Friendly staff, small hometown style restaurant. I enjoyed my food, but my coworker did not. I would make sure you review the menu and the pictures on yelp to determine what you prefer to eat before ordering. I had the Crying Thaiger steak and it was good.. read more

Sam Phao Thai Cuisine - Crying Tiger steak - Thai Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

The service here was great! From the moment we walked in they were quick and helpful. The ambiance is... well, small, and not super clean. Especially the bathroom upstairs. The place definitely needs some updates and a deep clean. The food was pretty good! It was hot and fresh, but not the best Thai I have ever had. We started with spring rolls and chicken crispy wontons. The spring rolls were really yummy. The wontons also had good flavor, but basically no filling. They were really flat. I got the massaman curry and the flavor was pretty good, but it was really watery and I didn't love how big the potato chunks in it were. Probably wouldn't be in a hurry to go back, but it was nice stopping in this once! read more

See all

This place is mine and my family's go to, I mean at this point they know my son lol. The food is affordable and the customer service keeps us coming back. It is very hole-in-the-wallish buuut the environment is so homey. Nothing more to say other than I highly recommend. read more

Sam Phao Thai Cuisine - Thai Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

Sam Phao is a must try. The red curry w/chicken was amazing. Medium spice with plenty of chicken, there is no reason to get extra meat. Our waiter was nice as she ensured we had drinks and answered questions about the food. However, the ice ran out and there was no ask for any more ice. The coke was provided in a can. The ambiance of the restaurant was basic. It should be remodeled to be more modernized as well as the restroom. Be prepared because the restaurant is very small allowing an intimate experience. read more

See all

Great food, great service. We found this spot on a food delivery app and stopped by for takeout. And we kept coming back. The Massaman and Panang curries are delicious. DC - you're spoiled. It is hard to find Thai this good. Even though they'd be closed by the time our food was ready, they took the time to make it for us. There's a reason this is a Door Dash favorite. The team is great, works fast, and takes care of you. Definitely worth a try, especially if you are vegan or have food allergies. read more

See all

Came here on a whim for a quick bite to eat, during a short lunch break....and received a surprise of unexpected goodness! Sam Rhao Thai is an unassuming and small but the service is fantastic and everything I ordered taste authentic, full of flavor. The menu is full and has great variety, including your standards like Pad Thai, Pad See Ew and a selection of curry dishes. The ambiance is small, quaint and inviting. There is a bar and they have a great drink selection as well. Not to mention the portions were good and the price point is on the lower-end for typical or similar Asian fare in the Old Town Alexandria -- which can be expensive. During my stop here, I tried the: * Poh Tak ($7.99) - Super delicious lemongrass broth, with a combination seafood shrimp, squid, and mussel cooked in Thai style spicy broth. The sour lemongrass broth along with basil leaves, and Thai herbs elevated this dish with a nice kick and punch. * Sleepy Shrimp ($8.95) - Memorable appetizer of shrimp seasoned with Thai spices and ginger, wrapped with spring roll skins, and crispy fried. Served with sweet and sour sauce. It was pretty good. Pad Pak ($12.50) - Definitely a thumbs up! The entire dish was delicious and the portions was more than enough to share. Sautéed with mixed vegetables napa cabbage, broccoli, carrot, and baby corn in light brown sauce....the flavors and spices were all up in there! I ordered it "Thai Spicy" with beef & shrimp....and the kitchen did not disappoint. Overall, I definitely recommend. The service was great and the food is delicious. Where most Thai restaurants serve mild to bland flavored dishes even when you asked for a spicy, this is it the case at Sam Rhao Thai. My mouth and tastebuds were in "Inferno Bliss" with each bite. lol I would come back without hesitation. Great place! read more

See all

I went to go have lunch and arrived with only 6 people in the restaurant at about 2:10. I had two appetizers and I took 15 minutes to get those which I'm not upset at but to not receive my entrees until 40 minutes later at which point I was forced to rely it to go. That I s unacceptable and it makes me wonder how things flow in this establishment when they are truly busy. If it was crowded then I would understand but only six People and my entrees arrive at my table that late. You can't make logic out of something illogical. read more

