Great food and ambiance. The parking is a bit tricky as a lot of spots are reserved. I wish they had table service instead of ordering at the bar. I don't know how much of a person-hour they save by doing that. Otherwise a great place to go. read more

The food is outstanding. Delicious flavoring, fresh ingredients, nice presentation. The servers are friendly and helpful. This restaurant does not take reservations and fills up rather quickly during the usual dinner hours. The atmosphere is pleasant---filled with diners very happy with their meals. read more

Best egg rolls in town and it's not really close. 10/10 every single time. Everything I've tried was top notch

The food and cocktails were amazing! I got the bee charmer for a drink and the red curry for dinner - will be ordering each again! Really like the addition of the zucchini, mushrooms, and tomatoes in the curry, something new that really elevated the dish. Plan to be back! read more

Kung pow shrimp was delicious. Sausage stuffed cabbage rolls were delicious. Good beer available. Nice atmosphere

We went to Ahan for the first time and it was also our first time having Laotian food. It was excellent! Many fresh ingredients provided a wonderful blend of flavors. Staff was very attentive and service was excellent. Definitely recommend Ahan! read more

This place is sooo good!!!! The food is absolutely delicious and the service is great! Noly was amazing and recommend the spicy ice cream to me. It was so tasty! Parking was easy and the ambiance is nice. I highly recommend. We order the Khao Tod, Dumplings and the wonton. As well as, the pineapple ice cream and the vanilla spicy ice cream. read more

Are you ready for amazing flavors? If so, you have to come to Ahan. I've never had Laotian food before and I was blown away. I tried the vegetable summer rolls, red curry udon and drunken noodles. The summer rolls were filled with fresh vegetables and even edible flowers and were paired with a peanut sauce that added a lot of flavor to it. The red curry udon and drunken noodles both had some kick to them so if you can't handle spicy food in general, I would suggest asking for a milder version. I thought the most unique dish was the red curry udon since I typically associate udon with a soup based dish but this was in a dry noodle form that was delicious. The udon had great texture and just enough chew without being too chewy or hard. If you want some great noodles, I would suggest coming here and trying something new. Note that the restaurant is in an events venue. When you go inside, you will see a small space to the left of the entrance with some tables and chairs for diners to sit and eat. There a cash register right in front of the entrance and that's where you order. After you order, you are given a card and once the food is ready, a server will bring your food to your table. There is also a patio for dining when the weather isn't too bad and a bar around the venue space. read more

Great noodle spot with all the fresh ingredients! I ordered the Khao Soi Luang Prabang with wide noodles. It was a mammoth portion (I had to pour it into a medium mixing bowl to eat it because my soup bowl was too small). I ordered it to go and loved that the toppings were packaged separately from the broth. The cold bean sprouts and basil were separate from the warm ingredients and the crispy rice was even packaged on its own to avoid getting it soggy. Everything was so fresh and flavorful! read more

Ahan - Khao Soi Luang Prabang with wide noodles - Laotian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Good but far from authentic. Everything I ate (summer rolls and pho tai) was good enough but it was easy to recognize that the ingredients were not prepared in the traditional ways. The summer roll actually was quite good, but was not rolled correctly. I eventually had the entire thing falling apart and had to eat it with a fork - something I have never had to do before at other restaurants. The pho tai was ok, but it the broth was blatantly from an "easy mix" packet and not brewed like it should be. The meat was also cheap cuts and flaky. Lastly, the service was what you would expect from a McDonalds: they bring your food out and you never see them again. Atmosphere was neat. read more

My roommate first introduced me to ahan on a cold day. We were both fighting a hangover and needed a nice hearty meal. We both ordered the red coconut curry and it changed my life. It's just so homey and comforting to eat curled up on the couch. From then on it has been my go to meal at Ahan. I've also tried the Tom Yum soup which was also just as tasty but not as filling as the red coconut curry). Both still great options. I've also tried the egg rolls and dumplings which were a pleasant surprise. I'm usually not a huge fan of egg rolls but these were jam packed with filling instead of the usual disappointing half empty egg rolls that I'm used to. The dumplings were also a highlight as they tasted and looked homemade. I'd recommend both as appetizers hands down. If you haven't tried Ahan it's a must!!! A great date spot too! ;) If you decide to eat in you pay at the counter and there's limited seating inside depending on if there's a show going on in the back room. Covid protocols are in place and the staff were super friendly. read more

