I love this place. Food is very authentic. My first time in Anaheim for business trip and a lady told me to check this place out. Im glad I did. It’s great foods and service.
This hole in the wall is the epitome of a restaurant, sweetest owner/cook or staffs will enthusiastically try to give you a memorable dining experience. These dishes are my favorite authentic beer foods :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Chai Phanao
Amazing restaurant with super tasty and spicy Thai-Laos food. It's the real deal, very authentic, and the flavors are awesome. If you love spicy food, this place is a must-try!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Laos Papaya Salad, Pad See EW Chicken, Laos Fried Sausage
marc d.
This is the second time I've tried to call to place an order and the second time they have not answered
Ken S.
Food is above average. The rad nah has perfectly cooked noodles. The boat noodles here is not bad neither. Not much to say about the service - it's one of those places where you come, eat , and get out. Parking is relatively easy. Will come again.
Alyssa E.
It is rare to find specifically Laotian restaurants, but Royal King Elephant is just that. This no-frills spot offers an impressive variety of authentic Lao dishes, as well as familiar Thai cuisine. Prices are reasonable, portions are large. They even have Beerlao, which is incredible, and difficult to find. You must try their Crispy Fried Rice (Nam Khao Tod). This is a popular Laotian dish featuring rice that is fried to a decadent crunchy crisp, and studded with fresh herbs. It is served with fresh lettuce; the perfect accompaniment. Every bite was memorable and addictive, but unfortunately, this was the only dish we ended up eating. The vegetables in our salads were not fresh. The beans in the Long Green Bean Salad, and papaya in the Lao Style (salty crab) Papaya Salad were limp, slightly mushy, and had a bitter aftertaste. We LOVE salty crab, but the crab here was extremely fishy. Like, mouth full of ocean water fishy. Not pleasant. We felt bad for not eating the aforementioned dishes, because the people working were genuinely friendly. Maybe it was just an off day.
Ryan J.
We ordered Beef Larb and Lao Beef Soup . The soup was great the broth is full bodied and was simmered long as it doesn't taste instant. The beef meat was soft and the innards were soft itts a bit chewy but expected for this part of meat. The late is superb with the mint and lemon grass offers a great contrast to the lemon juice. It's good to mix with white rice as I did. I recommend this place .
Brian D.
It was really disappointing and overpriced. Our group had a total of 8 dishes1. Calamari: chewy and not crispy. Lacked flavor 2. Angel Wings: Dry and lacked flavor, crispy but no seasoning3. Pad Thai: literally undercooked, noodles were chewy and lacked flavor. The sauce was sugary and did not have any tartness or spice. 4. Pad se ew: noodles cooked well, under seasoned, very mediocre5. Tom Kha: lacked flavor, only tasted coconut and lime.6. Blood Clams: Best dish, had good flavor and good amount of clams7. Crab Fried Rice: Very underwhelming, lacked in flavor, and not seasoned8. Fried Fish: Decent, good flavor, very oily and tasted like the oil was old The food was underwhelming and lacked flavor and depth. To add insult to injury, the total was 180 before tip. Small portions as well.If this was cheap thai/lao food, I would understand. You get what you pay for. However, with the average dish costing 16-20 , you're not getting what you pay for.Side note they have a surcharge for credit card without the waiter telling you. Will not come back.
L L.
This is the only Lao restaurant in OC/LA that is closest to authentic. We used to love going to the other popular Lao restaurant but after they changed cooks a few years ago, the quality is messy and also greasier.If you love Thai food, Lao food has the same basic elements but it's more robust with many more flavor layers than Thai. It's for someone with a more graduated palate and don't get me started on spice level. Lao people eat 10x more thai chili than Thai people.Ask for papaya salad Lao style with blue crab. and remember Lao spice level is at least 10x higher than Thai so ask for 1-2 chilis if you're not a chili boss.
Thuong T.
