A gem of a spot. Easily the best Pad Thai I've ever had. Friendly staff, nice, clean restaurant with good music and a fun vibe. Will definitely be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jennifer Hanna
Great service, food is very flavorful but way
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Vy H.
Came here recently for dinner Saturday night with friends—my first time trying this place and it didn’t disappoint! Service was good and overall food was delicious!Top favorites were: Esaan Pad Thai with Shrimp, Massaman Chicken, Kai Tod Samoon Prai (fried chicken) and Pla Tod Samun Prai Rock Fish—everything was well-flavored! The rock fish was pretty big with lots of meat but lacked enough sauce so it was a bit dry in some parts. Tom Yum Soup with Chicken was really good. Wasn’t a fan of the Esaan Crispy Spring Roll, wasn’t too tasty, probably because there was no meat inside, just veggies.Cocktails were tasty—enjoyed both the Esaantini (infused vodka with fresh lemongrass) and the Esaan Summer (cucumber vodka). And drinks were reasonably priced!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Stuart Hamilton
I ordered Pad Thai for takeout. Food wasn't good. Fairly tasteless, mostly all stogy noodles. Little to no bean sprouts, about 3 crushed peanuts in a carryout dish. Didn't detect egg or tofu. Avoid.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Samar Tehrani
First time ordering from this place. I am so disappointed by the portion size. We ordered two main dishes and the food portion was like an appetiser. 60$ later we are both hungry!However, the food was very tasty… which is another supper disappointment because it was so small!
Food: 5
Martin Holper
I ordered online two Entrees for Take out and super negatively surprised by the small portion size.The taste and quality is good but the pricing.... I mean we payed 60 USD and are graving for food now :(
Food: 4
Adrina
Unfortunately this poor review is from poor service we received recently. We were seated outside and waited about 35+ minutes between receiving the menu, beverages, and food. We cancelled our dessert request, because we didn’t want to end up waiting another 40 minutes to receive it. We used to look forward to having dinner here, especially for the fried rock fish. I’m not sure what was going on with service that day, but if it was meant to deter us from coming back, mission accomplished.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Fried Rock Fish
Flyer099
My partner and I went to Esaan to try out a new Thai placethat we read about online. Overall, I thought the food was unique and there were a lot of options. This is not the type of Thai place with pad Thai and drunken noodles and crab rangoon. The menu contained many dishes that I had not seen before, and you know it’s a good sign when the dishes are also in Thai language script on the menu. We tried the crispy fried tofu, which came with a honey and peanut sauce, but the actual tofu did not have much flavor. The papaya salad was standard, though, there were multiple preparations. I also had crab in a peanut broth, which I thought was tasty. The beef stew was tasty but quite sour. This is quite a small restaurant and service was relatively fast.
Allie P.
I was in the neighborhood at lunchtime today, so I stopped by Esaan Northeastern Thai restaurant. I have eaten here twice before and had great experiences both times. This time was similarly awesome! I ordered Yum Kai Zapp (Fried chicken mixed with scallion, red onion, mint, cilantro, chili, and roasted rice) because I saw that it was popular with other reviewers on Yelp. This tangy delicious fried chicken dish was excellent. As usual it came with a little basket of sticky purple rice. I was trying to mix a bit of each favor and texture on the spoon with each bite -- rice, a piece of chicken, as well as some of the scallion, red onion, mint, cilantro, and tangy lemon or lime that really make this dish pop. On previous visits with friends and family I think we got the Nam Tok Nue as well as Moo Nam Tok and Pad Mee Korat, and all were very tasty. Definitely go visit!
Brent B.
4.5 stars for really solid Thai spot.My wife and I were looking to grab a bite to eat one evening somewhere in the McLean area. I fired up the Yelp app, looked at my Washingtonian Top 100 bookmarks, and saw that Esaan was located nearby. We drove over to a rather unsuspecting plaza (which has another Thai place located about 100 feet away) and walked inside.We encountered a fairly small venue with a register up front (seems like this place does a lot of take out) and tables that were pretty close together. The hostess/waitress took us over to a table and handed us the menu. She was actually one of my favorite type of servers were she was attentive and answered questions, but not overly talkative and friendly aka providing just the right amount of service.After ordering some drinks from the menu, my wife and I put in our food orders. After looking over the Washingtonian's review, I decided to order the Somtum Muor, which is essentially a papaya salad on steroids, and the pla tod rock fish, which is $60 but is over 3 pounds! The Somtum Muor came out first and, while my wife was not a fan due to the fermented fish taste, I thought the dish was absolutely fantastic. All of the different flavors and ingredients seem a little random, but they actually work together to make a really tasty dish. My rock fish came out a little while after and, as you can see in pictures and other reviews, the presentation is definitely a show-stopper. Fortunately, the taste lives up to the hype as the lime dressing and cashews again present a combination that would seem random, but actually really works together to again make a tasty dish.Overall, you would see a place like Esaan from the outside and not think much. However, the excellent service and outstanding food revealed this spot to be one of Northern Virginia's hidden Thai gems. Definitely consider checking this place out next time you are in the area or ordering some takeout/delivery.
