The food is delicious! As well as the vibes and ambiance of the place. I will be dining in this Sunday! My faves are the crispy shrimp red curry over brown rice, pad Thai noodles, and crab fried rice. The drinks are good too! read more

New place for me and the kiddo. A reviewer didn't like the decor but I did. It's a smaller space, but it has a funky eclectic vibe with its mish mash paintings/ pictures on the wall of various famous people and.... Maybe family? I like the neon lights, the string lights, and the huge flower in the front. There were maybe 4 - 5 tables being used when we came in at 6 on a Sunday but by the time we left there was a wait. A majority of the tables were all Asians. Service was very friendly. At first it was a one man show for the FOH but as it got busier more for the back came to help. Food came only quickly and then slowed down but it was ok. I did not order pad Thai which seems to have a bad rap here. Or curry. Moo ping: love the sauce and the sticky rice. The actual pork was a little dry but the fat makes up for it. Crispy chicken skin: my kiddo and I LOVE this app. It's highly recommended by everyone and now I recommend it too. It's well fried, not greasy, super crispy and has a new chew on the thicker bites. The sauce says it's tom yum and I was initially thinking meh but that sweetness was actually perfect with the crispy skin. We could not stop eating it. We tried to save some for BD but even the kiddo said he didn't know if he could help it. Would order again. Kao mun gai tod: we don't need that sweet sour chili white boy sauce as we like the soy bean ginger sauce. It's GOOD. it's different than the ginger sauce BD makes at home but equally yummy. The rice has ginger and pieces of fried chicken bits in it. It's tasty AF. Couldn't stop eating it. The broth was clean and a great palate cleanser. This dish was superb. Would order again. Tried ordering the singha pork belly and was recommended a salt and pepper pork belly that did not come with basil. Pork belly was very crispy on top, had some fat underneath and then tender meat at the bottom. Ate it with the ginger rice and it was delicious. Would order again. BD asked for larb, and boat noodle soup to go. I don't know how those tasted. BD said larb was good. We ordered the market dessert. It's essentially red Hales syrup over shaved iced with an assortment of jellies and purple potatoes to add in. It came with strawberry "straws" and toast that they cut up and drizzled condensed milk on it. I wouldn't order this again but it was nostalgic and icy and refreshing and floral from the syrup. Would come back to try other dishes. read more

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We are frequent customers of this establishment. The food is always good. However, our last experience left us with a bitter taste in our mouth. We dined there last week and while most of their employees are generally nice and pleasant, this female server said something that was very rude and condescending. She already looked annoyed everytime we asked her for something. At one point, we just asked for something and she rolled her eyes and said "what?". She's definitely the ONLY employee that has given such negative attitude. To top it off, atthe end of our dinner after leaving, I heard her say "Another FILIPINO ruined my night." to a table that was sitting right next to us. We were a group of Filipinos leaving the restaurant! How rude! We were pleasant and NOT annoying customers! I use to be a server for many years so I know what it's like. If she hated her job so much, why even work in customer service? To all my Filipinos, just be cautious when eating there. read more

Came in on a Friday night around 6 and they just told us where to sit and didn't give us a menu. No one approached our table until they brought us water and I had to call over a server in order to order. Got the pad thai, tom yum soup, and yellow curry. Everything was asked to be mild. We waited over 40 minutes for our food and a party who was seated and ordered after us got their food 10 minutes before us. The tom yum soup was so spicy that all I could taste was the spice and it was too spicy for anyone in my party to finish. It also didn't taste like other tom yum soups that I have had a t other places. The pad thai was not bad but the noodles were under cooked. The yellow curry has really good flavor but is very watery and the potatoes were too hard and I was unable to cut it with my fork. I've order togo from this place many times and today was the first time eating there and I think ordering togo is the better option. read more

