Beau Thai – Shaw

I love this place. After the first time I went there for dinner I was counting down the days until I could return again (which I did with coworkers). I had the same dish both times (kao pad nam prik pao) and was delighted that it tasted amazing both instances. The staff at this location is amazing and helpful. My food always comes out quickly and hot. I honestly can’t wait to come back again!

I thought Beau Thai-​Shaw was pretty standard with dishes I have tried at most other Thai places. The special veg-​friendly menu is actually just a summary of menu items off of the regular menu that just happen to be vegetarian, or can be made vegetarian (or vegan)! I think it is nice that they do this, but there is no need, as the regular menu uses symbols to indicate which items can fall into that category already.
The tofu noodle dish I ordered was underwhelming. I wanted medium spicy, but it was fairly mild. I love spicy foods and have a good idea of different spice levels because I cook often. I was surprised by the mildness of the dish. I never order «Thai hot» because it makes me cry (it is way too hot for me!) but at this establishment, perhaps I can tolerate it given how mild the «medium» spicy is. I asked for hot sauce or chilies on the side, but received a vinegary red sauce instead. The tofu was bland and did not absorb the flavor of the sauce in the dish. Additionally, it was very soft — perhaps steamed?
The spring rolls were nice and crispy. No complaints regarding that appetizer.
This place has good potential but the portions need to be bigger! I was still hungry after my dinner — I think two entrees is equivalent to one entrée at another Thai restaurant. LOL — please make larger portions!

A large group of us came in about 15 minutes until closing, expecting to be treated not so nicely, but the staff was super nice! We had to sit at the bar and we were told we had to order quickly, no problem. I got the pad see ew with chicken, which was enough for two meals and super delicious! Can’t wait to come back here, but probably at a normal hour or for takeout next time!

Love this place. Affordable prices, cheaper than Doi Moi so it is more casual atmosphere but the food is still very good. I absolutely love their soups and salads especially the green papaya salad

Used to love coming here. Recently placed a to-​go order that took about 25 minutes longer to be ready than was estimated. Not coming back.

Loved the catchy name, but failed to fall for the food. Tried a couple of noodle dishes and
stir fried eggplant, which were served warm. Not good. The chicken with chili and basil leaves, however, scored well… tasty as spicy. Service was good and liked the décor and ambience.

So I love their flavor and spices! Their customer service is lack luster! I always get take out. I try to pick up just to make it easy! The portions keep getting smaller and they never include utensils or napkins:(
Yet, the kicker is I ordered tofu and the gave me chicken. I was sorta grossed out when I arrived home and realized. So I call thinking they would do something to resolve the issue. Yup I was wrong. They offered a discount next time I come in… Yet, took none of my info… Sorry no next time! Thanks for letting me go to bed hungry!

Although I have only had take out from Beau Thai, I enjoyed it. I had the pad kra pao, my default when trying a new Thai place, and it was among the better ones that I have had.
I also have to commend the staff. I biked over and was bringing food for 5 back to my house so the paper bag they prepared for me was going to making getting home very difficult. The staff raced around to find me plastic bags to move the food to so I could pop it on my bike.

Love love love. Masaman curry– you wouldn’t think beef could be sooo tender! It’s absolute perfection.
The panang curry was also really good too.
Also the location is cozy/​warm/​dark… Think umma go back to just sit at the bar

Happy to have this option in the neighborhood. I’ve been three times now, twice for take out and once to eat in and have been pleased with the food every time. Portion sizes could be a little larger. Best things I have had so far: red curry with tofu, drunken noodles and the Beau Thai Chicken. Had the sriracha noodles but the dish was just OK, it did not blow me away.

Beau Thai serves standard Thai food for an inflated price with exceptionally poor service. I have dined here no fewer than 5 times (both pickup and dine in) and have experienced incorrect orders and lengthy delays every time. The pickup timeframe is especially egregious; a «20» minute pickup in reality means «wait at the bar for 45 minutes until we start to cook your food.» Very underwhelming — I would recommend giving other businesses in the area your business.

