Even though my mom is Laotian, I didn't eat a lot of it as a kid growing up. I ate some Laotian food last year in California, and it made me sad that I was missing out on that my adult life. It had so much flavor: packed full of spice and zesty flavor. Having just moved to Madison, I was excited to see that there was a Laotian restaurant. The restaurant looks like it's the first floor of a house. It's super tight and the parking is a bit weird. The small place was cram packed with people. A good sign right? Looking at the menu, I didn't see a bunch of authentic Lao food. It seemed more Thai than Lao. My wife got the laarp, and I got the Laotian version of pad Thai. We also shared the crab Rangoon and the fresh spring rolls. The spring rolls were excellent. It had Lao sausage in it, which had a little bit of that Lao heat. The crab Rangoon was fine, a weird choice here. As for the main dishes, my pad thai was cloyingly sweet, some of the worst I've ever had. My wife's laarp was very spicy even though she asked for the lowest spice level. It definitely brought that Lao heat, but it was lacking something like fish sauce or some salt. The sticky rice that came with it was excellent and plentiful. My wife wanted to end on a sweet note even though my dish was plenty sweet, so she ordered mango with sticky rice. Easily one of my favorite desserts, and yet it came out so lackluster. Instead of ripe and succulent mangoes, we had thawed out frozen mango. And the sticky rice was like a porridge that had to be eaten with a spoon instead of by hand. I was hoping I would find a great Lao restaurant that would become my go to here in Madison, but it looks like I'll have to just find a suitable Thai restaurant instead.
Vladislav Redd
Ordered takeout here for four people- fantastic service and food! Lots of good vegetarian options and their spice levels were consistent & as advertised. My two star curry was spicy enough to be flavorful but not so much that it hurt, while my partner's four star 'native spice' dish made my face flush and my ears burn after just one bite!Staff were all very kind and helpful, and our order was exactly as requested. Especially appreciated their patience and thoroughness when taking my order over the phone. Really enjoyed having dinner here, and will make a point to come back next time we're in town!
Jake
Fantastic curry! I got the Mango Curry and a Thai Iced Tea—absolutely delicious. I’ve also had the stuffed chicken wings, which were good too.
Shawna L.
This place was so good last year. I went there and they closed early 3 times. Finally got in to eat and my food quickly was really cheap. There use to be meat in the spring rolls and egg rolls and I ordered both veg ones and pork ones they tasted like cabbage. Also ordered curry and it was extremely watery. Wish they would get it together like before.
Jen Yerkes
One of the best places ever. Had people with very different tastes in my group and all loved it. Great vegetarian options. Place is small for dine in. Take out is speedy and very good!
Nick Kochelek
Excellent food and will definitely be back. The Drunken Noodles we’re very good, and the spring rolls were big enough to make a meal out of just those!Highly recommend for quality fresh and flavorful food!
Tiffany Friese
We ordered the drunken noodles, moak pa and the spring rolls. The spring rolls are huge and stuffed with veggies, the sauce that came with was delightfully spicy. The drunken noodles delivered on flavor and the moak pa was truly special. Will definitely add to the list of favorite Madison eats.
Sarah F.
We got takeout from here and I got the tofu garlic ginger entree with rice. Service was fast. The food was reallllly good, but there could have been more garlic ginger sauce that came with it. Crab Rangoon is also delightful
Justin M.
I've never eaten at a Laotian restaurant so really looked forward to trying this! Went for dinner mid-week and found plenty of free, street parking near the restaurant. Dine in and take out are available. Inside the space is cozy and only a few other groups dining so it wasn't crowded. The servers were very friendly and attentive. The server mentioned their special for the night was a braised beef soup. We ordered that and crab Rangoon to start. Crab Rangoon were large and pretty good. The braised beef soup came with only bean sprouts and was a little sweet for my taste, but the beef were tender. For main course, my wife ordered squash curry and I had Moak Pa. We both ordered them with the lowest spice level with chili powder on the side to add our own amount of "heat"! The curry was hot and very flavorful. My Moak Pa consists of catfish, pork, and herbs wrapped in banana leaves then grilled and served with sticky rice. The fish came out very tender. We ended up taking some food to go. They accept credit card and I recommend to anyone interested in trying Laotian cuisine!
