Came here during lunch time on a Saturday. I've been wanting to try this place for a long time since a lot of people on Reddit say it's one of their favorite restaurants in Oakland. Even my neighbor mentioned this place is one of his favorite restaurants. The restaurant is located in a sketchy area, but we found parking nearby. We got seated immediately even though it was busy. I like that this place has all the condiments at the table and you don't have to ask for it. We ordered the Nam Kao, Mok pa, Red Sea, and Lao sausage. Everything was delicious. We both agreed that Mok pa was our favorite. We love Hor Mok the Thai version and Amok the Cambodian version. So we were curious about the Lao version. The Mok pa was super flavorful and what stood out is the Lao version doesn't seem to contain eggs. The other two version we've had contains eggs and is more soufflé custard like. Next time we are here we will probably order two of these since they are only $7 each. We can't wait to come here again and try their pad Thai since a lot of the reviews mention it's the best they've ever had. read more

See all

I enjoyed the chicken with sweet basil. And, the mango sticky rice with coconut sauce was delicious! It's a very unassuming place...I never would have guessed how good the food was. read more

This is by far the best Laotian Thai restaurant in the bay! A hidden gem !!!! You must try the Laotian sausages sticky rice, Crispy rice and extra spicy papaya salad. We try a new dish every time we go ...it never disappoints read more

I LOVE Vientian. I wanna say that right off the bat. They have a great menu with dishes that you can't find really anywhere else (checkout their Lao section), the prices are reasonable, the family who runs the place are nice, and the food is delicious. There, what else do you need in a casual-dining neighborhood restaurant? My favorites are the mok pa and som pa. Unique flavors that explode in your mouth, but not in that overly spicy volcanic way. It's just a special preparation and cooking that you'd be hard pressed to find elsewhere. But even the kao poon -- which can be found in a number of other Southeast Asian joints -- is different and delicious. Go with the minced fish option. My only problem when coming here is over ordering haha! But there's always to go and enjoy it the next day too. read more

See all

Finally got to try this restraunt I heard so much about from the locals. I have to say yes it is good. Very home style. Super authentic but I wouldn't drive up to just eat it again. Possibly if I'm in the neighborhood. read more

If you want to get Thai food and Loa food must go to Vientiane Cafe the best food in town read more

Vientian Cafe - Nam khoa - Vietnamese Near Me - Oakland, California

Even though I was hesitant to come here, the food did not disappoint! Neighborhood is a little sketchy but if you get to go, you should be fine. I got the beef larb salad, nam kao, Lao sausage, sweet basil chicken and vegetarian egg rolls. The total was around $50 for a large portion of food. Service was quick and nice as my food was ready when I got there. The nam kao was delicious. I have had nam kao at a few Thai/lao restaurants in the east bay but they did not have the same crunch, too salty or a little heavy handed on the msg. My husband's favorite was the Lao sausage. Ps: the entrees do not come with rice unless it's a rice dish read more

See all

Service was horrible when my bf walked in they treated him like a criminal . Everyone Looked at him like a criminal and acted like he was going to rob them then when he try to pay for the food the lady act like he couldn't slide for .20 we been going here for years and how they treated us was crazy read more

My sister has been raving about this place for months, but the last time we tried to go, they were randomly closed on Labor Day. An Asian place closed on Labor Day?!? What! So glad we finally rallied the troops to try this place again, because it sure made the wait well worth it. Rating Breakdown: 2/2 Stars for Taste -- We came for the Laotian menu and there was virtually nothing we didn't like. My favorite was the steamed catfish (Mok Pa), wow wow wow. I would come and eat this alone with a bowl of rice. So many spices, it was like an explosion of flavor in my mouth that brought a single (spice-induced) tear to my eye. A close second was the bamboo stew (Zoob Nor Mai). My sister's favorite was the rice salad (Nam Kao) -- crispy bits of fried rice mixed with some meats, herbs, and a hint of lime then wrapped into a lettuce. We had a bit of miscommunication with the waitress and accidentally ordered the larb raw, which we did not even know was an option. Raw or cooked, the beef larb is so, so good and had us scraping the plate clean. We ordered the papaya salad more for the experience than anything else, and whoo-wee, it's got a hell of a funky kick. Not for the faint-hearted! Everything else we ordered was filler -- good, but not worth writing about. 1/1 Stars for Value -- I had to double take after I got the bill because I could not believe how little it cost to feed our family of 5. We were stuffed and spent about $20 pp with tax and tip. Y'all better come before they wisen up to how good they are and start adjusting their prices! 1/1 Stars for Customer Service -- The service was very good and the food came out quickly. The waitress even conspired with me so I could steal the bill, which is a plus. One thing to keep in mind is that this restaurant is kind of randomly in the middle of what looks like a residential neighborhood. We had no trouble finding street parking just a few blocks away. Bonus star because I'll definitely be back to try the rest of the Laotian specialties. read more

