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    Bua Thai Kitchen

    4.5 (260 reviews)
    ModerateThai, Noodles
    Closed 12:00 pm - 2:30 PM, 4:30 PM - 10:00 PM
    Updated 1 week ago

    Bua Thai Kitchen Reservations

    Order Bua Thai Kitchen Takeout or Delivery

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    Business Info

    BUA THAI KITCHEN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Intimate
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups

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    Larb
    Dani K.

    When everything else in Berkeley closes up shop at 8, this quaint little spot is open and happy to serve up traditional and tempting Thai. I've never heard hot Thai tea until I can't to Bua Thai. Take out service is fast and easy as well for a no fuss dinner to go.

    Thomas B.

    You can look at the other past reviews and see that I absolutely love this place. They have authentic flavors they use fresh ingredients. They have a sparkling, smiling staff and always willing to help the customer the extra mile. They have party room in the back, they have minimum streetside outdoor seating and they have plenty room inside to let you try homestyle Thai cooking. It's Northern Thai style, which is called Ian. And of all the flavors that I tried when I lived there, his son was my favorite and it mimics a lot of the things that you have in layout as well. I recommend this to families even to bring their kids along with them. They'd have fun here.

    Mushroom dumplings
    Kris B.

    Everything about this restaurant is great! We were eating late after organizing my dad's house so there weren't a lot of restaurants to choose from. But Bua Thai is open until 10pm Fridays! The place is very soothing and calm, plenty of open tables and lots of greenery. Wait staff is so nice, very soft spoken and patient. We ordered the Mushroom Dumplings ($12) to share and then I ordered Tofu Pad Thai ($14). My friend ordered Tofu Pad See Ew ($14). Food came out quickly and it was all so delicious! We will definitely be returning here!

    Pad See Ew
    David C.

    The portions are very reasonable and prices are about $18 a plate. We called in the order and we got two boxes one of pad Thai chicken and one of pad see ew beef and it was lovely. Very authentic very Hardy. Totally coming back here. The inside is very quaint yet modern with some neon lights. $48 for pad see ew, pad Thai and 1 order crispy rolls

    Christian M.

    Amazing Thai spot in Albany. Came here with my girlfriend and this was a perfect date night spot. Loved the ambiance in here and it wasn't too packed due the rain the night we went. Our service was great as the food came out fairly quick and was amazing. Full of flavor and the portions were great for the price. Loved this place hopefully will be back soon

    Seafood Eggplant
    Dexter D.

    Family dinner for six. When I asked where folks wanted to go, two of my brothers independently suggested Bua Thai Kitchen. Sure, we're down for that. A reservation was made for 6pm on a Friday night. Never knowing how bad traffic would be, we left home early and arrived way to early. We grabbed a parking space in their small let and felt lucky because there was only on other space plus a handicap space. We didn't realize that two cars could also park parallel close to the building. Street parking is also very tight. This is important to know because this restaurant appears to do a very healthy delivery service business. It seemed like many of the drivers picking up orders chose not to park properly, making it difficult for others to pull into parking spaces or even just into the lot itself. We observed at least one driver who parked near the building and ran inside, leaving his lights on and his driver's door open. The restaurant can't be blamed for this behavior; it's beyond their control. There were a few occupied tables when we entered. We were seated at a two-top that was next to a four top. It seems like more restaurants are using USB-C ported LCD lights lately. Much more useful than those silly LCD "tea candles" that provided zero light. Menus were presented as were glasses of water and two carafes. Our server came over several times to see if we were ready to place our order, but it always takes forever. We finally ended up with: Green Salad Rolls - 4 - Fresh, crunchy, and delicious with the accompanying peanut sauce. Roti with Yellow Curry - 4 - The Roti was perfection. The Yellow Curry Sauce was a bit on the thin side. Thicker would adhere better to the Roti. Roti with Peanut Sauce - 4 - Same great Roti. Peanut Sauce flavor was decent but there was some separation of oil from the sauce itself. Crispy Rice Salad - 4 - A bit too sour for me from the lime but everyone else seemed to enjoy it. Pumpkin Curry with Tofu - 4 - Perfect over rice. We ordered everything mild so everyone could eat all that we ordered. The vegetables were cooked well. Spicy Green Beans - 1 - This was our least favorite dish. The Green Beans were simply tough and stringy. Pad Thai with Chicken - 4 - Was good. As expected. Seafood Eggplant - 5 - Dish of the evening. Although no one got a taste of every ingredient, what I got was quite tasty. Pla Rad Prik - 4 - Deep-fried Pampano with Sweet and Sour Sauce, Pineapple and Crispy Basil. There was also an assortment of red, green and yellow bell peppers. By the time we were done eating, we had no room left for dessert. Service was pretty good. Definitely a place worth returning to except for the Green Beans.