We went to the new location and the food was excellent as always. I tried their version of the Moscow mule and it was delicious! The seating is great, and the tables are a good distance from each other. I can't wait to go there again. read more

Ahan - Tom Yum fried chicken - Laotian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

See all

The food: Horrible. Absolutely horrible.... Not authentic whatsoever. I'm embarrassed for them claiming it so. The service: What service? I'll tell you more about that below. Let me admit: I knew we should have walked out after we entered, but stayed because we have been driving for 6 hours and by this point the family was hungry and tired. We each ordered different dishes and hardly finished them. I only ate my fried eggs and rice. At least they got the eggs and rice right. (Hey, they better because my 14 years old got it right starting at age 10). I had to tell our waiter how horrible the dish and asked him to ask the kitchen to cook me two more eggs to compensate the horrible dish. So for my dish alone I paid $14 for white rice and 3 eggs... Not a waiter, manager or owner came my way to ask what's wrong. But it's ok. I'll tell y'all what was wrong... My dish was supposed to be stir fry pork with veggies. However, what I was presented was a sloppy soupy dish and most of my rice was soaked in the liquid. The pork was overcooked and tasted funny, like rubber. The veggies were soggy. The overall flavor was just sugar. (Where are the SE Asian flavors?) Luckily, there was a fried egg on top and the upper portion of the rice was edible. I'm not sure why the little ratings they do have are high, but my guess is people may not know better or had any better. I guess my palette has had superb so anything less tasty is just horrible. My advice: if you want overpriced foods with lack of flavors and Asian American fusion foods, it's here. If you want the real deal, authentic Asian foods, look elsewhere. Venture out. You'll understand afterwards how horrible this place is. My advice to the owners: stop hiring cooks and start hiring chefs. Life is too short for horrible overpriced restaurant foods. And, life is too short for you to lose it to other restaurants who takes the time and effort to do it right. read more

Aww man I really wanted to like this place. Flew in from LA not expecting a Lao restaurant in Madison so I was super excited! Ordered the Khao Soi, my favorite dish of all time. It was just alright. It was served with skinny rice noodles, not the fresh wide noodles. The tomato sauce was ok, but was missing that funk from the fermented soybean. Too bland for my taste. There must have been some funk tho cuz as soon as the food came, so did the flies lol (I chose to sit outside)! They tried, but missed the mark for me. I think it may be a good intro to Lao food for beginners, but not for the mutha effin real Lao! read more

This place makes some amazing from scratch food. We will be back to try more as the food on each and every table looked delicious. If you can arrive early and catch some of their live music it makes the night that much more magical. read more

We had one of their specials which were two steamed buns - unfortunately one of them was not very steamed and still had some raw pork in it. I had the other one which was hopefully fine.. read more

The food was really great! Sadly, the service suffered. Our server was very nice but there was a table full of employees on their off-night which I thought was great sign at first until our server pulled up a chair and he sat down with them for 15 minutes. Unfortunately I spent most of the meal with an empty water glass and we had to wait for 15 minutes after finishing dinner before anybody came by for us to ask for the check. read more

This place is incredible! I'm a huge fan of Asian food but don't have access to Laotian food in my current location. I absolutely LOVED ahan. Grabbed some takeout and can only imagine it would be a 12/10 if I had the chance to dine in. The crispy rice bits in the panang sausage dish were perfect. Seasoning was excellent and the vegetables were fresh and crisp. Sauces were spicy if that's your thing. I was so satisfied after this meal and loved every single bite. read more

