Lao food .... What's that? Kinda like Thai food? No, not really, but maybe similar to those that have never had it might think. Here's what the owner says on FaceBook: "Hi... This is a reminder that Panoy Bistro only serves Lao food. We are a Lao restaurant. Southeast Asia is not a single country. Instead, it is comprised of 11 countries including Laos. This means that there are at least 11 nationalities, 11 languages, and 11 cuisines spread across Southeast Asia. Please don't lump us all into a single country and/or people and/or cuisine and/or language. Not everyone in Europe is French or Italian, so please don't assume that all Southeast ...Asians belong to a single nationality or that there's only one cuisine in all of Southeast Asia. .... In Europe, we would not refer to a French restaurant as Italian or an Italian restaurant as French because Europe is diverse. Please extend that same courtesy to Southeast Asia, since it is also a diverse region with many countries, peoples, and languages. .... Let's embrace the diversity in Southeast Asia by teaching your family and friends that there's more than one country/people/cuisine in Southeast Asia. Out of the 11 Southeast Asian countries, Panoy Bistro only represents Lao cuisine and the country of Laos." So, Panoy Bistro is proud to be Lao not to be confused with any other Asian Cuisine! The outside may not look so inviting, but the interior is much better than the outside. The staff was warm and welcoming. I was sure glad they had a real decent modern website with a full menu with prices posted, so I could see what I was getting into and maybe give more thought as to what to order than I could sitting at the table. For people who think it's pricey, consider all the extra costs involved to get these ingredients all the way up here in Grass Valley, this isn't the Bay Area with easy access to exotic produce, cause shipping ain't free! What can you gauge price on if there's no other Lao restaurant in the area? No, it isn't gonna be like cheap Chinese food or Mexican food. With the presentation and plating here, I thought I was dining in Napa! Looking over the menu, it does seem exotic compared to Vietnamese, Thai or Chinese, as I've never had most of these dishes and some may have some crossover with other cuisines. We started with Lao sausage. It's sliced sausage served with lettuce and you make your own lettuce wraps with what's on the plate. Delicious! The house special Queen of Paradise stir fry was next. Ordered medium spicy, this was spicy enough for me. Getting to the Lao spicy range, now you're talking native hot! Incredible mix of texture from crunchy veggies and flavor from a curry sauce. Next was Naga Noodles, despite the warning of no returns on this dish, it was wonderful and new flavors I never had before. Tons of added veggies, sort of like Chinese chow fun, but way better. The star dish was the grilled tilapia. Though $22, it was worth it. Plated so artfully, I thought I was in some high end restaurant. The fish with the toppings were delectable morsels of wonderfulness. My friend who I went with is a professional photographer, so she took the pics ... and treated! The food does take some time to come out, but food like this takes time in the kitchen to make. I was there when it wasn't crowded, but I can see if it gets packed, you might wait a little. It's not the cheapest place to eat, but it's worth it for the food ..... just not everyday. read more

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I ordered the fresh rolls and P.S. I Love You noodles. Everything was amazing!!! I love how I could order from their website, then call with the order number. Who knew Grass Valley had killer Lao food?! I will definitely be back! read more

The best spot for anything Asian in Nevada county. This is above the average. Eat everything.

The food here is AMAZING!! Everything is so good. It's small, family run and friendly......service can be slow sometimes only because there is two to three staff running the whole show. Always pleasant and extremely attentive. I have honestly never had a bad dish. Queen of Paradise, and Pa Nang are two off my favorites. Soup, appetizer or entree, you can't go wrong!! read more

Best restaurant in town! The food is amazing - I love the Naga Noodles! Panoy can come off a little snippy sometimes but once you get to know her she's great and remembers all kinds of details about her regulars. Definitely check it out read more

It was my our first time trying Panoy & we were not disappointed. I was amaze by the layering of flavor & spices. I got the pineapple curry with chicken. It was flavorful, sweet, & finished spicy. My Dad got the honey noodles with duck. It was very unique & full of flavor. I had enough for another meal, although my Dad ate his own meal, which is usually the case. I can't wait to try new dishes! read more

I rarely leave Yelp reviews, but this was maybe the best meal I've ever had! Seriously. And I've eaten in too many towns in too many states! The flavors are so unique and everything was so fresh and didn't feel heavy. I only wish I'd found Panoy sooner!!! also the nicest staff! read more