See all

We have had this place bookmarked forever. Never really looked into it again until our friend highly recommended it. Finally got a chance to try. Came on a rainy Sunday for lunch. We wanted to try so many things and decided on these: Sai OOA - Chiang Mai sausage Nam KAO - Crispy Fried Rice Mok Pa - Steamed Fish Mok Gai - Steamed Chicken Kao Soy - big noodle soup Small Sticky Rice Our favorite is the Crispy Fried Rice. Take a lettuce leaf, tear up some cilantro leaves (bec I do not like the stems), generous scoop of the FR, roll and eat. So yum. Between the two steamed items, we prefer the chicken. The fish (and chicken) were steamed in banana leaf. The fish was slightly slimy for me, but it was quite flavorful. It is not a large portion but it was enough to share this, to get a taste of it. The taste is so complex... or what's that word- umami. The Big noodle soup was very comforting. We came in with no expectations but was blown away with the flavors of the Laos specialty dishes we ordered. I would most likely skip the sausage. Ours was a bit overcooked, but it was fine since everything else was really good. read more

See all

Been coming here for YEARS! Love Vientian Cafe for my Lao fix! I always get an order or 2 of papaya salad, lol I'm a wimp so I get mild(it's still spicy) in fact it's spicy enough that my nose drips lol. I shared the dish with my mom and the amount was just enough for us two, I had to order another one to go! For the price, I do wish the portion was just a tad bit more. It was my first time trying the Lao sausage and it was so so good, wish I had tried it sooner. My mom wanted some angel wings, the sauce was spicy and sweet, had a good flavor! My daughter got a bowl of chicken noodle soup (pho) and she didn't touch much of it, she said all she tasted was onions... I tried it, it was good, simple and had a garlic/onion flavor. The menu is extensive, so it can take a while looking through it. Parking can be tough to find if you come too late, we ended up parking our car on street parking 15 minutes before 5pm (open for dinner time) and had seen a few spots. We were the only customers in the restaurant for a bit of time, mostly customers came in for to-go orders. Overall I always love coming here. read more

See all

Need more servers on a Saturday night. Food excellent and fresh crispy rice salad, side of sausage. Will be back with a greater appetite to sample Lao dishes. Plenty of condiments at table. Parked in handicapped stop one blocks away with placard. Would not go there after dark. read more

Terrible customer service. I paid for my food and it was taken away while I was STILL eating. The staff then got upset because I didn't tip, which is unreasonable after such poor service. On top of that, the food wasn't even good. Very disappointing and UNPROFESSIONAL experience overall. read more

A gem of a restaurant nestled in the Allendale neighborhood. Authentic south Asian faire and great hospitality. Khao Poon on point, tasty and cheap Lao sausage, and a nice iced coffee. Greta for takeout but love dining in to take advantage of accoutrements read more

Vientian Cafe - Baked Laotian Sausage (1) Thai Iced Coffee - Vietnamese Near Me - Oakland, California

Everything here is good. I have been eating here for years. The angel wings are worth the hype. Green curry with chicken is super tasty and fresh. We also got the #20 noodle soup with beef ball, beef slices and shrimp. The place is very clean and they are attentive. A hidden gem! read more

This is a hole in the wall family restaurant in a residential area. Parking is a little difficult, but not impossible. Whenever I feel like something spicy, this is the place to go. They have authentic Thai and Laos dishes and spicy does really mean SPICY! We order a variety of dishes here, but this time we ordered Kao Soy, Papaya Salad (Laos style), Larb (beef, medium spicy), and BBQ pork spare ribs. Kao Soy 4/5: this is a very hearty bowl of noodles because the soup is thick. It is tomato based with a bean paste, with some ground meat. We usually add some peppers to this and it's delicious. Papaya Salad, medium spice 4/5: this is pretty darn good here. The papaya is muddled and mixed with a sauce. You can taste the difference if the papaya is muddled or not, and they definitely do muddle it here. There are little cherry tomatoes in this, and comes with a side of noodles. The noodles are usually used to eat with the papaya salad, but if we order the Kao Soy, we use the noodles in the Kao Soy for extra noodles. Larb (beef, medium spicy) 5/5: one of the best larbs that I've had. What makes it so good? This has the beef as well as tripe. It also also the right amount of spice as well as the rice powder and the sourness to make your mouth water. it comes with some cabbage and cucumber to be used as vessels to eat the larb. BBQ pork spare ribs 4/5: there really isn't anything super special about this, but it has good flavor with lemongrass and other spices and it's tender. If you haven't tried this place, you must. Although this neighborhood is a little sketchy, so either get to go, or make sure not to bring valuables with you. read more

