Cozy little spot that seriously delivers. Chaa Roen Pohn keeps it simple but nails the flavors--rich broths, fresh herbs, and everything tastes like it's made with care. The khao soi is the star, but honestly hard to go wrong here. Easy 5 stars. read more

No wait Friday around 1pm. A few other diners. I found parking 1 block away. Very fast service! * Khao soi - 4 stars, good crunch and flavor. * Nam Kao Tod - 4 stars, nice paired with Khao soi, love the crispy bits. $40 total for 2 entrees. read more

I recently had dinner here with a group of three on a Tuesday evening. It was a bit crowded for a weeknight, which felt like a good sign right away. We started by sharing appetizers of chicken satay and ribs - both were good. For my main, I decided to try something new from their Laotian menu since I'd never had Laotian food before. I ordered the Steak Laos, and it was excellent - the sauce was spicy and tasty. I also enjoyed trying a Laotian beer, which paired well with the meal. Overall, this is a great neighborhood spot with flavorful food, and I'd definitely come back again read more

Chaa Roen Pohn is a cozy, local restaurant offering a menu of Southeast Asian flavors, including a selection of authentic Laotian specialties. To start, the Tum Laos was a salad made of shredded papaya flavored with a funky, salty, spicy mixture of salted crab, fish sauce, chili, garlic, and lime, served with shredded cabbage and vermicelli noodles. The Khao Soi was a Northern Thai noodle soup made of egg noodles in a spiced coconut curry broth, served with sliced chicken, pickled mustard greens, onion, crispy noodles, and fried wonton sheets on top. The broth was heavily spiced and flavorful, and the crunchy textures came together nicely with the soft egg noodles. Another Laotian specialty was the Mhok Pla, a slimy mixture of boneless catfish chunks flavored with dill, onion, garlic, and herbs, all steamed in a fragrant banana leaf. Finally, one of my favorite dishes was the Nam Khao Tod, made of broken crispy rice balls with fermented pork sausage, red onion, and peanuts, served with lettuce and herbs. Overall, the food here was delicious and the service was friendly. The portions were reasonably priced and weren't large (just like in Southeast Asia), which made them great for sharing and trying a bunch of different items! read more

Chaa Roen Pohn - Laotian Near Me - San Francisco, California

Food 3.75/5 The fried tilapia was fried till the outside is crispy but inside is still soft, although some may think that it's over fried (very subjective). The fish itself did not taste oily and I would re-order. The shrimp fresh rolls wasn't anything special and you can probably skip. The pad kee mao was okay, didn't give much wok flavor and didn't give a lot of meat. Service 3/5 There's no waiting list and everyone was cramped in a tiny space in front of the counter. The waitress didn't ask who came first but just proceeded to seat people who kept pushing to the front. Seems like the restaurant has more seating area in the back and I heard people making reservation by calling ahead. We also waited a long time till the waitress finally decided to take our order; overall they're understaffed so be prepared to wait. Ambiance 4/5 It's a nice little restaurant, at least from the front (not sure what the back looks like). Large parties are a little harder to settle in but overall a good and clean environment. read more

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Tasty spot for Asian food! Very impressed at this spot that is tucked away in the sunset. Prices are affordable, but just wish the dishes were a tad bigger! -Papaya salad: a bit spicier than we were expecting -Play Nid Tod: fried tilapia was well seasoned, just hard to get all the fish off the bones -Kao Piak: a warm, homey soup. loved the hand pulled rice noodles that had a nice chew -Pad See Ew: a classic! -Side of roti: nice and crispy. Service was fast and very friendly. Liked the small restaurant vibes read more

Chaa Roen Pohn - Pla Nil Tod + Kai Piak - Laotian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Many Yelp reviews recommended this places' Khao Soi which I've never had before. I came across a review that said it was full of flavor. And full of flavor IT WAS!!! This was seriously the best chicken curry soup noodle I've ever had in MY LIFE. Crazy good. If you've ever had PPQ's curry soup noodle, this is like that. But elevated x10!!! The pickled veggies, the crispy noodles on top, the insane creamy, savory, slightly sour flavor, insane!! I hope this restaurant is here to stay forever. read more

Yum! Delicious thai and laotian food. What makes this place special is that they offer a dedicated list of lao dishes in addition to their thai menu. The dishes had a unique home-cooked style touch if that makes sense. - Pla nil tod: Our favorite dish. The deep fried tilapia was perfectly crispy and came with a flavorful sauce. - Nam kao tod (crispy rice with pork sausage): Great flavor and texture. - Pad kra pow with chicken: Typical stir fry and loved it. - Khao soi: Generous portion with delicious noodles in a rich coconut curry soup. - Papaya salad: Tried this lao style which has fermented fish sauce. I enjoy both thai and lao styles of papaya salad, so it was great to see the lao version offered here. Love spicy food and medium spicy was perfect for us - if you like spicy, you could also try it hot! Service was fast and the restaurant filled up quickly even on a weekday evening. Would definitely come back. read more

