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    Lao Der

    4.7 (77 reviews)
    Closed 4:00 pm - 9:30 PM
    Updated 3 months ago

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    Sai Ua Moo Laos w/ Sticky Rice & Tomato Sauce
    Jose C.

    We did takeout from here in a Saturday night. I placed the order online and the food was ready when promised. My wife ordered their Khao Mun Gai Yang, I ordered their Khao Mun Gai Combo and my son ordered their Sai Ua Moo w/ sticky rice and tomato sauce. My wife's dish and mine were essential the same, but hers came with grilled chicken and my combo came with steamed and fried chicken. Both dishes were good and my son's dish came with ground pork sausage that was very flavorful and went perfectly with the sticky rice. Overall the food was good but I'm not sure if I'd return anytime soon.

    Meatballs
    Susan W.

    Wonderful family run business featuring extra kind service in a cozy space. We found street parking easy and free! The food was good, but some items not as authentic as we remember having in Laos. Still tasty - especially the ginger sauce. BYOB is a bonus, but it's a bit far from home so not sure we will be able to visit regularly. So glad we tried it.

    Nolan F.

    We shared: 1. Sai Ua Moo - Ground Pork, lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves, garlic, onion, chili powder, turmeric brow sauce 2. Khao Mun Gai Combo - steamed & fried chicken, ginger-garlic rice, homemade soybean-ginger-garlic chili sauce, sweet & sour dipping sauce 3. Khao Piek Sen - Homemade rice noodle, onion & cilantro, fried shallots, black pepper, home made chicken meatball served in flavorful chicken broth. 4. Lao Wings - fish sauce, sugar, tamarind 5. Lao Der jerky - Beef, Lemongrass, garlic, chili powder served with tomato jeow Easy 5/5. Lao sausage was not the juicy kind but super flavorful on its own and yummy with the sauce and sticky rice. The chicken noodle soup was light and flavorful, meats tender, and nice chewy noodles. Personally, I prefer longer noodles for slurping but this was so good overall, I didn't mind. The fried and steamed chicken were not only perfectly cooked but the rice is also seasoned which justifies the price more. Lao wings and jerky were also good and worth trying. Nothing I don't recommend trying. Service was good and friendly. Decent amount of seating for small groups inside.

    Ben J.

    A nice, authentic Laotian and Thai restaurant with a simple and cozy atmosphere. I had the khao piek sen and my partner had the laab gai. Both were very flavorful and the spices came through nicely in the laab gai. The Chinese donuts (an add-on) were more like an unsweet croissant and tasted really good in the khao piek sen. We had the khanom tan for dessert and it was similar to lightly sweetened cornbread but with more of a homemade freshness. Our waitress was very nice and attentive. This is a great restaurant for authentic Laotian/Thai food.

    Stephanie S.

    There is not any other Lao restaurant in Chicago that I'm aware of so I was excited to try them even though the menu is small and the dishes resemble Thai dishes. My friend and I ordered 3 items 1. The sweet Lao jerky (sin savahn) was my least favorite. It was over fried to a crisp. It was crumbly and didn't taste like meat 2. Khao mun gai special (fried and steamed chicken) with comes with soup. It was bland. The crispy chicken was better than the steamed. 3. Nam Khao: jasmine rice with red curry paste, fermented pork, coconut shreds, cilantro, green onion, mint and lettuce. This was the highlight. I had never had anything like it and would order again. Service was fine. We had to ask for more water. We also got charged for a dish that we considered but didn't order but only noticed after our cards were charged but they offered to refund us cash or cancel the charge and charge the correct one. Another time a different friend ordered a few items for takeout. He got the spicy jerky which was not over fried. He thought the papaya salad and laarb gai were not spicy enough, not a level 5 spice, just a 3 even though he asked for 5. The papaya salad was sliced like thick wide noodles not strands like we were used to. Their wings were so so. We didn't expect them to be covered in a sauce. Also got their sausage which was good.

    Yining D.

    Really cute restaurant around the Irving park area. It felt really homey and warm inside and the service was very friendly. My family came here for lunch on Sunday and arrived around 11:30 AM. The waitress put in our orders but it took about 25 min for the food to come out, so expect some waiting time. I ordered the chicken noodle soup, my dad got the beef pho, and my husband got the lunch special. Everything was delicious and tasted really fresh and healthy. They put seasonings on the table in case you want your food to taste more spicy or salty. For my soup, I enjoyed the chewy noodles and thought the chicken needed some sauces to dip it in. It tasted a bit bland by itself. I added fish sauce and chili oil to my soup which greatly improved it. Everything was pretty reasonably priced as well, about $15 per dish. Definitely give it a visit if you want to try Laotian dishes.

    Annie S.

