One Night in Bangkok

Duangrat’s Leans Into Street Food and Retro Kitsch Upstairs | Eater DC

"I stumbled into a semi-hidden Thai street-food spot marked by neon signage, a blinking Pac-Man machine, and a whimsical taxi cage that sets a nostalgic, night-market vibe. Named for the 1984 Murray Head hit and born as a pop-up last summer, it’s now permanently upstairs at Duangrat’s, where Eddie Duangrat says the concept pays homage to his teenage memories of Thailand’s ’80s night markets; a large TV reinforces that feeling by playing clips of Thai street markets, dish prep, and jaw-droppingly low prices for epic okonomiyaki and rib dishes. The menu leans heavily into street food: twenty dim sum options (including crab rangoon, shrimp “cocktail” salad, meatball skewers, and Thai “scotch eggs,” with some items drifting toward tempura and samosas), street snacks like shrimp chips with pork peanut dip and salt-and-pepper calamari, street-food favorites such as pad kana moo krob featuring super-crispy pork belly and snappy Chinese broccoli, noodle soups like boat noodles and roast duck, a selection of larb salads (only catfish was available on Sunday), and classic stir-fried noodles like pad see ew and raad nah. Upstairs there’s also a Thai market selling bento-style boxes, sauces and condiments, instant noodles, sweets and snacks, beer and wine, plus flea-market items like purses and accessories, and the restaurant runs specials such as half-priced wine on Wednesdays." - Missy Frederick