Wow delicious. Decent value. For $53 (pre tip) two of us shared: Sakoo 5/5 I feel like I've pretty much tried everything that American based Asian restaurants offer in the bay, so whenever I see something I've never seen or tried before, I always want to order it to try it out. Sakoo was the mystery dish brand new to me and it was surprisingly excellent!! They are chewy balls with savory filling inside. We liked it better piping hot and on its own (no lettuce/herbs), the foliage drowned out the texture and flavor. Crispy pork belly 4/5 We ended up using the lettuce and herbs from the Sakoo to wrap this and dip in the provided sauce, and it made it so good. The pork has crispy skin and is flavorful. Khao Soy 3/5 We were both expecting the Thai style (at other restaurants), and kept comparing it. This one tasted kind of less bright. The Thai is definitely tastier IMO. Service. Excellent. She quoted us a 45 min wait over the phone (being considerate so that we wouldn't have to wait once we arrived) but it ended up being ready 20 min early. I had happened to be wandering in the area and showed up early so it all worked out well. We drove home (20 min) and the takeout was still piping hot and awesome tasting. I'd recommend eating in or eating asap after pickup, and the temperature really makes a difference in the flavor and texture. read more

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Finally tried everything on menu. Not going to go into details about the food because honestly I would rather not wait in line. Try for yourself and get hooked or don't. Let's just say my wife and grandma who both suffer from long covid and cant taste much are obsessed with this place. read more

best food ever, it's a good amount of food..it's our go to for birthday celebrations.. the spot is spacious and good service

Easily became one of my top five all time favorite ! Went in without any expectation but leaving totally contented and nourished. Glad that I took pictures of the food for easily reference for future order because I can foresee me having difficulty finding the food on the menu because of the language barrier. The food, every one of it that we ordered (pictured) was spectacular and I am confident that it's not like anything you've had before ! The flavor, the presentation, the taste, everything about this place is fantastic. Nice and spacious location and the servers seemed friendly too. Planning my next trip to Oakland now !! read more

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MY favorite place to eat in Alameda. If you havent been before you need to go. What to order? Everything!!

Food here is fantastic! Come by if you want to enjoy a nice Laotian Food! Very flavorful and authentic. Recommend to try everything on the menu read more

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This place is a gem. Love the atmosphere. The food tastes very authentic and so good, like my mom and auntie were cooking it. Servings were appropriate for the price. Will definitely return. Must order sticky rice and cabbage. read more

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Always my go to place to eat Lao/thai food! Everything taste so good and fresh, taste just like moms cooking, service is also great, and restaurant is very clean ! read more

Bhan Mae Vane - Mok Pla, BMV Ultimate Papaya Platter, Nam Khao (Crispy Rice Salad) - Thai Near Me - Alameda, California

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I enjoyed their fried clear rice roll wraps. It is like egg rolls that uses the white wrapper you would use for the spring roll instead of the usual yellow egg roll wraps. It comes in a large shareable dish, that you can do a lettuce wrap with the vermicelli noodle and dipped into the sweet chili sauce. We also enjoyed their Pad Thai and lao sausage, which was a little spicy. Their Thai tea is more milky than I cared for. And the restaurant is cooler and louder than I would have enjoyed. Overall, great food, might do take out next time. read more

Bhan Mae Vane - Thai Near Me - Alameda, California

Last minute to come here. Went there very close to closing and waitress did not seem too happy. Told us we had 10 minutes to order because they were closing. Good grief! Place had 2 other tables and looks like door dash kept coming. Nice decor, clean, quiet where we can have a conversation. Finally , once we ordered the food came quickly and OMG. We ordered 5 dishes and good came so fast that it was unbelievably delicious. The lady with the classes , maybe the owner, she was the nicest lady. First time at this place was not sure at first but the food is amazing. I will go back another time but I would like recommendations and maybe bring other friends and family to eat here. Little pricy but worth every dollar. read more

