Kamil D.
Yelp
This place is awesome. I read through some of the old reviews and to be frank, people on Yelp can suck real bad. Banana Leaves is an awesome restaurant, if you give it a chance.
It is very close to the Washington Hilton, which on a cold winter night makes it a prime restaurant. It's walkable from Dupont Circle, and there are a number of other hotels within walking distance, so it is well situated. It's not flashy from the outside, but the sign is clear and the place is perfectly welcoming.
I went there four nights in a row for dinner. It was just me, so I sat downstairs. I ordered through Toast, and presto, my food arrived - no fuss, no problems. Each night I tried something different, and each night I was pleasantly surprised. Night 1 was Singapore Noodles, then Laksa, then Thai Fried Rice, then I went back to Singapore Noodles on my last night.
True, the food was toned down for spiciness, so I asked for a spicy sauce on the side, which solved matters.
True, the price is slightly on the upper end, but the food is quality, and the service is excellent.
The service was totally excellent. Each night, either the primary server (an Asian lady with very kind eyes and a very kind voice) served except the first night, when I think her daughter served. No matter - the service was excellent. They were friendly, but not too friendly. They were attentive, but not all over you. They were quick and efficient, and no fuss.
Overall, I repeated three times for a reason. As such, the next time I am in DC, I will be going here for sure. I strongly recommend Banana Leaves to anyone in the Washington Hilton or in the Dupont Circle area.