    Ordered the khao min gai combo special, Nam Khao and a beef jerky that was on special. The narn khao was by far my favorite and you should order that. It has Jasmine rice, red curry paste, coconut shreds, lime leaves, cilantro, green onion, peanuts, pork snd is super flavorful and almost sweet. The khao min gai combo special is good if you are a chicken lover. It has some friend chicken and non fried with two different sauces. It was good, not spectacular. The jerkey was fine and a little spicy. We added the sticky rice with it. The inside is small and there aren't a ton of tables so you may have to wait. This is best for groups of 2 or 4. One waitress was working the entire restaurant by herself! Easy street parking.

    Victoria F.

    I was really excited to try Laotian food for the first time, and I definitely want to go back for more! The restaurant is on the smaller side but thankfully we had no wait for a party of three at 12:30 on a weekend. The service was warm and efficient! They patiently answered some questions we had about the food. The spice level is customizable from 1:00 to 5:00 and we picked which was a sufficient kick for me . One of my favorites was the nam khao - all of the punchy flavors and textures made me reaching back for more. The lao style beef vermicelli soup (Khao Poon Nam Seen) was also a hit. It was very comforting with good depth of flavor. Overall I'd recommend giving Lao Der a try if you like southeast Asian cuisine!

    Khao Mun Gai Combo (Steamed & Fried Chicken)
    Crystal Z.

    Ambiance - casual, authentic Laotian food, small seating area Service - staff was super nice & food came out fairly quickly Food - love that their menu is small, Lao pho beef was great for a chilly cold day, wings were crunchy & flavorful with spices, khao mun gai combo (portion was huge & definitely sharable)

    Gai Yang
    Annie Z.

    We ordered the gai yang and the chicken soup - the gai yang chicken wasn't spectacular by itself but with the dipping sauce it comes with, amazing. The chicken soup was a solid chicken soup that hit the spot on a subzero day here in Chicago.

    Laab Gai Chicken
    Phil S.

    08/16/25 - Lao Thai located @ 3932 N Elston Ave. Lao Thai is a combination of Laotian & Thai Street Food that has been around for about 4 months. My wife & I went to dinner tonight & were treated to delicious meal. When we first went in a perused the menu we found it a bit confusing thinking it was a Thai restaurant. What we later found is a combination of Laotian &Thai food. We ordered a couple of dishes to be shared one was the Nam Khao. This dish was absolutely spectacular w/a delicious of flavors & textures, from crunchy bits of fermented pork, peanuts, lime leaves, cilantro, red curry paste, green onions & lime. Absolutely delicious. Laab Gai Chicken - Chicken w/red & green onions, cilantro, lime chili, fish sauce, cucumber & red radishes. This was very reminiscent of Thai garlic chicken. The Laab Gai Chicken came w/a cute little container of sticky rice. All the dishes can be custom ordered w/a level spiciness from 1-5 w/5 being the spiciest. One comment I had is the portion size are on the smallish size but make up for it w/outstanding flavors & textures The server was so friendly & cute but I had difficulty understanding her when she explained menu items. My wife and I both throughly enjoyed this restaurant from the ambiance to the service & will be back again. The restaurant is fairly small so if you want to plan for a family or larger event it's recommended that you get reservations. I Love this restaurant & will be back

    June K.

    Now this is what I call flavor. First time trying Laos food, and I'm worried the standard has been set too high. Nam Khao was SOOO good. I love texture, especially scorched rice, and the fried pieces of rice AND puffed rice and peanuts... gah texture heaven. The fermented pork wasn't salty but sour and with the fragant mint and lime, so so perfect. A level 4 spice wasn't bad at all, the waiter said it was "american spice" levels. If you don't like sour I wouldn't recommend, since i love squeezing too much lemon/lime on everything I eat, and honestly this didn't need much on top of everything else. Heartbreaking I couldn't try everything since I came solo. Waiter was so sweet as well, she genuinely cared about the customers. Definitely would recommend.

    Myra Y.

    After volunteering today in the nature preserve, my girls and I ate at Lao Der in Irving Park. It was our first time there - and it definitely won't be our last. We ordered the beef jerky and the tamarind wings for our appetizers. For entrees, I had the khao min gai and my daughters had the khao min gai tod (fried version) and khao piek sin. Everything really was great and we even ordered to-go to bring home food for the hubby. We can't wait to come back again and try some of their other dishes. Service was quick and server was really nice. The restaurant itself is small but quaint and cozy.

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    1 month ago

    Soooo good! Especially the Nam Khao! I also liked the lotus tea. Will definitely be coming back to try more dishes.

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    Wonderful sweet staff that serve really tasty food with a smile on their face. Will definitely return.