It's like a hidden Oasis with the long parking leading up to this cute hidden gem! Tucked away from the main road, my family and I enjoyed a nice dinner while making our way out to Reno. We aren't from the area but you get a cute, quaint and hometown feel. A lot of people walking around the neighborhood with their dogs and kids. The food was DELICIOUS and super flavorful. We ordered quite a few different things and they all were on point. Papaya salad, Pun, Beef Vientiane, Kao Poon Chicken, Fresh Rolls and topped it off with the sticky rice and mango dessert. Our tummies were so happy. We got to our hotel and crashed! Definitely will make it a point to stop off on the way to Reno and back home to the Bay Area. read more

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Truly excellent! This place was a surprise find for me just having moved from the foodie heaven that is the San Francisco Bay Area to Nevada City, I didn't exactly have high hopes for great food and especially not southeast Asian food. I got the Queen of Paradise stir fry/curry with chicken and my husband got the Crying Tiger noodles, both were amazing and I can't wait to read more

I have been eating at this restaurant for almost 20 years. I grew up in Grass Valley and when I was a child my mom would take me here as it was my favorite place to go; back then it was located in downtown Grass Valley. I've since moved away and grown up but I always come here on the rare occasions I ever end up in the area. My favorite has always been the Jungle Prince. As others have said, this is not normal Thai food, it has Laotian influences; the flavors are different, more unique. This place will always hold a strange place in my heart. I've also noticed that the original father that ran the restaurant that I had known for almost my whole life has seemed to have retired; however the food hasn't changed. Yes the wait may be long sometimes, yes the waiters will not provide the best customer service, yes the prices may be higher than others in the area, but that will never stop me from coming back. If you happen to be in the area and want a unique South-East Asian cuisine experience with excellent food and no frills, come here. FYI: This place is the perfect example for Hole in the Wall, standing outside it does not look like a restaurant in any way, aside from the small glowing "OPEN" sign. read more

Panoy Bistro is run by a hardworking Mother and Daughter team. I have been a "regular" for years, where I have been made to feel "at home", eating classic "homemade" food. My wife Ayu, who is Asian and a "Foodie", also loves Panoy Bistro. What is amazing, is that in the transition the restaurant made years ago, from Thai food to Lao cuisine, the already great food was made even more delicious. Tuti the Mother and cook grows here own organic Lao spices, which she blends into a beautiful bouquet of taste. Grass Valley is lucky to have this World Class place to eat. I might note also that the adjoining bar (wine & beer) is a classic friendly "Cheers" type bar, which often has great wine tasting events, hosted an interesting entertaining wine expert, "Cork Dork" Dave. Great wines at Great prices. read more

Panoy Bistro - Panoy Bistro...So many unique Lao cuisine choices on the menu! - Laotian Near Me - Grass Valley, California

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The service here is terrible. I ordered online and they send you an email with confirmation time. I've been waiting for over an hour and they don't have decency to tell me the truth on timing. They've been saying, "it's coming out" every 10 minutes. So they've said it 6 times and I still don't have my order. Never coming here again! Don't come here if you're actually hungry. I suggest eating somewhere first. This Panoy chick needs to learn how to have customer service. read more

This place is fabulous! Saw that it had good ratings - they weren't kidding! I wish we had gotten the entree sizes instead of the lunch sizes just so we could have more leftovers! We got the Jungle Prince Chicken, Drunken Noodles, Queen of Paradise, crispy spring rolls?, and Shrimp in a Blanket. Everything was so flavorful and delicious! I'm already making plans to stop by here again on our next trip to this area. I haven't posted a lot of reviews, but this one was definitely worth my time. Even the service was great. They brought ice water outside to our table and checked on us frequently. It may look a little worn inside, but don't let that fool you. The food is so worth it! read more

Had to post about my wonderful lunch. Pork panang curry with jasmine rice. The flavors were on point, the veggies had a little snap to them and the meat was perfectly cooked. If I find myself in this area again, I'll be back. read more

Panoy Bistro - Laotian Near Me - Grass Valley, California

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Walked by there a thousand times, and thought the so-called pandemic had driven them out of business. Last night, the parking lot was full and people leaving the place were obviously really happy. Today was my father-in-law's 88th birthday and we took him and his wife there just to see what all that parking lot happiness, from the night before, was about. And now I know. It's about a small, congenial, family-owned and run place with a wide range of really good, interesting and nicely prepared food. The people there are great too; when I told the waitress, "Believe me, I have EARNED this beer!" she walked away saying, over her shoulder, "Oh, I'm sure you have". THIS, I thought, is gonna be good... and, like I've already said, it was. read more

Ordered take outlast night and this food was so good. I ordered green curry stew with chicken (western HOT) and the lemon sauce which I put in the stew. I rice was a bit too over cooked for my taste but it definitely needs rice or noodles. I will be going back for more. read more

