Signage for Dok Khao Thai Eatery went up today in Color Burst Park in the Merriweather District. The Thai restaurant is getting closer to opening later this summer. While there is no official opening date announced, it seems it could be happen within a matter of weeks.
Below is an excerpt the preview piece I wrote about Dok Khao Thai Eatery on February 22, 2020 - shortly after the restaurant was first announced.
When Dok Khao Thai Eatery opens at The Merriweather District later this year, it will bring something currently lacking from the Howard County food scene - a proper Thai restaurant. Dok Khao Thai Eatery will occupy a 3,400 square foot location with both indoor and outdoor seating for 100 people facing the neighborhood’s pedestrian space, Color Burst Park. According to the description of the Woodbridge Virginia outpost of Dok Khao Thai Eatery at Potomac Town Place, the restaurant concept is "inspired by a Bangkok Night Market and the taste of real Thai street food with varieties of Thai small plates, healthy salads, and hearty noodle soups crafted in-house using high quality ingredients including locally made fresh noodles, chef’s home grown Thai herbs, and Rare-Finds Asian vegetables."
Porntipa “Pat” Pattanameker has built herself a bit of an empire in the DMV. She operates Thai at Silver Spring, Thai at Laurel, and Thai at Waugh Chapel in Crofton. In 2016, Pattanameker opened Sense of Thai St. in Ashburn Virginia, which was recently named one of the top five Thai restaurants in Northern Virginia and which has received much accolades for its cocktail program led by restaurateur and bartender Jeremy Ross, particularly when the restaurant's bar transforms into a fun and splashy tiki bar each summer. A commonality of all these restaurants is their location in an active pedestrian-oriented mixed-use town center development.
Dok Khao Thai Eatery is the the newest restaurant concept from the team, and it too will feature a summer-time tiki-bar pop-up. The Woodbridge Dok Khao Thai Eatery's menu, or 'List of our Deliciousness' as its referred to on its website, looks stellar.