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Ambience: This quiet, local restaurant is cozy and nice. There's maybe 4 tables for 2 people, a few for 4 and a few for 6, and apparently they have a large room in the back for parties of 12 or so. It's very well lit and bright. Service: We got seated right away and they gave us a few laminated menus, but we were interested in the Laotian food, since it wasn't anything we had tried before. She gave us a few minutes to decide on drinks and food. Food: He got the Laos beer, which, to me, is reminiscent of an unsweetened, crisp, beery, unbubbly version of an apple cider. I enjoyed it and wish i got the same, but i got a singha. Mhok Pla - very flavorful, perfectly cooked catfish with loads of dill. I'm not sure if I've ever had a cooked dill dish, and while this dish wasn't my personal favorite of the 3, it was very good. The catfish was saucy, moist, and melted in your mouth Kao Piak - the rice noodles tasted hand pulled and had a great texture to it. It was springy and had good bite. There were a few spare ribs in the soup and the soup itself was very flavorful and I can see this being something I come back for every winter, or when the months turn cold. It's warming, filling, and really tasty. One thing I like to check when having anything with spare ribs is that I like to chew on the bones and suck out the marrow - if the bones are soft, generally, the meat is fresh. The food here is very fresh. Lastly, we got the Nam Kao Tod, the crispy rice salad, and even though it is winter and I don't like eating cold salads in the winter, the rice balances out the dish to make it hearty, filling, and it soaks up the flavors of the sauces. All in all, I would come back and bring different friends. The prices are also very reasonable for the amount of food we received. I'd say give this place a try as it's well worth it! read more

Chaa Roen Pohn - Mhok Pla, Kao Piak - Laotian Near Me - San Francisco, California

Quiet neighborhood, good parking, authentic flavors, smaller than expected portions. For 5 people, we ordered: Chicken Wings ($11.00) - decent Chaa Roen Pohn Special ($40) - platter of mystery meats and a nice salad in the middle Namtok Beef Noodle Soup ($16.00) - good! we ordered this with the flat rice noodle and it was very homey Khao Soi ($16.00) - small bowl but bursting with rich flavors Steak Laos ($17.00) - dry Kang Om - ($15.00) - very, VERY spicy soup with too much dill Mango Stick Rice ($8.00) - presented beautifully and tasted ok read more

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Chaa Roen Pohn is a hidden gem in the neighborhood! You see a lot of Thai restaurants in SF, but not many with a Laotian specific menu. I've dined in once and ordered takeout twice. You can't go wrong with the Por Laos: fried pork rolls with vermicelli, lettuce, fresh herbs, and a sweet chili sauce. They were crispy and easy to eat since they were precut into bite size pieces, perfect for assembling with the accompanying items. The papaya salad packed a punch even though I requested mild. It was refreshing; the lime brought out a brightness and fish sauce some umami and saltiness. The pad see ew was very good. The noodles had the perfect texture, a nice chew and very velvety; I appreciated how they weren't clumped together, probably because they're rinsed well after boiling to remove extra starch. The tom yum had a very mild acidity. If you prefer your tom yum more sour, you might be a little disappointed here. Service is standard, as there was one person taking all the orders and delivering to the tables. Ambiance is simple and standard for an Asian eatery. The restaurant is small, about 8 tables seating 2-6 people per table. But they also have a large table in the back for larger party size that seats up to 15. Overall Chaa Roen Pohn is a great place to dine in or do takeout; they have an easy online ordering system and package items carefully. Parking isn't to tricky in the area either. read more

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Cozy little spot, easy to miss on the street! There are mostly thai dishes on the menu and a special smaller Lao dish menu standing on the table. Food- -Fried tilapia: beautiful presentation on a straw platter -green curry -curry noodle soup: the best! Flavor was wonderful, not spicy, came with fried noodle crispy pieces to top off the noodles -zen ya fo: noodle soup, you can choose thin rice noodle, flat noodle, or egg noodles, up to you Good friendly service read more

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I called at 7:30 to see if they were still seating, they happily welcomed us in, and there were several guests who had just begun eating! The inside is so clean and cozy, but still feels like a nice night out. I highly recommend getting level 4 spice on everything if you like spice. This is my new fav restaurant in Parkside. The portions are great and so flavorful! read more