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I hadn't eaten here in a few years since they first opened. My first impression at the time was that the portions were on the smaller side and the food was alright. I wanted to come back after seeing their Instagram of the yummy dishes they had to try, and saw that they hosted an outdoor event a few weeks back when I was walking around the neighborhood. Now coming back, I think the portions are alright, but I think where they really shine is the unique and delicious selection of food here. They have dishes that not other Thai restaurants in the area offer! I saw some great reviews for their Boat Noodle Soup, and was curious to try. I was a little skeptical of it at first since it looked like phở, and wasn't sure if it was going to be any different. What also caught my eye is that they had fried pork skin/chicharrones on top. It was a solid noodle soup! They use phở noodles, the broth was very flavorful and hearty. So yes, similar to pho in that aspect. It also comes with your choice of beef or pork (we chose beef), meat balls, and liver. It also comes with a bit of a green veggie that reminded me of Chinese broccoli. Overall, loved the balance of flavors and textures in this dish. We also got the nam kao tod salad. This has deep fried crispy rice, sausage, peanuts, onions, cilantro, lettuce. I didn't like this dish as much as I had from other places, but the flavor was still good! The fried crispy rice came in large chunks, so the inside of these rice chunks were a bit soggier than crunchy. I liked the sausage because it reminds me of Vietnamese nem chua...I thought this sausage was Chinese sausage at first, but it's not. At level 7 spice, it wasn't too spicy. The papaya salad tray was really good. Your choice of Thai or Laos style, and we got Thai style. If you like papaya salad generally, this is a bit of a step up because it comes with steamed pork slices which have a bit of pork skin and peppercorn (reminds me of my favorite kind of Vietnamese steamed pork rolls/chả), boiled egg, grilled pork, and a small side of sticky sweet rice. The sweet rice came in a small little basket/box, we didn't realize it was rice until we opened it! Thought it was a container of spice. Seems like a lot of aspects of this papaya salad tray blended Thai and Vietnamese flavors together. We got this at level 7 spice, and it was pretty spicy! This is coming from someone who eats spice until crying! The Thai tea is solid--on the sweeter side, but nice and refreshing for the spicy dishes. Service was very friendly and attentive! The server seemed to be keeping an eye out for the other party sitting outside, and also checked on us a couple times to make sure we had what we needed. When he saw us taking pics he offered to take a pic of the both of us, which was much appreciated. Overall, stick to the unique offerings outside of your usual Pad Thai or something, because that's where it's at here! I've rediscovered my new favorite Thai restaurant here at Rao! read more

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I heard a lot about this place so I was excited to try, but I think the food overall was okay. I did like the skewers and pork belly, but I was a bit disappointed for the nam khao and chicken skin. The texture of the nam khao was off it was a bit soggy. The chicken skin was not cleaned well. Some of them still had chunks of feathers on there. It was very distasteful to see that. read more

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Horrible, sticky rice is so tough you can kill an elephant with it. Pad Thai is so bad. At first they were doing good with their dishes, However, now it seemed like they gave up on quality. Btw, that 12 seasons fake tree at the front has to go. It's so ugly, it's an eye sore. read more

Lunched here with my girlfriend and her boyfriend. I was told this spot might have the best papaya salad in EG. Of course, my curious self had to experience it just to be able to fairly vote. There are outdoor and indoor seating options. Our party of 3 chose to sit inside because it was rather warm outside. Here are my ratings for what we ordered: Oyster Shooters (5/5) - very tasty. Unique with the fried onions at the top and enough flavor to keep you coming back for more. This was a hit for sure. Chicken Hell (2.5/5) - it was essentially fried chicken wings drenched in their house sauce and mixed vegetables. Way too much sauce on the wings which canceled out the true flavor potential. Laos Papaya Salad (4/5) - our server asked how spicy I wanted it on a scale of 1 to 10. I told her to make it a 15. When the dish came out, there was barely any spice and the papaya salad sauce was much too thick. It would've been better if they added more Thai chili peppers and fermented crab sauce. It was good but not quite perfected yet. Chicken Wings (4/5) - truly very crispy and good seasoning but I would've wanted more in the order. Perhaps, a double order next time. I can't comment on the Boat Noodle Soup, Pineapple Fried Rice with Tofu, and Green Thai Iced Tea Float because I didn't try for myself but everything was finished so it must've been good. I would not be opposed to returning to try other menu items. Was it the best I ever had? No. Does it give other Thai/Lao restaurants in the area a run for their money? Yes. read more

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Amount of pho on boat noodle has gone down. If you're super hungry/you're a party of two, it is probably a better deal to just get the jumbo size and ask for a side bowl. Lao papaya is still good but have to ask for fresh pepper instead of chili flakes. read more

Service is friendly and prompt. Portion sizes are reasonable in comparison to the price. Not a single bad dish at Rao and the quality is always consistent between dining in and takeout. My favorites: kha soi, beef pad see ew, all the curry dishes, Thai tea, fried banana and coconut ice cream. read more

Had a good experience for dinner and took leftovers home and found this the next morning! Good thing I caught because I was picking out the basil from my drunken noodles. (Metal piece from a scrub pad) read more

Rao Thai Eatery - Metal piece from a scrub pad. - Thai Near Me - Elk Grove, California

