About a year and a half ago, Nava Thai was just another newcomer among the wealth of ethnic eateries in Wheaton. Today, the tiny restaurant, tucked into a corner of a parking lot, is the noisy party crasher among the region’s VIP Thai outlets. Nava’s quick ascendancy should come as no surprise; co-owner Suchart Srigatesook cooked for years at nearby Dusit Thai, long considered one of the region’s underappreciated Thai operations. The secret to Nava’s success is its noodle soups; the two best are the floating market and the yen ta fo, a pair of rich, densely packed soups that couldn’t be more different. But Nava can also turn out fine versions of those dishes that litter every Thai menu in town, including a silken and spicy chicken panang curry that makes all others pale by comparison.

—Tim Carman