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    Lao’d Bar

    4.3 (78 reviews)
    Special Hours Closed
    Updated 1 week ago

    Lao’d Bar Photos

    Business Info

    LAO’D BAR ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Dogs allowed
    Happy hour specials
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Lao’d Bar

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    Reviews With Photos

    Ceviche
    James F.

    I'm always looking for new places to take my car club peeps. Set up the event; on that day horrible traffic on the east side due to the F1 race. Finally arrived to find friends waiting. AND, I blanked they opened up at noon. We're standing in the parking lot at 11am. We hopped in our cars and headed east for some curves. Drove to the outskirts of Bastrop; headed up 71 and cut back over to 969. Perfect diversion to make up the time. Now we're all here and headed into the counter to order. Friendly staff and food came out quickly. I've now literally ordered half the menu. We start off with the pork skins; first time for me if I remember correctly. Good bites and well priced. Next, wonton chips with salsa. Calling a foul here because there wasn't enough sauce provided. Need something bigger that what was provided. Hmmm, even the fried spring rolls were kinda tiny. Bao buns were excellent as was the ceviche served in a half coconut. GF had the chicken wings naked. I did taste one of the hotter sauces on the side and it might be a go to option on the next visit. Peeps now killing the pork skins. FInally, the Lahb or Larb if you're having Thai food. This was a nice dish. Ground chicken, onion, greens, and lime. Ended up using the wonton chips (when the salsa ran out) to make a nacho of sorts. Would love to see some small fixes which could result in a top rating.

    Ellie N.

    It's good Laotian food, but it didn't blow me away. I'll come back to try out more items though. I think NY times hyped this place up too much. It's quite empty on a Friday evening.

    Smash burger
    Samyukta S.

    I was excited to visit Lao'd Bar and try Laotian food for the first time. The restaurant is nicely decorated making for a pleasant ambience. I didn't realize it is fast casual / counter service, but the staff were helpful and attentive. They had some unique menu items including a Laotian beer which I enjoyed, but was disappointed to see that they didn't have too many traditional authentic dishes. It was very much a fusion forward menu. We ordered the crispy fried rice, smash burger and pork bao bun to share. All items were flavorful and tasty. We enjoyed everything during our dining experience but later that night I was hit with the worst heartburn I've had in years, which I believe is due to the acidity of a vinegar style sauce used, so be wary of that!

    Bastos collab with Lao'd Bar!
    Bee B.

    Love Lao'd Bar! Been my go-to place for Lao food when I don't feel like making it myself. The nam khao is one of my favorites, ribeye skewers, mango sticky rice and Laotian sausage. He makes his own fried pork skin and it tastes great with the jeows (salsas) he has. The tropical sambal will be the spiciest he has. Staff are always friendly and service is quick. The bar has garage doors that'll prop open on nice weather days, or air conditioned room on hotter days. This spot is tucked right in front of the Sign Bar.

    Surprise dessert with sparkler!
    Sarah C.

    We went to Lao'd bar for my husband's birthday after he saw it on the NYT top asian restaurants list, and it didn't disappoint! I love the vibe inside, it's fairly small but has a real family-cooking feel to it. The decor is fun, the staff were all super pleasant, and we got a (delicious) surprise birthday dessert! Ordering at the counter was a little different, but the staff were awesome and brought us our drinks even after saying that we should pick them up ourselves. My only small complaint is they were out of a lot of items; I don't know if they are still getting the hang of a brick-and-mortar place or if this is going to be the norm, but next time I'd go for lunch to make sure I get to try items I missed out on this time! The food! We went at 7pm on a Sunday and there were a good number of menu items that were sold out, but I think we tried almost everything that was available lol! I'd love to come back and try some of the sold out items, especially the Lahbs. Coconut Escolar Ceviche- It is on the expensive side for 5-6 pieces of fish, but it was delicious and fun to share. I poured the extra juice and onions on some rice and enjoyed every bit of it! We even snacked on some of the coconut. Lao Sausage/Lao'd Dogg- A very unique sausage that reminds me a lot of Filipino longanisa; it is vinegary and delicious and I really enjoyed both the sausage by itself and as a hot dog (which had a lovely soft bun). Nam Khao/Crispy Fried Rice- This one was a table favorite; flavor is on point and the crunchy bites of rice are super fun and tasty. We eat a lot of Persian tadig so this was a fun comparison! Pork Bao Bun - This bun is chock full of tender juicy pork, definitely recommend. I find bao buns to be pretty bland, so having lots of filling is essential for me and this one hit the spot. Waterfall Ribeye Lahb- Delicious, tender, juicy, great over white rice. The sauce was fresh and tasty, overall not super spicy but I did get some spicy bites of pepper in there. Great to share with the table. Ribeye Steak Skewer- The ribeye was juicy and tender and I enjoyed their unique take on bbq sauce. A small snack especially if shared but I'd get it again. Fried Chicken Wings with Caramel Fish Sauce- Super juicy chicken, some massive drumsticks included, and we really enjoyed the Carmel Fish Sauce. It is definitely salty and fishy, but with a big bite of chicken it's on point. It was great to share but might be a little overwhelming if you were eating all the wings yourself. Surprise Birthday Dessert! The chef brought out a coconut ice with some sort of crispy cookie in it- apparently you cannot order this dessert; it's exclusively for birthday guests lol! It was super tasty, sweet and refreshing and coconutty! I'd order it again if I could, and this made up for them being sold out of mango sticky rice :( The drinks- we tried several of the cocktails, just be aware most of them (except the ranch water) come in a short glass, several without ice. If you are looking for a cocktail that will last a little longer the options are limited. Nam Kham - very good but it comes in a little cup with no ice so it's almost more of a sipping shot than a cocktail! OOO-Bae frozen- very spiced, like others have said it has kind of a horchata vibe. Fun but I don't know that I would drink an entire one myself. There is plenty of parking, and its right next to the Sign Bar so you could bar hop to another cool place if you weren't in a food coma at the end like we were. Food is a bit pricey, but we ended up spending about $65/person which isn't wild for a lot of great food and 2 drinks each. No flies when we were there!

