Chicago has an abundance of Thai food but Lao food is far few in between. Ever since traveling to Minnesota that has a large Hmong/Lao population, I've been craving for Lao food. This spot hits the spot. It's a small causal spot but the food was amazing and the flavors are legit and authentic. The chicken was very flavorful. We had the papaya salad with crab pasta and it was so good! read more

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Lao Der is a highly touted restaurant on Elston a bit south of Irving Park. This year-old restaurant serves "Lao & Thai Street Food" per its main signage. I've never had food from Laos, so my bud and I were looking forward to trying this place out. He actually had Vietnamese food on his mind, and we both imagined that we were "close" to that type of cuisine here. We split the tod louk chin as the appetizer - tasty little fried meatballs on skewers and served with tamarind sauce, cucumber and cabbage. My main course was the gai yang - chicken marinated in milk, garlic and oyster sauce. This came with a saucer of tamarind sauce and a cutesy covered vessel with sticky rice inside. My bud ordered khao mun gai yang - grilled chicken with ginger-garlic rice, a bowl of soup, and (you guessed it) a dish of tamarind sauce. He also drank a glass of lotus root juice, which he said was rather sweet for something billed as an herbal drink. Service and presentation were very pleasant, and the food was good. I gotta admit that I missed the extra flavor oomph that I was searching for, though that might be because I was trying to avoid anything that seemed too spicy. read more

We did takeout from here in a Saturday night. I placed the order online and the food was ready when promised. My wife ordered their Khao Mun Gai Yang, I ordered their Khao Mun Gai Combo and my son ordered their Sai Ua Moo w/ sticky rice and tomato sauce. My wife's dish and mine were essential the same, but hers came with grilled chicken and my combo came with steamed and fried chicken. Both dishes were good and my son's dish came with ground pork sausage that was very flavorful and went perfectly with the sticky rice. Overall the food was good but I'm not sure if I'd return anytime soon. read more

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I have had this place bookmarked forever and am happy to report that when I finally did go, I had such a delightful time. We got the nam khao, khao piek sen, a chicken ginger rice dish, the Lao beef jerky, Thai iced tea, and a coconut dessert. The nam khao was the absolute standout and favorite for our group and we agreed we would come back here just to have that. I was full but it was so good, I kept eating. The khao piek sen and coconut dessert (I forgot the name but you can look at the photo) were my other faves. The noodles were so bouncy and the soup was cozy. They also were so kind and the vibes were excellent. Love this place. read more

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Wonderful family run business featuring extra kind service in a cozy space. We found street parking easy and free! The food was good, but some items not as authentic as we remember having in Laos. Still tasty - especially the ginger sauce. BYOB is a bonus, but it's a bit far from home so not sure we will be able to visit regularly. So glad we tried it. read more

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We shared: 1. Sai Ua Moo - Ground Pork, lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves, garlic, onion, chili powder, turmeric brow sauce 2. Khao Mun Gai Combo - steamed & fried chicken, ginger-garlic rice, homemade soybean-ginger-garlic chili sauce, sweet & sour dipping sauce 3. Khao Piek Sen - Homemade rice noodle, onion & cilantro, fried shallots, black pepper, home made chicken meatball served in flavorful chicken broth. 4. Lao Wings - fish sauce, sugar, tamarind 5. Lao Der jerky - Beef, Lemongrass, garlic, chili powder served with tomato jeow Easy 5/5. Lao sausage was not the juicy kind but super flavorful on its own and yummy with the sauce and sticky rice. The chicken noodle soup was light and flavorful, meats tender, and nice chewy noodles. Personally, I prefer longer noodles for slurping but this was so good overall, I didn't mind. The fried and steamed chicken were not only perfectly cooked but the rice is also seasoned which justifies the price more. Lao wings and jerky were also good and worth trying. Nothing I don't recommend trying. Service was good and friendly. Decent amount of seating for small groups inside. read more