One of my fav Lao / Thai food in the area! I've came here a couple times already and here are some of my favorites and what make me keep coming back: - Crispy Rice Salad: superrrrr flavorful, delicious, and refreshing! Love the crispy rice texture. Has a very unique and complex flavor and I always get this if I'm coming with friends who haven't tried it yet. - Sakoo: savory tapioca meat ball with a small kick! It's the perfect bite size and a flavor bomb in your mouth. Highly recommend this as well! It's very addicting to eat. - Crab Fried Rice: it hits the spot when you are craving it! I love that it has huge chucks of crab meat and you can really taste the crab flavors! It also has a huge portion, perfect to eat as leftovers the next day. The ultimate platter is actually kind of average I feel like. It looked really nice so I got it when I came with 3 other people, but after trying it, don't think I will get it again. It is pricey compare to the other options too. However, I do think it's nice to try it once because the variety, just don't have a super high expectation. If I remember correctly, we got the chicken wings, sausage, jerky and some others. Additionally, sometime they have special combos and those are pretty good values when you wanna try a variety but don't want to commit to the big platter! What I like the least here is def the curry. It's not bad, just alright compare to their other food. It is a little too watery for my taste, and the meat (I got chicken) was plain. Got it once and didn't get it again since. I do think their specialty dishes are where they shine the most!! Would highly recommend getting those!! read more

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Love this place, very convenience from Oakland to Alameda, just a tunnel away. The decor is clean and simple but elegant. Yes, the phatty (fatty) combo is simple and the components compliment well with to each item. Shrimp garlic noodle is tasty with the fragrant garlicky aroma, the pork belly is deep fried that releases most of the fatty part, so you don't have to worry chewing into the fats, and the skin is crunchy and the meat is moist. The chicken wings are my favorite, with a sweet note. Great combo and would return. read more

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This place is awesome! The food is so tasty. There's not one dish we tried we didn't like. The fried rice is amazing. We come at least once a week. I like that the restaurant is fairly large so you can bring the kids and not worried about it being too cramped or quiet. Love this spot! read more

I wanted to give 4 stars but I was disappointed from the much anticipated crispy pork belly dish. For $18 it was overpriced and several of the pieces were overly fried and not edible. The side of pickled cabbage was more like a garnish. For the price and amount of pieces, it should have been a real side. The eggplant and pork was good. Ordered over the phone and it did take longer than 30 min, more like 45min. In any case, I am on the fence on returning. read more

Just wanted to write a quick follow update for my staple to-go favorite Thai place in the area! Since the past year, I've just defaulted to coming to Bhan Mae Vane whenever I crave Thai food. I feel like it satisfies me when other Thai places don't. The portions are huge in comparison. The food, the meat, cooked closer to right, not overcooked nor undercooked. They don't use as much Pad See Ew/Pad Kee Mao sauce as other places either. I always come here for Their Pad See Ew, their Pad Kee Mao, and their Pad Thai. The only really thing I'm not fond of is their Thai Ice Tea, and the fact that my latest Pad Kee Mao didn't have as much meat as I would of liked. Not at all dealbreakers. Nor do I want to seek out another Thai restaurant. I hope you can enjoy this place as much as I do. read more

Shrimp Pad Thai - 5 stars - One of my best if not top Pad thai so far. I usually dont like it when some places have too much of a "ketchup" taste (seems like cheap places particularly ones close to the Cal campus use this to cut costs), nor too strong of a fish sauce taste, nor too sweet. It was sauced to perfection, with nice amount of peanuts on top. Shrimp was really fresh too. Nam Khao (salad with crispy rice, preserved pork, peanuts, herbs with lettuce as wrap) - 5 stars - This was totally new to me, and was a Lao specialty dish, and what a surprise. Category wise one may say salad, but then looking at it another way, its like a fried crispy rice (with parts still chewy) dish with pork and nuts? I know if you say "salad", then instantly certain types of people would scurry away. Anyways I loved the combo of ingredients, especially the preserved pork, which tastes closer to bacon than cantonese style preserved pork sausages (lap cherng). The lettuce was provided as an optional wrap for the dish, and it works well standalone as well. Some reviews might mention this place is higer prices, but they provide good portions. I would really go back and try more of their food, especially Lao food. read more

