Masaya Thai Cuisine

Right on King St in Old Town Alexandria you will find Masaya Thai Cuisine which serves pretty good Thai food to say the least. We sat at a window seat overlooking King St. which was pretty cool despite the bad weather that day.
We ordered some crispy veggie rolls, Pad Thai, and a chicken fried rice dish. Very satisfied with the freshness of the rolls, The cabbage and carrots in the veggie rolls were really good and my taste buds were in ecstasy with the sweet and sour sauce that came with it. The Pad Thai was decent but nothing spectacular. Honestly have had better Pad Thai and it seemed ordinary in taste. Now the fried rice with chicken No. 46 on the menu was a hit dish to get next time. It was very nicely presented and had a lot of flavor. I will come again to Masaya Thai Cuisine and probably will bump up to 4 stars next time.

Continuing my search for the best pad thai in the area and Masaya was next on my list (I just ordered delivery so I can’t speak to the dine-​in crowd). So, it was good. I’m not sure I’ve found my go-​to spot for thai yet though. I tried to call ahead, using both phone numbers listed on their website and no one answered (lunchtime). I thought they must be super-​busy or closed, either of which would make me sad, especially after I finally decided on what I wanted for lunch (which can be a process sometimes). I walked in and ordered the pad thai with chicken and I asked her to make it extra spicy. I didn’t have to wait too long and she offered me water while I was waiting. However, when the bill came I was surprised she charged me $ 9.99 when the «lunch» price said $ 8 – whatever, it’s only two dollars. So, I got back to work and dug in: the noodles were cooked just right and there was a decent amount of chicken. The portion, although not huge, was perfect to fill you up (although I like having leftovers!). However, it wasn’t spicy at all, so no bonus points there. Also, they put chopsticks and a spoon in my bag which confused me but the sauce was a little watery which maybe explains that? Overall, it was ok. I’d like to go back for lunch and sit down – it looked like they did have some good lunch specials for dine-​in customers and supposedly there is seating upstairs so I’d like to see what that looks like. One thing I thought was funny though was they had a sign saying they couldn’t serve alcohol because they are waiting on some sort of liscense but the sign was in front of a fully stoked bar. Hmmmm… that sort of seems like a tease, doesn’t it? At least put those bottles away… I’m sure they could get fined for having it out if they don’t have a liscense. I’ll give this place another shot and maybe they will woo me with impeccible service and some spice.

I love Masaya, granted I am not at all an expert on Thai food (being a Texan) but have tried several restaraunts and this sets the bar for me. I have served their food several times to a variety of people (from people who’d never had Thai to people who it is one of their favorites) and everyone was satisified.
Not to mention their delivery is fabulous! They are usually at my door in 15 minutes, really!

I was craving Thai food and didnt want to leave the house. So I had them delivered. I had seafood appetizer with lime juice + fish sauce, pad kee mow and another dish (i forgot). They were all really good and came really fast – only took about 25 minutes. Based on only food, Masaya has better food than Mai Thai… but of course does not beat Thai Square. I’m so glad I found this place… If you’re feeling lazy, crave Thai food, give them a call!

