In the few months since Charm Thai Corner took over the Stoneleigh location that was previously home to chef Carlos Raba’s late, lamented taquería Nana—which closed last April—there’s been a steady stream of customers, mostly locals, who’ve come over for bowls of Massaman curry, drunken noodles, and papaya salad.
Open since Halloween, Charm Thai is the fourth location from Jack Wongchalee, who is also behind Bodhi Corner in Hampden, Bodhi Federal Hill, and The Dara in Fells Point—which has made our Best Restaurants list since it opened two years ago.
Charm Thai’s kitchen is helmed by a staff mostly from Chiang Mai, the Northern Thai capital known for its excellent cuisine. This is demonstrated in the large and varied menu, which features the wonderful Northern Thai coconut-curry noodle soup, khao soi—a dense bowl of chicken legs, pickled mustard greens, red onions, and fresh lime that’s characteristically topped with crispy noodles.
Rich, complex, and exceedingly flavorful, the masterful blend of fresh and pickled ingredients is an astonishing dish, and not on as many Thai restaurant menus as it should be. It’s the best tricked-out iteration of chicken noodle soup you’ll find, and worth the trek in and of itself.
There is also the expected pad Thai, pad see ew (the street-food staple of stir-fried wide rice noodles, greens, eggs, and other protein; very good), drunken noodles, four types of curry, and four kinds of fried rice, plus dumplings, crab rangoon, tom yum soup, larb, and various satays and shrimp cakes.
Which is to say that the kitchen packs a great deal of splendid food into a small space. The layout includes the open kitchen, which takes up half the room, as well as two counters with a row of small cafe tables in between them.
As with most good Thai restaurants, you will get the option of calibrating the spice level for your meal, a handy feature. If you’re unsure—or sharing with others who are not, sadly, chileheads—your server (the chef’s nephew) will bring you a pretty trio of pots loaded with spices and hot sauces so you can adjust accordingly. (Note to self: these would make great housewarming gifts.)
With a cozy, casual atmosphere, fast and friendly service, and an unexpected breadth of offerings, Charm Thai is a great find, as well as a welcome rejuvenation of the location—a 1924 building that originally housed a pharmacy—that Raba spent years renovating.
So get a curry, maybe some chive dumplings, and definitely a bowl of that khao soi, then maybe wander a block south for an ice cream from The Charmery, or a game of duckpin at Stoneleigh Lanes, for a perfect multicultural night out.