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The mango salad w grilled shrimp was the star of the show. 5/5 Red curry 5/5 Chicken Satay skewer 5/5; tender and juicy. I liked the peanut sauce. I rated this place 3 stars for the tilapia and marinated pork ribs being so overcooked and dry. They were the main protein dishes and very underwhelming. The sauces are all delicious, but the pork felt heavily battered. Service was very good. The place is small but we had no trouble getting a table on a Sunday night. It was overall a good dinner. read more

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Ordered takeout and everything was amazing!! I ordered the papaya salad, koh moo yang (pork shoulder), and kao piak (hand pulled noodles in ginger chicken broth). Perfect combination. read more

Been wanting to try out this Laotian restaurant and finally had a chance to.Came in on a Friday evening around 5:20pm. Did not have to wait, but it was pretty packed already. The restaurant is somewhat small and has limited seating; around 20 people roughly. Ambiance was cozy and very homey. There is a Thai/Laos menu. Service was friendly and quick. Decided to try: Kao Piak(7/10) - A light and flavorful thick soup/broth.Very soothing and I could see myself getting this on a cold day in SF. Didn't really taste any ginger in the broth though. The hand pulled noodles reminded me of silver pin noodles(which typically is made from rice and tapioca flour), has a bit of a chew to them. There were some pork spare ribs and steamed pork loaf(cha lua) along with fried onions and herbs . Overall a very good noodle soup; my only issue is the portion size was a bit small. Very reminiscent of the Vietnamese dish Banh Canh, but with less toppings. Chicken Feet Spicy Salad(5.8/10) - This caught my eye on the menu and decided to give it a try. I thought it would be boneless chicken feet as that would make it easier to eat as a "salad", but it wasn't. The chicken feet was lightly tossed with some dry chili flakes and lime dressing along with a lot of red onions/onions,cilantro and 4 small chunks of tomatoes. Flavor was good and tasty without being overbearing. Wasn't spicy though. I would stay away from this unless you like chicken feet and are willing to put in the effort to eat it with the bones. Not sure why they call it a salad, it was more of appetizer.....it would go well with a alcohol/beer for sure. Overall, the dishes I tried were flavorful and tasty. I would come back to give their other dishes a try. read more

Chaa Roen Pohn - Kao Piak - Laotian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Was craving some Lao food in the DC area and stumbled upon Chaa Roen Pohn! Quick sit down service with quick & attentive staff! The server was great with recommending dishes and spice levels! Note that some dishes have "level 1-5" options, even a level 2 was quite a kicker! Both dishes we ordered were equally bursting with flavors and complimented each other well. The Cha Roen Pohn specials savory, crunch, tangy, spicey flavors with the Khao Soi's rich, sweet, savory broth definitely hit the spot! Each dish was definitely shareable amongst a small group for sure. I'll definitely be coming back in the near future to fuel my Lao cuisine cravings read more

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Nice, friendly service. I wanted to try the Lao dishes so ordered the Kao Piak and Nam Kao Tod (crispy rice salad). The freshly pulled noodles for the Kao Piak were interesting, unlike any rice noodles I've had; they were not very firm but still had a nice bite that I enjoyed. Soup was warming and enjoyed the ribs on a chilly day. I've never had Nam Kao Tod so didn't know what to expect nor how to judge whether it was authentic or not. However I did enjoy the funky, sour, salty bite. Is it my favorite type of Southeast Asian salad? Probably not, but I enjoyed discovering a new dish and flavor profile that I hadn't tried before. read more

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Food was tasty. Did not have to wait to be seated at 6:30pm on a Saturday. Thai beer tasted fresh and light. Favorite dish was the Lao crunchy rice. Pad see ew not pictured. It was ok. Needed a little more sauce and spicy. read more

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We did take out and our order was ready in about 15 min. We ordered from both the Thai and Laos menu. On the Thai menu, we ordered the chicken satay, Pad See Ew, pineapple fried rice and on the Laos menu, we got the Por Laos and the Kao Piak. The Thai offerings were pretty good and flavorful. The Por Laos were fried egg rolls and they were pretty yummy. Didn't get to try the Kao Piak but the description of it makes a good meal on a cold day or just needing something warm and comforting. Will definitely be back to try other things on the menu. read more

Hidden neighborhood gem. Classy and clean ambiance. Great and friendly service. We order Nam Khao, Pad Thai, Khao Piak, Lao spring rolls. Every thing got great flavors and fresh. We will back for Khao Soi next time read more

