Soi 38, Washington DC

Food was average but service is WAY BELOW SERVICE. We are visitors to DC and my wife wanted to try a Thai restaurant near our hotel so we chose Soi 38. PLEASE DONT MAKE THE MISTAKE WE DID. We ordered the Dry curry and it had 3 chili pepper so i ask if they could make it less spicy and they assure me that it can be done. When it came out, it was really spicy, my wife who love spicy food couldnt even handle it. We let our server know and he said that was the mild one. I also ordered a coke and after drinking a lot because of the spicy food. They didnt bother to refil or even ask. I wave down the manager or he looks like one because of his attires, he looked at me and kept walking. WHAT? We were never asked if we liked the food or anything. The only thing i could say to this restaurant is DO BETTER!

So disappointed! I wish i could give it 0 star.

We loved our dishes and drinks - ordered the pineapple fried rice, pad Thai with shrimp, and grilled pork neck as an appetizer, and finished off with a banana dessert. Pad Thai using thinner noodles which were wonderfully chewy and to our liking. The iced tea was refreshing and not too sweet, with a great balance between tea flavor and sweetness. The seating was comfortable. Dim atmosphere added relaxing vibe to the place. We were happy to have discovered this gem!

I was really bummed to find out that Soi 38 is just OK. I had high expectations for a previously well lauded and Michelin-rated restaurant even if it no longer carried the status. I came here with a party of 6 with a reservation. Our original table was given to someone else and we had to wait 20 minutes past our reservation time. There was also no host - waiters had to try their best to corral incoming diners. The service was lackluster, none of our waiters paid much attention to us. Drinks were fine but the food was severely lacking. Generic, bland, and uninspiring - I wouldn't recommend a single dish we had on our table that night. There are much better places to take your money.

It has a nice decor, but after waiting 20 minutes at the table, I went to the bar to ask for a water and a drink. Food showed up after another 30 minutes, my dish was over cooked. Couldn't tell the server because the server never checked on our table.

This is a tasteful Thai restaurant in downtown DC. The interior is very artistic and ethnic and they have taken care not to cram too many seats so that the diners have a sense of privacy and space. They have quite a variety of dishes with the ones that can be made vegetarian clearly marked with a green V. Their general style is Thai street food (Soi 38 is the name of a street in Bangkok famous for its street food). The restaurant is Michelin recommended, which is a great honor. I ate what seems to be Thai drunken noodles (their dishes all retain their original Thai names so I don't remember the menu name). The prep was really good, reasonably sized potions and served tastefully. Perhaps the most endearing aspect is the quality of their service. Very polite, genuinely warm and prompt.

One of their sauces have fish oil in them. Be sure to check with the waitress.

Definitely going back!

Some of the appetizers were fairly good. The entire had no flavor except for raw curry. There was only one person handling the entire area from taking orders, bringing the food and cleaning up the tables. She did her best but of course this caused delays in taking the order, I'd say not her fault she did a very good job juggling everything but needed help.

Changed their recipe to Nua Dadd Deaw and their green curry gave me a terrible stomach ache.have had a negative experience the past two times I went and I used to love this place. Very disappointed.

Food was ok. The waiter was inattentive. Was asked to sit in the corner and the waiter disappeared after the dish were served and never came back for the next hour and half. Had to walk to in front of another waitress to ask for water, and check.

Photo doesn't do justice to the taste of the food. Beautiful, gorgeous Thai simple yet delicious food. Reminds me of @Social (thai) in Ottawa, CA

There aren’t many Thai restaurants in DC and I think that’s why this place gets glowing reviews on its food. As a seasoned eater of Thai cuisine, the food here is completely average. If you’re an overseas visitor expecting to be blown away with the food, then you might be disappointed. That said, it’s a nice alternative to steak, pizza, burgers or fries.

$20 for four pieces of beef … seua rong hai… yeah it tastes good, but I expect more from them. The lemon lemongrass fizz is just a sugar water. Pork neck appetizer is realllly good.

Horrible service and horrible food. We were there last night and it was it turned out to be the worse experience of our life.
Stay away from the place.

Very disappointing experience. We waited for at least 10 minutes for someone to take our order. The food was mediocre for the price you pay and it was cold. They automatically assigned themselves 20% tip, which explains the terrible service. Even though it is not Thai food, you’re way better off going to Rasika for Indian food around the corner.

This my go to authentic Thai in DC! The food is excellent from the SomTum Gai Yang to the Massaman curry … Authentic as if I was back in Thailand!

Update 4/8/23: Still the best Thai ever. Service is great and the food is true to Thailand. This is always a must do for us in DC!

Very nice restaurant in Washington DC. Excellent service from server and hands on Management.full menu as well as the cocktails. Pork satay is so tender and tasteful, ka moo a personal favorite prepared nicely, very tender stewed pork. Curry noodle is great with the right flavors all reminded me of Thailand. Desert was coconut ice cream. Fantastic!

I REALLY LOVE the foods here. But not the waiters, so rude and not polite at all for not letting us order before all of our parties arrived. And they said they will move the table if my friends don’t showed up in 5-10mins. Spend more than $250+ and sorry for not tipping because the waiters here are so RUDE eventho the foods are really tasty.

I'm not Thai but I think the food is pretty good. The tom yum soup could have more ingredients though instead of just mushrooms and shrimp. Sticky rice was so yummy, whether plain or sweet. Service was fast. Portion is a bit small but I guess it's normal for this area.

Another westernized Thai Restaurant. For those who have never had authentic Thai food this will be on par with all the other Thai restaurants serving up unflavored imitations.