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There is not any other Lao restaurant in Chicago that I'm aware of so I was excited to try them even though the menu is small and the dishes resemble Thai dishes. My friend and I ordered 3 items 1. The sweet Lao jerky (sin savahn) was my least favorite. It was over fried to a crisp. It was crumbly and didn't taste like meat 2. Khao mun gai special (fried and steamed chicken) with comes with soup. It was bland. The crispy chicken was better than the steamed. 3. Nam Khao: jasmine rice with red curry paste, fermented pork, coconut shreds, cilantro, green onion, mint and lettuce. This was the highlight. I had never had anything like it and would order again. Service was fine. We had to ask for more water. We also got charged for a dish that we considered but didn't order but only noticed after our cards were charged but they offered to refund us cash or cancel the charge and charge the correct one. Another time a different friend ordered a few items for takeout. He got the spicy jerky which was not over fried. He thought the papaya salad and laarb gai were not spicy enough, not a level 5 spice, just a 3 even though he asked for 5. The papaya salad was sliced like thick wide noodles not strands like we were used to. Their wings were so so. We didn't expect them to be covered in a sauce. Also got their sausage which was good. read more

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A nice, authentic Laotian and Thai restaurant with a simple and cozy atmosphere. I had the khao piek sen and my partner had the laab gai. Both were very flavorful and the spices came through nicely in the laab gai. The Chinese donuts (an add-on) were more like an unsweet croissant and tasted really good in the khao piek sen. We had the khanom tan for dessert and it was similar to lightly sweetened cornbread but with more of a homemade freshness. Our waitress was very nice and attentive. This is a great restaurant for authentic Laotian/Thai food. read more

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Really cute restaurant around the Irving park area. It felt really homey and warm inside and the service was very friendly. My family came here for lunch on Sunday and arrived around 11:30 AM. The waitress put in our orders but it took about 25 min for the food to come out, so expect some waiting time. I ordered the chicken noodle soup, my dad got the beef pho, and my husband got the lunch special. Everything was delicious and tasted really fresh and healthy. They put seasonings on the table in case you want your food to taste more spicy or salty. For my soup, I enjoyed the chewy noodles and thought the chicken needed some sauces to dip it in. It tasted a bit bland by itself. I added fish sauce and chili oil to my soup which greatly improved it. Everything was pretty reasonably priced as well, about $15 per dish. Definitely give it a visit if you want to try Laotian dishes. read more

Lao Der - Laotian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Ordered the khao min gai combo special, Nam Khao and a beef jerky that was on special. The narn khao was by far my favorite and you should order that. It has Jasmine rice, red curry paste, coconut shreds, lime leaves, cilantro, green onion, peanuts, pork snd is super flavorful and almost sweet. The khao min gai combo special is good if you are a chicken lover. It has some friend chicken and non fried with two different sauces. It was good, not spectacular. The jerkey was fine and a little spicy. We added the sticky rice with it. The inside is small and there aren't a ton of tables so you may have to wait. This is best for groups of 2 or 4. One waitress was working the entire restaurant by herself! Easy street parking. read more

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I was really excited to try Laotian food for the first time, and I definitely want to go back for more! The restaurant is on the smaller side but thankfully we had no wait for a party of three at 12:30 on a weekend. The service was warm and efficient! They patiently answered some questions we had about the food. The spice level is customizable from 1:00 to 5:00 and we picked which was a sufficient kick for me . One of my favorites was the nam khao - all of the punchy flavors and textures made me reaching back for more. The lao style beef vermicelli soup (Khao Poon Nam Seen) was also a hit. It was very comforting with good depth of flavor. Overall I'd recommend giving Lao Der a try if you like southeast Asian cuisine! read more

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Ambiance - casual, authentic Laotian food, small seating area Service - staff was super nice & food came out fairly quickly Food - love that their menu is small, Lao pho beef was great for a chilly cold day, wings were crunchy & flavorful with spices, khao mun gai combo (portion was huge & definitely sharable) read more

