Really helpful staff, great menu options for vegetarians, and delicious cocktails! A bit too noisy.
Michal
Food was good but service not great, we weren't offered drinks and after main were handled our check that was a surprise
David
Delicious food and lots of food. The atmosphere is somewhat casual, so not quite a date night place but a terrific value.
Micah
Amazing food, terrific waiter. Frustrated that although we booked standard tables they insisted on seating us at a high table which didn't work for my elderly parents. The low tables remained open until 5 minutes before we left. Not great.
Cora Lobodzinski
Kevin is the best bartender!
Atmosphere: 5
Towanna Williams
A week ago, I got to check out this really great Laotian restaurant/bar conveniently located on Piedmont Ave in Oakland. I overheard a colleague mention that they were a mixologist here and after a mutually rough day at work- another colleague and I decided to check it out for happy hour. Did I mention Happy Hour is everyday from 5-8 pm (only at the bar) with it's own bar menu alongside the restaurant menu?
We were pleasantly surprised as we walked in- first off, we were able to find parking across the street on a busy Friday night so it made me feel safe to be able to see my car. The place seats about 50 people (both bar and restaurant). Lots of open windows- as you walk in you wait to be seated. We were delighted to see how many people were coming in and out- seemed like a lot of regulars including family, couples and friends. We even sat next to two friends who frequent here regularly and offered up some good food suggestions.
We sat at the bar and chose the following from the bar menu:
CRISPY VEGETARIAN EGG ROLLS- 5/5 The egg rolls were just as described- nice and crispy on the outside filled to the brim with fresh to order veggies and a sweet dipping sauce. This was our favorite dish.
GARLIC PORK RIBS My friend ordered these as I'm pescatarian- she loved them and ate them all!
CHIVE CAKE- Vegetarian 3/5 Personally not my favorite- I think it was a texture thing... a little gummy for me on the chew and filled only with chive. I would order the shrimp dish next time.
THE COCKTAILS See Daniel at the bar- he is passionate and so knowledgeable about spirits and mixing cocktails. I had the Miss Lemongrass as I asked for something light and my friend had the Kissing Lychee which was tasty (I had a sip). We even asked Daniel to make up a drink on the spot and he didn't disappoint.
COST- Pricing is very reasonable for the Happy Hour food menu- cocktails run about $14 so it can add up pretty quickly if you're ordering a few.
OVERALL AMBIENCE/EXPERIENCE The decor was really funky and aesthetically pleasing- I took lots of photos and videos. I will definitely come back to try the regular menu with my Mom. It's a cozy place to get a good meal, have some sexy libations or mocktails and meet some cool people and although it was busy- it never seemed too packed.
Vegetarian options: I only ordered from the bar menu- so there were a few tasty items you could order (Egg rolls, fresh rolls, chive cake) and if you're pescatarian there are options too.
Parking: At first, it was a challenge to find parking because most of the street parking on Piedmont was taken (it was a Friday night). After circling the block- we lucked out with free street parking on the side of the restaurant closet to Piedmont so I could see my car. And there were a few spots open for parking in the same area.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chive Cakes
Joanna Lee
Very comfortable locally-owned restaurant. They were decorated for Halloween. We didn't have a reservation, but we're early enough for them to accommodate our group of 7. Food was delicious - I recommend the Lao appetizer platter, especially for a large group, and the duck over garlic rice was delicious!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Lao Appetizer Platter
Tracey
If you're a Piedmont Local you get privilege and priority, forget that it was my birthday and I made reservations. My fiancé and I was seated near the window where the music was blaring, we were completely ignored for most of the time, the curry took 45 minutes to come to the table, the ribs were burnt, and the portions were small for the price. Beautiful ambiance but I wont be coming back. Ill be at Champa Garden!
William
Excellent food and a wonderful bar with superb cocktails; staff is very welcoming and nice
Susanna BB
An underrated gem on a crowded restaurant row. I love the Saap! It reminds us of Laos, but even better. The fresh herbs provided with various orders is so good. Don't be scared off by Laotian food. It's like Vietnamese and Thai food but more interesting! Yes, I wish they would change up the menu and have some more variety, but for meat-eaters and vegetarians alike, the food is DELICIOUS.
Vegetarian options: THe crispy rice salad!!
Dietary restrictions: They're good if you have an allergy, like a certain ingredient (gluten or nuts).
