So I am Laotian. I grew up eating authentic Laotian food, and I've only ever had Laotian food from restaurants in Milwaukee, WI. But now that I'm older and I live far away from my Laotian family members, I don't get the chance to eat Laotian food anymore. There aren't any restaurants in Charlotte, but I know the Raleigh area has a few!-- So I decided to try it out. Upon first arrival, I noticed how exquisite the decor and whole restaurant itself was. I knew my meal was going to be a pricy one, but the ambience was great and I was having a special occasion so I wasn't worried about it! We were seated at the bar since there would have been a bit of a wait if we decided to sit in the dining area-- but it was worth it because one of the baristas later hooked it up with some sort of a coconut cream soda beverage when I mentioned that the food was pretty spicy. I ordered the "beef larb" (pronounced like "lop" btw) and I got it "Laotian" level spicy! I also got it with the tripe and the meal came with sticky rice. Let me just say, the cooking tasted JUST like my grandmother's cooking. It took me back to a familiar feeling and gave me some butterflies, to be quite honest. It was super spicy though, I shouldn't have been so cocky lol. But it was still good! I took home the leftovers and the barista even boxed and bagged it up for me (and gave me extra sticky rice)! I also had two special beverages, one being the iced coffee and another one was some sort of spritzer (my apologies, I forgot the name). I was surprised by how much I liked the drink. It was so unique in flavor, but so tasty and refreshing. Definitely try whatever drink I'm describing if you can figure out this riddle of a description lol. All in all, I had a great experience. I'm so pleased with how authentic the cuisine was. I also think it's nice that the menu had bits of personal history (pictures included). I think that Laotian culture is very under-the-radar, but it's such a gem if you come across it! Definitely check out Bida Manda if you're an adventurous foodie and/or a lover of Laotian culture! read more

Bida Manda - Beef Larb - Laotian Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Bida Manda amazing! Their wings are nice and crispy. They are also gluten free! Their sauces are gluten too. The panang and sweet chili sauce are my favorites. They also have a spicy peanut sauce. I also had the manda curry and it was amazing. I will definitely be back! read more

My goodness, the service here could not be more heartwarming. The kitchen cooks with love as well. As someone born and raised in SE Asia with frequent travels to Asia, I just adore the authenticity and quality of their chicken curry dish. The curry tastes complex. I'm glad it doesn't burn the mouth with spiciness. The chunks of white meat are hugely fresh. Super enjoyed every morsel of The sweet chili salmon too. Oddly, while I enjoyed the crispy pork noodle soup, it wasn't quite as awesome as claimed by other reviews. Then came dessert. Really had no room, but the mango with black sticky rice swung for the fences. Had to finish every last bite. Highly recommend this spot. Better value at lunch. read more

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One of my favorite restaurants in the Triangle, for sure! It's located in an area that is super sketchy, and it is incredibly easy to walk or drive right by (I definitely missed it my first time here), but the food is excellent! I've had both lunch and dinner here. For lunch, I had the Crispy Rice Lettuce Wrap appetizer (coconut rice with herbs, toasted peanuts, eggs, served with 5 thin lettuce wraps, 2 slices of cucumber, a couple sprigs of cilantro, and caramelized sweet chili sauce for $9.90). The rice has a little crunchiness to it, and I absolutely love how the rice tastes! The lettuce wraps are perfectly crispy and hold the rice very well without falling apart and all over the place. I had Pumpkin Curry for my main course (yellow curry, coconut broth, carrots, potatoes, pumpkin, green beans, green onions, and jasmine rice for $11.90). The root veggies are stewed just the way I like them, soft on the inside with just the right amount of firmness on the outside, instead of mushy or crunchy. Great texture, great flavor, great portion! At the end of the meal, I received a complimentary shot glass of some type of chilled coffee drink that was amazing and refreshing! For dinner, I've had the Luang Prabang Lemongrass Sausage appetizer (8 thin slices of house-made pork sausage with herbs, jasmine rice, ground pork belly, and served with pickled ginger), which was unique but good. I also had the Sao Noy's Crispy Spring Rolls (3 rolls cut in half), which were light and flaky. A small dim sum container of complimentary shrimp chips were provided. I hadn't had shrimp chips in over two decades! For my main meal, I had to try the popular Crispy Pork Belly Soup (coconut curry, ground pork, green onion, eggs, purple cabbage, bean sprouts, cilantro, pork belly slices, and rice noodles). It's a filling meal with a rich, flavorful broth. Definitely make a reservation if you plan to come here. The first time I ate here, I thought I'd just stop by right at opening time for dinner. Even though the entire place was empty, the front desk staff said the entire place was already booked! We were lucky that there was room at the bar, so we ate there instead. The food is pricey, but the flavor and presentation (of both the food and the venue) are fantastic. read more

