And I have always found the servers very gracious. read more

Ruan Thai is a great place to have in the neighbourhood. Perfect for those evenings when a) you can't be bothered to cook or b) it's a Sunday night and you want something easy and unfussy. Sometimes I call from the Metro on my way home and have takeout waiting for me. I like the crispy spicy duck the best. I'd try other things, branch out a bit, but seriously that duck is like crack. Every time I think I'll go for something else I come back to it. Service is good and it's a good place to get takeout. Friendly staff and very quick service. It's not palatial - very basic decor, just your average family-run type of place. But the food is great, and I'm not even a huge fan of Thai food. read more