Bhan Mae Vane - Pad Thai - Thai Near Me - Alameda, California

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Delicious thai food. Decent portions. Average prices. Crowded but food came out timely. Would go there again

I love their spring rolls. I don't like all of the dishes there but I enjoy going there and looking at all of the basket lamps hanging from the ceiling. One order of Spring rolls from here are two meals for me. I like the tofu and the shrimp version. When you go here you pick the protein you want in the dish. Yay for this place which once upon a time was a Chinese food restaurant. Service is quick. Staff is friendly. Yay! read more

Was in Alameda for Cars & Coffee event, and found this place on Yelp and it was close by. We got there just when they opened and so had a wait a bit for the food since they were just getting started. It was worth the wait cuz the food was terrific. We had the house specialies Sakoo (steamed savory tapioca balls stuffed with ground pork and other goodies), and Mok Pla(fish fillets wit herbs steamed in banana leaves). These were outstanding and were unique dishes to BMV. We also had the khao soy noodles, and garlic noodles with shrimp. These were good but not memorable. The portions were pretty good so we thought the prices were reasonable. Service was a bit slow as I think they were short-staffed and there were lots of to-go orders. We plan to come back and try other house specialities. read more

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Quick Summary: Big portions of great thai and laotian food at a nicely decorated and open restaurant with a nice ambience. . Try the chicken skewers and definitely the nam kao. Try the mok pla if you like strong flavors with a bit of a spicy kick! - Nam Kao - I was so happy this was an enormous bowl. Crispy crispy rice with awesome textures and flavors and a big heap of greens to wrap it all up in. Highly recommend. I think I'll order this every time. - Chicken Skewers - These were so tender and delicious! Clearly I took the photo after we already got to them. The peanut sauce and other dipping sauce that came with it are delicious. I found myself dipping the veggies that came with dishes into the clear sauce. - Pad Seew - Awesome noodle texture. They were able to preserve big, thick sheets of rice noodles and they didn't overcook them, so they're still slightly chewy in the best way. I thought it could've used more flavor, but pad seew could've used a little more flavor, but it wasn't bland either. Nice amount of veggies and meat. - Mok Pla - I get this every chance I can. I love fish and I love strong flavors, and this is both of those. It definitely has a spicy kick to it, but as someone that doesn't have a high spice tolerance, it's still edible for me. It's really tasty, but I think I like the Mok Pla at Vientian Cafe better. - Crispy Pork Belly - It's definitely crispy, but the skin is just a bit on the hard crunchy side. The bottom layer is also a little dry, but everything is seasoned well. This was my least favorite out of the bunch. Not bad, but not a stand out compared to other pork bellies I've had at Chinese restaurants. With high ceilings, it can get a little loud, but otherwise, this would be great to bring a group of people as the servings are huge and the space is nice! And most importantly, the food is great. I'll be back to try more. read more

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They can accomadate lots of big groups with the amount of space they have. It wasn't too busy when I came with my friends. The nam khao was amazing, it had the right amount of crunch in every bite for me. Their crispy pork was also good. It was fried perfectly and still juicy on the inside. read more

The curry was really good I just wish I had someone to split this with. The service was really good but I don't think it's necessary to staff beautiful women I love the table choices and lighting. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone read more

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This place is such a find!! The food is flavorful, The portions are huge, and The service is relatively quick. My favorites on the menu are the spring rolls with shrimp and Nam Kao (A tasty rice dish that comes with a huge stack of lettuce cups and fresh herbs for wrapping) The food feels very homey and it seems like the sauces are handmade instead of bottled. The only reason this place gets four stars instead of five is that when it gets busy they seem to cut some corners. The shrimp were not well cleaned, noodles on pad kee mao out stuck together so some seemed raw/unseasoned. But these things only seem to happen when the place is completely full, in general it's definitely a new favorite read more

