Incredible! My wife ordered the yellow chicken curry and it was insanely delicious. I ordered a Thai coconut curry chicken and it was tasty but my wife’s curry stole the show. Healthy portions that left us delightfully satiated. We live so far but this is worth a stop!

Good food. It was empty for lunch when we go there. Food was good. Requested medium spicy. It was over the medium spicy levels more like spicyyyy. Parking was not available even tho the restaurant was empty. Has paid parking along the road.
Thai tea had a fpod coloring or something that made our tongue colored.

The smell doesn’t even describe the rancid aroma it gives off. The beef is barely cooked and smells. I’m an avid Thai cuisine fan but this is not what I expected. The taste is off and the color is unappetizing. A waste of $20+ but the Thai tea was pretty good.

Some of the best Thai food I’ve ever had. Greg, the manager, and T, the host, were very friendly and down to earth. You’re in great hands with them. They both gave excellent recommendations. Highly recommend the pork bbq skewer with sticky rice. Make sure to get their home made peanut sauce for any meat or rice dishes! I could drink it. The Tom Kha soup was delicious, I should’ve asked for it to be spicier. The Pad Thai was 10/10. Lastly, highly recommend any crispy duck dishes!

We’ve been this restaurant for more than 10 times. The last time was the worst service I ever get from any restaurant. Food is good, but their service is ridiculous. The waiters are unfriendly and unwelcome. I’ve been to Thailand several times and I know that Thai people are very friendly and lovely, but I didn’t feel any kind of similar vibe in this restaurant. The tea pot is very dirty as well. Very disappointed.

Food- I and my boy friend ordered pad Thai and deep-fried soft shell crab with house special sauce. The tastes were okay but both of them were too salty for us.

Service- It was okay. She frequently asked us about the food or any needs.

Atmosphere- It was clean but not a pleasant smell when we entered. It might be due to food.

We've eaten here and ordered take out many times. This last time I was with 3 girlfriends and we all liked our dishes. My husband and I like the curry puffs and satay appetizers. Really all the dishes we've tried are good. The restaurant is not usually too crowded and it's not noisy. It's a good place to bring kids. The staff are pleasant and you don't have to wait long for your food. 4.5 stars!!

Food taste is really great, one of the best Thai places I have been (for the taste); Service, not so much. The place was busy on Monday evening and had only two servers in total. Tried Drunken Noodles and steamed dumplings with chives. Both were really good.

The place didn’t have any good ambiance and the restrooms were not clean. Limited parking outside restaurant however there was paid street parking. It was surprisingly loud inside the restaurant.

5/5 for food
3/5 for service
4/5 overall

Always amazing food and excellent service. Best thai in the DMV.

Excellent food, Service was great and will go back again

I went to this restaurant after a very long time. It used to be very small but last night I took my friend there, It was totally packed and we have to wait 10 minutes, Which is not so bad. Meal was excellent and it got even better with Singha beer. We will go again and highly recommend this restaurant in Wheaton Maryland. Jasbir Mongia

I'm a fan of their noodle dishes.

Ruan Thai is the best customer service I have experienced in a while. I messed up and forgot to disregard cilantro on my dish as to me it taste like soap. I mentioned my problem to the server and she didn’t hesitate to offer either remake or remove it from the bill. Totally my bad, I’m sorry Ruan Thai but thank you for making up my own mistake.

We’ve been this restaurant for more than 10 times. The last time was the worst service I ever get from any restaurant. Food is good, but their service is ridiculous. The waiters are unfriendly and unwelcome. I’ve been to Thailand several times and I know that Thai people are very friendly and lovely, but I didn’t feel any kind of similar vibe in this restaurant. The tea pot is very dirty as well. Very disappointed.

I have been visiting this restaurant for more than 10 years. I strongly recommend the spicy duck with basil. It is delicious!!!

Ordered take out for my roommate on Jan 2 for and he got the worst food poisoning he ever had from the shrimp pad Thai. He was puking for hours…

The smell doesn’t even describe the rancid aroma it gives off. The beef is barely cooked and smells. I’m an avid Thai cuisine fan but this is not what I expected. The taste is off and the color is unappetizing. A waste of $20+ but the Thai tea was pretty good.