Food and service were good and priced comparable to other restaurants in the area. I had two complaints with the restaurant overall, my wife and I sat in the upstairs portion of the restaurant, the carpets seemed to be dirty and there were cleaning supplies left on one of the tables near the condiments, which was not very pleasing to see. The other major complaint that I had is the fact that I received a notice from my credit card company asking me if I left the restaurant a 38% tip, I am usually a good tipper for quality service, but would not leave this much. So I am not sure if it was outright fraud or maybe a mistake when they entered in the charges, but either way it left a bad taste in my mouth as far as this establishment goes. read more

Food was excellent, service was friendly and quick. Especially loved the yellow curry. Good prices as well. Will definitely come again

Food is great and authentic! You can tell it is made fresh. Probably the best panang curry I've had in a while. It's definitely a "hole in the wall"- but those are the best places! Service was also great. I'd definitely visit here again! read more

Ordered beef pad see ew and chicken kuakai noodles for delivery today and am super pleased. They gave a ton of noodles, and the flavors were great. I think this place will be my new go-to Thai spot! read more

Wonderful Thai food. Really enjoyed our delicious lunch. Two levels. Very old-school.

Delicious and great service. I've ordered to go from here mainly and ate inside once. It's small and not many tables, but things move quickly. The staff are also very nice. Give it a try sometime! read more

Food was decent. The crying tiger. Would probably order out and not eat in. We couldn't get past the smell of wet dog that was the first smell when we walked in. The waitress was friendly. The restaurant is extremely small and cozy. read more

I really like the food here; it's too bad I have to give a negative review... I ordered via UberEats today and right when the order was arriving, the restaurant called to say they had forgotten to put part of my order in the bg. I said, OK, just have someone drive it over to me. They said they couldn't--too busy. I don't mind if you make a mistake, but then you have to fix it, not just say too bad. read more

Great food at a great price. They actually make it spicy if you ask for it, which is rare around this area. The pad see ew is always solid, it's our go to Thai spot in Old Town. read more

First time came here for dinner. We were working around the town and saw this restaurant. The price wasn't too pricey not like other Thai restaurants that is near to the river. The food is big enough for 1 person it was more than other restaurants. The service was very nice. We just have to wait for few mins longer. There was only one server on that day. She was very nice and friendly. It was nice atmosphere. Food and drinks are great. If you go visit Old Town Alexandria I think this is best place for Thai food. read more

See all

Delicious Thai place in Old Town! Affordable and very tasty. The green and the panang curries were perfectly balanced...bright yet indulgently rich with coconut milk. Tender chicken and beef, fresh Thai basil. The spring rolls were fried to a golden brown and came out hot but not greasy. Very tasty filling as well. Yum. The service was excellent! Friendly, prompt, and accurate. read more

See all

Amazing Thai! They really have authentic Thai with friendly service. Nested in a gorgeous city outside of DC what a great price for amazing Thai food. read more

See all

We ordered takeout from this restaurant. They were able to accommodate my need for a gluten-free. I ordered the pad Thai and summer rolls. It was delicious and it was ordered very quickly and delivered hot. read more

Calamari was very tasty, the batter they use was good. I must say it's on my top list as far as calamari. The green curry was really good as well! The sauce wasn't thick which was my preference. It definitely has a kick to it but highly recommended. Service was just ok, our food came out kinda slow.... read more

Sam Phao Thai Cuisine - Calamari - Thai Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

See all

I've lived in the neighborhood for years and am lucky to have several good Thai places to choose from, but this is my favorite. Every time someone visits, this is where I take them and everyone has always loved it. It's a small place with a small staff. The service has always been good and take-out is ready when they say it will be. read more

We came here for dinner on a Wednesday night after work. The food at this restaurant is better than average however the service was really slow as we waited around 20 minutes to get our papaya salad appetizer which had a nice tangy refreshing taste. I ordered the pottery shrimp which had an aromatic taste with a little too much salt. Although the dish was presented in a pretty clay pot with a smaller size portion. I was told that the Sam Phao Seafood was a little spicy with a sweet brown sauce. Since this place is really small, I probably wouldn't come here on the weekend when it will be busier with even slower service. However if you have a craving for Thai food it is worth trying if you are in the area. read more