Sophie Y.
I have plenty of Thai food (all around the world) in my life and never had Laotian. Excited to try out this place and had no idea the difference between Laotian and Thai food except Laos is north of Thailand. I suspect there're some similarities. Parked on the street and was seated immediately after entering. First impression was cozy place. The server highly recommended crab rangoons which I thought it's such an Americanized Chinese food. It's hard to mess up this appetizer but could use more fillings (4.5/5). Then she recommended the special: braised beef (3/5) which I thought it was an entree but turned out a soup. Beef were tender but broth was super sweet and not my preference. I asked for no cilantro and there were plenty in my bowl. They had to get a new one. This is where I'm concerned as I don't want them to just take out the cilantro instead of preparing another one. I can't have any trace of cilantro as I'll pay dearly with my allergic reaction. Also had the squash curry (5/5) which was nice and the catfish/ground pork (4/5) steamed/grilled in banana leaf was acceptable. Tasted some earthiness from the fish. Overall, I felt Laotian has many similarities with Vietnamese/Cambodian/Thai and even Chinese.
Best Laotian restaurant in Madison! My go to is the squash curry but you can't go wrong with any of the curry dishes! Also, you can't order here and not get the mango sticky rice dessert. Mango is so fresh and sweet. Perfect ending to a great meal.
Tim T.
Wowsers this place is fantastic. Wish there was more seating inside because this place is always packed (understandably). Squash curry was out of my mind good. Would come back again!
Keli Manz
What a great family and wonderful food!!
Jeremy Klausner
I'd call it a hidden gem, but judging by the line and the take-out orders, this neighborhood Laotian joint isn't quite hidden. Family owned and operated with friendly service and excellent food. Try their specialty, which is catfish, it is a revelation in south-east Asian flavors. But don't leave the veggies on the plate, the manager (part of the family team) told us his mother would be unhappy. And it's no joke, she's back there overseeing the kitchen! Only thing they could improve is the dine-in wine and beer selection.
bryan jadrich
The Thum Som was one of the best meals I've ever eaten. Staff is incredible, polite and enthusiastic about the restaurant. One of my favorite places to eat.
Even though my mom is Laotian, I didn't eat a lot of it as a kid growing up. I ate some Laotian food last year in California, and it made me sad that I was missing out on that my adult life. It had so much flavor: packed full of spice and zesty flavor. Having just moved to Madison, I was excited to see that there was a Laotian restaurant. The restaurant looks like it's the first floor of a house. It's super tight and the parking is a bit weird. The small place was cram packed with people. A good sign right? Looking at the menu, I didn't see a bunch of authentic Lao food. It seemed more Thai than Lao. My wife got the laarp, and I got the Laotian version of pad Thai. We also shared the crab Rangoon and the fresh spring rolls. The spring rolls were excellent. It had Lao sausage in it, which had a little bit of that Lao heat. The crab Rangoon was fine, a weird choice here. As for the main dishes, my pad thai was cloyingly sweet, some of the worst I've ever had. My wife's laarp was very spicy even though she asked for the lowest spice level. It definitely brought that Lao heat, but it was lacking something like fish sauce or some salt. The sticky rice that came with it was excellent and plentiful. My wife wanted to end on a sweet note even though my dish was plenty sweet, so she ordered mango with sticky rice. Easily one of my favorite desserts, and yet it came out so lackluster. Instead of ripe and succulent mangoes, we had thawed out frozen mango. And the sticky rice was like a porridge that had to be eaten with a spoon instead of by hand. I was hoping I would find a great Lao restaurant that would become my go to here in Madison, but it looks like I'll have to just find a suitable Thai restaurant instead.
Ordered takeout here for four people- fantastic service and food! Lots of good vegetarian options and their spice levels were consistent & as advertised. My two star curry was spicy enough to be flavorful but not so much that it hurt, while my partner's four star 'native spice' dish made my face flush and my ears burn after just one bite!Staff were all very kind and helpful, and our order was exactly as requested. Especially appreciated their patience and thoroughness when taking my order over the phone. Really enjoyed having dinner here, and will make a point to come back next time we're in town!