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Bojangles New Bern Raleigh NC. Do not eat here custome service is horrible a bunch of rude kids with absolutely no manner. I spent 15 on food that was old and stal. Please do yourself a favor do not eat here you will be disappointed. Worst experience ever. Never Again would I spend my money at this BoJangles and I will be contacting corporate about this matter read more

My go-to restaurant whenever I visit Raleigh! Recently went on a Friday night. We made reservations, and were seated immediately. I would definitely recommend making a reservation, as their wait times can be long. For appetizers, they provide complementary shrimp chips, which are tasty. I ordered the Green Papaya Salad with Grilled Lemongrass Chicken and this entree comes with a side of white rice. The chicken is juicy and the papaya salad is so fresh. I love their large portions, and always have enough left over for another full meal. We were celebrating a birthday, and our waiter surprised us with two macaroons...quite possibly some of the best I have tasted! I would definitely recommend this restaurant for a nice date night. read more

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Bida Manda was a great meal! The food we ordered ranked from really good to incredible, and not a single thing was off the mark! Tip - This place is popular so definitely get a reservations at least a week out. As for the food, in one word, delicious. In particular, I really enjoyed the crispy rice appetizer. Incredible! Even though it was vegetarian, it had an incredible amount of savoriness and combined with the crispy texture made this my favorite dish of the night by far! They also serve everyone homemade shrimp crackers to start. So addicting! These are great! In terms of entrees, I got the green papaya salad with Filet Mignon. The steak was cooked perfectly and tasted amazing. The papaya was good, but it was too unripe for my taste. It was a good balance to the steak, but would have been better had it been a tad bit more mellow. read more

If I was rich, I'd be here 24/7. Seriously, the food, the service is amazing! I've been here only twice but that's because I don't live in Raleigh. This place has one of the best Asian dishes I have ever tasted and the atmosphere is very romantic. I would take someone here for a date, birthday dinner, celebratory dinner, or simply because the food is just that darn good. I recommend getting the crispy pork belly soup. It soothes me soul. Because I don't have a soul, I got the duck larb. It was pretty good but I think I'll stick with the soup. read more

Bida Manda - Dessert - Laotian Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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This place is amazing! Me and my boyfriend went to dinner here to celebrate my birthday and our food was top tier and the service was great!! They even gave us both a glass of free champagne at the end of our dinner as a birthday treat! Definitely a must-try and well-worth every penny. My boyfriend got the chicken fried rice and loved it, and I got the chicken Pad Thai and it was delicious! Also, both of us took our meals home as they gave us enough food to eat for two+ meals. read more

My mom cooks home cooked Laotian food. Needless to say, based on the pictures this would be more of a fusion, elegant take on the stuff we eat at home. For any fellow Laotians, I ordered the crispy rice and papaya salad with pork neck. It was on the sweet side and not exactly the flavor I expected of Nam Khao but still very delicious! Texture was on point which is pretty hard to achieve. No complaints on food quality -- just expect a contemporary twist on the lao style. What prompted me to write a review was the service. I had come in on Monday around 5:15 PM and was greeted promptly. I had a great server (think his name was Cam?) and was quite surprised with the level of attentiveness and courtesy when I asked for more limes. I'm not one to write a review on service (I can deal with bad service if the food is amazing), so for me to write a review just based on the service means it was GOOD! Awesome Job Bida Manda! read more

Delicious, friendly, and fast!! My husband and I enjoyed the crispy pork beef stew very much! Reminded me of a very tasty and fragrant soup my Laotian friend's grandmother used to make! read more

