Loved Padaek. The service was friendly and thoughtful. Our server made great suggestions. We ordered all kinds of dishes. The kra prow and the Burmese tea salad stood out the most. Flavors are authentic and the perfect balance of sweet spicy and sour. They also serve delicious cocktails. I had a tamarind cocktail which was to die for. read more

It's been almost 2 years since I ate there last. Went on a Sat night and surprisingly not busy. Guessing the extreme cold made everyone stay home. We got the crunchy rice with sour pork (naem khao thadaeu), pork shoulder (ping), fried catfish (patod), chicken pad thai (kua mee), and warm coconut milky dessert (bua loy). All the dishes were delicious but a bit more salty than Thai. Feels like a lot of fish sauces in all the dishes. The crunchy rice came with lettuce but ours were not the best lettuce. The fried catfish were nicely fried with a perfect coating. Definitely a dish to get. The pork shoulder is another dish to get. Nicely seasoned with sticky rice. Their version of pad thai is uniquely different than Thai. A bit more sweet but the lime makes it better. Wife wanted to try bua loy dessert. It is a warm sweet dessert that balanced out all the salty flavors of the dishes. Something to try as well. Flavor are still the same. The dishes we order were too much for 2 of us. My only complaint was the restaurant smelled like smoke when we walked in. Not the kind where there was a fire in the kitchen but more like someone smoking in the kitchen? read more

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This was my first time trying Laotian food and I really enjoyed everything we ordered. I heard of this place because I heard they are a sister restaurant to baan Mae and thip khao which my friends have highly recommended in DC. However, I'm a recommend this spot out of convenience and availability to the nova area and price point (relative to their dc storefronts). This place is tucked away in the corner of the plaza in falls church so even though I frequented this area before, I did not realize it was here. Service is very nice and the auntie who took our order gave us recommendations from the recommended. Food was really amazing we got the drunken noodles , the ping,naem khao thadeu, and Khoa poon. I really liked all the dishes but definitely the khao thadeu really stood out to me with its crispy texture alongside the salad though I was skeptical at first. Will definitely recommend and come again to try the other items on the menu. read more

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We ordered take out from here . After a long time having their delicious food. Just yummy . All their dishes are very well prepared and tastes very good . read more

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Never having tried Laotian food, I didn't know what I was missing out on. Similar to other Southeast Asian cuisine, Padaek offers Thai dishes as well as Laotian dishes. The menu isn't extensive but there's enough to choose from for every course. For starters we chose the fried tofu (it was extra firm) and beef jerky, which came with a small portion of sticky rice and a red sauce. I would've preferred the fried tofu wasn't as firm, but it was different and passable, so we ate it. The beef jerky was very good and a good starter. For my main dish I had the Kua Nee, which is basically Pad Thai but with rice noodles. The dish was topped with scallions, egg, cilantro, and mung bean sprouts. The noodles were tossed in a sweet, brown sauce. If you're someone who likes sweet and savory, this dish is for you. My friend had a curry dish and really enjoyed it. Service was great and our server was very friendly. This is a small restaurant but not too packed, so walking up shouldn't be an issue. read more

Padaek - Kua Mee with Chicken - Thai Near Me - Falls Church, Virginia

We were looking for a place that can seat 6 people for Dinner on Friday night to celebrate a friend's birthday. Since I work around the area, my friend suggested this place for us to try. I've had heard a lot of good things about the food in this place, truly lives up to the expectations. The place is small, but feels very homey and all the customers seem to be enjoying the meals they get. The weather has become colder, and hot Laotian stew sounded wonderful that night. Everything that we ordered was great, of course some were stellar than others, but mainly because most of the dishes were ordered to be pescatarian and veggie. We started with the Naem Khao Thadeau, which is a crispy coconut rice salad with peanuts, scallions, lime and chili, we had it with tofu and it was wonderful because the tofu provided some nice textures that allowed the start of the dish the coconut rice to shine! I it was a pretty big salad, everyone had at least one full lettuce wrap portion of it! Everyone, except me had Sai Qua, the herbal pork sausage, usually I don't feel too bad for not having certain meat dishes, but I was very envious because it looked great! (And they confirmed it tastes amazing! Spicy and rich!). The whole table also shared the Chuen Taohu, spicy crispy tofu tossed in a tamarind sauce, sweet tangy and spicy! It's definitely milder than the Drunken Noodle Tofu, which in comparison to the appetizer, felt like the tofu needed to soak a little bit more with the spicy marinated, but I understand the chunks of tofu might help sooth the spiciness level of that dish! From the noodles dishes, the Pad Thai was probably my favorite! I love that the sauces caramelized beautifully the tofu and the thin noodles! I feel like most of the pad Thai are just too sweet because they add to much sugar instead of letting the actual fish sauce and dark soy sauce to caramelize in the actual wok! The Moak Catfish (a Laotian staple) is definitely one of the best fish dishes I've had in the DMV! The catfish is steamed inside banana leaves with lemongrass, wood ear mushrooms and coconut milk with curry, so tender, aromatic and the dish has so many textures from the mushrooms and the fresh dill they add! It's definitely a different flavor compared to the rest of the dishes we ordered! As for their Laotian Stew, Tofu Awk, was all I wanted on a cold winter night! Light brothy stew! It's so cozy and feels so rich at the same time! I can't wait to come back, and probably just order the same stuff because all the things we got were 10/10 (maybe the drunken noodles were a 8/10 for read more