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I ordered take out from this place a few times in the past. This time, I decided to dine in as I was meeting my friends in the neighborhood. First, they have some interesting dishes that you would not find at other Thai places around here. I'd definitely recommend Sakoo and Nam Khao as they are both very tasty and unique. For more commonly known dishes, Pad Kee Mao was also very good. A little on the spicy side but it's not too much, actually makes the dish more tasty. Lastly, a dish I wouldn't get again on my next visit would be Pla Ka Pow. The flavor was great but I'm not a big fan of fresh water fish. I think it used catfish and personally I do not like the mud taste.. I wish the menu specified the type of fish they use because I wouldn't have ordered it had I known the type of fish they use. Overall, a nice unique place to try in Alameda. I'd try to come a bit earlier on a busy day as they get packed fairly quickly. read more

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So glad to see a Thai/Laos restaurant that serves authentic Laos dishes. From nam khao, to khao piak, to Laos sausage. These items are not often provided in most Thai restaurants so I was really happy they had it here! I grew up eating Northern Thai cuisine which is heavily influenced by Laos cuisines. We ordered for takeout Laos sausage, nam khao, and pad kee mao (I always have to get my pad kee mao). We ordered take out since there was no outdoor seating (probably due to rain) and we were with our dog. Unfortunately no dog allowed which is understandable. Our takeout took about 35minutes since it was pretty busy on a Saturday. We took our foods to a nearby brewery and enjoyed our meal with beers. It worked out great! The pad kee mao had a wok fire taste to it, but that was all I tasted. I felt like it could use more sauces or something. I did like the portion of the veggies and chicken, and it came with hearty portions of noodles. I was only able to eat a little more than half with the help of my husband. The Laos sausages were OK - to be honest my mom's Laos sausages tastes more sour and flavorful. I think it needs to be fermented more to get that sour taste. The nam khao was good, but definitely not the best we had. Maybe it was covered in container during the ride to brewery because it needed to be a bit more fried and could use more salty seasoning. I like how it came with lots of veggies, we ate them all. Overall a decent meal, and much respect for them providing authentic Laos dishes. I must try their khao piak soon! read more

food was okay. I just came by to try. came with my baby mama. she doesn't approve this spot for some reason. papaya salad had a weird taste not lao style taste. no sauce selections as champa garden. oh well just to try. if you're a lao sausage fan this is the spot. haha read more

Bhan Mae Vane - appetizers and noodle soup - Thai Near Me - Alameda, California

Picked up some takeout and yum, yum, yum! So happy this place makes rawb beef laab. It was a little salty but still delicious. The papaya salad was goooood - nice and juicy and flavorful. The nam khao was great too. Dishes may seem pricey but they're pretty good portions. I'm definitely returning to try other dishes here! read more

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WHEN: Saturday @ 6:30pm PARKING: Paid street parking available. There are neighborhood streets you can find free parking Mask encouraged, staff wore masks and gloves. Dine in is allowed, there are a lot of big tables and booths for dine in. It was a busy night, the tables are pretty filled up. There was some social distancing in between tables. WHEN I ORDERED Chicken pad kee mao Beef pad see eew Chicken green curry Side of white rice Lao Spring rolls Crispy pork belly The crispy pork had a lot of flavor and extra crispy skin, which is my favorite. None of the entrees comes with side of rice, we ordered white rice on the side. The portion of each entree was very large, it was reasonable price for the large portion of food. I wish I shared the green curry with my bf. At the end of the night, we had plenty of leftovers. read more

Bhan Mae Vane - Crispy Pork Belly Lao Spring Rolls (3) - Thai Near Me - Alameda, California

We love the food, very authentic Lao food. Great presentation and the taste is spot on. Nice environment, good service . Highly recommended read more