Bida Manda - Laotian Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

I have wanted to eat here for years and it was well worth the wait! I often mentioned that we should come here and so my boyfriend surprised me with dinner here for my birthday. I love the interior decorations. The entire restaurant has a very cool vibe. The hostess was really kind and asked if we were celebrating anything special and they surprised us with a dessert sampler for my birthday! I thought that was a really nice touch. Wow. The food was so so good! Our waitress's name was Meaghan I believe and she was super helpful after realizing it was our first time here. She handled my indecisiveness wonderfully and helped me choose a plate that I absolutely loved (green papaya salad with sea bass). The sea bass melted in my mouth it was so tasty. I definitely suggest ordering the veggie spring rolls as an appetizer. UPDATE: I just found this as yet another unpublished draft (I NEED to stop doing that). Thankfully though, I can add more since we went again last night. We added the summer rolls to the appetizer lineup. While also delicious, the spring rolls still stole the spotlight. This time I tried the salmon on our waitress, Maddie's, recommendation and I loved it. It had the perfect combination of spice and flavor. My boyfriend had the ginger cashew chicken again - apparently he loved it so much the first time he had to have it again. They went above and beyond this time. Apparently our entrees were taking a while (I hadn't noticed) so they brought out a free dish of their crunchy rice for us. I will definitely order that next time, it was great! They were also super accommodating as the people with whom we ate had brought gifts and their own dessert for my birthday. Maddie was wonderful and even offered to box up the remaining dessert (despite the fact that it came from outside). Bids manda has quickly become one of my favorite restaurants in Raleigh and I cannot recommend it enough. read more

Bida Manda - Green papaya salad with sea bass! Oops, I left the flash on. - Laotian Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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I'm putting three stars cause I am certain this will be deleted... as they want to keep their "pristine" reputation intact. This place is abusive to their employees. Ew. Will never support again no matter how good some of the food is. read more

So this place was a gem of a find that blew us out of the water on our visit to Raleigh. After days of BBQ.. BBQ.. and more BBQ we got tired of it and stumbled upon this spot. The food was actually spectacular, we were speechless. The service was impeccable, and our server helped us choose some awesome plates. Chicken wings better than any BBQ spot we tried. Excellent beers from next door to wash it all down. Hold the BBQ for a night and eat here when you're in town without a doubt. read more

Great location, menu, and service. No wonder it's always high on the "best-of" lists!

Decided to give this a try since it's been called one of the top restaurants in N.C?!! Loved the interior design, felt very cozy and welcoming. We were warmly greeted by the server. Ordered vegetable spring rolls, Thai iced tea, their crepes and Pad Thai. All dishes were very well presented and delicious. The pad Thai could have been a bit better. Nevertheless, a great date night spot! Loved the ambience! Make sure you have reservations.l though! read more

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Delicious, fancy drinks and pad thai. Ten out of ten highly recommend. Great area, too.

Always the BEST. I've taken clients, family and friends here and have never been disappointed!!!!!Crispy Pork Noodle Soup is amazing!Summer Rolls yum! Pork Belly Soup is undeniable! read more

Make reservations ahead of time because it is always packed. I think they save a portion of the reservations for walk ins. The atmosphere and decor are both great with lots of Laotian touches. Drink options are creative as well. However ... the food just isn't that great. The majority of the dishes aren't Laotian, just Asian inspired. Only 2-3 dishes are vegetarian and nothing special. I think this restaurant could be so much better if they expand the menu read more

We walked in and it was packed so we jumped onto the waitlist. They took our number down and texted us when our table was ready so we spent that time walking around downtown and grabbing a drink at another bar... very convenient waitlist system. We were told it was going to be 1.5 hour wait but we got our text at 45 minutes. When we finally ate, the food was amazing. I recommend trying the crispy pork belly soup. The soup was a coconut curry base that was very comforting. When we wrapped up, the waitress took our food to the back to get boxed up. Unfortunately she didn't box up the rice that went with my friends Cashew Ginger Chicken. I thought it was kind of weird that they don't box it up next to your table and out of your sight. We didn't think to check the bag so it was a little upsetting opening up the left overs the next day to find the jasmine rice was missing. Knowing that I'm going to make sure to check next time. Other than that, great food, great atmosphere, highly recommend! read more

