Thai By Thai

I’ve tried several of the items on the regular menu and the «Secret» Street Menu, and I’ve got to say that I just LOVE the items on the «Secret» menu much better than the «standard Thai» dishes because they’re kind of «off the beaten path» and aren’t «the usual» that you can get at any of the area’s Thai restaurants.
My favorite so far: Get the «Minced Shrimp Thai Omelet with fried garlic and Sriracha sauce Over Rice» (Thai name: Kao Kai Jeaw Goong Sub). This is outrageously tasty if you like egg dishes and shrimp. One tip: There’s a «sweet soy sauce» that they serve with the Fried Chive Cakes (a separate secret menu dish), get the omelet WITH that sauce ADDED as an extra. I found out by accident after I had some of the sweet soy sauce left over after we’d finished the chive cakes. That sweet soy sauce on top of the omelet was a DELICIOUS flavor combo along with the sriracha sauce.
I also liked the «Moo Toon» pork, pork meatball, and noodle soup. The broth, with cinnamon in it, was unique and I liked it.
I’ll continue to sample their dishes.
THAI BY THAI: One request for you folks — — can you print up paper take-​out menus of the «Secret» Street Menu? That would be really handy for customers to have.

TL;DR — Solid Thai food, solid prices.
Why do I think it’s solid thai food? A Thai person told me so, claiming that «its the best and most authentic in the area.» And then I ate here. And it was good.
Price points are very reasonable, roughly ~$ 10 for a dinner entrée, a little more expensive for the more premium entrees (e.g., anything with duck). They have «secret Thai menu» which is not so secret because a sign on the counter lets you know about it. All in all, my go-​to option for Thai if I’m in the immediate area. Thai menus are all the same, so go for your classic dishes and venture into the Thai menu if you’re up for something with more zing and sting.
Service is fast casual. You order at the counter, take a number, claim a table, and they bring the dishes out to you. Free parking for the first two hours, I believe, in the adjacent surface lot and residential garage.

This place is one of the best idea to grab some Thai food, street food, easy, fast and cheaper! No service charge but all the food are so good :)

I’ve told the lady over the phone to stop lying to me when she says the food will be ready in 5 minutes because it never is. You’ll definitely want to call ahead when getting to go and then show up about 15 minutes after ordering. The staff has been friendly though they often forget things. Make sure to check your bags before leaving to see if all the food is there.
The menu is pretty big when you go into the «street menu». I’d say i’m an adventurous eater but i just have no idea what most of the stuff on the street menu is. I usually stick to their basics. The drunken noodles are really good. I had the fried duck and it was ok. Friends seem to enjoy the fried rice they get. Enjoyed the tahm soup i got too.

This place is amazing! Excellent food, filled with tons of veggies, fresh ingredients, at very reasonable prices and with great service. The place is always very clean, food is served quickly and the portions are filling. Lots of vegetarian options available as well. Can’t say enough great things about it. They have a new «hidden» street menu that is actually well advertised on the door as well as on an official menu in store as well. Appetizers run somewhere between $ 3 – 7, and entrees are between $ 7 – 10. They have deserts as well. The bathrooms were very clean as well.

Both the service and the food here are very up and down. I’ve been here numerous times, and a two-​star review may be slightly harsh, but I couldn’t bring myself to give it three stars. It’s mainly a result of the service. Also, based on the endless supply of customers at all times I have visited, I am very surprised to see less than 50 reviews.
We are now in an age where many cities are gearing the restaurant scene towards fast-​casual, informal, order-​at-​the-​counter establishments. I think we are overdoing it with this mentality now, but alas, that’s for another forum. Thai food tends to be quick, so this place is a good idea. It’s nice to meet up with people or order take out.
The prices are super cheap, but the portions match. Every time I’ve left the restaurant, I get hungry an hour later. The drunken noodles are too sweet and a tiny portion! Also, it isn’t spicy at all (traditionally, it should be). The kai rabert (minced chicken with a fried egg) fell flat. Upon my experience, the egg wasn’t totally fried. I was worried it was still raw, but I was assured it was «over easy.» The texture still seemed weird. The Thai iced tea is also way too sweet and creamy. On the other hand, the noodle soup app has a delicious broth, and the panang curry is tasty! Plus, the sticky rice dessert is sweet and satisfying. If you get it to go, they put the coconut milk in a separate container so the rice isn’t soggy. Good thinking!
The service here has been more of a miss during my recent visits. Once, the person who took our order was distant and disinterested. He took my and my friend’s orders slowly, and forgot three of our items — Thai iced tea, dumplings, and sweet sticky rice. We had to remind him of them, and he had to take our receipts to re-​enter them for the kitchen chefs. Glad we saved those! So we had to wait and get them to go. We got no apology. On another visit, the servers forgot our extra peanut sauce and delivered it when we were almost done with the meal.
I have also seen the workers be totally ensconced in their phones or the computer. There may be some training going on, but that doesn’t mean you literally turn your backs to the main counter. I think they are still learning the delivery logistics.
Bottom line: this chain needs some work. Some portions should be larger, but mainly, the workers need to pay attention and listen more. There are a few dishes that stand out from the others (panang curry and sweet sticky rice).