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Small parking lot in a shopping center but we came here on a Tuesday night and didn't have any issues with parking. I ordered the Singha beer which was really crisp, light and refreshing. For our appetizer, we opted to split the Naem Khao Thadeau (Crispy Rice Salad). You can pick between sour pork or tofu and we opted for the Pork. I chose this based off of other reviews and this was by far the most mentioned dish and it didn't disappoint. One my of my friends who come here often actually usually gets this for her main dish. Definitely recommend. For my entree, I ordered the Khao Poon (Red Coconut Curry Noodle Soup) with Shrimp. This was incredibly flavorful and I loved the noodles and the soup. My friend ordered the Gaeng Keow Wan (Green Curry) that looked good. My other friend ordered the Pad Thai with tofu. The pad Thai was very flavorful but the tofu was a little too firm and not crispy, just very firm which seemed a little strange to me. Overall great food and decent service. It was quiet at first but started to fill up a little bit. Food is pretty quick but definitely recommend and would absolutely come back to try other dishes! read more

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Piing muu 4.75/5 Paa tawd 5/5 fried catfish is perfectly fried Moak 5/5 Mieng with tofu 4.5 read more

Really good food. Well seasoned and flavorful, and they put a little spice in the pad thai that gives an extra kick probably best pad thai I've had. Great food all around. Skip Eden center come here read more

food: love that the menu has options for both Thai and Laotian! I tried one of the Laotian noodle dishes (khao Mee) which is noodles in red curry with bean sprouts and cabbages. This dish had amazing flavor and was a fairly large dish which I appreciate given the price. I do wish there was a little more variety in veggies & meat (I got the chicken option). There's others options on the menu as well such as rice, curry, & app / sides. Service: there's a small dining room inside and service was good & food came out fast. Parking: a small parking lot is next to it or you can park at the top that is shared within the plaza. Overall great place and would come back to try other items in the menu. read more

Padaek - Thai Near Me - Falls Church, Virginia

Great option for Laotian/Thai cuisine in Falls Church in the Seven Corners area (near the Home Depot)! I stopped by here in mid-December 2024 to pickup some takeout dishes. The waitstaff was helpful as I placed my order in the restaurant before asking me to wait for 15 minutes. Padaek has a pleasant interior, but feels a little worn since it's been around for a decade. Lots of pluses. First, the crispy rice salad (with sour pork) is phenomenal and will wow anyone. Second, my sons enjoyed the crispy basil chicken and pad-see-ew with beef. Since my last visit here was in 2019, one downside is that prices felt a bit higher than I had anticipated ($18-$21 per dish), but I think all restaurant prices have increased since 2022. Overall, if you'd like to treat your family to a bit of Laotian/Thai food, this is an awesome place for takeout or dining-in! read more

Padaek - Thai Near Me - Falls Church, Virginia

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This place serves both Thai and Lao cuisines. Have never been disappointed One of my go to places for Thai food. read more

Been a handful of times for carry out and dining. Most recently lunch. Crispy coconut rice salad was super tasty- even the leftovers. Usually get the Khao Poon, Taohu Tu (crispy tofu), and papaya salad. Always enjoy everything but think the price is a tad steep (used to Bay Area prices... still not used to the DMV). Other than that- service is good. Ambiance accommodates casual eating solo or having a laid back meal. Never any issues with takeout from online ordering either. read more

