Why go: If the Asian needlepoint and carved wood don’t transport you, the food—a complex intersection of Thai, Vietnamese, and Indonesian cuisines—will.
What to get: A spicy-sweet salad of tart green apples, mango, and crispy squid flakes; roti canai, chicken curry with a thick, tortilla-like bread for dipping; po pia, spring rolls with eggs, jícama, and a slathering of hoisin; watercress in fermented-tofu broth.
Best for: A good, quick seated lunch in downtown DC.
Insider tip: Sample the big menu by making a meal of appetizers—most are under $8.
>> See all 2009 Cheap Eats restaurants here
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