I got the P.S. I Love You Lunch Special for $12.99 today. This is out of a 3 part styrofoam box with two peanut sauces. I put it all on a plate to mix together. It looks like I ate come of it, however I didn't consume anything yet. Small portion. I wish it was more food for the price. Very disappointed. Food is a bit bland. This place usually is amazing. I hope they can figure out more portions for a lunch special. You can get more food at other places for this price. Please step it up Panoy! We want to come back. read more

Panoy Bistro - P.S. I Love You Lunch Special $12.99 - Laotian Near Me - Grass Valley, California

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Delicious and great service. The aroma of lemongrass and basil in the dishes is incredible. We cleaned our plates dry. Such a gem in Grass Valley that rivals and bests some of the great Southeast Asian food we were lucky to enjoy in the Bay Area. Absolutely going back and can't wait to try the curries. My husband had the red curried rice with tofu and I had the drunken noodles with beef and both were wonderful. read more

From the moment we arrived the vibe was bad. The unfriendly woman did not greet us and acted like we were a burden to her. When I asked about the sweet tea vs thai Iced tea sweeteness, she replied "Just drink water. " You have to pay first to eat outside probably to ensure that you will wait around for the food because it takes a long time. Folks who arrived twenty minutes later had food before us. When I checked on the order the rude woman said something happened to the printer and the order was delayed. To make the experience more strange, out of the blue a guy gave us pads for our chair to make the bizarre experience like the twilight zone. The best thing about the restaurant was the muscular handsome older man behind the counter. I was hoping that he would serve us but he ended up being the one who had to give us our money back as our food took too long. read more

Amazing authentic flavors. From the staff at the bar to the service at the tables. The best.

Food was delicious but the service was bad. Party of four, my son didn't order so the server decided to remove his place mat along with his utensils. What surprised me more is the server also removed the water and glasses from our table, didn't even ask if we would like to keep the water. I guess just because we didn't specifically asked for water she felt like she should remove the water from our table. Will not come back to this place! read more

The server was annoyed when we walked in, and did not give the odd instructions to sit outside very clearly,... mumbled and no eye contact. We were left wandering and not sure how to start the process. We were told to order at the counter but then she put up a "barrier" so we didn't bother her while she put another order in. I'm sure the food will be good but even if it's AMAZING I will not be dining in here ever again. Take out only. *update- hair in the food. read more

Doesn't look like much when you drive by, but the food is phenomenal and so fulfilling. I've eaten here at least 3x and so far so good. My favorite entree are the drunken noodles and the house curry which was vegetarian friendly. It's a small restaurant and it does take awhile to get your food because so be prepared to wait. Also note it's definitely on the pricey side. reserve 5-stars for delicious food AND affordability. read more

We had the crying tiger noodles, ginger curry & rock n roll appetizer - every bit of it was FANTASTIC! we will be back again.

This is the best restaurant in Grass Valley. I recommend the Evil Jungle Curry and the Ginger Curry.

How dare you open at 5 pm on Saturday. My whole heart hurts, I need you right now. You are delicious.

Why you should eat at Panoy!. There are many reason why you eat here. I have been to panoy many times and it's always GOOD! First the place looks like it run down on the outside. However it's quite surprisingly good. You can't judge a book by its cover. When you first walk in there's a bar which is separate from the restaurant. I'm not going to lie is kinda funky. You can order your drinks and bring them to your table. Most people don't know that it's two separate businesses. As soon as you walk into the restaurant it's decorated very cute. The food is exquisite! It's the best Thai/ Lao food in town. Everything there is very traditional including the portion size. Which isn't bad because they are using fresh ingredients and it's grandma or aunty cooking your food. You can taste the freshness, authenticity and the love that going into each dish. I feel like I'm eating in Lao. There's only one server and she is there every day. I have read people's comments about how she is rude. I think she's hilarious! I'm sure there are days that she is exhausted. She is the ONLY server. She's very attentive and make funny comments which I could see how some people might take offensively but I adore her humor. If you have a good sense of humor you will too. My favorite things to order is the Tom Ka soup, which will help fill you up, it's the best Tom Ka in town. The garlic noodles with shrimp holy crap there's is nothing I've had like that before. My favorite currys are Queen of Paradise and the coriander curry, they are different from your traditional Thai curry. They use a lot of veggies in their dishes which I love. Ps their western hot is hot AF! Tread light with the spiciness. read more

Had lunch there today. This is the worst Thai food I've ever tasted, and the service was worse than the food. The server came to the table and never said a word. Just took our two-dish order. Then came back with two ICE cold plates, one had left over food along the edge. She exchanged it. She then brought out the rice and ten minutes later brought out the first dish (Chicken Larb) and then five minutes later brought out the second dish (Panang Curry/Chicken). Both dishes were incredibly tasteless, with very overcooked chicken. Never saw the server again. Finally, we had to go back into kitchen to get our check. Horrible food and service! read more

