"Wayla’s space outshines nearly every other restaurant in the neighborhood. The dark dining room connects to a beautiful back garden filled with plants, wicker furniture, and twinkling string lights. The next time the weather’s nice and you want to appear cool and in-the-know, make a reservation for the backyard, then bring a few friends for some shareable Thai dishes. The food—like the crispy fried chunks of branzino, slightly sweet noodles spilling out of a lobster’s head, and crunchy noodle-wrapped meatballs—will always make you feel just the right amount of deluxe." - bryan kim, kenny yang, carina finn koeppicus, neha talreja, will hartman