Full disclosure: this was a sponsored visit, but all thoughts are genuinely mine =)
Let me put you on to Bethesda’s newest Thai spot, because I am SO glad I got to check this one out. Sense of Thai (stylized as 5ense of Thai) just opened their first Maryland location in Westbard Square, bringing their award-winning Southern Thai cooking from Northern Virginia straight to our backyard.
They’ve taken home Best Thai Restaurant in Best of NoVa by Northern Virginia Magazine, and honestly, after my visit it’s easy to see why the hype followed them here. The Chumphon Pad Thai really wowed me. I’m talking a deeply spicy dish built on the owner’s mother’s recipe and a Southern Thai coconut curry paste that is unlike anything else you’ll find on a standard pad thai menu. Add in a solid weekday lunch deal and a beautiful happy hour bar, and Sense of Thai’s a real find for Nomsters in the Bethesda area.
And while you are mapping out Bethesda eats, Raku Bethesda covers a completely different lane with Japanese sushi, housemade noodles, and a bento that makes it a solid second stop on the same day.
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What Makes 5ense of Thai a Standout Thai Restaurant in Bethesda
5ense of Thai was founded by chef-owner Porntipa “Pat” Pattanamekar, who’s originally from Chumphon Province in southern Thailand, and the chain got its start in Ashburn, Virginia in 2015. The Bethesda location is their first Maryland outpost, landing in the new Westbard Square development.
What sets them apart is their commitment to Southern Thai cuisine, a regional style that’s much spicier and more sour than the Central Thai food most Americans know. While Central Thailand gave us the balanced, fragrant curries and sweet-savory stir-fries that dominate most Thai menus, Southern Thailand’s cooking cranks up the heat, leans into coastal seafood, and uses turmeric and dried spices more heavily, shaped by centuries of trade with India and Malaysia. It’s a bolder, more complex experience, and this location delivers it.
What to Order at 5ense of Thai
Chumphon Pad Thai ($32)
This is the one, no question. The dish takes its name from Chumphon Province, Pat’s home region in southern Thailand, and it’s built on a Southern Thai coconut curry paste that brings an earthy, deep heat unlike anything else you’ll find in a standard pad thai. It’s loaded with shrimp, crab, egg, chives, sprouts, and peanuts, all from the owner’s mother’s recipe. I’d give it a 10/10, it’s seriously SPICY, so come prepared for the heat. If you usually dial down spice levels, keep that in mind before ordering.
Shishito Beef ($27)
I enjoyed this one too, though it plays a supporting role next to the pad thai. The shishito pepper and beef combo is a solid pick, and I enjoyed it alongside the pad thai. Entrees run $21-38 on the menu, so the Shishito Beef fits right in that range. It’s worth ordering if you want something alongside the Chumphon Pad Thai.
Lunch Special ($22, Monday-Friday until 3PM, dine-in only)
This deal’s worth knowing about. You get an appetizer plus an entree for $22, dine-in only, available Monday through Friday until 3PM. I went with the spicy eggplant and crispy tofu during my visit, and it was a great way to try the lunch deal. Given that entrees alone run $21-38 and signatures hit $29-38, this combo’s a great value for what you’re getting. The Westbard Square garage also has free parking, so there’s no friction to making a weekday lunch run happen here.
What Is Chumphon Pad Thai?
Short answer: it’s pad thai built on the culinary traditions of southern Thailand, and it’s significantly different from what you’ll find on most Thai menus in the US. Standard pad thai uses a sweet-sour-savory tamarind base. 5ense of Thai’s Chumphon version swaps that out for a Southern Thai coconut curry paste, which brings real heat and earthier spice from turmeric, dried chilis, and coastal aromatics. Southern Thai cuisine in general is spicier and more sour than Central Thai style, shaped by centuries of trade with India and Malaysia. This dish is made from Pat’s mother’s recipe, and it’s one of the most genuine representations of this regional style you’re going to find in Maryland right now.
The Lunch Visit That Won Me Over
I came in during the week to catch the lunch deal, and it did not disappoint. The $22 combo makes a restaurant that trends pricier at dinner actually accessible on a weekday, and the food’s just as good at lunch as it would be at night. The bar area’s beautiful too, and with happy hour running daily from 3-6PM, post-work drinks here are a real option worth keeping in mind. Appetizers at $8 and cocktails at $12 during happy hour is hard to beat for Bethesda. It’s the kind of spot where one visit’s not going to be enough.
The Vibe and Experience
5ense of Thai’s Bethesda location has a beautiful bar and a space that works for a solo lunch or a dinner night out. The bar’s a real focal point in the room and it’s a solid happy hour destination. The menu is clearly something the kitchen takes seriously. Westbard Square is a nice newer development, and Sense of Thai fits right in as one of its anchor dining spots. Whether it’s date night, a work lunch, or a post-work happy hour run, the space works for all of it.
Good to Know
- Location: 📍 5314 Zenith Overlook, Bethesda, MD 20816 (Westbard Square)
- Hours: Sunday-Thursday 11AM-10PM, Friday-Saturday 11AM-11PM
- Lunch special: $22 for an app + entree, Monday-Friday dine-in only until 3PM
- Happy hour: Daily 3-6PM at the bar; apps $8, cocktails $12, wine $10, beer $5
- Parking: Free in the Westbard Square parking garage
- Reservations: Available through Resy; book at senseofthai.com/bethesda-home/
- Dietary options: Vegetarian and gluten-friendly options available (marked on the menu)
- Phone: 301-500-2255
The Chumphon Pad Thai alone is worth the trip for anyone into Thai food, and the Bethesda location makes this accessible for DMV Nomsters who hadn’t made it to the Virginia spots. Time a weekday visit right and the $22 lunch combo’s a bang for your buck deal. For another fantastic Thai spot in Montgomery County, Kook Kai’s in Silver Spring is a long-running fave worth knowing about too.
And if you’re open to crossing into Virginia, Neisha Thai in Tysons is worth adding to your Thai rotation too, with scratch-made curries and tom yum that hit hard.
Have you guys made it to Sense of Thai yet? Let me know what you order in the comments, Nomsters! And save this for your next Bethesda run, someone on your list is going to want in on that Chumphon Pad Thai.