Washington, D.C.’s dining scene has welcomed a fiery and adventurous new addition, blending the traditional, heat-packed cooking methods of northern Thailand with the seasonal bounty of local DMV (District, Maryland, Virginia) ingredients. Alfie’s, the brainchild of chefs Justin Ahn and Alex McCoy, has officially put down permanent roots in a secluded Georgetown alleyway, marking the latest chapter for a culinary concept that has traveled far and wide before finding a home in the nation’s capital.
The journey to this permanent brick-and-mortar location has been years in the making. Alfie’s first emerged on the D.C. culinary radar as a popular pop-up in the Petworth neighborhood back in 2017. What began as a localized culinary experiment soon caught fire, propelling Ahn and McCoy to take their bold flavors on an international tour. Along the way, the duo served discerning diners in major global food hubs, including New York and London, refining their techniques and building a dedicated following. Now, after years of transient kitchens and pop-up residencies, the restaurant has settled into its permanent home in Georgetown, bringing its distinctive approach to northern Thai cuisine to a permanent D.C. audience.
To understand what makes the new space tick, a recent behind-the-scenes look inside the kitchen reveals a fast-paced environment where precision meets high-heat tradition. The co-owners and their kitchen team spend their days meticulously preparing everything from scratch, starting with hand-cut green papaya for the vibrant som tam salad to innovative fusion creations like a limited-quantity Thai steak frites paired with a rich massaman curry peppercorn sauce.
In the kitchen, the culinary team breaks down premium rib-eye steaks for their unique take on a classic steak au poivre. This dish is treated with an exclusivity that speaks to the labor-intensive nature of the operation, with the kitchen preparing only five orders each night. When an order comes in, the massive 26-ounce rib-eyes are carefully seared to order. The accompanying au poivre massaman curry sauce is then expertly finished right in the pan, incorporating the leftover beef fat to build layers of rich, savory flavor. True to the steak frites tradition, the hefty cut of beef is served alongside classic bar fries, creating a bridge between hearty western steakhouse fare and complex southeast Asian aromatics.
Elsewhere on the bustling line, another chef is tasked with the intricate process of carving green papayas. The resulting irregular slices of papaya are tossed in a pungent, spicy dressing for every individual order, ensuring maximum crispness and flavor absorption. One of the chefs on the line describes it as the "most labor-intensive dish on the line," noting that each plate requires careful mixing with fresh tomatoes, crunchy peanuts, and a deeply aromatic dressing heavy on palm syrup and tamarind.
Meanwhile, a rich pork belly curry simmers steadily in the background, anchoring the kitchen with comforting, deep aromas. This dish showcases gaeng hung lay, a traditional northern Thai curry that requires cooking down large cuts of pork belly until they achieve a melt-in-your-mouth fatty layer. To balance the intense richness of the curry paste, fish sauce, and tamarind, the chefs incorporate pickled garlic and tart pineapple, cutting through the heavy fat and rounding out the complex flavor profile of the dish.
As the evening service approaches, the tempo in the kitchen shifts toward final preparations. The chefs begin carefully prepping fresh herbs alongside sticky rice that has been soaking overnight. This glutinous rice is quickly steamed just before service to achieve that signature malleable, comforting texture essential for scooping up bold curry sauces and salads.
For chef Alex McCoy, the demanding nature of the profession is a defining feature of daily life. He reflects on how being a chef is far more of an immersive lifestyle than a standard nine-to-five job, requiring long hours and relentless physical exertion. However, McCoy emphasizes that there is an immense and unmatched payoff when you get to step out and watch diners genuinely enjoy the fruits of your hard work every single night. Looking ahead, he hopes that Alfie’s will cultivate a specific atmosphere for its patrons—a welcoming space where guests can just forget where they are, have a good time, and completely lose themselves in the experience and the food.
For those looking to witness the culinary action firsthand, the kitchen team at Alfie’s can be seen cooking up their classic Thai dishes and creative fusion plates, such as the curry steak frites, in a featured episode of the digital series Now Open.