Edit: my girlfriend just got off the phone with a manager and the owner, not 15 minutes after I posted this review. The manager was very helpful and understanding, but the owner was extremely disrespectful and rude; even after trying to explain that our issue was not with the delivery but the dish size itself, she still acted in an obtuse and confrontational manner. I will not be eating at either of these establishments again, and I will caution everyone I know about our experience.
My girlfriend LOVES this restaurant. When she thinks of Thai food, she immediately defaults to this restaurant, every time.
Which made it all the more painful that when we ordered delivery and her Shrimp dish arrived, it was in an appetizer-​size container and contained substantially less food than the exact same dish served at the restaurant. It was incredibly disappointing, and really ruined her respect for this restaurant.
The pineapple fried rice tasted alright, except there were only a few pieces of pineapple. I may try it at the other location, but I don’t think I’ll be coming back to this one.

for the price, it is very good. authentic thai food, a casual place, not big on service, the portion is not big so you can get to try other stuff too.

called up for delivery asked to add shimp to a mix vegetable dish which was on their menu and they told me No. We won’t make any substitutions. I tried to explain its not a substitution if its on your menu but they still wouldn’t do it. So I hung and ordered from Royal Thai which ended up being better than theirs would have been.
@management — take it of your website menu if you don’t want to offer it any more.

Whilst the chairs are not so comfortable, the food was absolutely to die for. I got the siracha noodles and had a «Beau Thai Tea», a cocktail. The noodles were perfectly made, and I would totally recommend to have with tofu. The cocktail was spicy and different, and was excellent. Everyone in my party enjoyed their meals and the service was friendly and prompt. Will definitely come again and I totally recommend!!!

Service was to be desired.
I had the Pad Thai and the chicken was horrible.
I doubt I will return.

I like this restaurant mostly for takeout because in my experience, the service is finicky. For those of you in a hurry, let me cover the food first, then you can skip to the «bottom line» at the end of my review for a quick summary.
Food: It won’t be the best Chinese you’ve ever eaten. Beau Thai certainly has a strong American flare, but if you’re in this neighborhood, there aren’t many dining choices, so you’ll do best to dine here. The drinks are good. I love their egg rolls and the empanadas. (I know, I know, very American of me.) Now, skip to the bottom for what keeps me coming back, if you don’t care to read a personal account of how finicky Beau Thai staff can be.
My Experiences with Beau Thai Staff:
First Example: On a fall day, a friend and I wanted to dine on their outdoor patio. It had rained that morning, but the sun was out again and it was around 60 degrees. The restaurant staff granted our request, but once we were seated on the patio, they informed us that all of our food, regardless of the course, would be served at one time. The waiter stated they would not be making multiple trips outside. We decided to pass on their oh so kind offer to serve our appetizer, main course and dessert all at once.
Second Example: I visited the restaurant with a disabled friend who is always accompanied by an emotional support animal (transported inside a closed pet stroller). Now, while emotional support animals are covered by housing and transportation laws, they have not been deemed traditional «service animals», so restaurants are not legally obligated to allow them inside. However, virtually all restaurants accept my friend’s closed carrier and her support animal’s socially appropriate behavior as indicators of a valid service animal relationship. With Beau Thai however, the staff immediately refused to service us. They initially asked no questions, showed no sensitivity, and refused alternative seating outdoors. Only when I demanded to speak with a manager did they eventually reluctantly rectify the situation by serving us on the patio.
Why do I continue to eat food from Beau Thai? Their takeout (usually through Postmates) is actually very good. They don’t skimp on portions, the egg rolls, chicken, and empanads all stay crispy during transport, and they even include garnishes. It’s a win.

Delicious Thai Food, Speedy delivery!

It’s hard to dislike this place. Good Thai food at expected prices and portion sizes. Service is friendly. I love the décor that they have, which is unusual for an ethnic restaurant. I like that it appears to be Thai run.
I do wish one of their big tables had a back to the chair /​bench, rather than just a bench.

Pushing up my rating more because they did well with our big group which can be a challenge. If not for the group I’d be a little upset my dish came out just warm and not hot. Still tasted good. I had their spicy fried chicken dish which they describe as a «Bön Chon» taste which I can see. All of us ate our food happily including steamed spicy fish, pad see ew, crab fried rice, shrimp dish… They have a full bar but were out of a few things. The décor is kind of industrial chic and very loud. They also have a patio on the side. Around 6 on Friday it was less than half full but an hour later it was getting pretty busy. Although not the best Thai ever I wouldn’t hesitate to come here again.

