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Lunch service starts today at Mango Tree, the first very U.S. outpost of the international Thai restaurant chain. The D.C. location is a collaboration between Mango Tree's founder Pitaya Phanphensophon and chef Richard Sandoval, and the glassy CityCenterDC space has been outfitted with red banquettes, decorative plates and leather seating. Now that Mango Tree D.C. has been open for a little more than two weeks, here's what diners are saying about the food and experience:
The Price Point Analysis: So far, Mango Tree has 14 Yelp reviews and an average of three stars. Yelper Samantha L. said that she had high expectations for Mango Tree but they fell a bit flat. She wrote, "Overall I had a good experience, but given the price point i'm not sure this would be a place I return to often. I'm more likely to order in from the carry-out Thai place down the street from me for $9.99." [Yelp]
The Rave: Bryan W. wrote on Yelp. "Pork neck salad and mango salad were incredible! Chris the bartender is a beast! This establishment will be a mainstay! Love it!" [Yelp]
The "Is This Thai" News? Mark L. rounded his Yelp review up to three stars, writing, "The space itself is quite nice and decent location but I agree with the previous poster that the food was uninspired. I thought the highlight was the spicy mango salad which had a nice kick but the curry was so bland, I couldn't tell what cuisine it was. Why would I go to a Thai place if I didn't want to taste Thai? Perhaps they underestimate the already eclectic American palette in DC." [Yelp]
The "Execution Was Poor" News: Yelper Casey N. wasn't so impressed, writing, "Food: I understand that this place is still new, and with any new restaurants, there are kinks that needs to be worked out, sure, but a brand that has a reputation of over 70 locations all over the world should at least have the food down to a science. This place might have the right concept, but execution was poor. There is a lot of room for improvement for this place to justify their brand, and the price that comes with it. Anything that opens up in City Center has some rather large shoes to fill by default. A Thai restaurant that claims to serve "Authentic"Thai food should be able to do just that. Everything else is secondary." [Yelp]
The "Food Will Make You Want To Slap Somebody," In a Good Way News: On Facebook, Mango Tree is getting 4.8 out of 5 stars with 13 reviews. Marcus A. Ware writes: "Amazing! Food will make you want to slap somebody and the cocktails are delicious. Best authentic thai in DC!" [FB]
The Cocktail Recommendation: "Get the spicy siam cocktail," says Ryan K. on FourSquare. [FS]
The Lobster News: Urban Daddy recommends getting all the lobster dishes, writing "...start deciding between a prime strip steak with spicy northeastern Thai dipping sauce, deep-fried fish with sweet-chili sauce or... hell, why not... three different lobster dishes—baked in yellow curry powder, stir-fried with tamarind sauce or in a sweet-and-sour broth.We believe the term is "lobster flight." [UD]
The Best Bathrooms News: @mr_suh tweeted: ".@mangotreedc has the BEST bathrooms out of any restaurant i've been to in town! if anything, you should go for that." [Twitter]
