Vannipa Thai Restaurant

Vannipa Thai is now closed for good as it has been replaced by Pazzo’s Pizza.

Husband & I first tried out this restaurant using a Groupon and we loved it. We got hooked on the panang currey with beef and pad thai. The panang curry with beef was different than what you would get at other thai restaurants. They used the red sauce, it was spicy, flavorful and the beef was in big chunks stewed til tender. We came back here several more times for those two dishes. About a year ago they made some modification to the menu, added more noodle dishes. They also changed the beef in the curry to thin slices of chewy beef instead of big juicy tender chunks of beef. From then on we stopped coming here. The pad thai was still good but it was not enough to bring us back there.

Using a groupon a few days before its expiration, I ordered spring rolls, papaya salad, and drunken noodles at Vannipa. The three spring rolls were not too small or big. My papaya salad tasted just right with an even amount of fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, and Thai peppers. The serving size was on point as well. The drunken noodles were made with flair as I could tasted the burnt crisp flavor from the wok. The overall dining experience was fine. No complaints about the service. The menu has changed with fewer entrees. But don’t let that stop you as the food is worthy of a repeat visit.

Had the crispy pork on rice, chicken curry over noodles, pad thai, and curry shrimp w rice.
The food is very tasty. All the dishes had mild to med spicing, and was well flavored. Pad Thai is ok, the noodles though were different, glass noodles instead of traditional pad Thai kind. Enjoyed both curry dishes, they did the taste very well string curry flavor with the right level of spice. The pork was crispy and flavorful, a tad overcooked and tough this time.
My only complaint was the service, the food took forever to arrive, 45 min despite only two tables when we came in. We asked for extra spoons and they forgot to bring it.
The place filled up later, and true to form everyone was waiting for food up until we left.
Mixed review then. Tasty food, but looong wait and spotty service.

Returned to an older set of owners and while still decent, it’s slipping fast. I cannot see myself returning many (if at all) times to what used to be my favorite Thai restaurant in the Alexandria area. It remains a little hole in the wall, I just haven’t been having much luck with their fare.
Still worth a shot — you may like it, but the illusion was broken for me when it changed hands.

We loved this place. The food was excellent and the service was very good. As a note, though, they recently changed their menu and cut out a lot of options. The menu they have on their website is now inaccurate — they have a much smaller menu in the actual restaurant. On the plus side, however, they offer a large variety of different soups now. We both got the floating market noodle soup, which was a spicy beef broth with noodles, broccoli, meatballs, and various cuts of beef. It was really outstanding. For our entrees, we got the green curry with chicken and the drunken noodles with chicken. I was a little disappointed because I wanted to try one of the fish entrees that other Unilocalers mentioned, but they no longer offer them. Both the curry and the noodles were very good, though. I would definitely return to Vannipa.

Had a groupon to go here.
The food was good, prices decent.
Had the Pad Thai and tofu nuggets.
I would go back.

Poor customer service.
1.) My friend did not receive his rice when he asked multiple times.
2.) I had to remind them about my drunken noodles dish twice because they forgot. Very disappointing.
3.) Had to ask for change after paying.
4.) The server does not listen.
If you are looking to starve this is the place to go to. I will not be returning to this restaurant.

We came here for a friend’s birthday dinner because they said they saw good reviews for this restaurant. I thought I should give it a try by ordering my favorite dish «Pad Thai». The wait wasn’t long at all probably because we arrived around 6pm on a Saturday. Their menu has a lot of misspelled words and incomplete sentences for the entrée description. I ordered pad thai, my boyfriend and one of my friend ordered pad see ew and my boyfriend’s sister ordered drunk noodle. It wasn’t a good experience just because my dish was way too salty. One of my friend asked for white rice and they never bring it or even bother to acknowledge our needs. My boyfriend’s sister dish came out when we were all almost done with our plates. They never even remember to bring it out until we asked for it. I will definitely NOT recommend this place at all.