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On my quest to find local cuisine for sa koo, I accidentally found a gem. Zoe was delightful and even suggested the sa koo. She read my mind. Sa koo 12 pcs: The best I have ever had next to homemade ones. Food Network, if you haven't reviewed this place, I strongly suggest you do! Delectable and just all together perfect and so don't ever change such a rare item to find on the menu at a restaurant. Lao papaya salad: The base of the sauce for the salad was another elevated blend of fermented shrimp paste, fermented crab paste, and fermented fish. It's simplicity and blend made the salad what Lao style should be like. Again, please don't change this recipe. I will be returning to continue to try other items on your menu and also to put the word out there! read more

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Been here a few times now and always enjoy the food from here. Super clean restaurant, great flavors and great service. They get busy sometimes so the food might take a little to get to you but for good reason and it's worth it! I love the eggplant, pork belly, forgot the name but it's a noddle dish with gravy and there are so many favorites from here I can't name them all read more

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I'm from Indonesia so crispy pork belly is a common Indonesian dish I eat and love alot. Being in the US, I was craving a gooood crispy pork belly and gratefully, I found this resto on yelp!! Crispy pork belly (5/5): exactly what I look for in a crispy pork belly!! Crunchy skin with a good proportion of fat and pork meat. It tasted so good and I can easily say it is the best pork belly I have eaten in the US. Pad see ew (5/5): I am a team pad thai person but this pad see ew blew my mind away I had almost converted. It was so flavorful and tasted the way a pad see ew should taste. Pla ka pow (5/5): oooo i liked this alot too. I was surprised by the sweetness of this dish but I liked how the sweetness reminded me of sweet Indonesian stir fries that use kecap mania (sweet soy sauce). The fish itself was also cooked well. Crab fried rice (5/5): forgot to take a picture but they were generous w the crab and it was also really flavorful. It could do w a lil more saltiness but they make their fried rice so much better than most restos (often abit too bland) Well come here frequently!!! Go give it a try :)) read more

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The food here was hella good and I found my new go to spot for Laos style Khao Soy! Let me start by saying the food here is pricier than your typical Laos and Thai restaurant. The prices here are almost double than your normal Laos or Thai restaurant, but their portion sizes reflect the price. There are several combo platters which are perfect for groups. FOOD: *Fried Clear Rice Roll Wrap ($16) - Clear rice wrap eggrolls are my fav and the ones here did not disappoint! I was filled with excitement to see how many pieces were in the box. It comes with vermicelli and lettuce to wrap. *Crispy Pork Belly ($16) - The crispy pork belly was good and the skin was crispy but it was plain if you eat it by itself. The real winner of the dish was the chili lime sauce which added a tangy taste with a slight kick. *Khao Soy ($14) - So good and so filling (it took me two meals to finish it)! The fermented bean paste and ground pork made the soup so flavorful. The ho fun noodles were thick and soft. It's also served with meatballs, tender slices of beef, and shredded cabbage and carrots. *Laos Sausage ($14) - So good and tasty! Be sure to get yourself an order of sticky rice to eat with it. If you like your food spicy, do let them know but beware, spices are no joke to Laos and Thai people. The bf (who can handle spicy) wanted his papaya salad VERY spicy and well, they delivered. He said the next time he will be ordering regular spicy. WHAT TO KNOW: *Credit cards are accepted *Street parking *To go order was ready for pickup in ~20 minutes *Currently open for dine in - no outdoor seating *Closed between 3-5pm so plan your meal accordingly read more

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It's not everyday you come across a lot of lao restaurants that remind you of home. I definitely felt that here ! With the big family style portions followed by the pop of flavour in every bite you take. You can find a lot of main dishes from the lao culture on the menu and they don't disappoint. Everytime I come here it's always so packed but they stay on top of the hospitality. It's just a vibe start to finish. read more