Wish there's a zero star review option. I asked the lady (she's supposed the owner), 'does your dishes contain any shellfish ingredients?" She said no & I can help your order. I am allergic to shellfish. After dining here, I got terrible allergies. I called & she said all our dishes use fish sauce, & our fish sauce contains shrimp paste! I could have died from this incident: she just wanted business & making money: do NOT care about customer's wellbeing. read more

Came here for a date night to try something new. The space is cozy and had a nice vibe, but the food didn't totally deliver. The steak was unfortunately way overcooked--more tough than tender. We also tried a noodle dish that was flavorful and well-seasoned, but the portion was tiny, especially for the price. Service was friendly and the menu had promise, but overall it felt a little underwhelming. Might give it another shot, but wouldn't rush back. read more

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I've been looking for Nam Kao Tod and I finally found it in SF! Its tucked away on a fairly quiet street, good parking and not very far from my place. The food was great and really well priced too so its a good spot for lunch or dinner. The service was very quick and even with it filling up fast everything went really well. I'm defo coming back here soon. read more

Clean place, chill vibe, friendly staff, and YUMMY Food! We had the Beef Pad See Ew, Chicken Tom Yum, and Chicken Green Curry and all were delish! Parking was also easy. read more

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Love all their food and service for both dine in and take out Love it that I don't have to cross to the Richmond side to have khao soi read more

I love this gem of a wall place!! Their pineapple fried rice is incredible, curried turmeric spiced rice w/fire wok chicken, cashews, pineapple chunks & veg to which I added chili flakes & slashings of fish sauce, all this complemented w/their heavenly Thai iced tea :0D So blessed to have Chaa Roen as our neighborhood Thai go to for cozy lunches/dinners, thanks to all the people who made it possible, thank you! read more

For the number of years I've been in San Francisco, I'm surprised this is the first time that I've heard of Chaa Roen Pohn, located in the Sunset District. When my friends and I came on a weekday night, we were seated immediately. While they have some art decorations around, the highlight was the TV highlighting beautiful scenery along with calming music. We ordered their Steak Laos, Pad See Ew with chicken, Tom Kha soup, and Thai Fried Rice with pork. The Steak Laos was way too chewy, but the rest of the delicious dishes made up for this. The Pad See Ew was my personal favorite, as it was not too greasy and had good seasoning. The Tom Kha soup was creamy and a good portion size for the price we paid, and the Thai Fried Rice was also not too greasy. Overall, I enjoyed a majority of the dishes & would say that the dishes are very worth the price point! read more

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Charming, well run and delicious. I recommend all the dishes shown. Especially good is the cracked rice salad. There is also a karaoke room with space for private dining for 12. A new Thai/Laotian star in born at Vicente and 24th Ave. read more

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Pros: Thai iced tea and the papaya salad was good! I got a spice level 2 for the papaya salad but it was more like a level 4 spicy, but super tasty still. The pad thai chicken was a bit plain. The portion was huge though and prices here are very decent. The tom yum soup was ok. Not as sour and also they put too much onion in it. Overall ok spot more like a 3.5 stars. read more

Chaa Roen Pohn - Laotian Near Me - San Francisco, California

I am so happy we stumbled upon Chaa Roen Pohn when looking for a quick lunch last week. We were walking around Stern Grove and did a Yelp search for something nearby and found this spot. It's a cute little restaurant offering Thai and Laotian dishes. We tried the Pad See Ew with pork, Pad Kra Pow with beef and Khao Soi. Every dish was delicious, well seasoned, and just hit the spot. You know the place is legit when the patrons speak Thai. Parking was easy, service was nice, I also loved their chill/relaxing playlist (perfect for my napping baby). We will definitely be back to try some things off their Laotian menu! read more

This is a gem!! And totally hidden on a quiet street. We had the kha soi egg noodles with curry chicken, (the preserved mustard greens were really nice with it) pork red curry, papaya salad and beef pad see ew. The noodles were good there was a few slices of grisly beef. That is the only negative I can think off Flavors are amazing. Good portions. Would highly recommend if you are in the neighborhood. Brg reasonably priced. 4 dishes plus a $4 that ice tea $68 before tip read more

