A new Thai restaurant specializing in basil fried rice and other street food-inspired dishes has been getting settled on Langston Blvd.
Kaphrao Express opened at 5123 Langston Blvd in January, serving authentic Thai recipes like pad thai with tamarind sauce and basil dishes served with rice and proteins like stir fried chicken and crab meat. Its owner, Yook Limrat, already has expansion on his mind.
“People love pad thai — they love fried rice,” Limrat said. “Chinese food has chains all over the country, but Thai food really doesn’t. I want to build something where people can find authentic Thai food all over.”
Kaphrao Express has one other U.S. location in California. The family business began in Thailand, where Limrat’s cousin owns and operates five stores.
“Kaphrao” is the Thai word for the holy basil plant. The herb features heavily in many of the restaurant’s stir-fries, which come with options like chicken, pork or shrimp served with vegetables over regular or fried rice.
“Our food has balance,” Limrat said. “It’s a little spicy, but not too spicy. A little sweet, but not too sweet. Everything is balanced. Thai people usually like food that’s much spicier and has stronger flavors than many American customers prefer, so we reduce the spice a little bit while keeping the authentic flavors.”
Specials include kaphrao fried rice with crab meat, as well as green curry, panang curry and red curry with coconut cream and spices like cumin and coriander.
The menu also features a long list of side dishes including curry puffs, stuffed with basil and chicken or vegetables, as well as stir-fried noodles with eggs.
“I just want people to know we have authentic Thai food,” Limrat said. “Everything is made fresh to order. Our concept is fast, fresh and flavorful.”
Limrat has been working in Thai restaurants in the D.C. area since 2015, when he immigrated to the United States from Thailand. His cousin started the first Kaphrao Express in Thailand in 2020.
“In Asian culture, families help each other build business together,” Limrat said. “One of my cousins asked me, ‘do you want to do something on your own? Do you think you can do it yourself?’ I thought, ‘Okay, this is my time.'”
Photo 4 via kaphraoexpressva/Instagram