Fantastic curry! I got the Mango Curry and a Thai Iced Tea—absolutely delicious. I’ve also had the stuffed chicken wings, which were good too.
This place was so good last year. I went there and they closed early 3 times. Finally got in to eat and my food quickly was really cheap. There use to be meat in the spring rolls and egg rolls and I ordered both veg ones and pork ones they tasted like cabbage. Also ordered curry and it was extremely watery. Wish they would get it together like before.
One of the best places ever. Had people with very different tastes in my group and all loved it. Great vegetarian options. Place is small for dine in. Take out is speedy and very good!
Excellent food and will definitely be back. The Drunken Noodles we’re very good, and the spring rolls were big enough to make a meal out of just those!Highly recommend for quality fresh and flavorful food!
We ordered the drunken noodles, moak pa and the spring rolls. The spring rolls are huge and stuffed with veggies, the sauce that came with was delightfully spicy. The drunken noodles delivered on flavor and the moak pa was truly special. Will definitely add to the list of favorite Madison eats.
We got takeout from here and I got the tofu garlic ginger entree with rice. Service was fast. The food was reallllly good, but there could have been more garlic ginger sauce that came with it. Crab Rangoon is also delightful
I've never eaten at a Laotian restaurant so really looked forward to trying this! Went for dinner mid-week and found plenty of free, street parking near the restaurant. Dine in and take out are available. Inside the space is cozy and only a few other groups dining so it wasn't crowded. The servers were very friendly and attentive. The server mentioned their special for the night was a braised beef soup. We ordered that and crab Rangoon to start. Crab Rangoon were large and pretty good. The braised beef soup came with only bean sprouts and was a little sweet for my taste, but the beef were tender. For main course, my wife ordered squash curry and I had Moak Pa. We both ordered them with the lowest spice level with chili powder on the side to add our own amount of "heat"! The curry was hot and very flavorful. My Moak Pa consists of catfish, pork, and herbs wrapped in banana leaves then grilled and served with sticky rice. The fish came out very tender. We ended up taking some food to go. They accept credit card and I recommend to anyone interested in trying Laotian cuisine!
I have plenty of Thai food (all around the world) in my life and never had Laotian. Excited to try out this place and had no idea the difference between Laotian and Thai food except Laos is north of Thailand. I suspect there're some similarities. Parked on the street and was seated immediately after entering. First impression was cozy place. The server highly recommended crab rangoons which I thought it's such an Americanized Chinese food. It's hard to mess up this appetizer but could use more fillings (4.5/5). Then she recommended the special: braised beef (3/5) which I thought it was an entree but turned out a soup. Beef were tender but broth was super sweet and not my preference. I asked for no cilantro and there were plenty in my bowl. They had to get a new one. This is where I'm concerned as I don't want them to just take out the cilantro instead of preparing another one. I can't have any trace of cilantro as I'll pay dearly with my allergic reaction. Also had the squash curry (5/5) which was nice and the catfish/ground pork (4/5) steamed/grilled in banana leaf was acceptable. Tasted some earthiness from the fish. Overall, I felt Laotian has many similarities with Vietnamese/Cambodian/Thai and even Chinese.
Restaurantji Recommends
Best Laotian restaurant in Madison! My go to is the squash curry but you can't go wrong with any of the curry dishes! Also, you can't order here and not get the mango sticky rice dessert. Mango is so fresh and sweet. Perfect ending to a great meal.
Wowsers this place is fantastic. Wish there was more seating inside because this place is always packed (understandably). Squash curry was out of my mind good. Would come back again!
What a great family and wonderful food!!
I'd call it a hidden gem, but judging by the line and the take-out orders, this neighborhood Laotian joint isn't quite hidden. Family owned and operated with friendly service and excellent food. Try their specialty, which is catfish, it is a revelation in south-east Asian flavors. But don't leave the veggies on the plate, the manager (part of the family team) told us his mother would be unhappy. And it's no joke, she's back there overseeing the kitchen! Only thing they could improve is the dine-in wine and beer selection.
The Thum Som was one of the best meals I've ever eaten. Staff is incredible, polite and enthusiastic about the restaurant. One of my favorite places to eat.