I have not been here for some time and so was excited to see they had lunch special options. I selected the garlic green beans with chicken and brown rice with fried egg. It was super yummy and the fried egg was unique. First time I had a fried egg like that! It also came with a bowl of mushroom soup which was perfected for this chilly day! My friend ordered the eggplant dish and she enjoyed it with brown rice! Love the ambiance of this cute spot and glad it's right in our neighborhood! Definitely will come back again! read more

Rao Thai Eatery - Thai Near Me - Elk Grove, California

right amount of spices very flavorful. Generous with the condiments. Our server was kind enough to suggest ways to eat their food for maximum flavor. Everything looks clean but only if the flys weren't around. read more

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Craving Thai food and ended up coming here. The place was cute and the food came out pretty fast. Service was pretty attentive. Had the chicken pad thai and basil fried rice. It satisfied my craving and would definitely come back. read more

Rao Thai Eatery - chicken pad thai - Thai Near Me - Elk Grove, California

Starting off. Service was good. Inside was clean. The wait took a little too long for my food to arrive but I'll take it for what it is. I liked that they provide you a cold water bottle for you to refill yourself if needed. I normally drink a lot of water that was a plus. The pork belly was great. It literally melts in my mouth as I eat it. Could be a bit crispier but it was good. Now onto the negative things. I looked at the Boat Noodle menu pricing and it stated $12.50. Not sure how I ended paying for $18.50 at the end. The broth was not to my liking at all. It was pretty bad in my opinion. read more

Rao Thai Eatery - Boat Noodle Soup - Thai Near Me - Elk Grove, California

Nice little spot out in Elk Grove. They are open for limited indoor dining and have a few tables set up outside if you prefer. Came in late on a Monday night and got a table inside. Service was quick and our server was quick to get our menu and waters to the table. Boat noodles came with plenty of noodles. Unfortunately the noodles were also soggy, so it would break when I attempted to pick it up. But nonetheless still edible. Chicken wings just pretty basic. Can't complain, it did come with a side of some kind of dipping sauce to give it some flavor. Chicken larb was a little meh to me. Lots of limes were used in making it, and that's pretty much all I could taste from it. Same goes for the Nam kao. So I was a little disappointed. Again, still edible just thought it could have used a little more f I did however enjoy the platter. Got the papaya salad Lao style. The smellier the better. Just be ware not to get the sauce splashed on you otherwise you'll smell like fish sauce all day. The jerky, the pork rinds and the meat all paired wonderfully together. If I come back, I'll definitely be ordering this again. read more

hmmm, rao is always around when you want to grab a quick bite near home -- at least for me! our first mistake was ordering everything spicy. unfortunately, I always underestimate how spicy rao can make their dishes. midway through eating, we had to order a thai tea float just to help dilute everything.. it didn't though. nonetheless, everything was absolutely delicious and warm. the service was spectacular as always, they weren't too busy this night so we received our food fairly quickly. we tried out the oyster shooters which were a bit saltier than usual, but still yummy. they had a new item on the menu, the durian sticky rice, which is similar to their regular mango sticky rice. the durian flavor isn't too overpowering, and has a nice balance of tart and sweet. the rice is always bouncy and soft, probably one of my favorite dishes to order from here. I will always be a regular :) read more

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Our go to Thai place in Elk Grove. This place never disappoints. It's good for pescatarians and meat-eaters. Anyone can find something they will love. Spicy Eggplant Shrimp salad: had this for the first time. I loved it. The eggplant was roasted and the shrimp was fresh. Would order again. Lao Sausage: a little different than the Hmong sausage but similar, I enjoyed the juicy meat. Fried Tofu Sticks: totally my go to appetizer. Going to order this every time I come. I love tofu. The Atmosphere is so cute. It's like a hipster place with a instagram worthy Royal chair to take all your photography needs. Highly recommend if you're in the Elk Grove area. read more

Rao Thai Eatery - Thai Near Me - Elk Grove, California

Couldn't be more happy with the food and the service we received. ABSOLUTELY get the CRISPY CHICKEN SKINS, and BBQ PORK rice plate. read more

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This is my usual goto place for thai food. But this time I found a piece of metal in my food. Probably from the metal scrubber for cleaning pans and pots. I found and spat this piece out but not sure if there were other read more

Rao Thai Eatery - Thai Near Me - Elk Grove, California

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I love Thai food, the food was good. The prices were kinda high compared to other Thai places but there was no wait time.