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08/16/25 - Lao Thai located @ 3932 N Elston Ave. Lao Thai is a combination of Laotian & Thai Street Food that has been around for about 4 months. My wife & I went to dinner tonight & were treated to delicious meal. When we first went in a perused the menu we found it a bit confusing thinking it was a Thai restaurant. What we later found is a combination of Laotian &Thai food. We ordered a couple of dishes to be shared one was the Nam Khao. This dish was absolutely spectacular w/a delicious of flavors & textures, from crunchy bits of fermented pork, peanuts, lime leaves, cilantro, red curry paste, green onions & lime. Absolutely delicious. Laab Gai Chicken - Chicken w/red & green onions, cilantro, lime chili, fish sauce, cucumber & red radishes. This was very reminiscent of Thai garlic chicken. The Laab Gai Chicken came w/a cute little container of sticky rice. All the dishes can be custom ordered w/a level spiciness from 1-5 w/5 being the spiciest. One comment I had is the portion size are on the smallish size but make up for it w/outstanding flavors & textures The server was so friendly & cute but I had difficulty understanding her when she explained menu items. My wife and I both throughly enjoyed this restaurant from the ambiance to the service & will be back again. The restaurant is fairly small so if you want to plan for a family or larger event it's recommended that you get reservations. I Love this restaurant & will be back read more

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Now this is what I call flavor. First time trying Laos food, and I'm worried the standard has been set too high. Nam Khao was SOOO good. I love texture, especially scorched rice, and the fried pieces of rice AND puffed rice and peanuts... gah texture heaven. The fermented pork wasn't salty but sour and with the fragant mint and lime, so so perfect. A level 4 spice wasn't bad at all, the waiter said it was "american spice" levels. If you don't like sour I wouldn't recommend, since i love squeezing too much lemon/lime on everything I eat, and honestly this didn't need much on top of everything else. Heartbreaking I couldn't try everything since I came solo. Waiter was so sweet as well, she genuinely cared about the customers. Definitely would recommend. read more

Lao Der - Laotian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The food didn't quite live up to the hype for me. I genuinely want to support local businesses, but this experience was a bit underwhelming. The beef jerky tasted a little stale, and the pho was just ok. Nothing thrilling. My friend ordered a chicken dish, which I thought tasted better. If you're deciding between chicken and beef, chicken might be the safer option. The staff were friendly, though the service was a bit slow at times. It took me a few attempts to make eye contact with the when I wanted to ask for a check. Street parking was not hard to find. read more

We ordered the gai yang and the chicken soup - the gai yang chicken wasn't spectacular by itself but with the dipping sauce it comes with, amazing. The chicken soup was a solid chicken soup that hit the spot on a subzero day here in Chicago. read more

Lao Der - Gai Yang - Laotian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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After volunteering today in the nature preserve, my girls and I ate at Lao Der in Irving Park. It was our first time there - and it definitely won't be our last. We ordered the beef jerky and the tamarind wings for our appetizers. For entrees, I had the khao min gai and my daughters had the khao min gai tod (fried version) and khao piek sin. Everything really was great and we even ordered to-go to bring home food for the hubby. We can't wait to come back again and try some of their other dishes. Service was quick and server was really nice. The restaurant itself is small but quaint and cozy. read more

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I have had better Not going back Thai Valley is my safe place lack of menu items food seems unauthentic I've been to Thailand read more

On our first visit we wanted to focus on dishes that were unfamiliar to us so we went with: - Tum Luangphabrang - (papaya salad) server gave us a heads up on the funkiness from the anchovy and crab paste - Lao Der Jerky (savory) - Tod Louk Chin (fried meatball) - Lab Gai (chicken salad) - Khanom Tan (steamed coconut cake dessert) Great service, fresh interior. Nifty mural at the Chicago Kendo Dojo next door. read more

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This place was quite pleasant. We were kindly greeted by the owner, who promptly took our order and got us waters. We got the Beef Pho and the Gai Yang. Both were perfect portions, that were cooked masterfully. You can tell that this place cares a lot about staying true to their roots, while the flavors were deep and aromatic. The broth of the Pho was magnificent! This little place packed a big punch in our stomachs, and I would definitely be back. For a place that hasn't been open long, Lao Der deserves to have our business! read more