It's hard to rate this restaurant because overall I give it a 3.5 but have to give it a 3 due to Yelp's system of rating. First of all, the service is excellent. Wonderful dining experience with friendly staff and a beautiful atmosphere. Definitely one of the nicer restaurants in Raleigh. In fact, it is top rated and in some articles written as the best restaurant in Raleigh, so we decided to give it a try. We were given shrimp chips to start with. They were interesting. I liked trying something new and they had an interesting flavor/after-taste to them but weren't too fishy so I appreciated that. As for my entree, I ordered the Mandas Herb Salad with chicken. The peanut sauce on the side is so delicious! and everything on the top of the salad (I do not mix my salad), tasted delicious including the carrots, chicken, noodles, crispy spring rolls, tofu( I think?), tempura eggplant. These were absolutely delicious. However, the chicken had some extra fat/skin on the outer part of it that I had to pull off because I just don't care for fat on my chicken (it was the slightest amount but still). My real issue was once I got to the bottom of the salad, the herbs tasted good but there were mint leaves all throughout which I just felt threw off the taste of the whole salad. I know it's probably a Laotian thing and I am being extremely nit-picky but I did pick out all of the little mint leaves and I am glad I didn't mix my salad (instead they were towards the bottom) because of this. So, I suppose I should have asked which herbs they used because it does not specify all herbs in their menu but I didn't think twice about it due to the incredible reviews of the place (specifically for this salad) and maybe I just don't like Laotian food as I said before because the mint leave is a common thing to add to their dishes. read more

Bida Manda - Manda 's Herb Salad (with chicken) - Laotian Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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We went here for a date night around about 30 minutes to a hour before closing. Ambience was great. It was nice they didn't rushed us through the meal since we didn't get out until 30 minutes after closing. *Sorry for that* We got treated really well by our server. Got good recommendations based on our preferences. The food was good! I got the Shrimp Pad Thai. Customized it so it has no onions/garlic, no peanuts and not spicy. The results of the Pad Thai was like eating "pho" style noodles in sweet tomatoes sauce. No hint of sour. Not saying it wasn't good but it wasn't what I expected. Looks like a small portion but I got a lot more out of this dish than I did when I got Shrimp Lo Mein at the sister store (Brewery Bhavana). I love getting the complementary crab chips and the palate cleanser at the end of the meal. If you didn't get it, please ask for it. You won't be disappointed. read more

Great classy Asian atmosphere but laid-back. A little expensive. The service was excellent had a very attentive server, very friendly. The complementary shrimp rice puffs are very good. The crispy rice lettuce wraps were out of this world, nice and spicy. My GF had an excellent shrimp and bacon saffron crêpe. Had a nice craft beer. Where I was a little disappointed was with the beef Larb. Now I know I do not like the more authentic be floored, other restaurants in the area do it better with ground beef or pork or chicken. But I still liked my experience and will come back to try other dishes. I recommend you try it. It's right beside Brewery Bhavana. It's my GF's favorite restaurant. read more

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Food is excellent. Staff is always pleasant and very well informed on the menu. The shrimp chips are amazing!

I've been to Bida Manda twice now, only for special occasions, because getting reservations on the fly does not work here! Beautiful space, wonderful hospitality, and incredible, authentic Laotian food. Between my friends and I, we've tried the amazing pork belly soup, the duck with papaya salad, the chicken wings, and the lettuce wrap. All were great, but PRO TIP: the papaya salad is SPICY! The folks at Bida Manda don't play around with spice level so consider this a warning! It was addictive nonetheless. I'd love to come again to try "Lao Pho" and compare it to Vietnamese pho. Another excuse to go back to the great Bida Manda! read more

The food is amazing! Service is excellent, and the ambiance is perfect for an immersive cultural experience with Laotian food.