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lao Appetizer Platter, Homemade Chili Sauce, Yellow Curry Gluten-Free, Vegetarian Lao Style Fried Spring Rolls
I’d say this is a nice Americanized Laotian restaurant. The best is the starter platter that comes with fried spring rolls, noodles, salad and Laotian sausages. The curry is standard, a bit watery but comes with strong coconut flavor, which I like. I’m not a fan of the fish.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lao Appetizer Platter
Lashonna
Waitress wasn't very helpful. Kept pressuring us to order, but had no suggestions to offer to help us with our decisions. We ordered an appetizer, salad, and entree. The food came out in reverse? Entree first, then salad, then appetizer. Maybe we would have had a better experience with a different waiter. All of the food tasted good, except the salmon was nothing special.
Darcy Vasudev
Tasty Laotian food with a nice tropical cocktail menu in a cheerful and colorful setting. This place has a pretty basic menu, and everything we tried was tasty enough but not exceptional. But the curries are nice, pleasantly spiced (not hot for American tastebuds).
I enjoyed the pumpkin curry a lot and the yellow curry with roti was also nice. The roti are not as knotty and substantial as they could be, they're more flat and flaky. There are some nice happy hour appetizers, like the chive cake and curry dumpling. I like my cocktail Coconut Fashion and the other cocktails looked cute and delicious as well.
The service and cleanliness could use some fine tuning. Our dishes weren't cleared and started to pile up and it's not a very clean establishment, even the staff were a little grubby. It was pretty busy so maybe it's tidier when it's not peak hours. It's also very noisy and it is family friendly, so if screaming children aren't your thing, you might feel overstimulated.
Overall I left feeling satiated and like my taste buds had a little party so why not give it a try if you're on Piedmont and feel like something casual, tasty and fun.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
Ufuk Usubütün
The service was slow because they were understaffed. It was one lady who was running the entire restaurant, taking orders, preparing packages, serving food. The cocktail I ordered arrived 45 minutes after we ordered it, right as we were ready to get the check. And the Thai iced tea came even later after the check. The food was good and hot and well flavored. However the drinks made the whole experience bad. Will probably not come back again for dine in. Not worth paying all this money if you can’t even have an evening drink with your food.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 1
Calvin
Delicious, large portions, make it very bang for your buck. Good authentic food!
Really helpful staff, great menu options for vegetarians, and delicious cocktails! A bit too noisy.
Food was good but service not great, we weren't offered drinks and after main were handled our check that was a surprise
Delicious food and lots of food. The atmosphere is somewhat casual, so not quite a date night place but a terrific value.
Amazing food, terrific waiter. Frustrated that although we booked standard tables they insisted on seating us at a high table which didn't work for my elderly parents. The low tables remained open until 5 minutes before we left. Not great.
Kevin is the best bartender!
Atmosphere: 5
A week ago, I got to check out this really great Laotian restaurant/bar conveniently located on Piedmont Ave in Oakland. I overheard a colleague mention that they were a mixologist here and after a mutually rough day at work- another colleague and I decided to check it out for happy hour. Did I mention Happy Hour is everyday from 5-8 pm (only at the bar) with it's own bar menu alongside the restaurant menu?
We were pleasantly surprised as we walked in- first off, we were able to find parking across the street on a busy Friday night so it made me feel safe to be able to see my car. The place seats about 50 people (both bar and restaurant). Lots of open windows- as you walk in you wait to be seated. We were delighted to see how many people were coming in and out- seemed like a lot of regulars including family, couples and friends. We even sat next to two friends who frequent here regularly and offered up some good food suggestions.
We sat at the bar and chose the following from the bar menu:
CRISPY VEGETARIAN EGG ROLLS- 5/5
The egg rolls were just as described- nice and crispy on the outside filled to the brim with fresh to order veggies and a sweet dipping sauce. This was our favorite dish.
GARLIC PORK RIBS
My friend ordered these as I'm pescatarian- she loved them and ate them all!
CHIVE CAKE- Vegetarian 3/5
Personally not my favorite- I think it was a texture thing... a little gummy for me on the chew and filled only with chive. I would order the shrimp dish next time.
THE COCKTAILS
See Daniel at the bar- he is passionate and so knowledgeable about spirits and mixing cocktails. I had the Miss Lemongrass as I asked for something light and my friend had the Kissing Lychee which was tasty (I had a sip). We even asked Daniel to make up a drink on the spot and he didn't disappoint.