My new favorite spot Esaan.It was my first time going to Esaan. Small Beautiful placeI Went with my husband that has been here Several times and it was just like he described it. Nothing but amazing. Food is awesome and very tasty along with great service. I'll definitely keep coming here to eat authentic delicious Thai food.
Justin N.
While in the area one night, I was craving Thai food but wanted to try something different. I decided to stop into Esaan. I had seen the menu here before and was intrigued. I enjoyed my meal and was not disappointed. For appetizer, I tried the Hoy Jor. It was delicious, fresh-made, and I was happy with it. I also tried the Kai Kluk Ka Pi and Nam Tok Nue entrees. The Kao Kluk Ka Pi was a flavorful and thoughtfully made dish. It was a little small portion-wise and I would have appreciated a handful more meat and shrimp paste fried rice. The Nam Tok Nue was a classic Thai dish done well. I like that the menu here strays away from typical Thai restaurants and offers more unique and authentic dishes. I would like to come back and try other options on the menu.
Cindy Y.
This is definitely a different kind of Thai cuisine than the usual popular menu, but that's all great as long as the quality of food is good. Unfortunately this place is not. We went there for lunch and I ordered the chrysanthemum iced tea, which was supposed to be house-brewed, but it was nothing special other than some syrupy "tea" over a huge glass of ice, and it didn't even have much of chrysanthemum or tea flavor. I might as well should have had the ice water instead. We ordered 4 dishes. The veggie spring rolls didn't have much filling in it and it was gummy and doughy. The crispy pork belly was heavily breaded and tasted very dry. The Penang chicken curry was just strips of chicken breast with a few basil leaves. It was mediocre; soupy and did not have much curry flavor. Finally the beef brisket noodle soup broth was super salty AND sweet, and kind of greasy. The noodles were kind of al dente or a bit undercooked. Overall the quality of food was just mediocre at best, so unfortunately it's not a place for me.
Najwa M.
Went there on a Friday night around 8:30, and there was a little wait to get a table. It seemed popular with both dine in and takie away clients. We had fried tofu, a sort of fried crabcakes, pad Thai, and a curry. The curry was good and the right amount of spiciness. The tofu had a great texture but no flavor and same for the crabcakes. We also ordered theblemon grass drink but was too sweet. I ll go back for the curry but would pass on the non-alcoholic drinks and the appetizers. It's on the expensive side so be ware and parking can be a pain.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Papaya Salad
Claudia Tello
We went there to try the Rock Fish and it didn’t disappoint! It was more than enough for two people. Very fresh and delicious!
A gem of a spot. Easily the best Pad Thai I've ever had. Friendly staff, nice, clean restaurant with good music and a fun vibe. Will definitely be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great service, food is very flavorful but way
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Came here recently for dinner Saturday night with friends—my first time trying this place and it didn’t disappoint! Service was good and overall food was delicious!Top favorites were: Esaan Pad Thai with Shrimp, Massaman Chicken, Kai Tod Samoon Prai (fried chicken) and Pla Tod Samun Prai Rock Fish—everything was well-flavored! The rock fish was pretty big with lots of meat but lacked enough sauce so it was a bit dry in some parts. Tom Yum Soup with Chicken was really good. Wasn’t a fan of the Esaan Crispy Spring Roll, wasn’t too tasty, probably because there was no meat inside, just veggies.Cocktails were tasty—enjoyed both the Esaantini (infused vodka with fresh lemongrass) and the Esaan Summer (cucumber vodka). And drinks were reasonably priced!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
I ordered Pad Thai for takeout. Food wasn't good. Fairly tasteless, mostly all stogy noodles. Little to no bean sprouts, about 3 crushed peanuts in a carryout dish. Didn't detect egg or tofu. Avoid.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
First time ordering from this place. I am so disappointed by the portion size. We ordered two main dishes and the food portion was like an appetiser. 60$ later we are both hungry!However, the food was very tasty… which is another supper disappointment because it was so small!
Food: 5
I ordered online two Entrees for Take out and super negatively surprised by the small portion size.The taste and quality is good but the pricing.... I mean we payed 60 USD and are graving for food now :(
Food: 4
Unfortunately this poor review is from poor service we received recently. We were seated outside and waited about 35+ minutes between receiving the menu, beverages, and food. We cancelled our dessert request, because we didn’t want to end up waiting another 40 minutes to receive it. We used to look forward to having dinner here, especially for the fried rock fish. I’m not sure what was going on with service that day, but if it was meant to deter us from coming back, mission accomplished.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Fried Rock Fish
My partner and I went to Esaan to try out a new Thai placethat we read about online. Overall, I thought the food was unique and there were a lot of options. This is not the type of Thai place with pad Thai and drunken noodles and crab rangoon. The menu contained many dishes that I had not seen before, and you know it’s a good sign when the dishes are also in Thai language script on the menu. We tried the crispy fried tofu, which came with a honey and peanut sauce, but the actual tofu did not have much flavor. The papaya salad was standard, though, there were multiple preparations. I also had crab in a peanut broth, which I thought was tasty. The beef stew was tasty but quite sour. This is quite a small restaurant and service was relatively fast.
