Affordable Curry Destination Baan Thai Is Leaving Its Original Location in Logan Circle

Logan Circle is in danger of losing a trusted Northern Thai destination for spicy salads, tapioca skin dumplings, and khao soi. Baan Thai is closing at 1325 14th Street NW at the end of the month, Washington City Paper reports, writing the restaurant has outgrown its original location and is negotiating on a lease for a bigger space in an undisclosed spot.

The restaurant, which has had a 10-year run that started as Tsunami Sushi and Lounge, is reportedly slated to close on New Year’s Eve.

Baan Thai has risen to popularity as a low-key, affordable alternative for people looking to avoid the long lines at Little Serow, Komi chef Johnny Monis’s super spicy, tasting menu-only restaurant located half a mile west in Dupont. Baan Thai’s entrees start at $13, with happy hour offered daily.

According to WCP, Baan Thai’s second-story lease is ending, and there’s need for a bigger kitchen to accommodate its expansive menu.

Baan Thai still serves lots of sushi (sashimi, nigiri, and maki rolls), along with grilled beef skewers, noodle soups, deep-fried wings, and green mango salads from chef Jeeraporn Poksupthong. Go-to orders include khao soi gai, a chicken-coconut yellow curry with egg noodles and pickled cabbage, and vermicelli in chile-peanut sauce with ground chicken and shrimp and tempura vegetables.

Baan Thai’s potential departure caps off a year of restaurants jumping ship from the strip.

Latin-Asian restaurant and lounge Masa 14, which for years has boasted lines out the door, ended its 10-year run this summer. Drafting Table, a casual spot to grab an affordable beer or take in a soccer game, closed in June — the same month Policy Restaurant and Lounge shuttered after a decade. And short-lived NYC export Meatball Shop served its last sphere in September after just a year of business.

Despite the string of shutters, replacement restaurants are hot on their heels; neon-lit Mexicue already replaced Meatball Shop. Atlanta tapas place Gypsy Kitchen will slide into the Masa 14 space.

• Baan Thai to Close Out 2019 on 14th Street NW, Reopen in a New Space in 2020 [WCP]
• An NYC-Based Restaurant That Sells Barbecue Tacos Will Land on 14th Street [EDC]
• NYC Import the Meatball Shop Closes in D.C. After Less Than a Year [EDC]