Padaek - Naem Khao Thadaeu - Thai Near Me - Falls Church, Virginia

Great place for Lao/Thai food. Friendly staff and quick service. The grilled pork was exceptional. Sticky rice was a little dry. Khao poon was okay but thr portion was big. Very fulfilling meal in terms of quality and quantity. Lovely decoration inside! read more

Padaek - Grilled pork - Thai Near Me - Falls Church, Virginia

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I totally forgot the names of the dishes but my friend and I had two entrees and an appetizer. The taste was amazing and the prices were reasonable! The service was also great! The appetizer was a pork sausage dish with an awesome savory sauce. The appetizer came with sticky rice. The pork and sticky rice complemented each other well! This appetizer is 5/5. I took a bite of the fish from my friend's dish and thought it was amazing. I loved the flavor of the fish and the soup and the spices mixed within! My sweet and tangy beef dish with peppers and onion was a tad bit too oily. However, the overall taste of the dish was still good. This dish came with regular jasmine rice. I believe the total before tip was around $40-45. My friend and I both thought this little restaurant deserves a resounding five outta five. We'll definitely go back! read more

Padaek - Sausage appetizer - Thai Near Me - Falls Church, Virginia

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Two Haiku Review: I come here often. Good service, food, ambiance Unique Lao cuisine. Recommend getting: Nam tok mu, Nam Khao Thadeau, Paa tod, and Tum Lao read more

This is the OG spot that introduced us to Laos food. Everything on the menu is good but especially their curries and the crispy rice salad. When we went the few times, they tended to be busy around peak dinner times so you might have to wait for a table and service can be slower if they are busy or understaffed. Be patient, the food is worth it! read more

Padaek was truly a magical experience. The ambience was so pristine and sweet. The service was absolutely amazing. I got the pad Thai and spring rolls and they were so delicious. I highly recommend coming here. read more

I tried their Pad See Ew, it was ok, made with broccoli instead of the traditional Gai Lan (Chinese broccoli), which does make a difference. Not the best I had. Service is friendly, and the atmosphere cozy. read more

Padaek - Dining room - Thai Near Me - Falls Church, Virginia

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5/5 for everything - food, service, ambiance, price. LOVED this spot. The food was incredibly authentic and I savored the Lao food. I got crispy rice lettuce wrap (most delicious thing ever!), a curry, and the pompano fish (WOW!). Flavor profile hit the spot! The food came out a little slower than normal, but not too long. The people working there were super friendly and helped guide my friend and I on what to eat. Definitely would come back! read more

Woohoo Padaek is finally back to pre-covid amazing! During COVID we felt like the quality and taste really deteriorated but we ordered takeout again recently and it's back to being top notch again. Our favorites without a doubt are the pork shoulder, crispy rice salad (with sour pork), drunken noodles, and Penang curry. All super flavorful and excellent, even through takeout. While it ain't cheap, you truly get what you pay for with Thai in this area. Padaek provides excellent dishes all around and the best/authentic flavors. Can't beat Padaek for Thai in the Falls Church area and so glad they're back to their usual great quality dishes! read more

This place was super lowkey located in a strip mall complex. Nothing super fancy but service was quick and food was good. We got the pad thai (a classic) and tofu basil with rice. Usually i'm a big fan of the pad thai but this time i really loved the tofu basil! It was so flavorful and the tofu had the perfect crunch. read more

This place combined of Laos and Thai food. Food were great and service was nice. All items we ordered were on point. read more

Padaek - Crispy tofu with tamarind sauce - Thai Near Me - Falls Church, Virginia

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Nice spot for a slight alternative for Thai food. There were a lot of items we wanted to try. Kua mee noodles was similar to pad Thai but thin noodles and a little more salty. Very nice. read more

Padaek - Thai Near Me - Falls Church, Virginia

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Thankful the good people of Reddit have recommended Padaek again and again. My husband and I have eaten here twice now and it has been great every time. The food is delicious, every dish has been delicious, the crispy basil chicken is one of our favorite dishes and we love the drunk noodles as well. The pork piing was also outstanding! For best results, invite your friends and share everything! read more