I hate writing bad reviews for small restaurants because I know how challenging it is to survive in the restaurant business.
However, I was highly disappointed w/​Vannipa Thai. I ordered the Pad Thai and Duck Rolls and was bored out of my mind. Lets not forget that they were also 20 minutes later than the expected delivery time (which was already for an hour long wait). The duck rolls were cold when I got them. I can imagine they’d be better if they were at the right temperature (unless they are supposed to be cold, which in that case, is a thumbs down for me).
The pad thai was utterly tasteless. I wonder if they forgot my sauce.
Definitely not going to order from them again. Disappointing.

So I walked across from here, and noticed a «Under New Management!» Sign and was intrigued. I went in finally today, and talked to the Manager. Apparently they were under new Management on November 1^st, and I asked them what they have done differently. So there are all new management (obviously), chef, and staff. He said they hired a chef who cooked much more authentic Thai, and they use all fresh ingredients, they don’t use foods out of cans. So I’ve been meaning to try more Thai noodle soups, my only other experience was Sila Thai which was not that great.
I tried the Floating Market beef noodle soup at the recommendation of the waiter, who said it’s a very flavorful noodle soup. To my delight, it was a very tasty and delicious noodle soup. It’s a refreshing change to try Thai Noodle Soup since I usually go with Phở or chinese noodle soups. Thai foods are the «bolder» and more flavorful of the Asian cuisines, and their noodle soup is no exception. This noodle soup packed a lot of flavor, and a lot of meat. There was so much beef that mid-​way I realized that I shouldn’t be rationing like I do with phở, that I could eat all the red meat with each bite to my heart’s delight. That I did, they have big chunks of beef, and beef meatballs. The broth is very flavorful, and has more of a slight sourness taste to it, but not overwhelming. I say give Thai Noodle Soup if you haven’t tried it before, finally I had a decent one, and maybe I’ll try the pork version of it too next time. For the adventurous types, you will enjoy this soup.

I agree with other Unilocalers that this place knows how to make some awesome pad thai. However, their specialty dishes like Crispy Duck, Crispy Chicken and a deep fried fish dish were pretty disappointing. I mean, really disappointing. All the dishes were dry, cold and salty.
I would definitely recommend sticking with your usual choices, such as pad thai, which ironically, seems to be their specialty.

Vannipa does a great job on their Pad Thai and Drunken Noodles. Unlike other Thai restaurants, they use the more tasty thin noodles for their Pad Thai.
Our waitress had a nice big smile and made sure our water glasses were filled up. Great service and great food!

With only 30 minutes to eat dinner, I got chicken pad see ew to takeout. They made my food in about 10 minutes and I ate it in 5. The portion was huge and delicious. I can’t figure out what it is, but there is a distinctive smell to Thai food. At just over $ 10, it was a great deal.
Service ⁵⁄₅
Food ⁵⁄₅
Value ⁴⁄₅

My family and I came here for lunch on a weekday and was surprised to find it empty, due to its rave reviews. The inside was clean and the décor was colorful and welcoming. Our friendly waitress was accommodating and brought out extra plates since we decided to share our entrees family-​style.
BEEF PAD SEE EW ($ 8): One of the better ones I’ve had in the NoVA area; the vegetables tasted fresh, but the beef could have been juicier and darker (aka more marinated)
ROAST DUCK CURRY ($ 12): A decent portion with tender/​fatty duck, basil, tomatoes, and pineapple; I just wish the curry was thicker and creamier!
MANGO STICKY RICE ($ 5): As stated in many other reviews, this dessert was scrumptious! The sticky rice came out very warm with plenty of coconut and sesame and the mango was sweet and refreshing. I’m drooling at the moment…
Overall, wonderful service and great food. I will be back!

:Saturday Lunch Review: 4.5 STARS:
Appetizer:
–Spring Rolls
Entrees:
–Chicken Pad Prig King (2 orders)
–Chicken Pad Thai
**All of it was Thai Hot
Service:
No issues
My hubby has been in search of the perfect Pad Prig King dish similar to a one that he used to eat when he lived in AZ. He’s finally found it! As a result, w/​in a bites of his meal he stated that this is is new favorite Thai spot. He’s even willing to drive from Burke to Fall Church… Culmore to eat. (He’s not a big traveler.)
Vannipa’s loses half a star is due to portion size. Ironically, b/​c it was a weekend we ordered off the dinner menu due to the restaurant policy. I can’t image what the lunch portion is like. Yes, as other Unilocalers mentioned this place is reasonably priced; however, the PORTION SIZES are MODEST. Therefore, is it really that reasonable if you’re ordering two orders? Ehh… but my hubby loves this place, so we’ll return and I’m looking forward to trying the duck rolls.
Request:
Please add summer rolls to the menu! Thks!!!