Decided to randomly order some Lao food for pick up while we were in the area. It's in a really small and condensed plaza with other businesses. Parking spots are kinda small. Restaurant itself is also small.Items we ordered:- Thai/Lao Sausage (Sai Qua) - Literally the best sausage I've ever had. A very nice balance of meat and tendon, and strong delicious flavor.- Larb Duck - First time I've seem a duck version, and it was good but not amazing. We usually get chicken, even though chicken isn't my favorite meat.- Lao Beef Soup (Tom Zap) - This was really tasty, very hearty mix of meats, and good soup base flavor.- Beef Salad (Yum Seen) - This was okay. Nothing special.Overall, the dishes can really be a hit or miss. Also I feel like there should be larger portions for the price. But definitely can't stop thinking about those thai/lao sausages, would come back for just that!
Small and cozy restaurant. I got the drunken noodles beef and pad Thai with chicken. I like their pad Thai more and they do give out big portions. I also like how all the condiments are on the table for us to grab and we don't have to keep asking. They do sell beer and soju as well!
Kenneth Zeng
Was looking to get some Laotian food and saw good ratings for this place. Not sure if this is truly Laotian food, or if I picked the wrong dishes, but the food was disappointing to say the least.Ordered thai/lao sausages, chicken larb, and beef pad thai. Out of all the dishes, the thai/lao sausage was the only decent dish. The chicken larb and beef pad thai were both extremely bland. And the pad thai only had a measly amount of beef.Overall I would not recommend the place for the price being paid.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 2
Kaycie Wallace
So far I’ve only been once but I absolutely loved the pad see ew! I tried it with beef and it was tender and flavored nicely. Everything was very fresh. The noodles had the right amount of sauce and weren’t overly oily like at others places. The Thai tea was decent as well although I wish it had a little more cream added. The staff were super friendly and the takeout service was super fast. I’m excited to come back and try more!
Iam Ghost
Ive been looking for a Lao spot and finally found one, Great Food, Great Service!!! Must try...careful some dishes are spicy but very yummy!!!The Filipino
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Katy C.
What I Ordered:Papaya Salad (Thai Style) - $15Lao Morning Chicken Soup - $14* light and refreshing brothEggplant with Crispy Pork Belly - not on menu* favorite item orderedBeef Pad Thai - $15Chicken Pad See Ew - $15Mango Sticky Rice - $147.5/10
I love this place. Food is very authentic. My first time in Anaheim for business trip and a lady told me to check this place out. Im glad I did. It’s great foods and service.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Laos Papaya Salad, Beef Jerky, Larb Duck, Spicy Basil Clams, Beef Stew, Green Curry, Sticky Rice, Fried Chicken Wings, Red Curry, Drunken Noodle, Laos Fried Sausage
This hole in the wall is the epitome of a restaurant, sweetest owner/cook or staffs will enthusiastically try to give you a memorable dining experience. These dishes are my favorite authentic beer foods :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amazing restaurant with super tasty and spicy Thai-Laos food. It's the real deal, very authentic, and the flavors are awesome. If you love spicy food, this place is a must-try!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Laos Papaya Salad, Pad See EW Chicken, Laos Fried Sausage
This is the second time I've tried to call to place an order and the second time they have not answered
Food is above average. The rad nah has perfectly cooked noodles. The boat noodles here is not bad neither. Not much to say about the service - it's one of those places where you come, eat , and get out. Parking is relatively easy. Will come again.
It is rare to find specifically Laotian restaurants, but Royal King Elephant is just that. This no-frills spot offers an impressive variety of authentic Lao dishes, as well as familiar Thai cuisine. Prices are reasonable, portions are large. They even have Beerlao, which is incredible, and difficult to find. You must try their Crispy Fried Rice (Nam Khao Tod). This is a popular Laotian dish featuring rice that is fried to a decadent crunchy crisp, and studded with fresh herbs. It is served with fresh lettuce; the perfect accompaniment. Every bite was memorable and addictive, but unfortunately, this was the only dish we ended up eating. The vegetables in our salads were not fresh. The beans in the Long Green Bean Salad, and papaya in the Lao Style (salty crab) Papaya Salad were limp, slightly mushy, and had a bitter aftertaste. We LOVE salty crab, but the crab here was extremely fishy. Like, mouth full of ocean water fishy. Not pleasant. We felt bad for not eating the aforementioned dishes, because the people working were genuinely friendly. Maybe it was just an off day.