See all

The food was mediocre at best. It's a small switch 4 tables on the first floor but more tables on the second floor. We ordered their highly recommended crispy duck and a curry and it was disappointing. Will not return and will not recommend. read more

I will probably never order from this restaurant again. My friend and I ordered the Green Curry Fried Rice and Pad See Ew. The fried rice had absolutely NO seasoning on it. I'm expecting to taste 'some' curry, but it was similar to being on a healthy diet entree and the rice was not even fried. They've got to do better. My friend enjoyed their meal read more

Sam Phao Thai Cuisine - Green Curry Fried Rice - Thai Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

Filthy. Empty, a woman sent us upstairs, where we sat for 10 minutes in a dirty room, condiments on a sticky table with Endust cans right next to the food. We left read more

The food here is so rich in flavor, 100% recommended. Its a very small place but very cozy. The service is good and very fast. I loved their Thai Iced Tea. read more

Sam Phao Thai Cuisine - Red and Green Curry - Thai Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

I don't want to speak prematurely, but this might be the best pad Thai I've ever had in my life! I was leaving the gym and needed something quick (don't judge), and I saw that this place was still open. I practically never order pad thai because I'm a fiend for drunken noodles, but I wanted something less greasy that I could save for the next day as well, so I went for the pad thai. First bite in, and the ground shifted below my feet. The flavors were perfectly balanced-- a nice mix of sweet from the tamarind and salty from the fish sauce. The noodles were light and not greasy, and there was just enough peanut flavor. I was so glad to see that the noodles weren't bright red (telltale sign of super Americanized pad Thai). Honestly, it was hard for me to stop eating it so I could save some for the next day. I don't know how I'd never noticed this place either in person or on Yelp, but I will definitely be going back soon. I've got to test out their Yum Nuer and drunken noodles! read more

Man, Sam Phao - why did you go and mess it all up?! We had a great thing going... Sam Phao Thai Cuisine is a Thai restaurant located in OT Alexandria, right off of King and Henry. I was pleasantly surprised that we had yet to check this place out, but we didn't have any expectations since we usually don't have luck with restaurants in the area. However, the first few visits, the food was really delicious! The Spring Rolls (filled with cellophane noodles, taro root, carrots, and cabbage; this one is always freshly-fried, super hot, crispy, and has a nice serving of the yummy sweet and sour sauce); Sleepy Shrimp (shrimp seasoned with Thai spices and ginger, wrapped in spring roll skins; these are crispy and has a nice ginger-y taste to them; it's usually served with sweet and sour sauce, but it had a drizzle of sriracha, which made it spicy); Crispy Kapow Chicken (crispy chicken sauteed with garlic, chili, basil leaves, and crispy basil laves, all dressed in a Chef's special sauce; the chicken is fried well, it's not too oily, and the sauce is very garlic-y and savory); Chicken Panang Curry (filled with bell peppers; this comes with a lot of chicken meat); Pad Thai (we always go with the chicken; this has a light sauce to it and has a lot of chicken meat); Kea Mow (we get chicken for this dish also; it has a nice stir-fried wok taste to it, slightly charred, and not too greasy); and, Thai Fried Rice (with eggs, onions, scallions, and a choice of protein - we go for meat and opt out of tomatoes). This place does not play around in terms of the spiciness level - they do Thai spicy, so if you're a spice fiend, this place is for you. Even with level 2, it was burning my mouth; but, then again, I have a low tolerance for spiciness! Level 1 is sufficient, as it still has a kick! I am so disappointed, because the food was inconsistent. Our most recent experience left a bad taste in our mouths, both literally and figuratively. The Thai Fried Rice that we ordered used either old or undercooked rice - there was no peanuts in here, so you know what you're crunching on are not crushed peanuts, but uncooked rice. One of my biggest pet peeves is an Asian eatery not being able to cook rice properly. Come on! The Chicken Panang Curry, while the flavor was there, was not as thick and creamy as we remember it being - it was thin. We enjoy their housemade strawberry lemonade, as it's tart and yum. Just wished they had free refills! The Thai iced tea is also tasty, as it is more tea-heavy and creamy. Service was also lacking, too. We have a favorite server, but it seems if if she is not present, the level of customer service is non-existent. I get that this place does a lot of call-ahead and pick-up orders, but, remember - there are patrons who are dining in, too! It took forever and a day to get boxes and the check. It might be a while until I consider returning. There's limited paid parking and some restricted residential parking in the area. +Sleepy Shrimp +Spring Rolls +strawberry lemonade +Thai iced tea +inconsistent preparation of food +they do Thai spicy! +hit-or-miss service +2 floors of dining +limited metered parking/restrictied residential parking read more