Unpretentious ambiance and great food. Red curry was perfect for a cold night in December. Friendly and efficient staff

Absolutely delicious! Very basic restaurant with seating and take out area. Food was delivered quickly and was SO good. The Pad Thai serving was huge with enough for a take out box too!

Some of the best Thai food I’ve ever had. Greg, the manager, and T, the host, were very friendly and down to earth. You’re in great hands with them. They both gave excellent recommendations. Highly recommend the pork bbq skewer with sticky rice. Make sure to get their home made peanut sauce for any meat or rice dishes! I could drink it. The Tom Kha soup was delicious, I should’ve asked for it to be spicier. The Pad Thai was 10/10. Lastly, highly recommend any crispy duck dishes!

Incredible! My wife ordered the yellow chicken curry and it was insanely delicious. I ordered a Thai coconut curry chicken and it was tasty but my wife’s curry stole the show. Healthy portions that left us delightfully satiated. We live so far but this is worth a stop!

Poor customer service and I have been eating here for over 10 years. When we walked in we were the only table in the entire restaurant. I had to wave down a Thai lady to take down our order. After that, we never saw her again the whole dining experience. After 20 minutes of sitting we saw a black male come by and asked if we already placed our order. After that, not seen ever again at our table. I had to get up to walk 5 feet to him for another beer just for him to say “you can’t bring the empty glass to us because it’s a liability” no other restaurant in America has that issue so that made no sense. Later on a party of 4 came and were sat at a table pushed together. After them sitting there for 20-30 minutes minimum the guy server comes by and says oh since it’s 4 of you I have to take a table away from the tables pushed together because it’s our policy. Mind you the restaurant is empty. Only 3 tables sat in the whole restaurant and there were so many other empty tables. Pulling a table from a family that has been sitting for 20-30 mins is not going to kill the empty restaurant. Poor customer service all around. No wonder Ruan Thai is not packed for lunch or dinner ever like it use to be. I was eating there when you guys didn’t make the restaurant bigger. Now, it’s a waste of space. I spent over $100 and will no longer be supporting this business.

We've eaten here and ordered take out many times. This last time I was with 3 girlfriends and we all liked our dishes. My husband and I like the curry puffs and satay appetizers. Really all the dishes we've tried are good. The restaurant is not usually too crowded and it's not noisy. It's a good place to bring kids. The staff are pleasant and you don't have to wait long for your food. 4.5 stars!!

Good food. It was empty for lunch when we go there. Food was good. Requested medium spicy. It was over the medium spicy levels more like spicyyyy. Parking was not available even tho the restaurant was empty. Has paid parking along the road.
Thai tea had a fpod coloring or something that made our tongue colored.

So good! One of our local go to Thai restaurants. The Yum Watercress is amazing

When I lived in the area it was the place I most often ordered take-out from. On trips back to anywhere in the area I will detour to have some more!

I enjoy their food. Attention is good as well.

Mediocre

I have always ordered at this place, favorite Thai place In Wheaton. I always go to eat there and sometimes do carry out. This time around, I ordered online and the restaurant declined my order because I didn’t tip? It was asking me to tip $20 for take out. It said I had to tip in order for them to accept my order. Since when has tipping for take out been mandatory? Or am I missing something? I’ll be looking for another Thai restaurant.

This use to be the best Thai food in the area. I went recently and the food was blan no taste and the texture of the catfish dish was strange. I would not recommend.

Ruan Thai is my favorite Thai restaurant by far. The duck and basil is serious business!

We came here as a group of four, and one wanted to have Ramen from next door, but they wouldn't allow it. What a shame. The menu changed from pre-pandemic. The authentic menu is gone, and the prices went up badly while the food got worse. They closed many sections except for the front. I used to recommend friends here, but I cannot anymore. The waitresses are okay, but the owner is stingy.

Food- I and my boy friend ordered pad Thai and deep-fried soft shell crab with house special sauce. The tastes were okay but both of them were too salty for us.

Service- It was okay. She frequently asked us about the food or any needs.

Atmosphere- It was clean but not a pleasant smell when we entered. It might be due to food.

I have been eating there since it opened in the early 90s . It's great food. 4 generations of our family all enjoy the food. Yum watercress is the best dish ever. The duck dish and mussels are to die for.