Lao Der - Beef Pho - Laotian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I had heard good things about Lao Der from friends and have been wanting to try it out since then and I'm so glad I did. Came on a Sunday afternoon for lunch and snagged the last table. The restaurant is pretty small and wouldn't be good for large parties. I had the khao piek sen (homemade rice noodle, onion, cilantro, fried shallots, black pepper, home made chicken meatball served in flavorful chicken broth). I came with hubby and a friend and we shared the Lao Der jerky (beef, lemongrass, garlic,chili powder served with tomato jeow), Lao wings (chicken wings with fish sauce, sugar, tamarind), and sai ua moo Laos with sticky rice and tomato sauce (ground pork, lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves, garlic, onion, chili powder, turmeric brow sauce). The khao piek sen was so comforting especially since it was a chilly winter day when we dined in. The noodles were addicting and I couldn't stop eating them. I only nibbled on a piece of jerky since it's not my jam. I'm normally not a sausage person but the sai ua moo Laos was flavorful and I enjoyed the taste of lemongrass. I wish it came with more sticky rice. It came in a small container so it was presented nicely but I would have rather have had more of it on the plate instead. The chicken wings had a nice bite but I don't remember it standing out. Overall, everything was good and would come back to try other dishes! read more

Our whole table was delighted by the meal we were served at Lao Der, from the papaya salad and nam khao to the chicken noodle soup and Lao sausage dish. While I would not recommend the grilled bananas with salted caramel for dessert, we loved the seasonal pumpkin custard. Thai chimes play in the background as the servers warmly place the dishes down on the bright wooden tables. The simple yet inviting atmosphere and delectable flavors/textures will bring me back! read more

Lao Der - Nam khao and sausage - Laotian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This is such a hidden gem! I believe its newly opened but the food was phenomenal. I tried almost everything on the menu and every fish had its own unique favor and did not disappoint. My favorite was the Khao mun gai which is like the Hainan chicken rice- rhe chicken was juicy, lightly flavored, over flavored rice. Every bite was joyful. We also tried the wings, nam Khao, and the sausage with sticky rice. As for dessert we tried the khanom thual which is similar to puto in Filipino cuisine, with light coconut flavor. Our servers were so friendly and attentive, theg also gave you option for spicy level which is super thoughtful. The restaurant itself is small so either make reservations you would have to wait in line. read more

First time at Lao Der and my friends and I loved all the mains and appetizers we got. I especially loved the nam khao and chicken noodle soup. The chicken noodle soup was hearty, flavorful and the rice noodles had a nice chewy texture. The nam khao had a spicy kick to it but was balanced by an array of vinegary/tangy, rich, and savory flavors - the crispy jasmine rice added a fun textural component to the dish that I really enjoyed. I would personally pass on the desserts offered here - we ordered two things that taste-wise flopped (especially after such great mains and appetizers). I didn't even bother to take a photo of the caramelized banana dessert dish we ordered. Regardless, will most definitely be back!! read more

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I've been wanting to try a Laotian restaurant while visiting Chicago. I found out about Lao Der from the YouTube video with Julian and Robert when they were roaming around Chicago. They caught my eye when they talked about sai Oua (Lao sausage). Lao sausage is one of my favorite things to eat with sticky rice, and it's hard to find in Austin, or anywhere, unless you find a prevalent Lao community (which are far and few in between). We stopped in and ordered a variety of dishes- Tum Vientiane (papaya salad), laab gai (chicken), sai Oua with sticky rice, Nam khao, and the combination khao mun gai (steamed and fried chicken) with garlic ginger rice. The papaya was shaved/cut differently than what I'm used to, but still good flavor. I did regret getting the chicken laab instead of the beef one, because it's a little drier, but next time I'd try the beef. The sai Oua was delicious and herbaceous with the jeow mak len (tomato chili sauce). The Nam khao was slightly soggy than crispy, but it was a decent meal overall. It's hard bc no one can beat mom's cooking, but it hits the spot read more

