Everything was just as fantastic as the reviews we read. The bartenders and servers were super attentive and friendly. The vibe was super relaxing. We tried the bees charmer, papaya mule and Thai tea cocktails. They were all great, but the Thai tea was above and beyond our favorite. The wontons and dumplings were the best we've ever had. The drunken pork noodles were super flavorful. We tried the laap nuea for the first time and really enjoyed it. It was worth the wait and we can't wait to come back! read more

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I would give this 6 stars if my stomach could handle spicy food, it was so good. The papaya mule had a nice subtle flavor. The Chevre wontons came out hot and fast. The pork cabbage rolls, a special, were so flavorful and cooked incredibly well. The only downfall for me was the little bit of spice but that is my own issue. Our waiter was super attentive and helpful, gave us lots of tips and recommendations read more

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It was a bit tricky to find the entrance after parking in the side lot. You enter through a door on Willy St. and walk down a hallway until you get to the front door of Ahan on your right. Right across from the entrance door to the resturant are bathrooms. Once you enter Ahan, you're greeted by warm hosts and shown a table. After reviewing the menus, you have to go up to a different host stand to place your order. As someone who dined at Ahan once before when they were located in Bur Oak, it was wonderful to see the restaurant in its own space. There's plenty of seating, and the restaurant is decorated warmly with plants, low lighting, and deep colors. Their menus are clearly labeled for dietary restrictions, with plenty of gluten-free and vegetarian options. I ordered the Khao Mun Gai Oup, and I'm not exaggerating when I say that it was the best chicken I've had in Madison. The side of chicken broth it came with was also delicious, and the sweet chili sauce added a nice kick to the dish. I'm a sucker for Thai tea, and was not disappointed with Ahan's drink. Absolutely delicious meal, and worth the current $29 market price (as of Feb 2024). The staff was kind and very attentive - our water glasses were never empty, and there was always someone around if we had any questions or requests. I can't wait to dine here again! read more

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The food was very delicious I got full on the appetizers I couldn't finish the main meal not a bad thing because I had it for lunch the next day and it was still delicious the vegetables in the dish still had a crunch to them like it was just made major points there. The service was amazing I'm sure if our server was one the owners but she was very sweet and nice, hostesses were very welcoming and friendly. Ambience was nice it was not too loud. The price is very reasonable. I will be back soon. read more

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Ahan was awesome. I liked the counter you went up to order to and the food was great. The noodles were a little spicy and the portion was good for the price. It was the perfect amount of food. The ambience in here was amazing it was so cozy and found parking nearby even though Willy street is usually crazy. read more

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I dined in on a Sunday afternoon. The place was almost full. Praram long song my the favorite item I had here. Chicken was fried crispy. Peanut sauce gave a sweet flavor to the chicken. Veggies below the chicken were so so. Lasp nuea was my other entree. It was way too spicy and had a raw feel. May I shouldn't have gone for that. Sakoo mak pow was a colorful dessert item which was the specialty of the day. It had chewy tapioca pearls and coconut. The dessert was not too sweet. Overall it was ok. read more

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My friend was visiting from Milwaukee, and we decided to try this place. The restaurant is located on the first floor of the former Madison Candy Company building. Parking is limited, and since we came during lunchtime, we both ended up parking on the street. My party of 3 were seated immediately, despite the restaurant being quite crowded for a weekday lunch. Our food arrived within 10 minutes, which was great. We ordered the lunch specials: steamed ho fun and chicken red curry. The red curry was nicely presented, and my friend mentioned that some bites had a good amount of spice and my partner said it was similar to other red curry that he had. Having eaten pan-fried ho fun my whole life, I was excited to try the steamed version, especially since I wanted to avoid the crispy, deep-fried option listed on the menu. While I expected sweet soy sauce, I didn't anticipate it being quite so sweet. My partner tried it and even said it tasted like dessert. Personally, I would prefer a less sugary version. Portion sizes were good, and we finished almost everything. The only downside was the noise level--it was quite loud, making it hard to hear each other, but that's understandable during lunch hours. Overall, I'm glad we found this spot and got to try something new! read more

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Came here for dinner on a Sunday night. Red Curry Udon was fantastic. Spicy (but not too hot), creamy, succulent. Very good.