COST- Pricing is very reasonable for the Happy Hour food menu- cocktails run about $14 so it can add up pretty quickly if you're ordering a few.
OVERALL AMBIENCE/EXPERIENCE
The decor was really funky and aesthetically pleasing- I took lots of photos and videos. I will definitely come back to try the regular menu with my Mom. It's a cozy place to get a good meal, have some sexy libations or mocktails and meet some cool people and although it was busy- it never seemed too packed.
Vegetarian options: I only ordered from the bar menu- so there were a few tasty items you could order (Egg rolls, fresh rolls, chive cake) and if you're pescatarian there are options too.
Parking: At first, it was a challenge to find parking because most of the street parking on Piedmont was taken (it was a Friday night). After circling the block- we lucked out with free street parking on the side of the restaurant closet to Piedmont so I could see my car. And there were a few spots open for parking in the same area.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chive Cakes
Very comfortable locally-owned restaurant. They were decorated for Halloween. We didn't have a reservation, but we're early enough for them to accommodate our group of 7. Food was delicious - I recommend the Lao appetizer platter, especially for a large group, and the duck over garlic rice was delicious!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Lao Appetizer Platter
If you're a Piedmont Local you get privilege and priority, forget that it was my birthday and I made reservations. My fiancé and I was seated near the window where the music was blaring, we were completely ignored for most of the time, the curry took 45 minutes to come to the table, the ribs were burnt, and the portions were small for the price. Beautiful ambiance but I wont be coming back. Ill be at Champa Garden!
Excellent food and a wonderful bar with superb cocktails; staff is very welcoming and nice
An underrated gem on a crowded restaurant row. I love the Saap! It reminds us of Laos, but even better. The fresh herbs provided with various orders is so good. Don't be scared off by Laotian food. It's like Vietnamese and Thai food but more interesting! Yes, I wish they would change up the menu and have some more variety, but for meat-eaters and vegetarians alike, the food is DELICIOUS.
Vegetarian options: THe crispy rice salad!!
Dietary restrictions: They're good if you have an allergy, like a certain ingredient (gluten or nuts).
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lao Appetizer Platter, Homemade Chili Sauce, Yellow Curry Gluten-Free, Vegetarian Lao Style Fried Spring Rolls
Restaurantji Recommends
I’d say this is a nice Americanized Laotian restaurant.
The best is the starter platter that comes with fried spring rolls, noodles, salad and Laotian sausages.
The curry is standard, a bit watery but comes with strong coconut flavor, which I like.
I’m not a fan of the fish.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lao Appetizer Platter
Waitress wasn't very helpful. Kept pressuring us to order, but had no suggestions to offer to help us with our decisions. We ordered an appetizer, salad, and entree. The food came out in reverse? Entree first, then salad, then appetizer. Maybe we would have had a better experience with a different waiter. All of the food tasted good, except the salmon was nothing special.
Tasty Laotian food with a nice tropical cocktail menu in a cheerful and colorful setting. This place has a pretty basic menu, and everything we tried was tasty enough but not exceptional. But the curries are nice, pleasantly spiced (not hot for American tastebuds).
I enjoyed the pumpkin curry a lot and the yellow curry with roti was also nice. The roti are not as knotty and substantial as they could be, they're more flat and flaky. There are some nice happy hour appetizers, like the chive cake and curry dumpling. I like my cocktail Coconut Fashion and the other cocktails looked cute and delicious as well.
The service and cleanliness could use some fine tuning. Our dishes weren't cleared and started to pile up and it's not a very clean establishment, even the staff were a little grubby. It was pretty busy so maybe it's tidier when it's not peak hours. It's also very noisy and it is family friendly, so if screaming children aren't your thing, you might feel overstimulated.
Overall I left feeling satiated and like my taste buds had a little party so why not give it a try if you're on Piedmont and feel like something casual, tasty and fun.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
The service was slow because they were understaffed. It was one lady who was running the entire restaurant, taking orders, preparing packages, serving food. The cocktail I ordered arrived 45 minutes after we ordered it, right as we were ready to get the check. And the Thai iced tea came even later after the check. The food was good and hot and well flavored. However the drinks made the whole experience bad. Will probably not come back again for dine in. Not worth paying all this money if you can’t even have an evening drink with your food.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 1
Delicious, large portions, make it very bang for your buck. Good authentic food!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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