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I met a couple of friends for dinner at this cute new restaurant after neighbors raved about the food. We were excited to try a selection of their amazing dishes: Esan Sausage w/sticky rice - little fat, lemongrassy sausages w/a dipping sauce - really yummy Lao Wings - crispy, hot, savory, these were delish! Lao Der Jerky - mildly spicy lemongrassy beef strips - yum! Nam Khao - one of my faves, crispy rice chunks w/peanuts, coconut, fresh mint, & so many flavors! Sai Ua Moo Laos w/sticky rice - pork sausages w/lemongrass, so flavorful! Khao Mun Gai Tod - succulent boneless chicken over a ginger rice, w/a dipping sauce - another fave! Dessert: Khanom Thual - warm, steamed, lightly sweet, lightly pandan-flavored coconut dessert, another fave! Khanom Tan - warm steamed little lightly sweet, palm-sugar flavored cakes w/coconut shreds It sounds like a lot of food, but we finished it all, & were happily full but not stuffed. We loved ALL the food, & each had our own faves. The wings were a huge hit, and really everything was repeatworthy. We want to come back & try their noodles for sure! Service was SUPER WARM, attentive & friendly, and really made our whole dinner fantastic. Highly recommend!! read more

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Absolute gem of a place where you can get your wings and many other things here. One of the only Laotian restaurants in all of Chicago, Lao Der serves everything from Tamarind Chicken wings as an appetizer to jerky, and delicious entrees . Highly recommend the Lao sausage. Service is very friendly and you get your food quick ! Very casual atmosphere. This is a must go to place! #asian #lao #asian #hiddengem read more

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Excellent food excellent service 100% recommended already looking forward to my return read more

The absolute best som tam in all the land. Everything we had was incredible and what a treat to find sai ua on a menu (a rare find!).

Soooo good! Especially the Nam Khao! I also liked the lotus tea. Will definitely be coming back to try more dishes.

Been here a few time since they opened early this summer and it's a hit! I'm Hmong and my family is from Laos and this is definitely homemade food. My family is in South Carolina so this is the closest I can get. I've gotten almost everything off the menu and everything is great. Love that the menu is small but has everything. When my boyfriend and I come we always have to order the papaya salad and the beef lab or chicken lab. The restaurant is small with only a few tables but is always full when we're there. I hope people come and support so they will continue to stay in business. Definitely will be back soon!! This is from what we ordered last time we were here last month. Oh also this was the first time we order the wings and we def will be ordering it every time we're there. read more

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We did takeout for a bunch of their appetizers to try. Out the ones we ordered, we liked the Nam Khao the best. Very flavorful and unique! Makes you keep wanting to eat more! read more

Food was authentic and delicious. We were pleasantly impressed to find flavors that we reminded us of home in Chicago! read more

Lao Der - Nam Khao, Thai Esan sausage, Lab Gai (Chicken Salad), beef Sin savanh ( Sweet jerky Lao style ) - Laotian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Lao Der is excellent, and this is coming from someone who is often out dying on the hill of bemoaning Chicago's Southeast Asian food scene. I knew from the instant I bit into the Sai Oua (sausage) that they were going to be cooking with gas. Both that type of sausage and Esan sausage (I didn't get it here, but just in general) should be almost more herb chunks and than meat, and that was the case. They also served it with a quite spicy tomato jeow, something that is SUPER rare to find even in the more Thai-Lao enclaves on the coasts. Usually you get an adapted fish sauce or something. But the jeow is where it's at. We also got khao piek sen (chicken soup) and nam khao (I guess you'd call it fermented pork crispy rice salad?). Sometimes nam khao is more larby (dry rice powder, so sort of a mildly crunchy larb) and sometimes it's got giant chunks of puffed rice and is basically an herby puffed rice salad with chunks of meat. Here it's the latter. It's a LITTLE sweet for me and I wouldn't argue with more lettuce leaves to wrap it in, but it's really herby and that's what's important. Khao piek sen can be be described as the ultimate sick day comfort food chicken soup. It's not exciting, it's not supposed to be, the point is that it's soothing and has tender boiled chicken, and it does here. Do I wish the menu were more extensive? Kind of, so I could try more stuff, especially since this is to my knowledge the only dedicated Laotian restaurant in Chicago since the one in Edgewater became Talard Thai Market, but I appreciate that they want to focus on what they're good at. read more