We walked here and it was a little bit confusing getting into the restaurant. It's from the back and it's on the first floor. The wait staff is very nice, the food is very good, we got the Khao Tod appetizer, it's very crunchy, but it taste very similar to a falafel, but instead of chickpea it is filled with rice. Our entrées were amazing, I highly recommend the red curry udon noodle, it is spicy and this is coming from an Indian girl, but my momma told me spices are good for your body. Please don't use this review for health advice. We also got the beef laap, it tasted like wet beef but it was good if you're looking for something refreshing. Overall, we can't wait to be back. Next time I want to try the wonton. read more

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The atmosphere was wonderful, it had a fun tiki bar upfront. The staff was very friendly. And the food was amazing, a great spot in Madison, WI! read more

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How did I wait so long to try this? Delicious food, some really flavorful and creative dishes, great mixture of textures. I like the model where you order with one staff member and it comes to your table but it's still mostly a sit down vibe. Plants and bright colors really kept the dining room lively. read more

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What a wonderful dining experience! We waited at the bar for a table and Christine was the best bartender and employee. She suggested drinks and appetizers! They were SO good! She was amazing! We got the potato curry puffs and boa buns. Dinner was also great! The drunken noodles and fried chicken sandwich were so good. This is def a 5 star restaurant! read more

I've heard amazing things about Ahan recently and it did not disappoint! Our server James was super nice and was extremely knowledgeable when it came to the menu and some of the entrees that we ordered. We got the Taro tea which was really yummy but also pretty "heavy" and felt more like a dessert. For appetizers we tried the Chèvre wontons which was a lot different than we were both expecting but was super tasty! We also tried the Galapao which was good but we also felt like some of the flavors clashed in terms of the filling in side the buns. For a meal we split the Kung pao with fried tofu which we both loved so much it was a great dish with fresh vegetables, perfectly crispy tofu and a wonderful sauce. We also got the mango sticky rice and soft serve for dessert. The sticky rice had a vibrant green color which made the dish gorgeous. Overall it was super yummy, the service was great and the atmosphere was so fun! Highly recommend read more

My husband and I had lunch at Ahan while visiting Madison for the 4th of July weekend. The restaurant was a little out of the way compared to everything immediately around the capitol district, but we were rewarded for exploring with great food and service. On entering we found the interior decorations and atmosphere to be well-done - the owners really succeeded in creating a unique, visually appealing space with its own distinct vibe. We definitely recommend eating-in if possible. We ordered the Laotian Platter appetizer and the Drunken Noodles entree. The portions were big enough to share and like the interior decor, the plating was beautiful. The platter came with sticky rice instead of plain white or jasmine rice, which was a nice touch because the flavor and texture better paired with the entree. The drunken noodles had a more familiar Thai-like flavor (sweet and savory) and is probably more accessible to the general public that might be less adventurous. The Lao Platter gave us the opportunity to experience foods we had not tried before, pairing perfectly with bright sauces and greens. Altogether, the food was delicious and we felt we'd had something different from the everyday dishes we would expect. The service staff was friendly and attentive, and we left feeling good about having tried this out of the way spot. read more

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I absolutely love Ahan. While the price points are a bit high for a college student budget, the experience is 100% worth breaking the bank for. Every single dish I have tried does not fail to impress! With the variety of chicken, shrimp, and tofu dishes I have tried, each one's flavor profile is so unique. Fried rice can often be a miss for me but they always nail it here. I could not rave enough about the food but if I even try it'll last forever so I won't go into detail:) Each time I've also tried the soft serve and it's always so yum! Pictured is the ube and strawberry as well as thai tea and mango. The ube is heavenly to say the least and each time I go I have my fingers crossed they have it! Service is always great, full of fun and pleasant people! TL:DR -- My perfect meal from here it would be the chèvre wontons, red curry udon with tofu, and Ube soft serve. read more

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My friends and I drool over this place. There is almost always a wait but we'll worth it read more

Ahan - Sakoo yat sai (Laotian tapioca dumplings) - Laotian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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We walked in on a Saturday evening and were immediately seated for three. Food was delicious - fresh and flavorful. My only regret is that I couldn't eat more and wasn't able to take the rest to go. Compared to the bite of my friend's vegetable egg roll, the pork dumplings weren't super special to me. Would definitely recommend the vegetable egg roll as an appetizer - the crispiness + tofu was delicious! read more

Ahan - Praram Long Song and Pork Dumplings - Laotian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

The servers had great attitudes mistakes during dinner were made right. A great place to go with a group of friends, with family, or with a partner. Everything was cooked well. Warm dishes arrived warm arrived warm. Drinks were yummy. Lots of different flavor pairings. I appreciated that each dish a different sauce. Flavors were great. If your into pho, egg rolls, wontons and other similar foods or your looking to try something like this I would highly recommend Ahan read more