Been wanting to come for awhile. Walking distance from our house. We've been curious as Just Won Ton was here for a few decades. Then it was briefly a Vietnamese place. Now it's a Laotian/Thai place. The interior got a face lift. New lighting, flooring, and even new bathroom door. Plus a private dining room next to the kitchen in the back. The three us had an early dinner here. Saturday at 5:10pm. We were the second party to arrive. There are two separate menus. The Laotian menu is in a plexiglass frame sitting on the table. And the Thai menu is two sided laminated. Ordered - * two items off the Laotian menu. 1) Por Laos, fried rice noodles with ground pork. Similar to Vietnamese imperial rolls. Very good. Came piping hot. You can wrap in lettuce leaves and dip into sweet chili sauce. 2) Kao Piak. Hand pulled rice noodles in a ginger chicken broth with pork loaf, pork spareribs. It's served in a soup bowel. When I first saw it I didn't think I'd be satisfied as there's only a few noodles. Hearty chicken broth with much umami. Great on a cold winter night. * hubby got the bamee kiew. Egg noodles with three won tons in soup. And a couple prawns. And minced pork. And fish balls. And choy veggies. Very hearty. He enjoyed. * daughter got pad see ew with shrimp. Rice noodles with four good size prawns. She enjoyed. Service was good. One server that did everything. Took orders, cleaned tables, brought food out from the kitchen, etc. We'll come again. read more

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My go to Thai restaurant got a hiccup today. Their green curry was supposed to have Thai eggplant (of which I purposely order for) and instead found less desired zucchini. No notification was mentioned when ordering. I hope they aren't cutting corners elsewhere! read more

Chaa Roen Pohn - Laotian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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I really liked this spot! Came here for dinner and had their khao soi, tom yum noodle soup, and nam khao (Laotian crispy rice salad). Everything was so good! It was a pretty busy night with full house and maybe a few people waiting but quick service. Would definitely come back! Street parking in the surrounding residential area. read more

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Had the Lao crispy rice salad. Tasty and well seasoned. Friendly service by the staff. Ambiance is modern and clean JYW recommends. I am gonna try the Thai dishes next time ! read more

Chaa Roen Pohn - Thai ice tea - Laotian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Every dish at Chaa Roen Pohn hits. I've dined in and also ordered delivery. It holds up well and it's always a crowd pleaser. Favorites include the very flavorful and well executed Tom Yum, as well as the crispy rice ball salad which can be ordered extra spicy. The staff is also very kind and attentive. read more

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Came here with a friend on Sunday for lunch. We parked residential a block away but there's metered parking available on the same block of the restaurant. Wasn't too busy when we got there. We were quickly greeted and seated. The restaraunt looks bright, clean and comfortable. We had a paper menu and a small menu with Laos items posted on the table as well. We Ordered: 1. Khao Soi with egg noodles: rich and flavorful, nice heat, and the chicken was tender and well seasoned. 2. Kao Piak (hand-pulled rice noodles in chicken broth): this was so light, tasty and fresh! Would come back and get this again. My parents would like it since it's so light. 3. Mango sticky rice: rice was warm, well seasoned the mango was good too. Would get again 4. Ice Thai tea: I felt it was too sweet. Same feeling for my friend who got their iced coffee. Overall food was great and the restaurant kept busy with customers coming in and out and takeout. Worth a visit for the area. read more

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Thai and Lao spot! Service and food were great! There is WiFi available if you need so you can ask for the username and password. Tom yum noodle Soup - favorite dish out of everything! Their Tom yum flavor was strong but overall, it wasn't too sour, had a bit of sweetness to it. Steak Lao - flank steak was tender and flavorful. The house made sauce was very strong, so light dipping is efficient. Has a strong tamarind flavor so keep in mind! Mhok Pla - steamed catfish with dill. This was a very interesting dish. Steamed catfish was tender, very light in flavor/seasoning minus the dill. the dill was STRONG. I enjoyed trying this dish out read more

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This restaurant took over Lemongrass Vietnamese restaurant, but it's a nice welcome to the neighborhood to bring in the rare and hard find Laotian and Thai food combination. I love this type of food and ready to explore more of Laotian! We decided to order Larb Minced pork, red onion, mint, fresh lime juice, cilantro, roasted rice powder and fresh chili, Green Curry that has thai eggplant, bamboo, bell peppers, basil, and kaffir lime leaves, Pineapple Fried Rice that had Egg fried rice with pineapple, chicken, shrimp, onions, cashew nuts, raisins, turmeric powder and curry powder and Fried rolls stuffed with vegetables, taro and silver noodle served with sweet and sour sauce. Everything was tasty. The Larb was had a little spice kick to it. The rolls were pretty standard and okay which is good for vegetarians. After we ordered then we noticed a menu on table that had all Laotian dishes! Oh great we overlooked it. Ok next visit we will focus on Lao food items! Yes, I would come back and I hope this restaurant will last. Oh remember there was one young lady sever for all the tables there. The main dishes all have flavors that stood out. I really found it refreshing and tasty. read more

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