This place used to be our go-to for Thai in the area. Our most recent order included drunken noodles that had too much tomato in the sauce it bizarrely tasted like spaghetti-os. Not sure if there’s a new chef but I’d be weary to go back and try it again

The best and I do mean the BEST Thai place in Wheaton MD✨

Cozy, yummy, great feeling. Recommend

I've been coming here for over 10 years. This was my first Thai food experience, I was initially HOOKED. I've told friends about here and even got my job hooked on meals from here.....

That said, the food and service have been inconsistent.

My most recent visit, I ordered 2 Pad Thai, one spicy other regular. Both tasted like sugar. I tried to call, and they never picked up the phone. Additionally, when I did pick up my order, the (I assume) manager was simply rude. My card wasn't working due to a fraud issue (I didn't know) but she treated me like I was going to steal the food... I immediately regretted ordering and should have just canceled my order and gone home from the treatment alone.

I used to LOVE place ....I will never come back.

They're good! great food.

Haven't been to this spot in a long time. Still one of the best Thai restaurants anywhere. And my Thai-American friends tell me it is "authentic"

Love this place been coming here for many many years!They did a nice job remodeling very clean and pleasant on the eyes But who cares about that when You want to hear the food review we both tried the panay curry and the chicken yellow curry. Both dishes came out hot and fresh and great proportions,A lot more than most Thai restaurants. The staff was very friendly and extremely helpful and always kept their drinks full to the rim. I highly recommend this place as it's already rated the number one Thai restaurant in Montgomery County!

I should have walked out when I entered this restaurant, but I didn’t because I really wanted Thai food. Walking in smelled like dirty mop water. The broccoli and cauliflower were over cooked, the drunken noodles were disgusting. It had a red color. I asked for medium heat in my chicken fried rice and it was super spicy. You won’t get anymore of my money.

It was okay, tea is real mild, menu description is a little deceiving and misleading Drunken noodles choose any meat. They should specify on their menu which are included clearly "Any" is "any". Parking is very limited not their fault but just so you have an idea what the parking situation is. Lighting is real low, the stir fried duck was tasty but a lot of pieces were burnt

Delicious. Rich and authentic flavors. I’ve tried much of their menu and have never been disappointed with a dish.

I ordered drunken noodles today with shrimp. I was slightly disappointed that there were only five shrimp in the meal. It usually comes with seven. Asked no tomato in the salad but they added tomatoes.

The pickup service is nice as usual.

One of my favorite Thai restaurants. Try everything!

Best Thai! Typically bring food home though have eaten there too.

I have been coming to this restaurant for 15 years with my family, and it has been nothing but consistent. This is the best Thai food in the DC area. Although there is left to be desired about the atmosphere and service sometimes, it does not matter, the quality and taste of the food is beyond worth it. A neighborhood staple, and I hope this restaurant stays around forever. Yum Watercress, Ped Pad Ka Proa (crispy duck), and pad se ew are all incredible.

We came here for a quick dinner. It's a very large space and there were patrons at two tables. They offer the expected dishes for a Thai restaurant. The service was shockingly fast and the waitress was friendly. The food was, well, revolting. The Massaman curry was missing carrots and peanuts. The panang curry was passable. Another person in the group ordered a veggie soup that tasted like dish soap. The crowning glory was the drunken noodles two of us ordered. We quickly noticed the appearance was not like any drunken noodles we had ever seen before. There were some mushy tomatoes and mushy basil. Once we tasted it we immediately realized the basil was Italian and not Thai basil and the flavor profile was very similar to that of pizza. Then we tasted it again and determined the noodles had been cooked with ketchup. This was the single most revolting meal I've had for as long as I can remember. Avoid.

It's a hole in a wall but the food and service was great!!

Came across this hole in the wall restaurant after a long day shopping in the area. I swear by this restaurant. Their pad thai and panang curry are phenomenal. So rich in flavor. Service is quick, atmosphere is homey, food is unparalleled - better than I've had anywhere in the area. I only come here for Thai food.

Their Pork Skewers come with sticky rice & an INCREDIBLE dipping sauce that you’ll absolutely return for!!!

I went last night with a pretty big group and Greg who helped us very hospitable, checked in with us throughout our time there and made sure we had everything.