Ahan - Bar menu/late night menu - Laotian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Food and service were both great! The soft serve and the chèvre wontons were delicious! The wait for 4 people on a Thursday night around 6 pm was a 40 minute wait. Luckily, we got in after waiting for 20 minutes. The restaurant was very crowded and loud so, it was hard to hear each other. Besides that, it was a great experience! read more

Ahan - Laotian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

The food was fresh, delicious and plentiful. The server was attentive and very helpful in describing the many choices. My new favorite Madison restaurant! read more

Absolutely delicious. A restaurant that leans more towards Laotian cuisine though there was more typical Thai dishes scattered on the menu. We shared the red curry udon (the noodles perfectly al dente, wish there was more sauce only because it was so delicious) and praram long song with fried chicken (my favourite -- the herbs were so very fresh topped with a simple peanut sauce. The star of the show were the small chicken chunks that were unbelievably crispy; a symphony of texture). We also had 3 cocktails -- the bee charmer (the most interesting -- very savoury reminiscent of some sort of Asian snack with a refreshing citrusy foam), LA S Star (more traditional spicy marg) and soursop Paloma (very delicious and refreshing, I really enjoyed it). We ended with the soft serve mango coconut sticky rice which was mostly a disappointment -- very small size, the ratio was way too heavy on the rice. AND the soft serve machine was broken. Not worth $11. Everything else was very solid. read more

Ahan - Red curry udon + fried chicken praram long song - Laotian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

A+ for Food, D for Service Came on a Friday lunch to celebrate my husband's birthday and it was not too busy. Generally I find it odd that they seat you, then you go up to order, have to decide on tip in advance (lowest option is 20%), then get normal table service. Told our server in advance it was my husband's birthday, asked if I should order my dessert initially or later. They indicated I should order at the beginning and they would space it out. Food came out quickly and was AMAZING! But throughout the meal, our drinks were empty, servers were scarcely seen (and when they were ran and avoided eye contact, or chatted nonstop with other servers or friends that were visiting). The food came quickly then after 20 minutes of waiting for dessert I had to run down our server to ask. They asked what my order number was (never got one), what I ordered. No recollection even though we had a full conversation and they had at max 2 other tables. They also never once acknowledged that it was my husbands bday (I had asked specifically for a candle in the dessert since I saw one go to another table which they did come with once the dessert they totally forgot about finally came, but still not a 'happy birthday', which just felt odd). I will say they refunded the dessert due forgetting about it, but it was very odd. Overall - hopefully they can improve the service because it really took away from the amazingness of the food. read more

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The food was great. But I don't even want to talk about the food bc it was so outshined by our waiter, Roman. I travel quite a bit and the only other time I have had service so exceptional was at a Michelin star in Denver with tuxedoed waiters who bowed and replied 'as you wish' as they scurried off into the darkness. Roman was the non-pretentious, totally amiable version of this, helping us with extraordinarily rigid dietary constraints with nothing but charm. He made our evenings. read more

at first that was a little shocked that you had to go up to a a counter to order your food and drink. Once the spring rolls and the main dish arrived (crispy fried chicken over veggies) as well as the beverages. We were absolutely blown away. The quality of the food the taste the texture the ambience, the super super friendly staff. We will be back in the very near future. read more

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So good, no notes. Get the dumplings. Cocktails are cute. Great food for the price. Wish I had room for dessert

Amazing restaurant! I had heard about the restaurant and couldn't wait to check it out. I finally was able to with a friend and can't wait to go back. The concept is great as well. When you arrive, you'll be seated at a table and given some menus when you're ready to order, you can go up to the counter order and then they'll deliver the food to your table. The menu has a lot of great variety of Asian food offering something for everyone. Tried their bee charmer drink, which is a spin off of a bees knees, which is one of my favorite drinks. Their had some fun foam with a Thai twist to it and uses Thai chili infused honey. . I also tried the red curry udon noodles with tofu because it looked like such a great dish to start with. The dish had great spice with some heat. If you aren't a fan of spice I might recommend another option or ask if they can make it more mild. I'm already dreaming of what I'll try next time. Staff are friendly and helpful. We sat inside. It is a little darker decor. They do have outside seating too. read more