Just about everything has improved through the years until the atmosphere and service has caught up with the always delicious food. The parking lot can be a little tight but there is usually a spot open. You do have to back out so don't drink too much. Panoy Bistro shares it's location with the bar under the same roof so drinks have to be purchased about 10 seconds away. The booths give a feeling of privacy now with only a couple of tables out in the open area. The menu is complete and priced moderately. I just can't fault the food. Really excellent when measured against any Lao establishment even in the big cities. We have less than a handful of restaurants we will eat at in the Nevada City/Grass Valley area. This is one of them. read more

So. Amazingly. Yummy! The service is slow (sometimes really slow) but very nice. And the food is worth it. Go outside your comfort zone and try the fish. read more

With family swim lessons, Evening baseball & traffic across the way: Panoy, is a hidden jem. Best Asian food in Grass Valley. The bright lime/lemongrass of our appetizer soup was better than anything I could ever make and I wish I had gallons. Next was Prince curry. We had Wild Jungle curry twice before and loved it. Enjoy the images. I love this place. Edit: forgot to mention how fast they are. read more

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This was the worst restaurant I've ever been to. They had horrible service, the server lady mumbled and had tons of attitude. We were served after groups of people even though we arrived first. We had a party of 12 and didn't get all of our food until over an hour later. Food didn't come out at the same time and they couldn't even serve items listed on their menu. Don't come eat here, will never return to this place. Do not recommend. read more

Don't let the exterior and interior (lack of) ambience fool you. It fooled me for way too long! Once I gave it a chance I was blown away by the flavors and I knew that this little gem was by far THE BEST thai/lao food in the area and definitely in the top 5 I've had in my life. Thom Kah/garlic noodles/larb salad/ANY curry (except the tilapia...steer clear of that my friends). Everything is fresh and SO tasty. Lime, lemongrass, mint. Oh my. And the "hole in the wall" vibe has started to grow on me and we love it there!!! Thank you Panoy for working so hard to serve up delicious food in Grass Valley. read more

Take out was pretty bad last night. The lettuce wrap was ridiculous...tiny pieces of wilting lettuce couldn't hold the few pieces of chicken and was hardly enough for two people. It was awful. The curry was decent but not generous. Those two things cost $40. I'm sorry but that was terrible and I won't likely eat there again. read more

Wow! Such a nice surprise! We frequently visit Grass Valley but never tried this lovely Laotian restaurant. Enjoyed lunch of Drunken Noodles and Tiger Noodles. Best Asian food we have had in a very long time! read more

Wow. What a surprise and best kept secret. Since I have traveled Laos on a motorcycle which allowed me the pleasure of eating at road side cages I feel this bistro has an authentic taste to it. My Drunken Noddles with shrimp was surpreb, reminding of the little cafes in Luang Prabang and along Highway 1. But becareful of the hot rating as mild was very spicy. Great service from the young women who's uncle runs the place. An adjacent wine/beer bar is cash only so know that in advance if you prefer to get alcohol to go with your meal. read more

Can't tell you about the food because I left before I could order anything. The worst customer service I've ever had. The waitress was annoyed that I walked in and asked questions about the menu. Didn't great or offer seating. Didn't stop walking around so I could order food. There was no one seated so it wasn't like she was busy. read more

My main take away from Panoy is how I learned that Laotians put heavy creed in their peppers/chilies. I've never eaten there (only take out). I happen to fancy their approach to food, having never been to Southeast Asia; it would be easy to confuse their cuisine with Vietnamese or especially Cambodian or Thai since I know almost nothing about the two latter food styles and dimensions. I have had about 10 meals from there and none disappoint. This is not by any measure "Chinese food" or anything of the sort. They are a distinct people and culture, I know in my ignorance that I have had just enough to eat from this kitchen to say that it is definately unique if at the very least rare that they are here with us and still surprise me when I get a box of Laotian cuisine with the simple yet complex flavor profiles . Key point: Their understanding and use of chilies and peppers, and the infusions into simple vegetables exceeds European and American cooking to a large degree. We have a lot to learn. . Not a cheap date, but they got to keep the doors open. read more

This restaurant is one of my favorite places to eat in Grass Valley. The food is delicious and always prepared with fresh tasting ingredients with carefully crafted flavors. This is some of the best Asian food I have had. The presentation is quite charming, colorful and made with skill. The service has always been a pleasure and the atmosphere is charming. I look forward to my next meal at Panoy Bistro. read more

Amazing food, authentic flavors, best Southeast Asian (or any Asian) food in the GV/NC without question