    Red curry
    Aly C.

    ===TL;DR=== - Red curry - Seafood eggplant ===TMI=== First and foremost, they NO LONGER have the young coconut seafood curry - not sure why that was in their promo photo since I literally came here for that. After finding that out, had to opt for something else. Can't go wrong with red curry anywhere. Pair it with rice and that's a solid meal. Tried their seafood eggplant.... There were sure a lot of eggplants in there so for all those eggplant lovers out there, this is your dish. I was hopping there would be more seafood. The flavor was good tho and it came on a sizzling plate so that was nice. I've also had their beef noodle soup and spicy wings of heaven here as takeout before. Their beef noodle soup was surprisingly not bad. Wing wise, flavorful but very small. Overall they do a good job on flavors here.

    Edison H.

    Interesting setup here.. looks to be a big house remodeled to be a restaurant? Parking was tight and limited - highly recommend street parking. Both items I ordered were great. I particularly enjoyed the crispiness of their spicy wings of heaven. Not sure about the spicy portion though. Maybe they thought we can't handle real spicy which is true lol. The duck noodle soup felt stacked and I didn't feel like they skipped on the proteins either. It's boneless too so feel free to slurp and eat away! We did noticed the service being slow from water refills to paying the bill. Not a dealbreaker so 4*.

    Shrimp Pad Thai
    Adem M.

    It rarely gets better than these types of locations. Literally within walking distance from our place. Looks like you're walking up to a neighbors front door upon entry. Well lit decorated entry and dining area. The service is eager to attend to every request. Everything was delicious and there was plenty leftover to take home after ordering for two. Always a plus! We shall return!

    Heliana M.

    Great experience today for lunch. We came with our 7 year old and shared: - fresh shrimp rolls - egg rolls - shrimp pad thai - Pork larb Everything was so tasty excellent food and authentic as we had it in Thailand years back. Fast service and clean bathrooms. Would return back to try more from their menu.

    Chicken Spicy Wings of Heaven
    Sharon B.

    I've been here before but didn't know it until my kids reminded me. We were in the area and we were looking forward to having Thai for dinner, especially at a place we never been but oh well, the reviews were great. We were seated immediately despite the busyness of the place. We decided to forego our usual Thai dishes and ordered chicken wings, shrimp pad thai and a fried pompano fish with the sweet and sour sauce on the side. The chicken wings came and looked good but taste wise- it was bland and the chicken had a strong "chicken" taste to it- can't explain but I didn't like it. If chicken could be called gamey, then that's what it was. And the chicken wings could've been fried more or it could have been double fried but either way they weren't that crispy. My Pompano fish looked really good but like the chicken, it was also not as crispy as it could be so either their oil wasn't as hot or they didn't cook it long enough I don't know, but I'm not a restaurant so I can't tell you . It's too bad because I was really looking forward to having a fried fish. The one thing that saved the entire meal was the combo dessert that we ordered. It was coconut ice cream with roti and mango and sticky rice. You can't go wrong with dessert so that was fine. It's too bad because I really wanted to like this place, especially after seeing all the good reviews. The service was really good though despite being busy, it was really friendly and warm so the service is at least four stars. It wasn't five star service because she did forget our drinks and I had to ask for it in the middle of our meal.

    Veg shrimp rolls
    Mary R.

    Everything was great. We went out for our anniversary and the food and service was excellent. From appetizers to dessert. Parking is good they have their own lot, and prices are high but not for the amount of food and flavors that come with it. We definitely will come back here again.

    Pla Manow

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    4 years ago

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    Woody K.

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    3 years ago

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    Woody K.

    どもありがとうございました。

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    2 years ago

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    Beatriz M.

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    2 years ago

    It was delicious! Best in Berkeley if you ask me!!! I will be back! We got take out this time, but look forward to dinning in next time!

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    Beatriz M.

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    Beatriz M.

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

    So tasty with a great menu selection and super friendly service. Love their curries especially. Definitely our go-to-Thai place.

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    Beatriz M.

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    2 years ago

    Really good food, great customer service and great ambiance. We've been a few times and will return.

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    Beatriz M.

    Thanks Sonita! We hope to see you soon!!

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    3 years ago

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    Beatriz M.