Ahan - Panang Curry Sausage - Laotian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Spring Rolls, Dumplings, Khao So and Sausage & Chicken w/ Sticky Rice Dish Spring rolls were were filled with veggies, noodles and flowers! I love how beautiful the display and addition of the edible flowers. The rolls were pretty big compared to other spring rolls I've had before. We also got the dumplings. They seemed to be pan fried and came with a side of soy sauce and was topped with greens as well! I order the Khao So. To me it tasted like pho with more flavor to it and grounded meat instead of sliced meats. The dish was filled with greens-- which is quite typical of Lao food! I love it! My partner ordered the sausage and chicken that came with a side of pepper and sticky rice. The sausage looked pretty typical. The chicken was super tender! The pepper tasted tomato-y and sour. If wasn't too spicy. Over all, I think the food was ok. I'd say this place is on the pricey side. I would definitely come back for the appetizers, especially the dumplings though! read more

Outstanding, flavorful, good quality, good service. The green curry was delicious AND it uses Thai eggplants. read more

Food was delicious but the service was like eating at Culver's. You had to order from an attendant at a kiosk. A busboy brought out the food with not as much as a "enjoy your food" or "does anyone need anything?" Dirty empties sat on our table for most the meal. Had to pay at the kiosk again and it defaulted to 15-20-25% tip. Are you serious??? Would do take out but as for dine-in? I'm surprised they didn't ask me to do my dishes. read more

Love this place! The coconut noodle soup is amazing! Order w extra crispy rice because you'll have leftovers.

I wish I had photographed the food and interior! It's a great experience at Ahan! We had a party of 6, and, normally you can expect a wait. But the host made room for us and we were seated in a few minutes. Our server was friendly, prompt, and knowledgeable. We sampled 3 appetizers - Galapao Lao (stuffed steamed buns), pork dumplings, and summer rolls (veggies). All were served with delicious sauces and were a great way to start a meal. For entrees, we had the Yellow Curry (one with chicken and one with tofu), the Praram Long. Song with Chicken, the pho Gai, and Sai Oua Fried Rice with Chicken. All were delicious. The owners have done a great interior renovation from the former El Dorado restaurant that was here earlier. I would call it relaxed elegance, very suitable for a date or family and friends hanging out. It's an interesting path to get to the restaurant, which makes it feel like an exclusive, insiders destination. read more

Very tasty Thai food, We took break while returning from cabin trip. Food was amazing. We ordered 4-5 vegetarian dishes with starter of vegetables egg rolls. I like the Kung Pao Vegetarian and drunken noodles. It's not Thai restaurant, it's real Asian fusion restaurant. read more

The food is soooo good. We stumbled on this place and realized it is attached to a music venue which sponsors local bands. So fun and we will be back! read more

Do not recommend eating in here. Front of house staff is super disorganized and poor at communication. They took names for a waitlist and did not contact people when it was their turn, skipping in favor of newer people who were more aggressive at the counter. Then they assigned two tables to three parties and left it up to us to sort it out on our own. The cashier then did not explain how counter service worked, leaving all three groups sitting and waiting without realizing we had to go back inside to order food. When the food came it was delivered without any accompanying sauces (waiter admitted they just forgot). Taste was average and not worth the major inconvenience and drama. read more

Ahan is a great choice for someone who seems to have tried all the Asian places in Madison. I think it is newer? It was definitely a breath of fresh air too, I actually had a hard time picking what to order because so many things sounded so delicious! I ended up deciding on the drunken noodles with tofu. It was so, so good. Very fresh ingredients and the tofu was crisp to perfection. I imagine it's even better if you could dine in so I'm eager for that day. We also got an appetizer- the vegetable egg rolls and holy moly these blew me away. First of all they are HUGE! You get two huge logs. They also kind of look like they're breaded with flaming hot Cheetos haha but they're not of course however it is a very unique breading. They are loaded with vegetables and seriously were amazing. I want to try all of their appetizers and dishes I really can't wait to go back!! We got the Thai iced teas with boba to go as well, the only bummer was that the boba pearls they use are very large and it was hard to get them up the straws, I ended up scooping them out with a spoon. Ordering online was easy and pick up was prompt. Their location/building looks so cozy and cute I'm excited for when we are able to dine in. It appears that their is a back patio as well so I'm hoping once it warms up we could at least dine there outside. I am excited about a new Asian food place in Madison! read more