I just had the Wonton soup and some potstickers. There were quite good. Evenly seasoned and nicelp portioned. I was satiated.
Very nice interior. good place for a nice dinner.
It was my first time there and the service was medeocra. My friend and I had to wait a ridiculous amount of time to be waited on… whiile the wait staff passed our table repeatedly. We had to call someone over.
I’ll attemped another visit or two and try some other items on the menu to determing whether Beau Thai gets that 5^th star or loses one.

This spot is def one of my top spots for Thai in DC. It is in a great location in the Shaw Howard area where there has been a rapid growth of new apts, condos and restaurants. It’s on the corner and it has nice indoor and outdoor seating. The 1^st time I came here was on my birthday back in May and I sat outside for sunset and enjoyed some cocktails and shrimp pad thai. It definitely was delicious from what I recall! But last Saturday we popped in after my tailgate at Howard for a bite and I ordered the steamed dumplings for an appetizer and an entrée of pineapple beef cashew fried rice. I inhaled the plate LOL! It was delicious!

Beau Thai is a higher-​end causal, sit-​down restaurant on 7^th street. The interior is clean, welcoming, and nicely decorated in neutral tones. There is an outdoor patio as well, where we chose to sit because it was such a nice night out.
Our waiter was friendly and attentive. It was a very busy night, and our food arrived within 30 minutes of us sitting down. Unfortunately, the food did taste good… at all. I ordered the Beef Pad Thai, which was overpoweringly salty. My boyfriend ordered curry, which was very bland.
The food here simply isn’t worth spending money on.

Beau Thai has a good sized bar when you first walk in, ample seating with a modern décor, and some great outdoor seating. They allowed you to have your dogs outside with you too.
The food was good for the price that you paid, but could have been spicier. I ordered the Red Curry, which had little more than just a weak kick to it. The portions were ok, but not as large as other Thai restaurants in the city, where I often have to leave with a box.
The staff was friendly and attentive and the food came quickly. Overall, not a bad experience, but would not be my first choice for Thai food in the area.

Walking into Beau Thai, my first impression of the place was certainly not «Thai Restaurant.» The space is open and very modern, with a large bar to the right filled with more liquor than your standard sake and soju. I have come here for both take-​out and dining-​in, and in each instance the host stand is almost too crowded, with 3 – 5 helpful people there to take my order or show me to my table. Friendly but almost a little confusing since I am not always sure who I should turn my attention to.
As I mentioned, I have both dined in and taken food out. I appreciate the eco-​friendly containers they use for take-​out, and I highly recommend if you are craving Thai at home (in your bed?). As for eating in, the place has always been quite busy, but I have never had a wait. A few friends and I last ate here on a Friday night around 9:30pm, and the place was still full and buzzing. We started off with a round of Thai iced teas which hit the spot after spending the entire afternoon and evening at Dacha. We also shared some hot sake which I recently learned is the worst sake to order in a restaurant since it apparently means it is of low quality. Oh well. Dropped into a mug of Singha, you can’t even tell the difference!
We were a little disappointed as we had our hearts set on sharing an order of the garden rolls as an appetizer, but apparently they were all out. Instead we shared the pork belly appetizer which was delicious and I would certainly order again. As for entrees, the three of us split a Green Curry, Pad Se Ew, and Red Curry Duck, all of which were tasty and hit the spot. I would especially order the Pad Se Ew an Green Curry again. In the past I have also tried the Drunken Noodles and had a few bites of my roommate’s Pad Thai. Both were pretty good, but nothing I would probably order again. I think the Pad Se Ew is the best of the noodle dishes.
Overall, Beau Thai is a top (if not a little pricey) Southern Thai spot in DC. Will definitely be back.

My favorite Thai restaurant in DC. I love the fried rice. My personal combo is crab and shrimp fried rice. The spring rolls are light, crispy, and delicious. They have excellent signature cocktails as well.
The bar area is nice, and can accommodate many patron especially when there is a wait for a table.

Dinner & drinks during happy hour at Beau Thai is always a good call. The appetizers are fair-​priced AND delicious.
Had the fish — they deep fry it and toss large pieces in a spicy/​sweet sauce that sticks to the batter. Pretty good stuff.
The spicy fried rice was surprisingly not flavorful.
papaya salad and fried shrimp appetizers were served quickly and in good portions to share. papaya salad was chilled, and the shrimp were piping hot. can’t wait to try everything else on the menu!