Vientian Cafe - Big Noodle Soup (Kao Soy) - Vietnamese Near Me - Oakland, California

See all

I've been going here since middle school days with friends and family... and let's just say those days are loooong behind me. Lol. But I'm so happy that they're still around and that the food is still always on point! Its atmosphere is nostalgic for me because it reminds me of Auntie's house. A house full of tough love, but booooy would you be fed! Haha. Love this place. You gotta check it out for yourself. read more

Cute little shop on the corner! This place is walking distance from my house and I heard a few people recommend it. The menu has a large selection of items all flavorful and affordable! I recommend the catfish! Very small dining (only about 15 ppl max) but quick and friendly service. read more

I always stop by here to grab take out when I'm craving authentic Lao food. There's nowhere else in the Bay Area I can get my good fix of Lao food. Their Nam Kao is solid - hits the spot every time and they give a good proportion of greens with it. Their papaya salad and cucumber salad are delicious too! When you are telling them your spice level, just an FYI, it's Asian spicy levels. I can tolerate spice well but the medium here has my tongue on fire! Do delicious though. Service is great and quick. Highly recommend read more

See all

I love this Gem in Oakland. I was starving when I arrived so I forgot to take photos. Top things I love here: Papaya salad- always Lao style Pork Rinds-fresh and crunchy Kapiek-perfect broth, clean and the noodles were not mushy Quail-deep fried goodness. Looked like it was going to be dry but moist and delicious especially with sticky rice and papaya. Things I like: Nam Khao-. It has a slight sweetness and I don't enjoy too much sweetness in my nam khao. Otherwise crunch and portion is great. Lettuce and garnish is fresh. Ka poon-broth was flavorful but wish the chicken were more pulled apart because the flavor didn't soak into the meat. Otherwise it was perfectly flavored. Service was on point! Appreciated the attentiveness and promptness. read more

FAVE Southeast Asian restaurant in the East Bay! As always, when I am passing by Oakland, ALWAYS have to stop for laab and papaya salad. So spicy, fresh and tasty!! Always call in for my order and they have it ready once I'm there. Sweet and friendly staff! Love how authentic this place is. read more

Vientian Cafe - Beef laab - Vietnamese Near Me - Oakland, California

Saturday, 3/26/2022 - We went to this small mom and pop restaurant called "Vientien Cafe". Address is 3801 Allendale Ave in Oakland, CA. When I say small, it is small. There's like 6 or 7 tables with 4 chairs each. Upon arrival: Pros: 1) no paid parking. 2) place looked... like a mom and pop shop! But the foods were amazing!!! 3) every single plate we got was absolutely delicious. It was so much tastier here than the last place we went to. They seasoned all their foods perfect! Not too salty or no flavor. Just prefect. Nam Khao was perfectly crunchy and soft and flavored. 4) server was very nice and patient with us. 5) water tasted good. They had hot water. 6) restaurant looked clean. Cons: 1) no parking! It's all street parking. 2) streets are dark. 3) place is tiny. Careful backing your chair up or you may hit the person behind you. Conclusion: We all really liked this place. The foods were perfectly seasoned and delicious. We definitely will come here again and I highly recommend it. read more

Vientian Cafe - Inside Vientien Cafe - Vietnamese Near Me - Oakland, California

The chicken noodle soup was amazing. The house soup that they base the chicken and noodles in was tasty yet feeling. As for the service kind of awkward or forceful.... Idk it was my first time there but maybe that's normal for their kind of customers. I highly recommend if you are passing by or live in the area. read more

Vientian Cafe - Chicken Noodle Soup with egg noodles and Baked Laotian Sausage (1) - Vietnamese Near Me - Oakland, California