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Came here for dinner after a friend recommended this place. So glad we got to try it out for in-door dinning. Service: The staff was very nice and friendly. Attentive and professional. Love the service here! Food: Pad See Ew With Pork - Huge portion! Loved the flavor. I thought it was the perfect amount of sweet and savory. The noodles were a little on the soft side, but otherwise it was a good dish! Sakoo - Tried this dish based on all the reviews and it was absolutely delicious! We split this dish between two people and it definitely filled us up before our entrees. I didn't really know how to eat it, so i wrapped it in the lettuce or with other things that it came with just to try different combos - all were delicious. Warning - thai chilis were spicy! Red curry - Good flavor, but not as spicy as I thought it would be. Thai Tea - Yum! Not to sugary and perfect blend of milkiness. Green Thai Tea - I think the flavor was like matcha? I like the original flavor better, but it wasn't too bad. Overall: Would definitely recommend this place! read more

I was so excited for this place but was disappointed in the end. The appetizers were good! We had the platter w the tofu, shrimp in a blanket and the egg rolls. We also had the pork bites. I did not get a picture of the green beans or fried rice which were both tasty! My biggest disappointment was the pad see ew. The meat had a really bad flavor, it tasted like liver, it had a strong bloody taste. My partner and I left the entire plate :( they also forgot that we had ordered the 2 entree plates which is understandable since it was busy, but it made it more disappointing when the entree we were most excited about was not good :( I would recommend trying the appetizer plates and the chicken fried rice, but not the pad see ew ! I do not think I would go back just because my favorite dish is pad see ew and they did not convince me . The ambiance and place is decorated nicely, everything seemed clean. Tables are a bit crowded read more

Bhan Mae Vane - Thai Near Me - Alameda, California

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Bhan Mae Vane is a bustling Lao restaurant with a clean, modern atmosphere. The Specialty Dishes here were the ones to come for, and we started with the Nam Kao, a crispy rice ball salad made of broken fried balls of rice mixed with fermented pork sausage and peanuts, and served with fried chilies, lettuce, and herbs. The salad was salty, sour, spicy, crunchy, and crispy all at the same time, and the fresh vegetables, herbs, and lime added a refreshing contrast. Another one of their specialty dishes was the Sakoo, or chewy tapioca balls stuffed with a mixture of ground pork, peanuts, radishes, and shallots. The translucent tapioca balls had a pleasantly chewy texture, while the filling had a savory, meaty flavor. My favorite dish was the Mok Pla, made of swai fillets steamed in banana leaves and topped with an herbaceous, unctuous Lao sauce. Finally, we ordered the BMV Ultimate Papaya Platter, which was just as regal as it sounded! The platter came with Lao papaya salad (shredded papaya mixed with shrimp paste and anchovy dressing), sticky rice, cabbage, rice noodles, crispy pork rinds, and a selection of 3 meats. We got the Seen Lod (marinated beef jerky), the Angel Wings (lightly battered chicken wings tossed in a sweet chili sauce), and the Sai Oua (Lao sausages made of pork, lemongrass, and chilies). The meats came in extremely generous portions, and the platter made for a great way to share a bunch of different items! Overall, the food here was spot on in flavorful and presentation, and though the restaurant was busy, the food and amazing value were worth the wait! read more

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You really can't go wrong here. Our favorites were the crab fried rice and crispy pork belly. The spring rolls were fresh and their peanut sauce was delicious. Their portions were large and prices fair. We'll definitely be back soon! :) read more

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What a terrific find in Alameda. A modern lao and thai cuisine restaurant. Started with a delicious sakoo-savory ground pork stuffed tapioca balls and lao spring rolls. Then followed up with pad kee mao, pumpkin curry and pad mak kuer. All were fantastic and a definite must come back...still want to try their desserts, purple rice with egg custard and sticky rice with mango. read more

This is going to be one of my new to go places! Loved the flavor, service, portions, and atmosphere here! I got a ton of food to try my first time, can't wait to try more from the menu!! read more

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