Frazzled Service, Fulfilling Food at Bangkok 54

Checking out one of the few inexpensive restaurants to make the Washingtonian’s top 100? Good idea.

Checking it out right after the magazine hits the stands? Less inspired.

Three friends and I went to Bangkok 54 last weekend to see why the Arlington Thai restaurant was earning such raves.

We were greeted with about a half hour wait sans reservation, which wasn’t bad at all considering how packed the place was, and the fact it was a Friday night. More frustrating is that it took the entire thirty minutes for us to get our drinks from the bar, and one of them was incorrect. I enjoyed my mango ginger margarita, though.

Once we were seated, service was inattentive and frazzled. A waitress took 20 minutes to “be right back” to take our orders. Appetizers took a considerable amount of time to arrive. A friend’s main dish order of pineapple fried rice lacked, well, pineapple.

But boy, was the food good. Won ton soup was perfectly spiced; papaya salad was a cool choice for a chilly night, but still delivered. I ordered 54’s Spicy Roast Duck, which was similar to a dish I’d had at a neighboring Thai restaurant a week before, but in a different league. Topped with basil and fried to a crisp (though slightly greasier than I might have liked), the dish finished with such a hot, savory kick that friends who sampled it said they had trouble tasting their own meals afterwards. Which was really too bad – one had ordered the five-spice braised pork, and it was absolutely delicious, sweet without being cloying. Jasmine tea was a nice accompaniment.

Overall, the restaurant probably deserves a break for being swamped during such a busy time, and the bustling atmosphere might have appealed to a more patient crowd, as it sure felt like a “hot spot”. But next time I go, I’m making it a weeknight.

Bangkok 54
2919 Columbia Pike
Arlington, VA 22204
703.521.4070