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Trust me, when I say.. you NEED to check this place out. This restaurant has become my favorite Thai Restaurant from just one visit. The only downside is that this location is quite small so you'll have to wait for a table. I came here on Friday evening, around 6pm and had to wait about 15-20 minutes for a table? We were so luckily that we didn't have to wait too long; a line formed behind us! When we were standing around waiting for a table, we got to really take in all the decor and aesthetic of the place. It's simply decorated with Thai paintings, curtains and tablecloth. [Food: 5 of 5] Tum Lao: 5/5 : Lao style papaya salad served with sticky rice. This dish was one of my favorites and was pretty spicy; I love spicy so this was such a great kicker for me. The sticky rice and the lettuce paired well and helped soothe the spiciness. Satay: 5/5 : Best Chicken Satay I have ever had. The sauce was a little too sweet buy it was honestly soo good, I over looked it. Drunken Noodle: 4/5 : This dish didn't WOW me but it was pretty good still. Pad Thai: 4/5 Ordered mine with no bean sprouts (yuck!). It could've used a squeeze of lime and some (or a lot) pepper flakes! [Drinks: 4 of 5] This rating is based on my personal preference. I LOVE Thai Tea and this was just the right ratio of milk to tea. I'm not giving this a 5 of 5 because I did not enjoy the coffee thai tea, I think those 2 drinks should not mix. However, my friend did really enjoy it. So if you want some extra caffeine and try something new, get the coffee thai tea! I can't wait to come back to this restaurant and try their other dishes! read more

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My second time here and I'm so glad I came back! The first time I came I was a little disappointed. I'm Laos so maybe I had a high expectations? But this time around I was genuinely surprised and pleased with my experience. First ordered the Satay and I was obsessed. The chicken was not dry, but juicy and very flavorful. I was obsessed with the peanut sauce the chicken was coated in. The Satay was slightly charred which enhanced the chicken's natural flavors. I should've ordered another one to be honest! For my entree I ordered the Gaeng Keow Wan, green coconut curry! I loved it so much and it was delicious! The coconut milk base gives the dish a velvety and creamy texture that balances the spiciness with a smooth richness. The chicken was also a great addition. It adds texture and absorbs are the flavors and pairs so well with rice. I'm so hungry writing this and can't wait to go back! read more

Padaek - Gaeng Keow Wan - Thai Near Me - Falls Church, Virginia

Stopped here for dinner after shopping in Eden Center (very close by). The restaurant specializes in Lao cuisine with some Thai offerings as well. The menu had very unique items (collard green wraps with pineapple) as well as standard curry, noodle and salad dishes. I ordered the Khao poon, which was a rice noodle soup bowl in red curry. The bean sprouts and red cage were added in raw, but cooked well in the soup broth and remained crunchy. The protein of choice was tofu, and it was very generously portioned. A very tasty dish with a little bit of spice and sour. My companion had the awk (herb stew) with tofu and sticky rice and loved it. Great place! read more

Padaek - Khao poon - Thai Near Me - Falls Church, Virginia

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Urgh I give up on this place. This place went down hill. I heard they opening a new location so maybe that where the attention and focus it. It use to be hard to get table here but now I see plenty of seat. A lot of the dish on the menu had been remove. I drove an hour to get Mee Kathi just to find they no longer making it. Tam Laos Laos Spicy 3/5 ( $14)- I use to love the papaya salad here but now it taste like premade fermented fish sauce. Just because you make it spicy and added Padak doesn't make it Laos. They Pa dak (fermented fish sauce) is way overly too sweet, you can get it spicy but it still be sweet at the same time. Plus it got extremely small. Awk Beef ($18)- Stew beef with dill and herb, it good but lost it authenticity . The amount of proteins is so small with ton of broth and the meat cut so thin and dr. It would been better if they use a different part of beef like Flank steak that will have been better Can of coke $3 Overall i give up on this location maybe went they open the new location, i will try it again. This place lost the love and humbleness that use to show in the food read more

Very tasty food! The star of the show was definitely the satay, super flavorful and tender. We also enjoyed the Khao Poon, the broth was tasty, but not as powerful in flavor as I would have expected from the color. Service was polite and quick. read more

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My wife and I stopped in to try Padaek after having heard good things about their food. I had my typical crispy Basil Chicken, extra spicy and my wife had the pad thai. Both were very large portions for a great price, and very good. We will be back again! read more

Padaek - Crispy Basil Chicken - Thai Near Me - Falls Church, Virginia

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Hole-in-the-wall, no-frills, Laotian/Thai spot in a strip mall that fed me the best Pad Thai I have ever had The place is just comprised of a small handful of tables, and just has a small menu, but the food is very authentic and absolutely delicious My GF and I split a Pad Thai and a Drunken Noodles dish, and they were both delicious. They were both very large and came very quickly as well You can ask for their dishes at a certain spice level, but no other modifications are accommodated read more