    Sugar cane pork skewer
    Joe Mitchell

    Service was great and the staff was very friendly throughout the meal. The food itself was decent, but nothing really stood out as spectacular. The sticky rice was honestly the best thing we had. The Waterfall Ribeye Lahb was alright, and the spicy garlic wings were pretty average. Overall, I'd give it a solid 3 stars. Not bad by any means, and I'd probably go back again, but it wasn't anything unforgettable.

    Bowie L.

    I had this on my list for a while to try and I finally made it out there. The ambience is really cool and surprisingly casual with Laotian decor, and the servers were mostly friendly. One thing to note is that the portions are more like bar food, so we had to order many things to make it a meal, making it quite pricy. Drinks: we had the Miso Lao-d Old Fashioned and Guava-lanche frozen. Both were good. Food: we had the shrimp lahb with rice, taro frites, coconut ceviche escolar, lao'd dogg, and mee ka tee noods. The shrimp lahb and ceviche were the highlights with the former being a flavor explosion with tang and spice and the latter coming in a delicious sweet but tangy coconut broth. However, the escolar only had 6 pieces of fish and I was hoping to eat the coconut meat too but it was too hard. The lao'd dogg was decent and the noods (and side of rice) were basically a necessity to make it more substantial, but the noodles tasted very similar to Thai noodles. The taro frites was the most disappointing and basically seemed like a topping rather than a side though the dipping sauce was good. I would recommend skipping that. Overall, it was an interesting experience to try and check out the sign bar next door but I wouldn't go out of my way to go again. Our bill ended up being over $100 for just two people and it's quite out of the way with nothing else around it.

    Drinks
    Joe T.

    Sadly it's been almost a year since I've been back, but they're still just as Good & Lao'd as I remember. Tonight they hosted the Lao New Year Night Market which had a bunch of local Asian vendors. Lots of people were in attendance, but we were able to try a few different bites and the vibes strong (like their cocktails). Definitely order their wings with a few sauces on the side and grab one of their frozen drinks like the Ube.

    Charmaine S.

    Hot Sunday noon! Came with family but they were about 10 minutes late to opening. Had to try a lot as this place was voted as top five new place to go. 1 in Houston. 1 in San Antonio and 2 in Austin. Not sure if it's a hype but the food was good! Tried the pork bao, pork rinds, fried wonton wrap (the sauce made the difference), the ribeye, and a lot more. The place was hot the ac didn't do it for the crowd. This place is popular. I tried the oobae and it was good! I have to try it again when it's cooler maybe my perception would be better. Not too pricey. Small portions.

    Michael L.

    THE BIG: Located in far east Austin, in the same plot as Sign Bar. Plenty of parking in the lot and backfill. THE BLACK AND WHITE: I came here with a foodie friend to catch up and I'm glad we did. It was pretty cold outside and initially the main dining area didn't have heating, therefore they had to bring in an outside heater. Service is pay at the front and they'll bring out your dishes afterwards. We got the crackling lettuce rice, steak skewer, lao'd burger, lao hot dog, bone-in chicken curry, and grilled shrimp. Favorite bite were the lao'd burger that had a nice pork flavor. Second favorite bite was the crackling lettuce rice. THE FINAL BAMBOO: Overall for 4 appetizers and 2 entrees, the cost turned out to be around $80. Decent pricing and great flavors.

    Derek M.

    This place had been on my list for a bit, and I'm glad I finally got to make it out. It's a cute spot that's worth going 15 minutes outside the city, and makes for a great date. The atmosphere was vibrant and nice but casual, with counter service and outdoor seating. The food is interesting and unique, with there not being many Laotian spots around. We got the taro frites, ceviche, skewers, and laub, along with the ube and basil drinks. Everything was quite good, really. I'd say the ube drink was actually a highlight, and would weirdly be the thing having me craving coming back. Its location next to the sign bar completes its ability to serve as a full evening experience. I'll definitely be keeping it in mind moving forward as a solid date spot.