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    3 years ago

    Fantastic good, great service. We live out of town but have come twice now to this restaurant when we have been passing by the area.

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    2 years ago

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    Beatriz M.

    Thank you Eve!! We hope to see you back again soon!

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Great Thai food and make a reservation. This place was super busy! The favors were authentic Thai and I enjoyed the food.

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Decent atmosphere, great food. Very glad to have leftovers! Our no. 1 Thai now. The real plants add to the fresh feeling.

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    thank you KW for your review! We hope to see you back soon!

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    Page 4 of 7

    Bua Thai Kitchen Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Bua Thai Kitchen

    Are you open today, Christmas? No answer on phone but reservations look available?

    Sorry for late response Yes we are open I thought 3 hours ago the electricity outage

    Are the dishes overly sweet with added sugar?

    No, things don't taste like there's a lot of sugar. The staff is are very accommodating, so you could request no added sugar.

    Is there a lunch menu?

    We have all day menu because we included the rice to main dishes you only paid for an extra rice Thank you.

    Can they accommodate a gluten free diet?

    Yes all of curry dishes are gluten free Thank you

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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    Noodles Fresh

    4.2(632 reviews)
    1.2 mi
    $$

    This is a cute little noodle and tea house that really hit the spot. I was craving noodles, and…read morethey definitely delivered. I ordered the Canton Seafood Stir Fry, which came with plenty of seafood and fresh-tasting noodles. The portion was generous, and everything came together really well. My husband ordered the Sweet & Sour Chicken, and he really enjoyed it too. It even came with rice, which feels like a nice bonus these days! Another pleasant surprise--they serve wine, too! We'll definitely keep this place in mind the next time we're craving noodles.

    Update: Thank you for your response and for taking this seriously. I only remember that the man was…read morean older white male driving a white car, but unfortunately I didn't notice the make. A friend of mine was also stopped by the same person when driving through the alley before, so this doesn't seem to be an isolated incident. I had previously been told that he might be associated with the restaurant, so I appreciate the clarification and your willingness to look into it. Original comment: I've been a regular customer at Noodles Fresh for a long time, and I've often entered through the Kearney St. entrance to pick up food. Tonight, at around 8:45 PM, I was simply walking through the small alley next to the restaurant's back entrance when an older white man in a car, who appeared to be associated with the restaurant, called out to me and told me that it was a "private parking area" and that I should not walk through there. His tone was unnecessarily rude and confrontational, especially since I was just passing by and had done nothing wrong. If pedestrians are not allowed to use that area, there should be clear signage or some kind of barrier indicating that it is private property. If there is an open walkway with no clear notice, I don't understand why someone should be spoken to so rudely simply for walking through it. As a longtime customer, I found the interaction extremely unpleasant and disrespectful. Unfortunately, after this experience, I will not be returning to Noodles Fresh.

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    Mugunghwa

    Mugunghwa

    4.4(305 reviews)
    1.3 mi
    $$
    Locally owned & operated
    Free parking

    Had another wonderful meal at Mugunghwa today. Their parking lot was completely packed on a…read moreTuesday night. At this point, I'm just cataloguing what we're eating: Premium Galbitang - This was excellent and my favorite dish today. This was a Galbitang, but they added 2 shrimp, an abalone, and some other seafood. I haven't had beef + seafood combo outside of the soft tofu stew, but I might have to consider it more after trying this dish. Packed with flavor. Galbi Dolsot - A large portion. Nice and crispy rice. Great sear on the galbi. Highly recommend. I've talked about the banchan before - best banchan in East Bay, although the turnip kimchi is out of control (needs to be cut into smaller pieces). Seafood Pancake - Pretty good version here. Crispy and flavorful. Thick Soybean Paste Stew - A hearty tofu soup with some veggies. It came out first and I thought it was a pretty good starter. Fried Chicken - I think the chicken here is ok in terms of crispiness and flavor. Original was good. Garlic was really odd. It was basically original with some kind of puree on top (raw garlic + sugar). Not something I would get again. Beef Bulgogi - We had a better version of this the last time we came. Today's did not get enough heat. No sear on the onions or the beef.

    We came here to celebrate and was able to get a large table pretty easily. You order using the…read moretablets that are at the end of each table. As soon as you order, the Banchan is served. Let me tell you, this was the best Banchan I have had in any Korean restaurant. The chive one was my favorite but they were all good. We ordered several dishes to try a little of everything. We ordered the seafood pancake, jap chae with beef, galbi jjim with cheese (you get to see them torch the cheese table side), bibimbop, tofu soup, and bossam. Everything was unbelievably tasty. This is definitely one of the best Korean meals I have ever had. The rice cakes were nice and chewy in the galbi jjim, the bossam was so delicious, the seafood pancake was nice and crispy. I could eat here all day. The service was quick, the staff was friendly, the restaurant was clean. I will definitely be back.