I was so excited to finally try this spot out! The servers were friendly and kept coming back to ask if we wanted a refill on our water. Thai tea: yummy but nothing out of the ordinary, it was sweet so I added water halfway and got more out of my drink :) Papaya salad: 8/10 I've been meaning to try Laos style papaya salad. if you CAN'T handle spice make sure you only get ONE chili pepper, we ordered 2 and it was spicy to me!! :O but soo flavorful. It's definitely more 'fishy' tasting than Thai papaya salad but try it so you can experience a different dish! The raw cabbage was my favorite to dip the sauce in. I even brought the leftover sauce home to eat again Lao sausage: flavorful and moist 4/5 Nam Khao: 10/10!! Omg this was sooOooo good. I throughly enjoyed this crispy rice 'salad'. Adding lime juice to it and wrapping it up in the leaves was everything. This and the papaya salad were my two favorite and would come here again and just order those. The grilled beef slices were okay, the meat itself wasn't flavorful but when dipped in the sauce of course it elevated it. Want to come back to try the soup dishes read more

Vientian Cafe - Papaya salad Lao Style, Baked Laotian Sausage, Thai Iced Tea - Vietnamese Near Me - Oakland, California

See all

The food here is so delicious! I ordered the Pham Kee Mow with shrimp and the Nan Kao. Both of these dishes were excellent The noodles had great texture and all the vegetables were fresh and super tasty! The shrimp was great too! The Nam Kao rice was crispy and very flavorful. I loved it. I had some young coconut juice with my meal and everything hit the spot! The service was also great. Two ladies helped me and they were both really nice. I also like the place a lot. It's small, quaint and really nice inside. The prices are right too. This is my kind of place and I'm already looking forward to coming back! read more

See all

They won't seat you after 7:59pm. Tonight we arrived at 8:03pm and the waitress told us we could only order to-go. This happened once before about the same time, but that time we begged the people behind the counter to allow us to eat there. (we were out of there well before 9pm when they "closed" and before other patrons left). The food is actually quite good and there a good vibe with the people in the kitchen. I love the mustard greens. But after being rejected twice now well before they closed we decided we are done with this place. The front of house staff seems more interested in going home. read more

I was craving authentic Lao food like crazy and this place hit the spot for me. The restaurant is in a residential area off of High Street in Oakland so you're lucky if you can find a parking spot. We arrived right when they opened at 5PM and were immediately seated. The food hit extremely close to home so much that my Mom got excited when they bought out the Som Tum. Everything was extremely flavorful and came out relatively quickly. The staff were also friendly and were accommodating with our toddler who's allergic to peanuts. Overall, I highly recommend this place for anyone in the mood for authentic Lao food. read more

See all

Confirming what many reviewers say: food is on point but the customer service is horrible. The Lao menu is legit and if you eat authentic Lao food and/or know what it is- this is the only spot in the SF Bay Area that have both food and pricing right. Other places make you pay what I call the "Khon Lao tax," - higher prices for padek (pra ra in Thai). Don't expect a red carpet rolled out for service here though. It's true, the servers are rude and obnoxious. I believe the others when they say they feel racially profiled. I'm not sure what's up with the regular woman who works there, but she is condescending, rude, and outright mean. If you care about service- just do what the woman who works there says: "do take out." They don't want to service you anyway. They do expect tip no matter what though- including catering where you pick up the food too. read more

Terrible customer service. They just lost $250 in a catering order from me because they were rude and apparently did not appreciate my patronage for the last 15 yrs. read more

The food is amazing!! The service is wonderful and the atmosphere is nice. I would recommend trying this place.

Best Thai food I've ever had! Angel wings are so flavorful. It tastes very authentic like it's your mother or grandmother making you food! Wait time for food is around 20mins. Located in a small cozy building. Not too big or tight space. read more