It was my first time going and the food was incredible too. We got the soup, a bunch of different noodles. The portions are generous and definitely big enough to share. I’ll definitely go back again

Love this spot. I've had a lot of thai food and am very very selective on what i would call good thai food. This place is bomb. They get the flavors right.

Consistently great food, reasonably priced, lots of choices.

Crab fried rice is AMAZING! The food was presented very quickly, and the people were great. Our new favorite!

The coconut soup tasted spoiled. The rice that was served looked old and dried out. The fish that was just fried wasnt warm.I remember when this place was smaller the food was excellent.

Pad Thai needs more flavor. Otherwise great

the beef was so stinky and pungent and the gang pa was flavorless. the fried chive dumplings were really good though

Ruan Thai is the best thai food in Wheaton! We had Ruan Thai cater my mother's 70th birthday party this past weekend and the food was such a hit. The manager Greg was very responsive and helpful in setting up our catering order. The food was ready and the kitchen staff even remade our order for pad thai to put the peanuts on the side for one of our guests with allergies. 10/10 food and service. :)

I completed a pick up order here. The phone rep was really nice and the guy who gave me the food was also really nice. The food itself was just ok! I expected more flavor with the chicken and scrimp pad Thai. The dish seemed to have lacked something in taste. The eggplant dish (chili paste) was really good and I don’t really ever eat eggplant. It had somewhat of a sweet taste but it wasn’t overbearing. I would order this again. The spring rolls were also ok. They should offer spring rolls with some type of protein inside of it verses just mushroom and other veggies. I’m still on the hunt for some awesome pad Thai in or near silver spring.

Amazing drunken noodle and eggplant. Noodles were charred perfectly, spice was great. New favorite Thai place.

Great food and great service! Ruan Thai has been a favorite of ours for over 4 years now. We often carry out, but they have a very nice little restaurant space for dining in.

One of the best Thai restaurants in the area. We always go for our favorite dishes. They have changed the menu recently. They used to have weekday lunch specials, but now just the regular menu and the prices are higher.

Typical neighborhood restaurant without much fanfare. The prices have recently been raised a bit, the food was great, the service was courteous and efficient.

5*Yum watercress-Deep-fried watercress, shrimp, squid, onion, cilantro, and cashew nut in spicy lime dressing: this is a perfect combination of flavors and textures. This dish alone attracted us back and back again.

4*PLA PAD CHA-deep fried fillet catfish sautéed celery and the garlic in hot chili and social Thai sauce: the sauce was tasty and a bit spicy. The celery was cooked just right with a crunchy texture.

3*PAD THAI-Sautéed Thai thin rice noodle with shrimps, egg, ground peanut, red tofu,
bean sprout, and spring onion: typical Thai dish, the portion was generous, but not very flavorful.

4*KHA NAH MOO KORB: Chinese broccoli was cooked perfectly, crispy and crunchy. The sauce was a bit heavy and salty.

3*PAD KHA TIEM PRIK THAI shrimp: cabbage salad with shrimps. The Thai pepper sauce was a bit spicy and addictive.

I love this little restaurant. So peaceful and calm. Great food. We usually order takeout. Recently I found that when I got home, the order I had was not correct. I called and the host offered a couple of solutions. I decided to return and get the correct dish. When I got there, she brought the correct order out to me and told me to keep the other dish. How kind. I was happy to return the meal cause mistakes happen. This was totally above and beyond. I am not a huge Thai food fan, but there are a number of menu items that I love. Every time I have dined there, my companions were also always very pleased. Great to have an actual restaurant in the Wheaton area (vs. diners, fast food, food trucks, and the like). Try them, you will be very pleased.

Horrible service. Please stay away from this Ruan Thai restaurant in Wheaton. We have had bad experience during our two last visits including today for lunch with one of the servers who was extremely rude. We ordered the crispy spinach salad, our favorite dish. He said he doesn’t have that dish today. We politely asked him if he could recommend us anything similar. He was very disturbed by the friendly question. And he purposely made us feel that we are not welcomed.

Great food. Little parking in lot but road parking available. Good friendly service. We'll keep coming back for Thai in Silver Spring!

The staff were awesome and the food terrific.

I have been coming here for years and it never disappoints, for me best Thai food in Wheaton!

Absolutely excellent Thai food. My top recommendation (out of a lot of great menu items) would be the Yum Watercress. It's their own dish (I think), that I've not seen anywhere else, and it is fan-tas-tic.