    Menu
    Katie M.

    Came back to Lao'd for dinner over the weekend. We opted for smashburgers and the crispy fried rice - which was featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. The smashburgers were great, but the crispy rice certainly stole the show. Very very good! I can see why Guy Fieri said it was the best on the planet. Can't wait to come back and try more dishes!!

    Ceviche
    Nicolle G.

    I was not expecting anything from this place was just very hungry and not feeling the taco truck next door but it was 100/10 the burger is so delicious and the ceviche too! Definitely coming back Service was very good the girl was very nice they play soft music and clean place

    Mango sticky rice

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    5 months ago

    Great food for a great price and location! Sticky rice and mango was finger licking. Highly recommend

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    4 months ago

    The crispy rice...oh the crispy rice...what a treat. Good service and friendly people. Love it. Will have to go back again.

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Lao’d Bar

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    These are moments I think why do I live in San Antonio ( and often work in Austin ) when I can just…read morelive here and enjoy great restaurants, bars and weird gothic haunts like this with weird dark goth decor, a scent of palo santo , superb music, a great crowd and amazing drinks! College me would have lived here !! Enjoyed a French 75, my husband enjoyed a smoked Old Fashioned and it was a great place to grab a drink prior to seeing Springsteen at the Moody seated amongst candles , a weird alter of sorts while enjoying some Stevie Wonder as is playing now though some weird NIN or Type O might have been more appropriate

    I went to Whisler's and had one of the worst bar experiences I've ever had…read more I had one drink. I was completely sober for all intents and purposes. The bartender claimed I was drunk and cut me off anyway. I was at the bar talking to a girl while waiting to get a drink (the wait was long because the service is very slow, despite the bar not being very busy at all). She was clearly into me, and the bartender kept jumping in trying to talk to her too (instead of doing his job making drinks). He was doing all sorts of things to try and flirt with her and make her laugh: pulling out and showing her buckets of pre mixed cocktails, running and sliding under the bar, etc. She was engaging with both of us , and right in the middle of that, I get cut off out of nowhere. No explanation other than claiming I looked drunk, which I very clearly wasn't. It felt very clear what was going on--he wanted me out of the way. I left and asked the bouncer on my way out if I seemed drunk. This was literally two minutes later. He said no, not at all, and asked me why I would even ask that. I then told him exactly what happened and asked him to let the owner or whoever was in charge know about this extremely unprofessional conduct so they can discipline the bartender. His response was that the bartender has discretion to cut anyone off, and let me know the bartender is supposedly married so he couldn't have been flirting with any of the customers. Well, sounds like his logic is flawed--not only COULD he flirt with his customers, he WAS, and was therefore cheating. I hope his wife finds out. This is perfectly representative of Austin customer service lately and not normal in other places. I was in Tampa for an entire month earlier this year and this would've been unthinkable there. I'm not coming back.

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    CK Kitchen and Bar

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    Once again, I wish I'd taken a picture of what I ordered, ...but when it's really good, I have a…read moretendency to forget. This food was REALLY good. I ordered the Cajun surf and turf (shrimp) on a bed of garlic noodles. Everything was cooked perfectly. The steak was crazy tender and well seasoned, the shrimp had a nice pop, and I could have JUST had a plate of noodles; they were that good. The Cajun sauce complemented everything well. Even the smattering of green beans, which were probably there to add color, were outstanding. The restaurant itself was comfortable ...which is a compliment. The parking was easy. The service was outstanding. The prices were ...lower than they should have been given how delicious the food was. I will definitely recommend CK Kitchen and Bar to my friends. We came here for a birthday dinner, but with Mother's Day and graduation around the corner, I can't think of a better spot. Well done, CK.

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    I've visited holiday twice actually in the last week. This is both those visits together…read more Holiday has hopped on the girl dinner/adult happy meal trend (fine by me) with their Wednesday adult happy meal. It's a smashburger and fries with a choice of either a mini cosmo or a mini beer type cocktail for $15. What was good: The burger and fries were good, I like the price point, and this runs ALL night- not just happy hour. Very much appreciate that. What could be better: The bun is dry- not a lot of toppings on the smash burger and the concept of a 1.5 ounce drink is weird. Just make it a normal cocktail and charge $20. We also came on Sunday for the half priced martini day. This just can't be beat- especially because I had a total of 3 dirty martinis across those two visits and they were delicious every time. So paying $7 for a good martini is INSANE in this city. I ordered their normal double wagyu smash burger with fries for $21- definitely was bigger (and i dont just mean bc of two patties) and better dressed than the adult happy meal but those buns are just not it for me. I love the huge front and back patio, service was good. Will be back for both of these specials.

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    Lao’d Bar - cocktailbars - Updated August 2026

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