Cheap Eats 2013: Ruan Thai

Quick reviews of ethnic cuisines you can experience for less than $25 a person, tax and tip included.

Cost:

Fried whole flounder at Ruan Thai. Photograph by Scott Suchman

About Ruan Thai

Cost:

cuisines
Thai
Location(s)
11407 Amherst Ave
Silver Spring, MD 20902

This 15-year-old charmer—also on our annual list of 100 Very Best Restaurants—is a mecca for lovers of all things hot, spicy, sour, and sweet. There are terrific salads (don’t miss the fried-watercress and squid versions), gorgeous curries, and excellent noodle dishes. But pay attention to the signs in the parking lot—you could get towed faster than it takes to get through a round of spring rolls.


Ann Limpert
Executive Food Editor/Critic

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.

Food Editor

Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.