While visiting family in Raleigh we came upon this wonderful eclectic cuisine !! You must come here to see Christina and Chef Lon these 2 will go out of their way to accommodate your dining experience .. Christina generously surprised us with a desert treat ... Tiramisu and strawberry shortcake macaroons with home infused Laotian herb espresso coffee made to perfection UNBELIEVABLE!!!! .. you must try the Pork belly Curry soup and the crunchy trout papaya salad ..Ask Christina how to eat it .. you must build it with the fish sticky rice dill and papaya with a touch of hot sauce then eat it with one mouthful ummmmm We are coming back tomorrow to their sister restaurant next door tomorrow which is ranked in the top 100 places to eat in the world!!Bhavana Brewery Raleigh NC .. Do not let the name fool you!!! It's a florist library brewery restaurant GOURMET BREWERY THATS THE ONLY WAY TO DESCRIBE IT!! Christiana and Chef Lon are wonderful and made our dining experience amazing!! being a former restaurant owner I am totally blown away with both of these places !! read more

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My first introduction to Loatian food and I've been in love since. The ambiance is sultry and chill. The food is amazing!

I'd heard a lot about Bida Manda and finally booked a Friday 1pm lunch reservation. Because it's in the heart of the city, there is plenty of street parking. I was able to snag a spot right across the street from Bida Manda. The parking meter was very inexpensive at $1/hr and $.25 per additional 15 min. I came in a party of 2 and we were immediately ushered to our seats. The ambiance is great, having a Indo-Chinese feel while have some classic early 1940s style music playing the background at the perfect volume to provide some background noise but not to loud to drown out conversations. Our waitress, Lindsey, was incredibly friendly and helpful. She would swing by to check on us, doing it in a way that seemed genuine rather than simply because she had to do it as a job. I ordered the papaya salad with trout (medium spicy) while my mom, based on the recommendation of the manager, ordered a grilled salmon with steamed vegetabls. There aren't many places that can accommodate my mom's strict medical diet (paleo plus no corn, soy, dairy, and vegetable oil- including canola). The food took a little while to come out- about 30 minutes for the food to arrive. Despite the longer wait, the wait wasn't as noticeable because of the calm environment in the restaurant. My green papaya salad with trout was plated beautifully. In terms of flavor, the generously portioned papaya salad was perfectly flavored and had that right amount of heat. When I ordered medium, I was skeptical that it wouldn't be spicy enough. Having lived in Asia and been accustomed to spicy food, many times, restaurants "medium" is more mild. However, this was the perfect amount of spice- neither overpowering nor too subtle. The fish itself was perfectly seasoned and cooked. It had been coated in a batter that had some hints of dill. The sticky rice was in a neat wooden "mini basket" and perfectly complemented the dish. I did wish the rice came in a slightly larger portion since I found myself, having finished the rice, wishing for just a little bit more to go along with the remainder of the papaya salad and trout. The dish was definitely filling. Occasionally, I've found myself slightly hungry as a lot of fish dishes come up My mom's salmon dish was perfect. She remarked how most restaurants would overcook the salmon. Her salmon was perfectly grilled and the vegetables steamed perfectly. After finishing lunch, I ordered a mango with purple sticky rice that went with a tamarind caramel sauce. I've had many mango sticky rices in my life. This was one of the best- in terms of the sticky rice and sauce itself. The sticky rice used purple rice and the hint of tamarind in the caramel put a neat twist to the dish. My only wish was that the mangos themselves were sweeter Thai mangos. Lindsey also brought out a complementary small shot glass of "Laotian coffee"- which is just sweetened cold coffee with a dash of milk. I'm not a coffee drinker but the coffee was delightful. The cost of the bill for two of us before tax was around $45. I had heard a lot about Bida Manda and now, having experienced it, understand why. I definitely plan to come back again and look forward to trying their dinner menu. read more

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Amazing pork belly soup! Come hungry and be ready to eat. All the dishes our group ordered were colorful, fresh and very tasty. read more

Bida Manda - Laotian Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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I've heard amazing things about this place but personally I didn't think it was overly delicious for the price it was. The restaurant environment itself has a nice tone to it, nice decor, good date night setting. I wasn't a fan of the curry seabass here wrapped in a banana leaf. The portion was very small compared to other places and the dish was $30. Maybe I just like my seabass lightly seasoned with salt and pepper pan fried better than this steaming method. The pork belly soup was decent but I thought it was a mixture of too many things. It had pho noodles, curry coconut lime flavor soup, grounded pork, pork belly . It was a bowl Thai Viet Japanese fusion that fought against each other. For the price it was I wanted something that makes my mouth happier. read more