In order for me to give a place a one-​star review, it has to be a total failure in terms of food, atmosphere, and service. This place qualifies.
Let’s start with the atmosphere. In some places, I think a little dirt or grit adds to the charm of a restaurant. For example, a good dive BBQ place usually prides itself in not being overtly clean. I’m not asking for panoramic views of the water or even artwork from Masaya, but I do expect that the booth where I am sitting not be noticeably ripped and that there should not be an enormous accumulation of black dirt on the window sills which ostensibly were for the purpose of gazing out the window while eating my meal. Not a good start for Masaya.
The lady who was serving my food was a cute older Thai woman who spoke just a modicum of English. Fine. If anything, she was the only thing charming about this restaurant. I ordered green curry chicken with the house soup.
Out came the house soup in a thimble sized cup. The ingredients were clearly not fresh. It contained seaweed, cabbage, carrot, and tofu in chicken broth. Good choice of ingredients but I could make this same soup at my house with a much better result.
At this point, I wasn’t too disappointed. However, the green curry chicken was the weakest rendition of the dish I have ever tasted INCLUDING Thai Passion in Austin, Texas (until today, the absolute worst Thai restaurant I have ever tried in the nation). How did it suck so bad? Let’s see — 1) it had almost no spice whatsoever, 2) as Heather D. aptly pointed out, where was the curry paste, 3) the dish was mostly rice (very little green curry chicken on the plate), 4) the thinly sliced chicken was RIDICULOUSLY overcooked, and 5) the eggplant was not fresh. Obviously, I did not finish my meal.
I thought the disaster was complete, but hey, I can’t one star a place unless they have crap service, right? Well, after I presented my card for payment, the previously nice Thai lady attempted to explain to me that they only take $ 10 minimum. I attempted to explain to her that I was going to leave $ 10 total (which would have resulted in a modest 16% tip) so that she could just charge me in that manner. Of course, she didn’t understand and then their manager came over and stated that they don’t take credit cards under $ 10 (even if you leave $ 10 or more) as the credit card companies charge them 2% on each meal. I was like, OK, fine, but then he decided to go on a diatribe about how other places have a minimum of $ 15 and in NYC they have minimums of $ 20, etc. I patiently waited for him to finish before leaving and determining that the best method for me to deal with his unprofessional behavior would be to just write about it in a Unilocal review.
Congratulations Masaya! You have now joined Manny & Olga’s and Café Asia (Rosslyn location) as the only other places in the greater DC metro area that I have one-​starred. Hopefully, your restaurant will disappear soon and be replaced by the Chop’t or Potbelly’s that Alexandria so desperately needs.

Of all the Thai places in old town this is the most unassuming and the very best. I have eaten here and ordered delivery from them more times than I can count and never been disappointed.
Cheaper and less fancy than other places — totally tacky décor /​atmosphere — they just love purple and shiny things LOL — but fun at the same time. Just simply amazing Thai food. And they are the nicest people to boot.
You almost can’t go wrong choosing from their menu but the Green Curry Chicken and Pork with Cilantro (forget the name right now) are to die for. They could do with adding a few more wines to their list — I think their food deserves some fine wine parings, but then again I think just about everything goes better with wine ;)

Masaya Thai serves pretty good thai food in comparison to the other thai restaurants I have been to in Alexandria, VA. I would recommend trying the spring rolls because they are delicious! I would also recommend trying the Tom Yum Goong. The décor of the restaurant is nice and lively-​looking, and the service has been consistently good.

Came here last Friday to get decent, inexpensive Thai food. I guess that’s what I got. Their menu had a decent amount of variety and the place was clean and served us relatively quickly.
Ordered the green curry, and was not very impressed with the amount of flavor. It needed more curry paste. My boyfriend got something like «wild spicy pork» that was much better.
Very, very nice waitress. She was helpful without being over-​bearing.
Overall, a pretty average place. I snagged their menu — due to its proximity to my place, it is a prime candidate for take-​out on a busy night.

Unilocal, I’d return.
Food was very good. Penang Chicken, my goto Thai choice, was excellent, Pad Thai had a kinda burnt taste, so I’d likely skip that next time. Of course my friend said the Penang chicken lacked enough Basil and the pad thai was very authentic. Different strokes, I mean spices, for different folks.
Since I love summer rolls, ordered their version of it. Was very good, but very different than other places. I think they use egg paper vs. rice paper, so it came apart very easily, but was especially tasty.
friendly and quick service, and reasonable prices.
I assume there is an upstairs as there were only 3 tables on the ground level
oh, and mustn’t forget the treat to cleanse your palette as you leave. jelly bellys! enough of a reason to return ‘fo sure.

Good, inexpensive, fast, and clean. Did I mention the atmosphere is great? This place is way more homey (and perhaps a little more homely) than Mai Thai on lower King St. Try the drunken noodles if you like spicey food. Spring rolls are fried, light, airy… in a word, perfection. My only complaint is the limited space for movement, a common complaint from patrons of Old Town establishments.

Great food. Laid back atmosphere, excellent service. A nice small restaurant that occupy’s two levels. Very friendly staff. Reasonably priced.