Thank you for staying open during the pandemic. We haven't dine nor ordered in awhile, due to the distance of us being far away; but we ordered today and it was still delicious as how we recalled. We ordered the Nam Kao, Beef Larb, Papaya Salad (Lao Style), Lao Sausage, Sticky rice & Thai iced tea. All in under $50.00! *********04/03/2022********** Today, we ordered the chicken Kao Poon w/Pork blood, Kao Soy & a large Thai Iced tea. We placed the same order before the pandemic, but we didn't recall the taste of their noodles. The Kao Poon was a little "currier" than what we are used to, but there were plenty of chicken meat. The Kao Soy was pretty good; except there were NO meatballs or shrimp (just ground pork)? Kinda took me off guard, but I guess that's how this dish is served here. Bottom line, this will probably the last time we are ordering these two dishes; however, we'll be back to order our "normal" stuff. ************10/11/2023************* We dined in today for lunch. We ordered the beef larb as an appetizer with a side order of sticky rice. Today's order was the L8 with pork and a souped up KaoSoy with meatballs, shrimp & tripe. The larb was tasty and flavorful; did not disappoint at all . The L8 was consumed, so I guess it was good . The souped up KaoSoy was also very flavorful. The pork meat sauce was thick, but for some odd reasons; it didn't taste as curry as it looked (which made it very good). The extra meat was a plus. I would definitely recommend adding the extra meats if you're a homestyle noodles person. We will be back! read more

See all

I came with a friend for lunch today. We got Lao papaya salad and green curry. The servers were very patient with us. Although we asked for mild salad, but it was spicier than the Thai papaya salad. The green curry was good. There was a good amount of people came in. We were there for more 2 hours and they did not kick us out. This place is in a residential area, but we didn't have any issue of getting street parking spots in front of the restaurant. read more

They are finally open for dining! They will be checking your vaccination card and ID! I've been coming to Vientian since I was in high school and it's definitely always been a hit or miss in the food quality and today it was sadly a miss for me. I ordered the angel wings, kasoy, and mango sticky rice. I thought the wings were way more sweet than usual. I think the proportion for the kasoy got bigger that or the bowl was just huge and it was an illusion but honestly there was a lot of noodles but hardly any meat in it. It was a bit bland and I tried adding more spices to it but couldn't get it right. I loved the mango sticky rice as always though. Great customer service as always. Parking can be a bit difficult because it is in a neighborhood. read more

Vientian Cafe - Kasoy - Vietnamese Near Me - Oakland, California

Best kasoy I've ever had in my life. There's no other place I would rather be than here! Super homey and friendly staff. I also recommend their spring rolls as they put mint and it reminds me of my childhood. Their thai tea is HUGE. 10/10 good soup read more

Food: 9.5/ 10 Service: N/A pick up only right now Value: 8/10 Portion size: medium Wait time: 15 minutes after we called in for pick up We oqrdered 2 Khao Soi soup noodle and a Nam Kao appetizer! The Khao Soi had a lot of ground juicy pork, flavorful broth (kind of tomatoey), and delicious fresh noodles! There is good contrast of flavor with the bean sprouts and cabbage to give it a freshing taste. But the broth is AMAZING! It's hard to describe so you are going to have to try it! It is kinda hard to get all the meat thought since it is finely ground but still delicious! The Nam Kao is a appetizer lettuce wrap. They give you fresh lettuce on the side, and its a crispy, flavorful rice that has ground pork in it as the filling! They cook it with chilli but it's not spicy to me. And the squeeze of lime really brings all the flavor together! New favorite place! I really want to try more and eat that Nam Kao! read more

See all

Great food. Reminds me of some of the food my mom used to make. I love their papaya salad and the steam fish bamboo with sticky rice

Today me and my wife came to pick up a $40 dollar online order , and I get out of my car with my wife's phone and receipt on hand, like normal. Normal I asked for my order and I was shocked by the way the disrespected me when I enter the door. First they though I was Uber eats driver or door dash driver , and talked to me down extremely rude, then I said I was a normal costumer who placed online order. After I said this they changed and we're acting more nice ... this is all ready a super red flag. They clearly hate and disrespect delivery drivers. After this, I was asked my ID to verified the order that was triple checked all ready and I had receipt in hand. They denied my order and talk to me like I was a street thieve. I went out and bring my wife and without her showing any type of ID they gave her the food. I am American and my wife is from thailand , and because she is from same country than the owner (Thailand), she was given the food. after we got home we found hair in our food. I will never be coming back here. People should be aware of this behavior. I will re post if this is deleted again. It's a Fair and Legal Costumer Review read more

Vientian Cafe - Nam Kao With hairs - Vietnamese Near Me - Oakland, California

A hole in the wall that most would drive by. But this is a hidden gem and a must try spot! We ordered so much food and finished it all. Papaya salad, bamboo soup, noodle soup, pad thai , basil stir fry and Thai coffee! All were yummy! Service was great! Will be back. read more

Been coming here for years. The food never disappoints, although, like other restaurants, this place has had to raise its prices significantly. Still, worth a visit. read more