We're always looking for the next Lao restaurant, whenever I'm with my family. They were visiting from CA, and we had to see how this place compares to some of the restaurants back home. Everything was very good. We ordered 8 dishes and shared. My top 3 dishes are the Naem Khao, Egg plant, and Green Curry. I grew up on Lao food and i think they're authentic here here. We also ordered the Prok Rind plate, Pad Se Ew, Ping Muu, Laab Chicken, Drunken Noodles, and a few orders of sticky rice. Everything had so much flavor and the spicy dishes were actually spicy, but of course my family still needed the spice rack. Service was fast and friendly. Located in a large shopping center, so parking shouldn't be an issue. Looks like they get fairly busy in the evenings. My only complaint about the restaurant is that it's located next door to a cigar shop. Most of the time, we leave restaurants smelling like food, but in this case we left smelling like smoke. I'm thinking it's an issue with their ventilation. read more

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I really enjoyed my dinner at Thip Khao, so I wanted to try out Padaek, which shares the same co-owner. Fantastic food. Literally everything we ordered was delicious and was devoured. While Thip Khao is more elevated, has its own bar and serves pretty cocktails, Padaek is more casual and homey. Still has food quality that is just as good. The fried rice, for instance, tasted the same as that of Thip Khao. This is what we ordered: SIIN SAVANH - beef jerky 5/5 TUM LAO - green papaya salad 4/5 PING - grilled and marinated pork shoulder 5/5!!!!! SOOO good KRAPAO - chicken 4/5 it's interesting because I think this dish usually comes as ground meat, but there were pieces of chicken in this dish. still very delicious and worth getting, but expect a standard stir fry dish KHAO PAD (beef) - we added the fermented chili paste and that made the fried rice sooo tasty. 5/5!!!! Definitely stop by here for a casual dining spot and food that will stick in your memory, not because of the sticky rice, but because it's sooo good :D read more

Padaek - khao pad - Thai Near Me - Falls Church, Virginia

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Great food. Tried a number of different dishes and they have all been very good. Customer service has also been great.

Haven't been here since pre-covid but came back for a group dinner recently. We came on a thursday night around 6:30pm without a reservation and there were no issues with getting a table. Although they no longer offer the buffet (sad face), the food is still pretty good. We ordered the Crispy Basil Chicken and Khao Poon Curry Noodle Soup with chicken. Flavorful and decent portions, although my soup barely had any chicken. It had maybe two slices of chicken in it, chopped up into tiny pieces. This was disappointing since it was an $18 soup. Was really happy to see they still offered the Bua Loy dessert. We got one to go and it was half a pint for $9. Hot and delicious. read more

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Food: 4/5. Food taste good! However, some items are a little sweet, but I'm still happy how they turned out. I wish the portion size was a bit bigger. Service: 3/5. I think the waitress can be a little nicer and more friendly with a smile. They seem kind angry all the time. Ambiance: 3/5. The place is SMALL so I would definitely reserve ahead if you have a part bigger than 4 people! read more

4.7/5 Three of my friends and I wanted to try this place because it had Laotian options. I've been a die hard Thai food girlie but I haven't tried much Laotian food. My boyfriend is obsessed with any type of Thai curry so he went in with his panang curry. I ordered the crispy rice salad which was the highlight of our meal! Such a creative and fun way to eat crispy fried rice! I didn't want to leave a grain behind so I ended up packing two bites home LOL. I ordered kee mao noodles and my friends got chicken satay. Portions were great, flavors were great! If you want to try something new, try the crispy rice salad! read more

The noodles were great everything else was pretty good. Would probably come back. .

It's been a while since we came and we recently tried their new Arlington location but I'm convinced food here and at sister restaurant thip Kao is the best. Prim our server was AMAZING she made a concession that they generally do not allow, and she showed us which items she could ask the chef to make gf df AND sugar free. Thai / Laotian / Burmese / Vietnamese foods are all delicious but they absolutely use good amounts of palm or cane sugar to get that sweet spicy tangy combo and it's one of the biggest health challenges with this favorite food group of mine !! They made the tamarind soup with shrimp sugar free, the papaya salad sugar free, and the lemongrass catfish wrapped in banana leaves sugar free and it was SPECTACULAR!!!!!! We can probably only go nights she's working lol but we'll be back ! read more