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    Tigon - N0. Beef Pho Combination / Phở Đặc Biệt

    Tigon

    4.2(257 reviews)
    1.2 mi
    $$
    Locally owned & operated
    Large group friendly

    A huge shout-out to Tigon for going the extra mile to provide vegan catering for the funeral…read morereception of my father. I had initially tried to cater from a vegan establishment. However, due to scheduling and resources, I approached Tigon, the nearest vegan friendly restaurant to Sunset Mortuary, to select a fully vegan menu. The food was delivered on time and packaged well. Everything was fresh, smelled and tasted delicious. As usual, the guests only realized there were no animal products because the host is vegan. Thank you Tigon for being extra accommodating and making the lunch service effortless for our family.

    Since Tigon opened, I've ordered take out multiple times but only recently eaten here. Based on my…read moreexperience, my preference is for take out. The 4 stars are for the food. I come back over and over for their flavorful vegan pho that's all I can think about when I've been sick and I'm ready to eat again. The beef pho looked good. Service was not terrible but also not good. There were a couple awkward ordering interactions, and after our food arrived, there was no further visit to our table- to check-in, ask if we needed water (we did) or bring our check. I saw I sign that said "pay here" but I never got a check brought to me which was odd since our order was taken at the table. The space is huge, with an eclectic decor. I like the high back wooden benches at the perimeter tables which give each table a sense of privacy and space in an otherwise open room.

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    Hong Kong Cafe - Hai Nam Style chicken w/Special Rice $15.95 | 02.21.2025

    Hong Kong Cafe

    3.9(238 reviews)
    1.1 mi
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    A 5:30 dinner on a Tuesday evening. Hong Kong Cafe appears to be the better restaurant for a…read morereasonably priced family meal. We took advantage of one of the set menus. Last time, we got the $88 dinner and added three dishes. This time, I ordered the $168 dinner. I found out after I placed the order that instead of picking from the left side for the less expensive menu and the right side for the more expensive menu, we can select from either side for either menu! We also added one dish because my wife insisted that we needed more veg! Our server presented us with a bowl of House Soup. It was a great way to get our stomachs ready for the deluge of dinner about to happen! Whole Roast Duck - 3 - We had dinner the previous night at another Chinese restaurant and had a Peking Duck. It was odd that the Peking Duck was more moist than our Roast Duck. Yes, the fatty parts were fatty but the non-fatty parts were dry. Braised Beef Stew - 4 - Lots of beef. Excellent sauce. Missing Tendons and Daikon. Honey Walnut Shrimp - 3 - Even under the flavor of the sauce, I could tell that some of the shrimp weren't as fresh as they should be. No one else said anything so I let it go. Peking Rib - 5 - If I drank beer, this would be an excellent dish to nosh on while doing so. Crispy Fried Flounder - 4 - The flounder was okay, but the fins and tail didn't get super crispy so we could enjoy them as chips. The other thing that may have made it better for us might be a sweet and sour sauce. Chicken with Mixed Mushrooms - 4 - Yep, I'm a mushroom freak. I could care less about the chicken, but mushrooms? I'm there. Stir-fried Clams in Black Bean Sauce - 4 - These were okay. My wife said she got a bunch of empty shells. That happens sometimes. No idea what other people got. Chicken Chow Mein - 5 - got the skinny noodles fried soy sauce chow mein style. Yummy! Snap Pea Beef - 4 - Beef was tender. Could have used more snap peas. Overall, a decent dish. I also included pictures of the two "set" menus. Note that $88 comes with a 1/2 Royal Chicken while $168 comes with a whole Roast Duck. Service was okay. Food came in spurts. Soup. Wait. Two dishes. Wait. Wait. Wait. Most everything else. Wait. Last three dishes.

    Usually love it, but bad experience today. 2:30 pm, 9/4/25. Not very busy. Service was very slow…read more Coconut chicken soup was just ok. Chicken was not flavorful. Found two hairs inside. Come on, HK, you can do better.

