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If you blink as you’re walking down P Street, you might miss Sura, a basement restaurant in Dupont Circle with a paper-plastered door and some of the best Thai street food in the city.
Skip the four-seat bar near the entrance and slide into a half-bench, half-chair table tiny enough to spoon-feed the person across from you (but only if that’s not weird). Your eyes will adjust pretty quickly to the underground lighting and the smooth sounds of American contemporary music will ease you into your seat.
The meals are fresh and fast—so fast that you might wonder if they brought you someone else’s dinner by mistake. Fret not, that really is your bowl of steaming spicy belly rice that has been set in front of you. Like all good street food, you start eating with your nose long before you pick up your fork. And while the smells don’t come wafting outside to float you down the dimly-lit hallway like a cartoon character, you will breathe deeply every time something hot is set down.
Family-style is the way to go here, so grab a friend or a date and taste your way through the menu. Everything is under $20, so it’s possible to down a few dishes, a couple of drinks, and dessert without breaking the bank. They’re not going to make substitutions (the cucumber belly salad comes with a warning that it is “not recommended for novices”), but you shouldn’t need them since every dish is impressive as is. The exceptions: some dishes can be made meatless and you can ask them to adjust certain spice levels.
Sura is worth searching for thanks to its fragrant meals and fast service, so put on your explorer cap and get to work. Even on the most hectic night, you’re unlikely to wait long for your food and the flavors will be bold and bright.
The menu at Sura changes frequently, but here are a few examples of the dishes you might find here.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Reema Desai
Calamari
photo credit: Reema Desai
Spicy Belly Rice
Cucumber & Belly Salad
photo credit: Reema Desai
Chicken Himapan
photo credit: Reema Desai