If your idea of a good Thai meal involves fruity cocktail drinks served in cartoonish, neon-colored surroundings, then Nava Thai in Wheaton is not the restaurant for you. There are no punny names, no sushi bar, and no fried bananas here, just excellent, authentic Thai food. Yes, the ambiance leaves something to be desired (the walls are a nauseating shade of green), and the location is less than glamorous (practically hidden in the back of a Thai grocery store). But if you want to eat Thai food designed for the Thai–not the American–palate, Nava Thai is the place to be.

Nava Thai’s menu contains a lot of dishes that will look unfamiliar to most diners, and a lot of the Americanized Thai standards are conspicuously missing. For appetizers, spring rolls and satay skewers are replaced by puckery, spicy salads. The Hot Bean Thread Salad is a pile of slippery glass noodles, thin slices of chicken, celery, tomato, and shrimp dressed in an abundant amount of lime juice and chili flakes. This salad seems fairly simple at first glance, but the flavors are bright, bold, and surprisingly fiery. For those with a lower heat tolerance, it is advisable to order a glass of Thai iced tea. Nava Thai’s tea is not too sweet, and the milk helps cut down on the spice.