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    Larb Thai Food & Tapas

    Larb Thai Food & Tapas

    4.4(741 reviews)
    1.3 mi
    $$
    Vegetarian friendly
    Family-owned & operated

    Other than yelp, I may gate keep this place. Definitely a hidden gem in this community! It's hard…read moreto find notable Thai food anywhere in the bay, and I think this place may be it for me. Food. You can really taste the love, effort. Aunties and uncles in the back definitely throwing it down. You know the Thai food is good when the spice level is the actual spice level (some places say medium when there's no spice at all, lol). The khao soi alone is worth the trip. We'd also recommend (quite literally anything else). We also loved the Thai Arnold Palmer. Service feels like home. Respectful, friendly, kind and prompt. Ambience is busy during lunch! As they should be. Though, very attentive. Had us reminiscing about our time in Thailand - and felt the same kind of love, same notes of flavor of food. If i didn't have self control I'd probably be here once a week

    Drove from Hayward to try out this place because we've been seeing some post about their boat…read morenoodles being amazing. Was it great? It was decent. Would I make the drive again? Definitely not. The broth was a good balance of sweet, savory and spicy. What I wish I had more of was noodles. I felt that for the cost, it was a small amount (more like kids portion). For the boat noodles, I'd give it 5/10. We also order duck larb, Lao style papaya, sticky rice, bbq pork neck plate, and Thai ice tea. The duck larb was so good. Like 9/10. Not too fatty. I could eat that all day with sticky rice. The sticky rice was really good too! I am a picky sticky rice eater so I give it 10/10. The bbq pork neck plate was seasoned very well and my kids ate it up! Totally kid approved 9/10. As for the Lao style papaya, 2/10. Lao style papaya is my favorite style so when we had it here, I was greatly disappointed. It really just tasted like fish sauce. Nothing else. If it was closer it Hayward, I might go back for the duck larb but guys, the boat noodles was just alright. I know everyone has their own taste but to me, it wasn't worth it. Also! Our 5G didn't work there! Our kids couldn't watch anything to keep them busy so it was hard to have lunch with 2 kids. We didn't ask the restaurant if they had wifi mainly because they looked really busy. We didn't want to bother them. Just download some videos before you go . Honestly, if it was just me and my husband that went, it might have been a better experience. It's quite small and is more a great place for catching up with friends. The waitress was very nice and just left us to enjoy our food.

    Photos
    Larb Thai Food & Tapas - Crispy rice ball salad

    Crispy rice ball salad

    Larb Thai Food & Tapas - Dry tom yum. Got medium and it was SPICY, couldn't eat it and had to wash it with water.

    Dry tom yum. Got medium and it was SPICY, couldn't eat it and had to wash it with water.

    Larb Thai Food & Tapas

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    Lao Garden - Thu Lith's Famous Saikoo: Steamed tapioca balls w/ ground pork, sweet radishes, shallots ($25)

    Lao Garden

    4.5(137 reviews)
    1.7 miWest Berkeley

    Excellent food and service. Very friendly staff. Food is clean and fresh. All the dishes we had…read morewere great, both times we went. Lao cuisine is similar to Thai, but better! They use less sugar, which allows other flavors to come forward, while also being healthier. Definitely going to be a regualr spot for us.

    So blown away. My fiance and I tried this place on a whim after signing up for the InKind app at my…read moresister in law's suggestion. We decided to try this place craving something new, and we weren't disappointed. It wasn't busy around 6pm, but the vibes were really cute inside. I love the patio area they have. Would be perfect for a group meet up on a nice day. We ordered the pork sausage to start, the saikoo which according to my fiance is a must for laotian food, the yellow curry, and the crab fried rice. Everything was genuinely amazing. Here are my rankings below: Sausage: 8.5/10 Crab Fried Rice: (with the fish sauce) 9.5/10 Saikoo: (with the fish sauce) 9.5/10 Yellow Curry: 9/10 Would definitely order everything again. It's not quite thai, but thai with a twist I'd say. Bit on the pricey side, but everything was so fresh and you can see where the chefs are making everything, so you know you're getting quality. And the portions honestly made it really worth it. Such a great place! Will 100% be back.

    Photos
    Lao Garden - Pandan iced tea

    Pandan iced tea

    Lao Garden - Nam Khao: Crispy Rice w/ fermented pork sausage, peanuts, lettuce, herbs ($25)

    Nam Khao: Crispy Rice w/ fermented pork sausage, peanuts, lettuce, herbs ($25)

    Lao Garden - Grilled Rack of Lamb (3 pc-$32) + Sticky Rice ($8)

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    Grilled Rack of Lamb (3 pc-$32) + Sticky Rice ($8)

    Bua Thai Kitchen - thai - Updated September 2026

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