Cheap Eats 2011: Nava Thai Noodle and Grill
Comments () | Published August 15, 2011
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Nava Thai Noodle and Grill
Address: 11301 Fern St., Wheaton, MD 20902
Phone: 240-430-0495
Neighborhood: Wheaton
Cuisines: Thai
Opening Hours: Open Sunday through Thursday 11:30 AM to 10 PM. Open Friday and Saturday 11:30 AM to 10:30 PM.
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Kid Friendly: Yes
Nearby Metro Stops: Wheaton
Price Range: Inexpensive
Dress: Informal
Noise Level: Chatty
Reservations: Not Needed
Best Dishes Papaya salad; pad Thai; hot-and-sour squid; frittata of mussels with green curry; Floating Market Noodle Soup; drunken noodles
Price Details: Starters, $5.95 to $6.95; main courses, $7.95 to $10.95.
Special Features:
Wheelchair Accessible, Kid Friendly

There are standouts aplenty among the Thai standards--the made-to-order papaya salad and the smoky, sweet pad Thai might be the area's best--but the great reward of dining here comes from venturing beyond familiar tastes.

The menu at Suchart and Ladavan Srigatesook's spacious mom-and-pop contains a trove of seldom-seen treasures, many adapted from the street foods whipped up in the markets of Thailand, from Floating Market Noodle Soup--a meal in a bowl that blends sweet, sour, bitter, and salty--to crispy mussels in an egg-and-rice-flour batter to juicy grilled chicken with sticky rice and a sweet and musky tamarind dipping sauce.

At their best, the flavors are bright, light, fresh, and focused.

Also good: Hot-and-sour squid; drunken noodles; pork kaprow.

Open daily for lunch and dinner.

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Posted at 12:00 AM/ET, 08/15/2011 RSS | Print | Permalink | Washingtonian.com Restaurant Reviews