Came here on a Monday night. Was hoping to get Ren’s Ramen but they were unexpectedly closed. We ordered the deep fried watercress, drunken noodles, and the charcoal grilled pork with ground rice powder. That was our first time having the pork—the texture of the roasted ground rice was new for us, but we liked it! It was really tender and the charcoal flavor was just-right. The drunken noodles and fried watercress was really good as well—we cleaned everything up!

Ok service. Ok drunken noodles but nothing to rave about. Still looking for my go to spot in Wheaton for Thai food!

The best Thai food in DMV. Gluten free options too!

Food taste is really great, one of the best Thai places I have been (for the taste); Service, not so much. The place was busy on Monday evening and had only two servers in total. Tried Drunken Noodles and steamed dumplings with chives. Both were really good.

The place didn’t have any good ambiance and the restrooms were not clean. Limited parking outside restaurant however there was paid street parking. It was surprisingly loud inside the restaurant.

5/5 for food
3/5 for service
4/5 overall

Everything was amazing- can’t wait to come back!

The best Thai food in the DC area!

A real hidden jem

People usually upload pictures of the dishes they had …. Boring! What other way to show how delicious the meal was then to show the empty dishes. We had an amazing dinner. Top left are the remains Pla Pad Prik Khing,
Deep fried catfish with string beans and a salty dry curry sauce that has just the right bite. Top right are the remains of a amazing stir fried eggplant in sweet spicy chili with basil leaves. The bottom has the remains of stir fried pork with hot chili bell pepper an basil leaves. All washed down with a cool bottle of Singha beer. Great service. Definitely a place to bring your date to if you want to see if she really loves you, loves great food, and doesn’t care about the decor.

อร่อยรสชาติแบบไทยๆ (มีชุดน้ำปลาพริกให้ปรุงรสได้ตามต้องการด้วย) ราคาไม่แพง สะอาด และเป็นมิตร มีอาหารหลากหลายให้สั่งได้ ผมสั่ง:
1. ผัดกะเพราไก่สับ
2. แกงป่ากุ้ง -- เครื่องครบ ขอบอก >,<
3. ต้มยำกุ้ง -- สูตรทางร้านเป็นแบบไม่ใส่กะทินะคับ
4. ลาบไก่สับ -- มีข้าวเหนียวนึ่งให้สั่งทางได้ด้วย
5. ทอดมันปลา
6. ไข่ดาว -- ทางร้านทำไข่ดาวแบบไทยๆ นะคับ ไม่ใช่แบบอเมริกัน
7. ปลาดุกผัดฉ่า -- รสกลมกล่อม หอมเครื่อง หอมกระเทียม ปลาดุกไม่เหม็นคาว

หลังจากที่อยู่อเมริกามาเกือบสิบปีและพยายามหาอาหารไทยที่รสชาติถูกต้องแบบบ้านเรา บอกเลยว่าไม่ผิดหวัง ขอบพระคุณมากคับ จะมาอุดหนุดอีกแน่นอน

This is my absolute favorite restaurant in all of the DMV. I go here almost every week with my partner because it is so so so good! The staff are always kind, my order is always correct and the food is incredible. I can't say enough good things about this place!

Delicious!

Service was very fast. The food was good. I'd go back again.

Food was good. I feel like they are keeping the dishes safe - meaning they don't take risks with the flavors. I wish the dishes would 'pop' more, like other thai places I've checked out.

Best Thai food in Wheaton.

Edit: food is great. Prices have jumped significantly. +$6 for my favorite fried rice dish for a total of $18. Feels steep for something that is primarily rice.

Good selection of Thai food, good proportions.

I've never dined-in at the restaurant, but I've had their take-out dozens of times and it never disappoints. The drunken noodles and curries are to die for! We heard that this place was rated one of the best Thai restaurants in the DC area and all of us were like "obvi!" It's so good - go get some for yourself!

Ordered shrimp pad Thai, beef pad see ew, chicken green curry, pork drunken noodles, chicken larb, and fried soft shell crab with chili basil sauce for takeout. Every single dish was bad and had some issues such as all noodle dishes being overcooked mush with no wok flavor, all proteins were overcooked/flavorless and curry was watered down and bland. The drunken noodles had a tangy tomato based sauce which I've never had in any Thai restaurant before and the Pad See Ew was very sweet which was off-putting. Not sure if this was an off night but I will not be back since none of the dishes tasted good. The food was picked up within 15 mins of ordering and was eaten within 10mins after that so it's not like it was sitting for a long time. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this restaurant to others who are looking for good authentic Thai.