I was in the neighborhood at lunchtime today, so I stopped by Esaan Northeastern Thai restaurant. I have eaten here twice before and had great experiences both times. This time was similarly awesome! I ordered Yum Kai Zapp (Fried chicken mixed with scallion, red onion, mint, cilantro, chili, and roasted rice) because I saw that it was popular with other reviewers on Yelp. This tangy delicious fried chicken dish was excellent. As usual it came with a little basket of sticky purple rice. I was trying to mix a bit of each favor and texture on the spoon with each bite -- rice, a piece of chicken, as well as some of the scallion, red onion, mint, cilantro, and tangy lemon or lime that really make this dish pop. On previous visits with friends and family I think we got the Nam Tok Nue as well as Moo Nam Tok and Pad Mee Korat, and all were very tasty. Definitely go visit!
4.5 stars for really solid Thai spot.My wife and I were looking to grab a bite to eat one evening somewhere in the McLean area. I fired up the Yelp app, looked at my Washingtonian Top 100 bookmarks, and saw that Esaan was located nearby. We drove over to a rather unsuspecting plaza (which has another Thai place located about 100 feet away) and walked inside.We encountered a fairly small venue with a register up front (seems like this place does a lot of take out) and tables that were pretty close together. The hostess/waitress took us over to a table and handed us the menu. She was actually one of my favorite type of servers were she was attentive and answered questions, but not overly talkative and friendly aka providing just the right amount of service.After ordering some drinks from the menu, my wife and I put in our food orders. After looking over the Washingtonian's review, I decided to order the Somtum Muor, which is essentially a papaya salad on steroids, and the pla tod rock fish, which is $60 but is over 3 pounds! The Somtum Muor came out first and, while my wife was not a fan due to the fermented fish taste, I thought the dish was absolutely fantastic. All of the different flavors and ingredients seem a little random, but they actually work together to make a really tasty dish. My rock fish came out a little while after and, as you can see in pictures and other reviews, the presentation is definitely a show-stopper. Fortunately, the taste lives up to the hype as the lime dressing and cashews again present a combination that would seem random, but actually really works together to again make a tasty dish.Overall, you would see a place like Esaan from the outside and not think much. However, the excellent service and outstanding food revealed this spot to be one of Northern Virginia's hidden Thai gems. Definitely consider checking this place out next time you are in the area or ordering some takeout/delivery.
Restaurantji Recommends
My new favorite spot Esaan.It was my first time going to Esaan. Small Beautiful placeI Went with my husband that has been here Several times and it was just like he described it. Nothing but amazing. Food is awesome and very tasty along with great service. I'll definitely keep coming here to eat authentic delicious Thai food.
While in the area one night, I was craving Thai food but wanted to try something different. I decided to stop into Esaan. I had seen the menu here before and was intrigued. I enjoyed my meal and was not disappointed. For appetizer, I tried the Hoy Jor. It was delicious, fresh-made, and I was happy with it. I also tried the Kai Kluk Ka Pi and Nam Tok Nue entrees. The Kao Kluk Ka Pi was a flavorful and thoughtfully made dish. It was a little small portion-wise and I would have appreciated a handful more meat and shrimp paste fried rice. The Nam Tok Nue was a classic Thai dish done well. I like that the menu here strays away from typical Thai restaurants and offers more unique and authentic dishes. I would like to come back and try other options on the menu.
This is definitely a different kind of Thai cuisine than the usual popular menu, but that's all great as long as the quality of food is good. Unfortunately this place is not. We went there for lunch and I ordered the chrysanthemum iced tea, which was supposed to be house-brewed, but it was nothing special other than some syrupy "tea" over a huge glass of ice, and it didn't even have much of chrysanthemum or tea flavor. I might as well should have had the ice water instead. We ordered 4 dishes. The veggie spring rolls didn't have much filling in it and it was gummy and doughy. The crispy pork belly was heavily breaded and tasted very dry. The Penang chicken curry was just strips of chicken breast with a few basil leaves. It was mediocre; soupy and did not have much curry flavor. Finally the beef brisket noodle soup broth was super salty AND sweet, and kind of greasy. The noodles were kind of al dente or a bit undercooked. Overall the quality of food was just mediocre at best, so unfortunately it's not a place for me.
Went there on a Friday night around 8:30, and there was a little wait to get a table. It seemed popular with both dine in and takie away clients. We had fried tofu, a sort of fried crabcakes, pad Thai, and a curry. The curry was good and the right amount of spiciness. The tofu had a great texture but no flavor and same for the crabcakes. We also ordered theblemon grass drink but was too sweet. I ll go back for the curry but would pass on the non-alcoholic drinks and the appetizers. It's on the expensive side so be ware and parking can be a pain.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Papaya Salad
We went there to try the Rock Fish and it didn’t disappoint! It was more than enough for two people. Very fresh and delicious!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5