My favorite thai restaurant here in Elk Grove! I always order their spicy basil eggplant stir fry with a side of garlic butter rice and let me tell you...it is BOMB! I usually order take out, but when I do dine in...I also enjoy their thai green tea float. In my opinion, it is better than their thai tea float because I personally like my thai tea a bit on the sweeter side. I have also tried a handful of their appetizers as well as their drunken noodles, curry dishes and their pad woon sen which were all delicious. Don't waste time reading the reviews...here's your sign to try RAO if you've been thinking about it :) read more

Rao Thai Eatery - Thai Near Me - Elk Grove, California

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I had dinner last night at Rao for the first time ever. I have visited only Thai Chili so it was a nice change to try a different restaurant. I came early, before the dinner rush crowd came so most tables were empty except maybe 1 other. Since there were many tables open, the waiter said I could sit anywhere while I waited for my friends to arrive. Interior is simple but beautifully decorated. My friends and I sat in the patio area. Most of the tables on the patio are 2 seaters so we were able to move the tables next to each other to seat our party of 3. The menu was pretty simple and not overwhelming like other places. There are appetizers, salads, curry, noodles, fried rice, BBQ & grilled dishes, and their Rao specials. I decided to order a salad because it grabbed my interest initially, the Yum Woon Sen as well as a Tahi iced tea. This salad isn't your typical salad. It has thin glass noodles, grounded pork, shrimp, onions, tomatoes in a chili lime sauce. They asked me on a scale from 1 to 10, what my preference in spice level was. I had opted for 2. My spice tolerance is kinda high but I didn't want to risk too much in case my mouth would be on fire. I'm here to report that it was not spicy at all. Will have to up my spice level next time to possibly a 4. Really enjoyed the salad. The chili lime sauce was seasoned just right and I really enjoyed the tartness that came from the lime. The salad was a decent sized dish but might need to be paired with another dish as the glass noodles aren't filling enough. However, paired with the Thai iced tea, it was refreshing for a hot fall post summer night (lol). Both of my friends ordered the Kao Soi, one without meat and one regular as is. It normally comes with a chicken drumstick, in Kao Soi curry sauce, coconut milk, egg noodles, and veggies. So, if you like curry & noodles, you get the best of both worlds with this dish! Their dishes were huge and it looked filling. One ordered theirs at a spice level of 1 and the other as non-spicy. For the non-spicy dish, my friend said it was spicy to her, however, she normally cannot tolerate spice. The spice level of 1 was also mildly spicy. They both enjoyed their orders but had to take a portion home because it was quite filling. From the size, I believe it could be shared. Overall, I would definitely come back to try their other dishes! Our waiter was really nice & patient (since we took awhile to order)! Service was excellent! read more

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Posted some focused zoomable menus excuse the finger. Been here many times. By far the best modern Thai restaurant as far as you could drive. Today had the RAO'S Trio Talapia spice level 8. Excellent! Not over cooked yet crispy, great sauce and spices - so much flavor. Also Kao Yum Kao Zap: so light and refreshing with crispy chicken. Add Fresh Rolls (no shrimp, no tofu, but extra vegetables) and you're very happy! read more

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I loved the curry crispy chicken and my thai tea! We ordered for take out and I appreciated that it was ready on time and still hot by the time we got home. I will definitely be back in the future read more

Amazing. So tasty. Unassuming location. Just darling inside. Great service. Fabulous and fresh. Eggplant off the hook. Some of the best fresh rolls and sauce I have ever tasted. Look forward to returning. read more

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Excellent food, atmosphere and service. Great menu as well. The sauces are delicious and they serve Gunther's ice cream. Priced right too. read more

Rao Thai Eatery - Platter, rice and chicken hell. Yummy. - Thai Near Me - Elk Grove, California

My friends and I ordered three dishes to share for dinner. I enjoyed the spicy basil fried rice and drunken noodle. I liked how they used big shrimp for the drunken noodle. As for the cashew nut chicken stir fry, it was salty. I guess the rice and noodles balanced out the saltiness a bit. For all of the dishes, we ordered them with spice level 4. We all thought it was spicy, and probably should've went with a 3. I definitely drank all of my water. I don't know how anybody can do a 10. Service was friendly. Although I think the waitress should dress a little less casual. She also came by and asked us if we wanted to go boxes and the check when we were still eating. Maybe I wanted dessert, but I guess not. Other than that, I enjoyed our dining experience here. They have an extensive menu, so I'll have to come back and try their other dishes. read more

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Came in for my friend's birthday and had a great experience! The staff was very welcoming and accommodating, and they were attentive as well. The ambiance was unique and I enjoyed how different it was!! The outdoor seating area looked sooo cute. I wonder if they are doing patio dining anytime soon. Not to mention, the food was delicious! We had the pad thai, crispy fried chicken skin, drunken noodles, lao papaya salad, and crispy shrimp mango curry. Thai food always hits the spot! Will be back when I am in the area again. read more

Food was great, ordered 4 items and each one was great. Highly recommended. Customer service was good as well.