Good food, so-so ambiance. It is almost nice, but the fluorescent lighting and style/qualities of tables and chairs gives it a cafeteria like feel. And maybe they should have music? I feel like I don’t remember if most restaurants have music or not, but for some reason, this place feels very quiet and almost echoey. Maybe stick to take-out

Authentic cuisine perfectly spiced. Low prices great food. Don't miss this place.

Shame on the owners. Until bathrooms are cleaned and painted, 2 stars plus drunken noodles never had this version without smokey flavor. A bit pricy $20 for lunch entree. Staff great.

The food was not that great at all. The soup was extra salty. The duck was mediocre. The service was very good but I wouldn't order food from there ever again. I only ate most of it because we spent over $50.

Ordered online which was easy, pickup was very smooth. Unfortunately the food was a bit sour for my taste, got the pad kee mao and Tom kha soup and both were just more sour than I prefer. If you get a noodle dish they're very generous on the protein which is a plus! Good texture too, just the flavor not quite to my taste.

Love the yum watercress! Any of the ruan Thai special with fried catfish are delicious.

The food is good there. We love their pad Thai and drunken noodle.

AMAZING.
ALL YOU NEED IS AN ORDER OF
-YUM WATERCRESS (Deep-fried watercress, shrimp, and squid with onion, cilantro, and cashew nut in spicy lime dressing)
-PED PAD KHA PRAO (Stir-fried boneless duck with hot chili and fresh basil leaves and bell pepper)
ASK FOR IT EXTRE EXTRA CRISPY PLEASE AND YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!!! I ordered the THAI SPICY level and let me tell you!! Had me SWEATING 😂 10/10

The best red curry Jerry, The Best!

The food is great. Servers are wonderful. Restaurant needs updating though.

Nice Thai restaurant

Lots of choices. Parking is horrible.

This worthless place has THE WORST customer service. I get they were busy tonight, but the guy on the phone literally told me he couldn’t help me with the items on their menu and hung up on me. I was shocked. Their food isn’t that great and they have messed up our order several times - this guy has been rude on the phone every time I call. He should be fired. So very disappointed. It’s too bad for them that I work for a major newspaper in the DC area because I will write them up. DO BETTER, RUAN THAI!

The food was delicious and flavorful. The atmosphere was relaxed. Service was delightful and entertaining.

Been going for years. Always good!

Really fantastic Thai food. Among the best in the DMV. Massive portions, very reasonable prices. The Yum Watercress was outstanding and the staples (Lad Na and Pad See Ew) were pitch perfect.

I'm also glad that they told us that the closed business next door tows cars and advised us to street park. Thanks for saving us!

Great no-fuss, but very tasty Thai restaurant - our favorite in the DMV area (we find it worth it to drive a little further/out of our way). We are partial to the vegetarian dumplings, the yum watercress, and the eggplant with black bean sauce.

Great food, I've been here many times and have never been disappointed!

Recommend people stop coming here. Been coming 25 years, now it seems they cannot cook pineapple fried rice without burning it or using burnt pans to cook it. This is followed by a nasty mouthed young black waiter trying to talk trash amd instigate a fight as if I'm unaware what burnt rice tastes like(fed it to 3 other people who all confirm it tasted like burnt bread.) The kid claims it's the same chef there for 25 years. Yet now it's young Spanish guys in the back. Dont believe it. Hope they get new cooks and waitstaff before they go under.

Very good food! I got carry out this time but have eaten in the restaurant and service wad excellent.

The pad se ew is fantastic!

Good service. Good food except very heavy on the sugar on Everything.

Always amazing food!! I drove from Baltimore just for them. Staff are friendly and efficient. Loooooove this place!!

I must went to them on a bad day. My basil rice tasted old.

Get the Mooh Phing! Eat with your hands. I don’t know how they make the sauce so flavorful!!

Love the food and service!

I usually get panang curry, but I got pad pak today, and I was not disappointed.

So good!

