Rice and Spice II Offers Authentic Thai Street Food

Nuthinepan “Natalie” Tantivejakul grew up amid the street food vendors of Thailand. Now, she’s bringing authentic Thai street food to Alexandria’s West End.

Tantivejakul opened Rice and Spice Thai Cuisine II earlier this year at the Plaza at Landmark, located at the intersection of Little River Turnpike and Beauregard Street. She and her husband and executive chef, Boonrod “Rod” Yotmanee, had fallen in love with the area and its myriad ethnic groups.

“This is a Thai street food menu,” Tantivejakul said. “And we want to have as essential, for the Thai people to eat here, or the Vietnamese, or Chinese, people who have been to Thailand and they want the street food. That’s what we feature here. We don’t want to have the taste of American — less spicy.”

Tantivejakul, who lives in Springfield, also owns the original Rice and Spice in Kingstowne, which opened 11 years ago, and Asianine Bar and Lounge, an Asian fusion restaurant, in the district. She moved to the United States in the early 1990s to study for her master’s degree at the University of Maryland and began working at a local restaurant. There, she met her would-be husband, who was already working as a chef, and decided to venture into the restaurant business herself.

Tantivejakul has a passion for food, especially the food she knew from the streets of her native country.

“It’s our daily life,” she said. “We can get food in the morning, 24 hours a day, and that’s our daily life.”

The restaurant offers authentic Thai flavors from throughout the country. One speciality is Khao Soy, a curry noodle dish including a chicken drumstick.

“This is not typical American Thai,” Tantivejakul said.

The menu includes soups, salads, appetizers, curry dishes, noodles and fried rice, meat and vegetarian entrees, house specialities and desserts. Lunch specials change every two weeks and start at $8.95, including a house salad and spring rolls.

The restaurant also offers a full bar, plus wine and beer. It is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. 

Rice and Spice II also offers takeout and free delivery within three miles on orders of at least $17. For delivery, call 703-750-1084.

You can view the Rice and Spice menu at www.ricespiceva.com.

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