Great take out spot for Thai food! I love how you can request to make it as authentic as possible, along with their street food menu, it just gets better for the adventurous eaters! Thai by Thai is definitely not just another Americanized Thai restaurant that is afraid to bring on the heat and pungent flavors!
The restaurant is very clean and colorful. It’s not dark and dimly lit like many other Thai restaurants.
I’ve tried the Drunken noodles, Thai Boat Noodle Soup (Spicy), Papaya salad (Lao style) and Mango and Coconut Sticky Rice.
All of the entrees were palatable– the drunken noodle is especially a stand out! It’s comfort food to me. Thick, soft noodles coated in saucy goodness. The spicy boat noodle soup did not stand out to me in particular but it was good for what it’s worth. It doesn’t come extremely spicy, but you can always add more chilies. The papaya salad was SPICY. That’s after I rejected the «spicy» option and told the woman, just a little bit of spicy. Embarrassed to mention, I started crying because my mouth felt like it housed a thousand flames. I quickly gargled the Thai iced tea and had to ask for more half and half to cool off the heat.
Overall, great spot for just a quick Thai take out. Nothing fancy. But if you want to explore some of their comfort foods, try the noodles or rice dishes. It’s packed with flavor and delivers on the spices.
Note to self: don’t underestimate the Thai spice levels.

This a quick lunch spot. Décor is industrial «chipotle like» to appeal to the hip crowd they must expect from all the condos going up by the metro.
Staff was nice but the curry puffs were cold on the inside which turned me off to the place right away. I had the green curry chicken and it was just ok. The chicken was overlooked scraps like you’d get at a cheap mall Chinese spot.
Overall was just meh. With so many other options in the area it’s not really worth a visit.

Think fast food Thai — this is it. The flavors are decent, and portion sizes filling… but it’s just okay. I like to stop in when I have a craving for thai and don’t want to wait 30 – 40 minutes for another place to deliver. But the flavors don’t fully soak into the noodles and meat, and the spiciness could be bumped up a bit.
If you are nearby and need a quick thai fix, don’t hesitate to check it out… but just know it’s more about convenience/​speed than flavor.

I have nothing to say other than positive reviews for Thai by Thai at Avenir Place. The staff is friendly and helpful, the restaurant is really pretty, and the food is GREAT. I live in Avenir Place and I can’t keep myself away from their food.
If you go make sure to try items of the «Hidden Menu» they are unique and delicious.

Got the Tom khan soup with vegetables and the drunken noodles. Tom Kha was average, nothing special, but hearty and the drunken noodles were way over salted. The location is really nice though.

Update!
I gave the restaurant another try and the food was much better! my pad see eew was cooked perfectly this time. the Kai Rabert was delicious. it was my first time having it and i loved it! Definitely going back again.
–
I was very excited that a Thai by Thai opened right near me. I loved the Thai by Thai in Sterling. this Thai by Thai seems to be more expensive, I paid over $ 10 for my Pad See Eew with Beef after Tax, definitely on the pricier side for Pad See Eew during lunch time. The noodle had a slide burned flavor to it. My friend asked for level 3 spiciness for his curry. the menu described level 3 as crazy spicy. it was barely spicy at all.
the upside of the place is the service is good. the waiting staffs are very nice and friendly. My friend complained about the spice level, they fixed it immediately.

This is one of the newest spots along the Dunn Loring Metro corridor. If you’re looking for a Thai restaurant with the traditional ambiance, this isn’t it. However, it’s got a great modern look and feel from the décor to the menu to the rewards program. The menu board is simple and easy to read, but I would recommend you scan the place mat menu too. There’s stuff on there that’s not on the main board… like the dish I ended up getting.
I got a noodle soup dish called «Doo Dee Ma Nao» which has fish meatballs, minced chicken, bean sprouts and peanuts in a sour & spicy lime broth. You have a noodle choice of thin, medium (padthai size) or large (drunken noodle size) which are all variations of rice noodles. The broth was wonderfully aromatic with all of the traditional Thai flavors coming through like a bulldozer. While the broth had very bold flavors, it was still balanced and had just the right amount spicy heat. The fish meatballs were interesting… slightly on the chewy side and somewhat unpleasant. They tasted as though they were previously frozen. Fried wontons were also placed in as a garnish, but by the time the bowl got to me they were very soggy. I don’t think frying them was the right move. Perhaps boiling them in the soup might be a better option. So the soup had some highs and lows.
My friend got the Panang Curry with Chicken, which is a pretty standard item found on many Thai menus which is a spicy, peanut-​based curry made with kaffir lime leaf, broccoli and coconut milk. The curry had a good spice level, but there was too much peanut flavor for my preference. There was also a different after-​taste with an unusual chalky texture. While the curry wasn’t bad, it’s wasn’t great either… just very average.
Overall, the service was friendly and fast but the jury is still out on the food. This place will likely need to step up their game if they want to compete with the number of new restaurants popping up in the area. Despite some execution inconsistencies, I’d be willing to come back and try some of their other offerings.