As a Unilocal «Regular» at this place, I thought I’d add to my review. I’m subtracting a star due to the inconsistent service. While we’ve never had trouble being seated, it seems that the waitstaff cannot handle the much larger space in their new location. Two times ago, the waitress brought our check after our appetizers, forgetting that we had ordered entrees about 20 minutes prior to that. The last time we were there, our appetizer came out right away, and our food took at least 30 minutes to come out. For pad thai and pineapple fried rice, I would not expect such a wait… especially given my experience with Beau Thai in the past.
Nevertheless, this is still my go-​to place for Thai – just may think twice about coming here when I’m super hungry.

I’ve been to Beau Thai both at its old location on R Street and it’s new location in the gleaming Shaw building, and since moving to the location, for me, the experience has gone downhill.
Most recently, I went for a weekend happy hour dinner, and was left feeling underwhelmed. The papaya salad was the best dish, but that’s not saying much. The larb gai (minced chicken) was fine but a bit tasteless. However, the larb moo (pork) was straight up just a bad dish — very spicy, but with no complexity in the flavor — it was spicy just for the sake of heat with no subtlety. Definitely don’t recommend that dish
We were hungry, so we both got soups: the tom kha coconut milk soup was rather good, but the Tom Yum wasn’t the best I’ve ever had. For dinner, the drunken noodles here are pretty good. In past experiences ordering online, the noodle dishes are a solid choice, thank goodness. My partner got the Massaman Curry, which he unfortunately had to send back. The beef was very overcooked and tough, and even the vegetables were overcooked.
After being loyal to Beau Thai back when they were on R Street, it’s almost feels like they’re selling out. The building is so new, feels like you’re eating in Singapore, there’s none of that charm anymore. It’s basically like a corporate restaurant. This place is fine, but I don’t find myself wanting to go back anytime soon.

The food here is top notch. We used to go to the New Jersey avenue location before they moved here.
Get the DRUNKEN NOODLES. NO JOKE. IT IS INCREDIBLY DELICIOUS. Also, the empanadas are worth a bite or two.
the food is very good. Bottom line. THe portions used to be bigger in my opinion but maybe that is just me. If you decide to eat her, try eating in for the first time so you can taste the amazing drunken noodles for the first time when they come out piping hot. The dine out, delivery experience is just not the same.
Oh yes, they do deliver. There is pickup. They are group friendly too.
There is plenty of street parking everywhere.
The customer service is top notch. They messed up my pad Thai but compensated us with credit at the restaurant. I was happy with that because they actually tried!
They rock
Here is what I recommend you order: vegetable empanadas, drunken noodles (it’s extremely spicy) and lad Thai
The pad Thai automatically comes with red tofu so if you don’t like red tofu then tell them.
I plan on staying a regular here

Taste of the Far East in Shaw.
The new (to me) Beau Thai location is great. OK, I may be a little biased since it is now even closer to where I live. I had a late lunch here on a Sunday afternoon, around 2pm. The restaurant was pretty empty with only 2 – 3 other tables occupied. I had to get to a 3pm meeting so we asked the server to accommodate us and they did a great job doing so. We got the kao pad nam prik pao prepared extra spicy (translation: tasty fried chicken with amazing fried rice) and the drunken noodles. The portion sizes were ample and we even took most of the noodles home. The standout was definitely the fried chicken and the fried rice that came with it. The rice was prepared perfectly and the fried chicken consisted of boneless pieces that were battered just right (pretty light batter). We got the rice extra spicy and that was perfect for our taste buds — we like it hott! The drunken noodles were ok but nothing to write home about.
The service was really good and they staff was very helpful in getting us out within 45 minutes after we let them know we were in a rush. The atmosphere is great and I will definitely be back to check out the bar some time in the future.

The only difficult thing about Beau Thai is deciding the all-​important question: pad thai or pad see ew? Both are absolutely fantastic. Beau Thai (Shaw) is still fairly new, and it took them a few months to really hit their stride.
Last time I stopped by for takeout, though, that stride was HIT. It was packed. It doesn’t hurt that there are some very nice/​cute hosts/​waiters/​bartenders… it’d be a great place for a girls night dinner. Prices are very middle-​of-​the-​road. $ 9 for lunch and $ 11 for dinner. I love the decorations of old-​timey family pictures — makes you feel like you’re part of someone’s family.
One warning: I’ve heard their Bangkok brunch was good, but it isn’t yet served in this location! We went one Saturday morning, hoping to partake. We were a little disappointed that our only breakfast options were lunch items.