So happy to finally have a Lao restaurant in the city! We were on our way home from the airport and ordered an array of items to go. We ordered the thum vientiane (papaya salad), chicken wings, khao piek Sen (chicken noodle soup), laap ga and the sai oua. Being Lao myself I knew I had to order a handful of different items to try. Everything was DELICIOUS and fresh and worth the price. The wings were delicious to eat with the sticky rice, papaya salad and the Laos sausage. Lao sausage is one of my favs and this spot does it right. The noodle soup was a huge portion with fresh soft noodles. The sticky rice was fresh, sometimes when I've ordered sticky rice at other spots, the rice comes out too mushy. Lao Der is definitely authentic and hit the spot. On top of all of this the staff are very friendly and welcoming. We had a great interaction with them and are looking forward to stopping in to sit and eat next time. read more

Really happy to find this spot. Not many places to get legit Lao food. We got carry out and everything went smooth. The cashier was kind and very welcoming. We ordered the Lab Beef, Nam Khao, and the Khao Mun Gai Combo. All delicious and would get again for sure. The reason I'm giving 3 stars is we also got the Sin Savanh and the Lao Der Jerky dishes. Both tasted good but the portion sizes were horrible. We got like 6 or 7 really dry and small pieces of jerky per dish. The dryness we could live with, but no way I'd pay $14(each) for those dishes again. Definitely disappointed there. read more

My husband and I been here twice over the last couple of weeks and have been impressed both times. The food was delicious and the service was wonderful. Would recommend the Nam Khao, it's become a favorite! I am gluten free and they have a decent number of gluten free items. They are a small kitchen cannot guarantee to be completely free of cross contamination, but said they would do their best. So far I haven't had an issue and it's definitely worth it. read more

Great authentic Lao food finally in Chicago! They have 3 different types of papaya salads and they ask how spicy you prefer it. I am so happy this Lao restaurant exists because I am going back for sure read more

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First time trying Lao cuisine and did not disappoint. Savory, spice ok, tasty, proportions are optimal. Try it and see for yourself. Service: 10/10 Food quality: 10/10 Presentation and place: 10/10 ***Pet friendly. I just had to mention this because we dined at ~50 temp outside. I had a small dog that we kept in the corner so it would not pose an issue with other customers. Staff was very considerate. Thank you. read more

Lao Der - Lao Der jerky Thai Ice Tea Lemon tea Sticky Rice Sai Ua Moo Laos w/ Sticky Rice & Tomato Sauce Lab Gai (Chicken Salad) - Laotian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

At Lao Der the thermostat is set to 82 degrees Fahrenheit which is my only critism, so if you like it warm, you'll be happy. The light cucumber flesh color of the walls with the blonde wood paneling and tables give it an airy feel with a mishmash of a few Lao/Thai signifiers rounding out the look of this 22 seater. The staff were pleasant and welcoming. Though asked what spice heat we wanted our food (we said "hot") we got it in the mild range. No matter, the food was superb. Only had two dishes but wanted more. Sai ua Moo Lao, one of two traditional sausages served with sticky rice, it had that wonderful sour taste tempered with sticky rice, frankly scrumptious. The equally outstanding Nam Khao was complex and though not sweet, took on a desserty feel with the Khao Tod Lang (crispy fried rice) and puffed rice mixture being prominent and generous, with sour cured ham, coconut, mint, cilantro, lettuce and peanuts, so good I could have eaten another. And it seems like a small thing but the Laotian soundtrack that sounded like the Jeopardy Theme played in the jungle manner of South-East Asia was perfect. read more

Lao Der - Sai ua Moo with sticky rice - Laotian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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