I was really hoping that the food would be bland and not to my taste for the sake of my waistline but the food is delicious! I have done take out here on several occasions and have dined in a couple times as well. My husband likes the crispy shrimp because the shrimp is battered nicely and a good size. We’ve also tried the drunken noodles, kaprow fried rice, chicken kaprow, and the kai rabert. The items are flavorful and delicious except the chicken kaprow. The chicken kaprow however was bland. Staff is really friendly and accommodating. It’s really nice and convenient to have a delicious place near by!
Oh. They also have DELICIOUS coconut sticky rice for dessert!

Trendy new eatery in a rapidly developing area offering tasty food at great prices.
Although this is far from ‘white table cloth’ dining, it is new, clean and definitely meets expectations once your food order arrives.
Our meal was excellent, the staff were friendly and chatty, and we left feeling satisfied, full and happy. Who could ask for more!

Only been here once but so far so good. Not a big fan of Thai food but I ordered chicken fried rice (I’ll try the other menu items later) and it was good.
You can take the food to go or dine in. The place is clean, has a modern décor and plenty of seating.
If you plan to drive here, park on the street or in the garage nearest District Taco. The garage outside the door is for Metro and is not free.

I love the way Unilocal describes 3 stars. A-​OK is right.
Thai by Thai is new to Merrifield area, it’s located at the metro. The day I went i saw several patrons confused by the parking situation. Granted, it was POURING so they probably missed a couple signs. DO NOT PARK AT THE METRO. The parking is a bit weird because you have the metro parking and near by is the shops parking. Park at the retail parking, as long as you leave before 2 hours, you are good. If you stay longer, they charge an hourly rate.
Anywho, the thai food here is super americanized. There is absolutely no spice, and things are a little sweeter than I personally like.
I had tom yum noodle soup. Whenever the weather turns slightly chilly, I binge on noodle soups. This is my trend for now (since last winter) but man I can’t get enough. The tom yum was okay, I’ve had better, but it wasn’t horrible. The noodles were similar to thicker phở noodles you make at home. The soup was sour but no spice at all.
Had the drunken noodles too, they were just okay. They didn’t have the traditional «wok» taste that I like. Had a bit of a sweeter taste to them, instead of spicy.
Convinence-​wise, I’d come back. Nothing is WOW or amazing, just A-​OK.

Positives include the location and the sleek and simple menu. I often get overwhelmed by the myriad of options on Thai menus, so I appreciate the toned down menu and the easy counter ordering system.
Seems like their goal is to make Thai food more accessible and mainstream (I mean, they have an «Adventurous» section on the menu) which I applaud. I hate to judge strictly based on the one dish I tried (chicken Pad Thai) but I suspect that the major fallback is that their food is too Americanized — overly sweet and low on spice. My chicken Pad Thai wasn’t anything special. I’m still eager to try the other dishes on the menu, namely the crispy basil duck and the lahb gai. More to come!

You pay at the counter and seat yourself. The menu is simple and prices are decent. We ordered the drunken noodle with beef, crispy duck with basil and rice, lad na with pork and papaya salad. Drunken noodle was on the bland side, i could also tell by just looking at the noodle itself, they were very white. Crispy duck with basil was very flavorful BUT there were minimal pieces of duck. The majority of the dish was all rice. I feel like for the price, there should be more pieces of duck at least. Lad Na was too thick, the corn starch needs to be toned down a bit. The flavor was just not there, I would say Bangkok Golden Lad Na takes the cake easily. The papaya salad was average, nothing stood out. It also was not very spicy at all (very Americanized). Overall, I would say Thai by Thai is average, it is convenient since I live right in the apts nearby and they do have incentives such as you earn 1 point for every 1 dollar spent, which you can redeem for free iced tea, free entrée, etc. The guy working the counter was also very nice, I would still come by for the convenience.

I wanted to love it but I like it so far. Very convenient to the apartment/​condos around Dunn Loring. The place is very clean. You order at the register and they give you a number if you are eating in or you can sit up front if waiting for carry out. The menu is fair sized so you might need a few moments to decide what you want. They also have some «adventurous» menu items that they may need to explain.
We got the tofu appetizer with the sweet sauce (I’ve had better and I’ve had worse, overall good!), the Kai Rabert (minced chicken over eggs and rice), and the Moo Toon soup (off of the not so secret secret menu). The Kai Rabert was good but didn’t seem very special. The Moo Toon soup was very good and similar to the soup we had in Thailand except no crispy pork skins. I have pretty high standards for Thai food and I’m probably unfairly judging it as it is labeled as a fast casual restaurant. I will definitely come again and try some of my favorite standards. If it is consistently good maybe I can bump it up!