CAUTION: NOT allergy safe. We informed our waiter of a nut allergy and ordered the pineapple fried rice and papaya salad without nuts. We received the pineapple fried rice FULL of cashews and as we informed the staff of the mistake, they quickly remade it. Unfortunately, I still found a cashew in the corrected batch. We were assured the papaya salad definitely did not have nuts. We trusted the staff and since it was dark we continued to eat it. As I ate the leftovers, I found half a peanut in the papaya salad! Be careful if you have any allergens. We are lucky this did not end up with a much worse result of my son had actually eaten any portions of the nuts. :'( Otherwise, food is good. read more

Rao Thai Eatery - papaya salad - Thai Near Me - Elk Grove, California

First time trying this place out due to the fairly good reviews, but it will for sure be my last time! Order 3 items, 1- spicy basil fried rice, SUPER bland! Like literally dry and no flavor, very disappointing since Thai fried rice is usually super flavorful. Portion with small. 2- drunken noodles, this was not too bad the flavor was decent. Portion was small. 3- Crispy chicken with lime sauce, this was just ridiculous!!! Please see picture added! They charged me $12.95 for this! The chicken piece was so damn thin and it was pretty much just fried breading! I just can't believe they served somebody that piece of chicken and it was just one piece of chicken breast that was super flat! I for sure took that right back them as asked them why they would serve this, would they eat it themselves and pay $12.95! Anyways, the staff was all young kids, the Indian maybe Hispanic girl and The Hispanic gentleman had plenty of attitude, not nice at all,no apology. Then some other guy came out from the back an gave me a refund for the Crispy chicken. Just going to stick with my regular Thai Restaurants and server way better food. read more

Rao Thai Eatery - Not worth the price for the amount you get. - Thai Near Me - Elk Grove, California

It's a shame. Food is honestly authentic. Used to support them a lot, but stopped going because seeing rude waitress Ann really spoils our day / the dining experience for us. Seeing her give customers attitude, if we were the owners, we would be very concerned. Despite all the complaints about her, as seen in other reviews, for some odd reason the owner still keeps her around. Shows just how little they care about the long term longevity of their business. read more

food 8.5/10: - flavorful - enough to share or take half home! - one of the best crispy cream cheese wontons ever! - calamari breading was very airy, not my fav but still good service 10/10: - came on tuesday evening, sat right away - attentive & nice - food came out fast ambiance 8/10: - cute place but there's a neon colored sign that's rlly bright - nice art on the walls - music level is perfect read more

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The food was ok. I wasn't really impressed. Their serving was good enough and service was quick.

Says they close at 3pm, came in at 2:28pm and said they already took last call for food since they close at 3. They should change their hours to close at 2:30 if they don't take anyone after that! Waste of time driving here! read more

Good food and good and fast service. I was worried that it looked empty at 7pm, but then it started getting busy. Got the pad see ew and a fried rice plate. Both were good. Also got the calamari which my kids liked, just note the dipping sauce is spicy. read more

Tucked inside a huge quiet neighborhood is this Thai place that brings out quality dishes. The dishes were light and not greased up to be heavy on the body. My friend and I had all these dishes and still had plenty of energy to walk around! The steak was seared to our liking and the Thai chili sauce that they brought it with made it so much more yummy! Didn't get a chance to take a picture of it, but the matcha green iced tea with ice cream is definitely a must order with all these spicy dishes! read more

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Just me and my two kids dining in, the restaurant is nice and decent size for one or two large groups. Many tables and bench tables. We ordered fried calamari, ground beef larb salad, pineapple fried rice, and Thai tea float. Also tried their mango with sticky rice which I'm super in love with. It's a nice cozy place for casual dining and dates. Will def come again. read more

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Avocado Green Curry dish was unbelievably perfect! Amazing flavor and perfect curry sauce! Not watered down . I'm a lover of everything avocado and I am also Thai. I make different curry dishes all of the time but this one was the BEST I have ever had! I honestly never knew avocado curry existed but now I'm hooked! read more

Rao Thai Eatery - Avocado Curry Green Curry - Thai Near Me - Elk Grove, California