Excellent! This place was delicious. Some of the best Thai food we've had. Flavors were all very clean and distinct. Service was very quick and kind. We all loved it. read more

Amazing small thai small gem. Amazing dumplings, steak salad... everything Happy hour a plus And great service Kids and adults enjoyed it! read more

Sam Phao may be small but the flavors are mighty! Stopped in for dinner on a slow Friday night with friends and had an excellent time. It sounds like they do a lot of takeout. Our waitress was super attentive and shared that spicy on their menu truly means spicy, and she was not kidding! Our favorite items were the drunken noodles and beef salad. Looking forward to coming back for happy hour. read more

Stay away! Literally the worst Thai food I've ever had. Also, we waited for a very long time for our food and it was obvious the kitchen was prioritizing takeout orders over customers in the restaurant. The chicken in my dish was dramatically overcooked leading me to believe that they batch cook it in advance. My final comment is related to the cleanliness of the establishment. The bathroom floor was sticky and the outlets on the wall covered in black gunk. I wouldn't go back if it was free. Be warned.... read more

Found this spot on yelp and decided to give it a shot! Looked super cute and authentic and it was! The pineapple fried rice was decent, needed basil and some flavor but we added chili sauce which made it better. Thai basil - super delicious and the mango salad was phenomenal! read more

See all

I decided to try delivery and it was quite tasty. This might be my new Thai spot! I ordered the poh tak, which reminded me of the Vietnamese canh chua sour soup. Broth was delicious but would like some more seafood. I ordered the pad see ew beef and gang ped yang (curry duck). Both were very flavorful and cooked well. Only thing for the pad see ew is that the beef was a bit dry and would like chinese broccoli over regular broccoli. Overall, a good meal. read more

See all

The portions of the food were great. It was very delicious and worth the money. The ambience is nice and they serve the food pretty fast

3.5 stars Overall this was a good meal. My pad Thai had good flavor but was a bit too sweet for my taste and there was very little chicken relative to the noodles served with it. My wife enjoyed her tofu pad See eew. The service was gracious but a bit slow, and the entrees came out about 10 minutes apart. All in all a solid B. read more

Their takeout is so fast! My favorite dish that we got was the pad see ew! Definitely recommend! The curry was excellent as well but I wish it had more veggies in it. It felt like just a lot of chicken. I found the pad thai a little disappointing. The flavor was just not all there. I will definitely return though and try more of their dishes! read more

See all

A surprise right in front of your eyes! Just across King Street from Hanks Oyster Bar, a favorite place to chill, is this little corner of Bangkok. We went there because my sister-in-law and brother were in town from Thailand. Our original plan was to have schnitzel, but the Cosmopolitan Grill is closed on Monday (we went Tuesday but that's another review). We sat upstairs so the poor server had to climb them every time we had a request. The service was great - helps to have a Thai person to speak with the server in their native language- the food cooked perfectly. We promised to come back to try different dishes. Rather than describe each dish, please take a look at the photos. read more

See all

Everything was very yummy here! Really good flavor. My only wish was that the portions were bigger but this was enough for 4 people to finish. The pad thai and thai fried rice blended really well together. Chicken cashew was delicious too. My family was a big fan of that. My only wish was that the appetizers had a bigger portioning. It was delivered in these tiny baskets that was barely filling. Delicious nonetheless! Hope to come around here again. read more

See all