A steady crowd of Thai-hungry folks fills the Brown Sugar Cafe, a cramped spot for terrific traditional and contemporary dishes of this lemongrass-tinged Southeast Asian land. The airy room is filled to capacity most of the time, yet there is an easiness to the service and the pace of the place; every table is set with a pot of brown sugar, an ode to the restaurant’s sweet name. The menu offers a lengthy list of reasonably priced rice and noodle dishes, prepared to your preferred level of scorch. A selection of fresh fish and meats balances out the voluminous number of vegetarian plates.

Brown Sugar Cafe-Fenway Information:

• Thai menu. Lunch, dinner. Casual attire. Outdoor seating.