My friend and I stopped at the restaurant after going to Brookside Gardens yesterday (6/18/22). Neither of us had had Thai food in a long time, so we decided to splurge and get two dishes, an appetizer, and the Thai iced tea. The food was outstanding. The watercress, shrimp, and squid appetizer is to die for. I don't like calamari, but the squid in this dish was great - it didn't have a fishy smell. We got #24 (chicken, our choice of meat, basil, and chili pepper) and #25 (chicken and a variety of Asian vegetables in a Thai sauce) and split the dishes. They were excellent. I highly recommend this place!

It was a nice local Thai place that seems to be very popular. Very busy when I was there and having only one server was really a bad idea, unless someone called sick. The food came out fast and the service was fine with no issues. The food itself was ok, but way too high in sodium for me. I imagine all the dishes are done the same way as fish sauce is the base for most.

18. Sum Tom (Papaya Salad): The salad was really good and crunchy, very refreshing and fresh. Just the fish sauce in it was a bit more than needed, its better off on the side, as we can personally control the sodium content. The peanuts and tomatoes are a nice compliment and highly recommended if you enjoy interesting salads, just avoid the fish sauce and pour it on yourself.

16. Num Tok Tofu: I love the little bits of fried tofu with nice red onion and cilantro. But it was way too overloaded with fish sauce, causing extremely high sodium content. Please order it with sauce on the side, its the only way to save the dish and enjoy it. It is highly unnecessary to use that much fish sauce, its like drinking it. So if you order it, sauce on the side. Overall, crunchy tofu goodness.

25. Pad Khing (Stir Fry): It is good, but again was too much sodium in it. This dish destroyed me, gave me a headache, tummy ache, and my lips were dry after eating it. Its good, don't get me wrong, but way too high in sodium and they need to cut back on that black bean paste. This dish is extremely simple, you can to go an Asian market and simple buy Fried Tofu (3.99), Woodear Mushrooms (0.99), and Lee Kum Kee Black Bean Paste (3.49) and mix it together, thats pretty much it. It needs to be eaten over rich to drown out the salt.

40. Ganh Keow Whan (Green Curry): Their version of green curry is more watery than thick, they add peppers and veggies. The taste itself was not spicy at all and the taste and tangy. I got chicken and it was sliced nicely and was good, the jasmine rice was also nice and not hard, cooked more on the softer side. Its alright, but not something I would get again.

Thai Ice Tea: This was great, tasted like how you'ed think Thai Ice Tea would taste.

Not the best Thai place I've been too, but a nice place overall and good service.

I never write reviews and I honestly feel bad about this one because Ruan Thai has been one of my favorite Thai restaurants in the past. However, I went on Saturday and was genuinely disappointed with my food. I used to LOVE their green curry, but when I got it this past weekend found it to be unbearably salty. I finished up the small portion of rice they gave me at the restaurant (which is normally not an issue for me because I like to let the curry shine), but it was just not nearly enough to cut the saltiness this time. I took the rest home to try and eat it slowly with my own rice but found it still to be inedible. I ended up throwing the rest away which I almost never do with food that hasn’t yet gone bad. I’m not sure if the recipe changed or this was one poorly made batch, but I really don’t know how it could have gone from being one of my favorite meals from any restaurant to one of the worst I’ve ever had.

As always great food. Attentive servers.

SHORT VERSION: 5+ Stars! Recommendation: 1) Dine here; 2) Ask for Greg; 3) Eat what he suggests; 4) Post 5-star review...

LONG VERSION: My wife and I met two friends here for late dinner, since the four of us have recently discovered a shared interest in Thai food. We knew nothing about Ruan Thai other than what we had read in previous reviews. With three cars coming from three different directions, we were a little concerned about the parking being a hassle (and it kinda was) but decided to give it a try.
At this point my vocabulary is going to fail me (since I'm not sure I know enough superlatives). From the moment we were ushered to our seats, to the point at which we finally rolled out, hours later and stuffed to the gills, the experience was simply stunning. Everything we ordered (appetizer, soup, entrees, and dessert) was ample, well-presented, and delicious. And - oddly enough - the food was not the best part!
That honor would have to go to Greg (not Gregory) our server, who seemed to be functioning simultaneously as manager, waiter, chef's assistant, and table busser. Acknowledging that they were extremely short-staffed, he nevertheless found time to answer all our questions, make excellent menu suggestions, and even engage in some of the banter at our table. He was personable, knowledgeable, and very attentive. All of which brings me back to the five-stars+ rating and short-version summary I began this with.
If I had to list a few negatives, one might be that the parking in front of the restaurant is a bit tight, so you may have to park on street, or at one of the public lots a short distance away. Also, the decor is clean, comfortable and traditional, if a bit underwhelming.
But in the end, once you meet Greg and the food arrives at your table, none of those things will matter!