Ahan - Drunken Noodle with tofu - Laotian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Ordered quite a bit. Parking was horrible!! Also it was dark out, my first time there and I had to drive by twice before knowing where to go in, two cars were waiting for their curbside pickup and had their lights on and parked right outside the door, so it was very hard to go in or know where to go in. No parking on the street either. Place is really small, but cute. FOOD though was amazing!!! Presentation considering it was take out, so pretty! Kasoi - on the sweeter side and refreshing broth. i like noodles cause they are the fresh chow fun noodles. plenty of herbs. really good. Papaya salad - really good, light, salty, sweet, sour, spicy, all the flavors i want in my papaya beef larb - so good, they put tripe in it though and i don't care for tripe but i just picked it out. extra chili sauce on side - so spicy and fresh and good... smashed up thai chilies and it was hot! read more

Best drunken noodles I've had. Thai iced coffee was delicious too. Great ambiance on the inside and fast and nice servers. 5 stars in every way!!! Definitely stop by because you won't regret it! read more

I don't know how they keep those egg rolls so crispy but they do. All food amazing, but the egg rolls were spectacular.

The ambiance and the service was good. The ordering was really strange. I was there for an early dinner with a client. I had to get up, leave the table and pay every time we wanted another drink or appetizer. The food was ok, too westernized and sweet for me. read more

After reading the reviews, I had to try it for takeout. I'm glad I did. I ordered the Red Curry Udon w/Tofu and had a Thai Iced Tea w/Boba (+ $0.50). Both were delicious! I had plenty for leftovers as well. I'm excited to try more items on the menu. read more

Ahan - Takeout - Laotian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Great noodles! I love their udon and khao soi. Salt, fat, acid, heat - these noodles have them all. The broth in the khao soi is perfect for fall and winter. Some of the other main dishes get a little soggy in the takeout boxes. But other than that, ahan is one of my favorite south east asian restaurants in Madison. read more

Not the least impressed. Well, the potions were large. No alcohol. How the Chef got the Beard nomination escapes me. read more

Limited menu, but all delicious. My kung pao tofu was spiced just right and topped with yummy pea shoots. Ahan is a great addition to the east side culinary array read more

Ahan - Kung pao tofu and shrimp bun - Laotian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

So we had heard really good things about this place and were super excited to try it. It's in the same building as a small music venue, and there are tables on the curbside and a small patio in the back. Parking sucks if there's music going on. Each got an order of drunken noodles, and was surprised to find super watery tomatoes? It ended up being like a tomatoey soup on the bottom. One order had noodles that were overdone but one was good. Spring rolls were DELISH could have had 10. The Nam Khao salad was yummy and the sausage in it was good, but looking at other pictures on here I feel like it could have been better maybe on a less busy night. Definitely will be back to try other things because I feel like it might have been a slight off night/super busy for the kitchen. And get more spring rolls! read more

See all

Service has gotten much better our last couple of visits, and the food is still really craveable. I'm glad things have gotten smoother, as I really do enjoy the food here. read more

The food was awesome. Loved the dole whip and the mango sticky rice, and highly recommend the pho tai!

Every dish impressed me. Beautiful presentation. Perfect spice. First bite of the summer roll made me want to come back

Ahan is right off of Atwood and its in a good location but don't be surprised if you end up driving past it. Getting parking in their lot is rare since there's only a few handful of spots. We ordered the sweeten Thai ice tea which was delicious, and spring rolls which were brought to us very quickly. But this is when it started going down hill. After 40 minutes already having gone by since we ordered our food, we waited an ADDITIONAL 40 minutes before got our Pork drunken noodles, and chicken pho. The service was awful. There was an event going on in the shared space of the restaurant but I still don't understand why the service was that bad. Either get more staff or don't open the restaurant if you can't cater to the customers. The pork Drunken noodles was flavorful but nothing special. The Chicken Pho was 80% water and green onions and had no flavor at all. And they never gave me a soup spoon or chop sticks for the pho. This restaurant isn't worth going to simply because of the poor service. You can try going during the weekday or there isn't an event going on so that May effect your experience. I just wont be giving them a second chance. A 2hour wait is unacceptable. read more