An iconic restaurant with a noble staff Delicious selections Great interior and Amazing vibe read more

I'm a newbie to Laotian food. But this menu had me hooked. Here's what we ate: 1. Lemongrass sausage - spectacular. Crispy skin and super flavorful 2. Pork belly curry soup - a generous bowl of curry broth with just the right spice level, 5 generous slices of fried pork belly, noodles, topped with cilantro and red cabbage. I loved this dish and would come back for it it. 3. Pad Thai with chicken - my husband says it was "better than your typical" 4. Purple sticky rice - this dessert was delicious. But here's what irked me and why I can't give 5 stars. The hostess asked if we were celebrating anything, I said, yes my birthday. After we finished dinner, our waitress brought the dessert with a candle. Very thoughtful. My husband and I enjoy it, we get the bill. The dessert is on the bill???? We did not ask for the dessert. We enjoyed it, but I didn't order it. When did this become common place to charge for a dessert with a candle at a restaurant? After such a perfect dinner, this left a bad taste in my mouth that not even the complimentary citrus palette cleanser could remove. Not sure if I'll go back. read more

Tonight was our first visit to Bida Manda - I had heard wonderful things, and the experience did not disappoint. Although the pandemic still requires accommodations, the ambiance was very laid back and welcoming, while feeling perfectly safe. We had a table for 10, reserved for my parents' anniversary, and the team was so welcoming! They worked with me ahead of time to have sparkling wine and appetizers waiting, and our server, Victor, was a dream. So helpful, always on hand without hovering. He even arranged for a special dessert for the love birds! The wine list is impressive, and the entrees were generously portioned - lots of leftovers for lunch tomorrow! Definitely hope to return soon! read more

Decor was nice. Drinks were good. Service was amazing. Waiters were extremely knowledgeable and informative. Food placement looked good and the Mok is the best I've had. Couldn't have asked for a better experience. read more

Always the absolute best. Pork belly soup is to die for and their cocktails are creatively delicious. Everything we have had here has been outstanding. We visit every chance we get when we come into Raleigh. Service is unbeatable and the atmosphere too. Make a reservation well in advance if you don't want to miss out on this gem. read more

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Meh... an average Thai place with more atmosphere than attention spent on quality of food. The waitstaff were disinterested in their work, the soup was Luke warm, and the curry wasn't much of a success. Additionally, while this is somewhat out of the control of the restaurant, the location of the place is very sketchy. I am sure it would make a great back drop for an episode of Law and Order. Parking was difficult to find and I was there after the lunch hour. I will move on... wanting to discover my go to Thai place in the triangle. read more

Ordered take out dinner and apps for 5 people. None of the containers were labeled. So we tried to figure out what went with what... No noodles were provided for crispy pork belly soup. Contacted restaurant twice and received no reply. read more

I love Bida Manda! They have amazing shrimp chips as a complimentary. They even gave me some when I asked for a box for my food to take home! The service is outstanding! It's really hard to get a reservation with them unless you book at least a month in advance. We decide to just walk in and we got seated at the bar right away which was nice. I actually really enjoyed sitting at the bar. We could have also waited for 2h to get seated at a table...It was very busy even on a Monday evening. My husband and I had a great time and the food was so good! I had the best pad Thai and fried spring rolls ever!  And my husband loved his ribs. I love the atmosphere there and it's just a really nice spot for dinner and drinks! We will definitely be back! read more

We were in Raleigh for a weekend visit and couldn't get reservations ahead of time, but called ahead and they were able to accommodate us, which was really nice! Food was some of the best I've ever had. We tried the crispy rice lettuce wraps for an appetizer: they were amazing, really fresh ingredients and seasonings. For dinner I tried the green papaya salad with crispy tilapia, and my boyfriend had the crispy pork belly soup. 10/10 would recommend both of those meals. The fish was cooked perfectly, and the pork belly soup was delicious. Our server was great, too! read more

Bida Manda - Lettuce wrap - Laotian Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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