This restaurant does not take Amex or discover card. Which is an issue when you take a client there for lunch and they don’t tell you this ahead of time. Food was good but I won’t be going back because of their lack of accepting the credit cards I use.

Eight of us had dinner. The food was delicious, though I am sure it was toned down for Euroculture palets. The currie puff and veggie dumplings were very good. Tom kha (coconut milk based soup) was full of vegetables and cilantro. A pork stir fry was satisfying if a little bland.

Always delicious. Love it.

One of the best Thai restaurants in MoCo. I love their pad thai and drunken noodle. Chicken satay was really good too. Staffs were friendly for most of the time, but they weren’t really attentive when the place got busier. They have a very limited shared parking spaces in front of the restaurant and you may likely have to do street parking. Highly recommended this place!

Brought my in-laws here for birthday dinner. My in-laws are the most difficult people from an eating perspective- they are very picky, some are vegetarians, some are vegans, some can't handle spice, etc., etc., etc.
They were ALL happy with Ruan Thai! Plenty of different menu options and preparations. The servers were very good at helping people find the right dish and spice level.
I definitely recommend Ruan Thai. I can't wait to go there again (this time without the in-laws)!

About one year ago, I reviewed this place and gave it one star. In the meantime, various food "authorities' heaped praises on the food, so we decided to give it another try. The bottom line - the food is still awful. Se started with the satay which was good. For the main courses we chose shrimp pad Thai and sautéed green beans. The shrimp were overcooked, the Thai noodles were a clump of gelatinous mess, and the whole dish tasted quite vinegary. The green beans were never sautéed. Instead, they were boiled in water, received a soaking in some non descriptive sauce and got a sprinkling of finely minced peanuts. The beans were totally tasteless. We left most of the food and the waiter was surprised that we did not want to take it home. When we told him that the food was awful, he just shrugged his shoulders and produced the bill.. We were in Thailand, and ate good authentic Thai food which was delicious. What is served in Ruan Thai is not good Thai food.

Great service!

You really want to try the spicy boneless duck, it is next level.

After 14 years I have never had a bad meal here

The chicken satay was good but the chicken larb was barely edible

GET THE FRIED FISH. It’s a winner. Great service. Perfect for date night.

Amazing food! The watercress salad is bomb, and everything else was too! It was incredibly packed so I'm not the only one who loves it here.

Their food is good but got horrible service last night. I understand they got busy but the waiter literally never came back to our table after getting our appetizers. I watched the table next to us sit down (15-20 mins later) eat their dinner before our dinner orders were taken. We got up from the table to get someone to take our dinner order, to get straws for the ice teas we ordered and had to re-order because it was never delivered, and get our check corrected when they said they would comp the drinks then charged us. I want to support family owned businesses but I don't want to pay for this level of frustration.

Delicious ious Thai food

Great food in a hidden space. Worth a visit just for the watercress salad.

Best Thai restaurant in the DMV area by far. My kids grew up eating here. Loyal customers since 2001.

Friendly service. Food fresh and tasty

Tried this restaurant a second time. And it's just as bad as the first time. So sad

Yummy food! Great service!

I ordered take-out a few nights ago, the drunken noodles with chicken had a sweet taste. The pad green beans were super oily and they forgot to include the rice. I do not reccomend; go at your risk. There are better Thai places in the area.

Wow a great experience, the noodles were just cooked perfectly and very tasty, loved their desserts

Absolutely phenomenal food and service each time we go! We love going here and it’s the only place my wife says that reminds her of home!

You're unlikely to be disappointed in this authentic Thai food spot. Their food is delicious, and they offer easy-peasy pickup as well as Dine-in options. A great addition to your take-out line-up. Voted best Thai Food in Montgomery County 2021