We ordered Beef Larb and Lao Beef Soup . The soup was great the broth is full bodied and was simmered long as it doesn't taste instant. The beef meat was soft and the innards were soft itts a bit chewy but expected for this part of meat. The late is superb with the mint and lemon grass offers a great contrast to the lemon juice. It's good to mix with white rice as I did. I recommend this place .
It was really disappointing and overpriced. Our group had a total of 8 dishes1. Calamari: chewy and not crispy. Lacked flavor 2. Angel Wings: Dry and lacked flavor, crispy but no seasoning3. Pad Thai: literally undercooked, noodles were chewy and lacked flavor. The sauce was sugary and did not have any tartness or spice. 4. Pad se ew: noodles cooked well, under seasoned, very mediocre5. Tom Kha: lacked flavor, only tasted coconut and lime.6. Blood Clams: Best dish, had good flavor and good amount of clams7. Crab Fried Rice: Very underwhelming, lacked in flavor, and not seasoned8. Fried Fish: Decent, good flavor, very oily and tasted like the oil was old The food was underwhelming and lacked flavor and depth. To add insult to injury, the total was 180 before tip. Small portions as well.If this was cheap thai/lao food, I would understand. You get what you pay for. However, with the average dish costing 16-20 , you're not getting what you pay for.Side note they have a surcharge for credit card without the waiter telling you. Will not come back.
This is the only Lao restaurant in OC/LA that is closest to authentic. We used to love going to the other popular Lao restaurant but after they changed cooks a few years ago, the quality is messy and also greasier.If you love Thai food, Lao food has the same basic elements but it's more robust with many more flavor layers than Thai. It's for someone with a more graduated palate and don't get me started on spice level. Lao people eat 10x more thai chili than Thai people.Ask for papaya salad Lao style with blue crab. and remember Lao spice level is at least 10x higher than Thai so ask for 1-2 chilis if you're not a chili boss.
Decided to randomly order some Lao food for pick up while we were in the area. It's in a really small and condensed plaza with other businesses. Parking spots are kinda small. Restaurant itself is also small.Items we ordered:- Thai/Lao Sausage (Sai Qua) - Literally the best sausage I've ever had. A very nice balance of meat and tendon, and strong delicious flavor.- Larb Duck - First time I've seem a duck version, and it was good but not amazing. We usually get chicken, even though chicken isn't my favorite meat.- Lao Beef Soup (Tom Zap) - This was really tasty, very hearty mix of meats, and good soup base flavor.- Beef Salad (Yum Seen) - This was okay. Nothing special.Overall, the dishes can really be a hit or miss. Also I feel like there should be larger portions for the price. But definitely can't stop thinking about those thai/lao sausages, would come back for just that!
Restaurantji Recommends
Small and cozy restaurant. I got the drunken noodles beef and pad Thai with chicken. I like their pad Thai more and they do give out big portions. I also like how all the condiments are on the table for us to grab and we don't have to keep asking. They do sell beer and soju as well!
Was looking to get some Laotian food and saw good ratings for this place. Not sure if this is truly Laotian food, or if I picked the wrong dishes, but the food was disappointing to say the least.Ordered thai/lao sausages, chicken larb, and beef pad thai. Out of all the dishes, the thai/lao sausage was the only decent dish. The chicken larb and beef pad thai were both extremely bland. And the pad thai only had a measly amount of beef.Overall I would not recommend the place for the price being paid.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 2
So far I’ve only been once but I absolutely loved the pad see ew! I tried it with beef and it was tender and flavored nicely. Everything was very fresh. The noodles had the right amount of sauce and weren’t overly oily like at others places. The Thai tea was decent as well although I wish it had a little more cream added. The staff were super friendly and the takeout service was super fast. I’m excited to come back and try more!
Ive been looking for a Lao spot and finally found one, Great Food, Great Service!!! Must try...careful some dishes are spicy but very yummy!!!The Filipino
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
What I Ordered:Papaya Salad (Thai Style) - $15Lao Morning Chicken Soup - $14* light and refreshing brothEggplant with Crispy Pork Belly - not on menu* favorite item orderedBeef Pad Thai - $15Chicken Pad See Ew - $15Mango Sticky Rice - $147.5/10