An upcoming Thai restaurant in Falls Church is offering a sneak peek of its offerings this weekend.
Dok Khao Thai Eatery is currently under construction at 180 W. Falls Station Blvd, but it will make an appearance at the West Falls Grand Opening and Fall Fest this Sunday. Owner and chef Porntipa Pattanamekar plans to offer free samples before the restaurant’s projected 2026 opening.
Attendees can try appetizers
- Pattanamekar, also known as “Chef Pat,” hopes to serve zero-proof cocktail samples in addition to Bangkok wings and steamed dumpling appetizers.
- Dok Khao is part of Pattanamekar’s local Pattana Restaurant Group, which owns and operates D.C.-area Thai restaurants like Bird’s Eye Thai in Crystal City.
- The Fall Fest celebration will last from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at the corner of Leesburg Pike and Haycock Road.
A ‘second kitchen’ for the neighborhood
- Renderings of the restaurant depict seating for about 90 guests and 12 guests at a full-service bar.
- Pattanamekar hopes to cater to a casual all-day crowd, with homemade Thai recipes passed down from her mother.
- “We want to be like the neighborhood’s second kitchen,” she said. “You can have lunch in the afternoon. You can get a homemade dessert, coffee and tea in the evening. You can do the family meal, or you can even do carry out.”
Opening expected this winter
- The Falls Church location is underway as Dok Khao celebrates a grand opening in Chevy Chase and plans for a new location in Alexandria. It has established locations in Columbia, Md. and Woodbridge.
- Dok Khao was previously expected to open last month. Construction began about two months ago, and the restaurant now aims to open in five months’ time.