Simple.
Pros:
Oh the food was GREAT! Went here for father’s day and I was certainly pleased. Food was very tasteful, flavorful, and came in pretty decent proportions.
What I ordered:
Duck Rolls — One word. De-​li-​cious
In fact, we Re-​ordered another serving while eating our main course because it was just-​that-​good. ESP. on the weekends when Peking Gourmet next door is packed. What a great alternative to satisfy your Peking duck cravings !!!
Calimari– Could live without. Not to shabby. A little on the oily side.
Beef Pad Thai — Big dish. Came out with a brown coloring of the noodles. Flavorful and not satly.
Seafood Lac Na? — (sorry for butchering it) but was AMAZING noodles were soft with a smoky taste from the Wok. Oh best dish of the night HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for an alternative of a noodle dish. *non spicy*
Panang Chicken Curry — Not the best I’ve had. Chicken was slightly dry. Could live without.
Cons:
Small small restaurant.
Seats were worn down and cracked
On fathers day. A day I would think they would have more workers only ONE waiter and ONE bust boy. Service was slightly slow but I couldn’t complain — I felt bad for the young girl running around. She did the best she could!
OVER ALL: I would DEFIANTLY come back (:

High quality foods for a bargain price.
Because of the cheap prices we were able to try a little bit of everything. We started with the larb gai followed by crispy duck basil and pad kee meo. All were delicious. The mango sticky rice is a MUST. The sticky rice comes out piping hot and the mangos perfectly ripe. Soooo good. Come here with a big appetite and sample a little of everything your belly and wallet will be happy customers.

The lunch combos here are a scanty portion that come with a mini Tom Yum soup and a small spring roll. If you’re expecting to be filled up from their lunch offerings you’ll be sorely disappointed, but the quantity of food is reflected in the price. I noticed this from the only other table in the restaurant at the time and ordered a full lunch entrée of SUPER SPICY!!! Beef Pad See Ew instead.
My party of four was the only other table in the restaurant at the time we placed our order, but it took a noticeable amount of time for the food to arrive. And when it did my entrée was already heading to room temperature, but not so much that it warranted a complaint. The dish itself was okay. The beef remained tender, but the broccoli could have used some more cooking. The noodles themselves lacked a punch in flavor that would make you come back wanting more. But overall I was satisfied enough for the price and I could even head back into work fully energized without any fear of a food coma.
The service felt a bit unusual. Our waiter seemed to be a timid person. Also the décor is quite interesting here. I imagine that after-​hours it can be turned into a laser tag arena or a night club, although it seems that karaōke is their thing.

I feel like a jerk giving a relatively low review when everyone else is giving 4 or 5 stars.
My time spent at Vannipa Thai was less than stellar. From the bad mood of my table, to the loud and incessant chatter of some self important guy at the table next to us: the atmosphere left something to be desired. And the restaurant wasn’t crowded: but we were sat right next ot a guy whose voice traveled the entire restaurant (so moving tables would not have helped).
Ordered fried rice, some chicken and vegetable dish, a drunken noodle, and a pad thai. Also got some satay and an order of spring rolls. Satay came out with four skewers, and spring rolls came out with three, so there was some awkwardness as to who got the short end of the stick at the beginning. Spring rolls were good, but I wouldn’t call them amazing. Satay was fine.
My pad thai came out slightly cold in parts. When I mixed things around, it was a warm in some and not as warm in others. Made for some inconsistency, but otherwise it tasted good. Drunken noodles were apparently very hot (despite being asked to tone them down to medium).
Everyone finished their meals and walked away satisfied: it was good (not great) Thai food… But the general consensus was that this just was not super memorable, and I don’t think I’d drive through 7 corners traffic to get here any time soon… Though I will probably give it another chance eventually. Maybe my visit was that one mediocre experience out of 30+ good ones.