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Cute little restaurant with free parking. Came in late (1.5 hours before closing) but it was busy with people still coming in. No reservations but we're seated right away. Was told they do things differently here where you order your food and pay first at the counter. I never liked this as I'm prepaying a tip for an experience I have yet to receive. It's ok, I still drop 20% :-| Egg rolls were really good. Not oily. 4/5 Drunken Noodle was a surprise. It had a lot of sauce and was very flavorful. I typically like my noodles on the drier side. 4/5 Mok Pa (steamed cod). 1/5 This item was NOT good. It was bland, no taste. Dropped $23 on this dish, so disappointed. Had to mix the cod with the sauce from the noodles to finish. Service was OKish. The greeter was fantastic. He even asked around about the spice level of the dishes for me. Water glass was empty for a long time. I always give busy places the benefit of doubt but after 15+ mins of workers circling with no refill, I don't like that. A lady asked if she could clear my plates and box my appetizer. She came back asking if there was anything else we needed. Um yeah lady, we didn't get our entrees yet, relax! :-| It wasn't a big deal but it was odd. I had really high hopes here but I wasn't very impressed after spending $63. The value was not there and overall service was meh (aside from greeter). I typically don't like writing negative reviews but this is what yelp is about. Saying what needs to be said. read more

Ahan - Laotian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Top 5 Madison restaurant for me for sure. Been here numerous times and it's always delicious. Their new larger location is great. I've only ever gone for lunch and have avoided any crazy wait/line. read more

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Ahan is a must visit when in Madison! They have THE best Thai/Laotian food in town. The food is super flavorful, well presented, and fresh. We had a party of 5 on a Sunday night and had to wait 30 minutes. We got a number of entrees and drinks. We got the red curry udon, green curry, Khao Soi, fried rice, and fried chicken entrees. All of us had differing favorites because you truly can't go wrong with what you order here. We were impressed with the packed flavor and how juicy/well cooked the proteins were. The staff was super nice and checked in on us multiple times, even though it's a "order at the counter" type of place. Their new space can be a little tricky to find since it's a shared space, but I love how large their new space is! I'll definitely be back! read more

Ahan - Laotian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Pork dumplings was slightly crispy and was filled with a juicy and flavorful filling. You could eat it with the soy sauce, but I felt like it was good enough to eat on its own. I got their Thai tea, a classic, and Saa Kehm, which was a mixture between Thai tea and lemonade. The Saa Kehm had a distinct taste that made me want to keep on drinking. The sticky rice that came with the laab was super yummy and a great addition to the laab. The steak was cooked rare, which made the meat chewer than expected. But with the crunch of the lettuce and other veggies, it gave a lot of wonderful textures. The lettuce was sweet and matched the spices of the laab. It is a little bit more on the spicy side, where it gives a kick later on. It was really pretty presentation. I also got the Red curry noodle soup. The soup was very yummy, and it was very creamy and flavorful. I was surprised how much chicken there was, honestly thought there was more chicken than noodle. I loved how thin the noodles were and I felt like they just slid down my throat. I also loved all the added fragrant herbs, it added a nice refreshing aftertaste on the tongue. Overall I loved the atmosphere of the restaurant. It had a bar style ordering where you would go up to the bar and order everything you wanted, and your food and drinks would come out after that. All the waiters and bartenders were super nice which made the food even more tasty! read more

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We came here for dinner, arrive around 6:20, and decided to get take out then drive to the Tenney park to watch the sunset at 7pm. We wait for our food for about 30 mins, eventually got our food, drove to the park, right at time to catch the sunset! I ordered green curry, really good and delicious. Daughter got the summer roll and a noddle shrimp salad, she say she doesn't like the sweet sauce, but she also love my green curry.. it seems to be a very popular restaurant, during our 30 mins waiting time, we at least saw more than 20 people arrived for dinner. read more

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Service was impeccable! Food was decent, best dish was khao poon. Drunken noodles would've been better if it was spicy-it was on the sweeter side. read more

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The staff was really kind. It was a treat to look at the artwork and plants that decorated the place; the lights were dim and chatter buzzed! The food was delicious and fresh! read more

