Noodle Boat Thai Cuisine

One of the region's Thai standards is a vast, tiered room at the end of a decidedly beige Issaquah strip mall. Lime leaves, chilies, and the inventive products of the cooks' regular study excursions back to Thailand abound in the dishes. The greatest, most colorful versions of themselves are pad thai, tom yum, and khao soi, but deeper dives into the menu offer boat-shaped rice noodles in unforgettable curries, or the Queen of Banana—steamed banana blossoms with chicken, prawns, and a riot of herbs.

Noodle Boat, a quaint and familial Thai restaurant in an Issaquah strip mall, serves some of the finest genuine Thai food in the area. Kunticha Komonwanich, the owner, hires her mother as the head cook and her friends as waiters. The curries are rich, lemony, and hot enough to clean your sinuses. Don't miss the mieng kum, a deconstructed/DIY salad wrapped in betel leaves with toasted coconut, peanuts, red onion, and lime, or the khao soi, a coconut milk curry with crispy egg noodles and pickled mustard greens.

Location: 700 NW Gilman Blvd, Issaquah, WA 98027

Website: noodleboatthai.com