Laotian Restaurants near San Pablo, CA

“Although I'm Mien, their khao soi here is 99% identical to the way my mom makes it. The sausage is also almost the same way my parents make it. The food here is very authentic (as most hole in the wall places that's situated in the hood) and homey, which is a good thing. Don't expect no Instagrammable type presentation or decor/ambiance, come here for the food. It is made to cater the Lao and a couple of the Laotian hilltribe communities here in Richmond and those who know these communities and love their food.“

“First, we ordered the Nam Khao, ginger scallion kidney, papaya salad, and chicken wings for appetizers. The papaya salad was a little on the sweet side for me. The Nam Khao was pretty good, ESPECIALLY when I ate it with the pickled chili peppers. The kidneys were good too. I ate that with a side of steamed rice. My son ate the chicken wings (about 6 wings per order), so I didn't get to try it. He liked them and wanted to order another set.Then we moved on to soup. I ordered the Chow Jou with thin egg noodles. I didn't know there was an option to have the broth on the side, but I wanted it all together. The broth was bland. I needed to add salt, soy sauce, and pepper. I'm not one to usually add anything to my soup broth. The stuff inside the soup was good: chicken breast, ground pork, pork kidney, fish cake, fish ball, and shrimp. The slices of fish cake were small and it only came with one fish ball cut in half. Overall, I thought the Chow Jou was a 3.5/5.My husband ordered the pineapple fried rice. I'm allergic to pineapple, so I couldn't try it. The presentation of it was nice though.“

“I order the pumpkin curry. It was delicious. I also ordered the Tom Ka chicken soup. It was too tart, the chicken over cooked. A disappointment for a soup I usually love“

“Great food, Indoor dining and excellent service!“

“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.“

“I tried to encourage my 12 yo to go to a different Berkeley Thai restaurant last night. His response was, "Dad, if it isn't from Maya Thai, honestly, I'm not interested."

Vegetarian options: I have also ordered take out many times, too. Always excellent. They close at 8.30 pm not 9 pm. Google screwed that up, oc.

Dietary restrictions: Very GF aware.

Kid-friendliness: Love kids.“

“Really a hidden gem. David and family provide the best Cambodian food. You can tell they care about their food, as they offer to not give you the noodles cooked so you can have them at optimum level at home. Everything is good here but a bit spicy.“

“My first time trying Thai Lao and I'm really glad this restaurant exists in Hercules because I really like Thai food! I did a phone order for in person pickup. The gentleman who answered the phone was extremely polite and took my order quickly and efficiently, understanding any customizations I wanted to make. I ordered the egg roll appetizer, a Thai iced tea, and chicken pad Thai. Upon arriving to Thai Lao, I was greeted by a gentleman at the front who was again, very polite. He offered utensils for me to take home with me, and rang me up while presenting the food which was nice and hot. I enjoyed my meal and will be happy to try additional dishes in the future. Happy to support a local Herculean business and hope they are around for many years to come!“

“Simple, clean, delicious, reasonably priced "hole in the wall" but without anything negative about anything -- just unpretentious with totally great food!
Lunch specials are a real bargain, but good any time. The coconut curry broths are fantastic, esp. Yellow curry with fresh eggplant & green beans.
Green curry as good, just different.
Red curry places third but still 5 stars.
Don't miss the little chive cakes or the Pad Thai as good as anywhere in Chiang Mai or Bangkok.
As for Thai in general, please note that 3 of the "world's best restaurants" listed for 2024 are in Thailand.

Chai Thai brings that to Berkeley!“