Being in Madison, I expect the Asian community to be small. So in order to cater to the demographic, the food has to stand out to Madison folks. Coming from Chicago, the food scene here is very limited and mediocre. Thai food... it just wasn't the same as the food I can get in other places. I was trying to eat Ahan last year when it was at other location but couldn't that day because of a wedding. So this time, I waited an hour to try Ahan. Interior of the space is great. Ordering system works well for this. The food... was either too salty or had unlisted ingredients. The drunken noodle does not disclose that it contains shellfish. Therefore, my friends had a bite first and then warned me that they can taste shrimp. When we asked one of the workers, they confirmed that it does have some type of shellfish. The plates here are meant to be single serving which was not the best for people looking to do family style/ shared plates. We also ordered the coconut curry which came with one spoon and it was playing cat and mouse to get a server's attention to ask for another spoon. The fried rice balls were so salty.. dipping it in the sauce made it more bearable. The last thing we ordered was the fried rice, which didn't stand out to us at all. We also ordered dessert which we were confused why mango sticky rice came with ice cream and strawberries. It's unusual for Thai cuisine but once again, catered to the demographics. read more

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Immaculate vibes, delicious food, 10/10 recommend! Shown is the Pho Gai, chicken. Service was great. read more

Ahan - Bar area - Laotian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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From the food to the service and atmosphere, everything was amazing! We got the Khao Poon Kathi Dang (coconut red curry soup) and pho tai for entrees and the Sakoo Yat Sai for an appetizer. The appetizer was one we've never had before but was a savory dumpling and so good with the sauce that came with! The red curry was one of the best we've had. The mango dole whip was also so good. We will definitely be coming back! read more

Get there at opening or you will incur a long wait. But the the wait is worth it. The food is so good, everything is fresh and delicious. Our server (Ramone?) was remarkable. The restaurant is warm and welcoming and we will definitely be back when we visit Madison in the Spring! read more

My 4 review only belongs to Khao Poon soup. The fact that when I'm craving for it, I can drive an hour 15 minutes to have it. They are good. They come with chix or fried tofu. I had the chix but next time I'll get it plain since I'm not into tofu. Chicken? All their food is chicken so I was chickened out. All the food are designed with cucumber, radish, lettuce under, and I think it's watercress? So if you like veggies, you will not be without. Pork eggrolls-Jumbo that's why it's $10 for 2. It was ok. I've had better. Mok Pa-PASS. This is the first time we've had it and we didn't like it. It was bland, too. Beef Larb-me making sure I told the cashier (where you have to do your ordering) that I do not want it raw. He said "this is not raw Maybe you saw our seasonal?" Yup, it came out RAW. If he thinks "raw" does not mean rare. Dude, it was red. It was not bleeding but it was all red and no brown. I had it go back in the kitchen and cook it. It was salty and no seasonings. It does come with tripe which is a plus. Comes with sticky rice. Papaya Salad-when you are ordering this, please be aware that it's a Platter. It's not gonna come out in a full plate of papaya like others. It comes with pork skin and yes, breaded chix thigh. You are left with an 8 oz bowl of papaya salad w/green beans in the middle of the platter. Comes with sticky rice. Chinese sausage fried rice. Comes with fried egg on top. It was good. Laotian Snack is a platter- Lao Sausage was delicious, Son in law egg my husband loved and beef jerky was not loved as much as the other 2. Thai Iced Tea-I did not like this. I think they use sparkling water maybe? There's an after taste And it just ruined it for me. I've never experienced it made this way. Ok. It's their drinks so more power to them. Summer Rolls-No shrimp here. All veggy. We ate 1 since we tried several dishes. So here's the thing. We spent $160 with only the 2 of us. When we were boxing up the food, the guy took our plates so I asked for a peanut sauce to go since we only ate 1 out of 2 summer rolls. He came back to let us know that it would be $1 to take home I declined it. IF I would have known, I would have taken home the 2 teaspoon of leftover peanut sauce on that saucer to go. It's darker inside the restaurant and they have a bar with couple of bartenders. It is small. I did insist that I get seated in a booth since we were ordering 8 dishes. There was no way we would fit in their 2 seater half booth. Parking is super limited, we found 1 on the side that said "customer parking". We didn't want to use the other stalls since they are either for their employees or for other tenants. I didn't want to get towed. There was street parking. Everything is limited to 2 hours. read more

We stopped into Ahan tonight for the first time at their new location and WOW. The food and drinks were so delicious. We came in on a Saturday night with my dad who is in a wheelchair and my 1 year old. They were unbelievably accommodating and kind. Before we even sat down our waiter asked if we needed hot water for a bottle or sticky rice to keep my little guy busy. It made me feel so welcomed and at ease. Highly recommend going on the early side so you can be sure that you can get a table. We will be back! read more

My second time in Madison and 2nd time here. The Bahn xeo is the best. The rice flour stars thin a crisp. Topics have great flavor. They are only available on weekends so get here before 3. read more