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    Ask the Community - Lao Der

    Tuk Tuk Thai Isan Street Food - MANGO STICKY RICE

    Tuk Tuk Thai Isan Street Food

    (341 reviews)

    $$

    Lakeview

    I went on two separate occasions, a weekend and a weekday. I made a reservation for both visits…read morebecause i was unsure of how busy it would be. Luckily with the reservation we were seated right away. For the weekend visit it was so hectic and service wasn't the best. We didn't get our order taken until about 20 minutes after being seated. We were sitting and waiting for a while. Trying to flag down a server was impossible because of how busy it was. On the weekday service was much more attentive. Visiting on a weekday would be much more worth it since you can just walk in. Both times we ordered the Tum Thai (papaya salad), but the only difference is on the weekend we were NOT allow to adjust the spicy level on the salad. The server informed us that it was already premade so spiciness was no adjustment. I loved it but the spicy level was a bit too much for me. Everything came out relatively quick. All the dishes were very well seasoned and saucy. My favorite was the kor moo yang, tum Thai, and mango sticky rice! I would come back just for the sticky rice because it is so addicting!!!

    Ive gotten taken from Tuk Tuk previously but dined in for the first time on a Monday evening. Close…read moreto closing time and having a large party, we naturally needed to wait to be seated. The place is relatively small, with the largest table seating about 7, so expect to be separated if coming with more people and potentially bumping chairs with your neighborinos Theres accessible metered parking directly outside especially on a weekday, but besides that.. the ambiance itself was bright and vibrant with a warm color scheme, great for a cold winter evening As a place thats known for its pad thai, Tuk Tuk really hit the nail on the head! The noodles were soft and moist coated with that iconic sauce (a bit too heavily tho IMO) that really captured the sweet, sour, and savory essence of a pad thai. Although it was on the sweeter side, Im glad i got to mix the ingredients myself, which included some salt and a generous amount of beef (only for an additional $2) to balance things out, resulting in a top contender across other thai restaurants in the city

    JJ Thai Street Food - Crab fried rice - recommend adding a fried egg

    JJ Thai Street Food

    (562 reviews)

    $$

    Ukrainian Village, West Town

    So so good! My husband & I were craving Thai food and decided to come here for lunch. We got here…read morejust about a half hour opening and it was already pretty busy with people dining in and people waiting for takeout... always a good sign! Seating was a little tight like at Phodega, but not terrible. To view menu, you scan a QR code at the table. My husband & I ordered the following: - Grilled Squid This was really good! I thought it was going to come out like little calamari rings, but it was actually a decently sized whole squid, sliced with the tentacles on the side. It was cooked perfectly as it was not chewy or rubbery. The flavor was great, especially with the paired Thai-spicy seafood sauce. - Crab Meat Fried Rice Loved that this was with real crab! & not the imitation crab. There were bits of crab meat throughout the rice and then topped with a big lump of crab meat. It came served with a lime & yummy fish sauce with fresh Thai chili's. - Bamee Noodles with BBQ Pork without broth This bowl of egg noodles had a slightly sweet flavor to it, served with a fox amount of BBQ Pork which was also nice & tender! Slurped it all up! - Jina's Fried Chicken This was good, but not anything like out of this world. It was fried chicken leg quarter, served with black sticky rice. - Sweet Sticky Rice with Mango LOVED this! It was a great way to end our meal! I loved that it came with extra sweet sauce! - Taro Tapioca in Coconut Milk Cream This was great too! It was actually a warm dessert. The menu described it as "Tapioca pearls" so I was expecting the tiny little clear boba balls, but it was cubes of like glutinous rice. Which was not bad! I liked it a lot; it reminded me of Ginataang Bilo Bilo (#iykyk if you're Filipino)! Overall, a delicious experience! We would eat here again!

    Crab fried rice here is the show! The fried rice had a generous amount of crab. It wasn't the fake…read morecrab either. The rice was perfectly made. Not salty either. I could have ate more of this. Crispy chicken was my other favorite and grilled squid. Yumm! I love how they made the chicken. It did need more veggies though. I was disappointed in the pad thai. You gave me a plate of bean sprouts. We barely got any noodles and 2 pieces of shrimp. Bogus. This dish needed more noodles and shrimp. Papaya salad was okay. Service was quick! Ambiance- casual. I'd come back again but don't be cheap with the pad Thai. Rice noodles aren't expensive bruh.

    Khmai - Cha Mee Katong

    Khmai

    (96 reviews)

    Rogers Park

    2026: A new year & Chef Mona is bringing all the flavor from different provinces of Cambodia. My…read morehusband and I came in for dinner, and as always, Khmai blew us away again! The drinks at the bar are always so good, with complementing and light flavors that deceptively cloy the taste of alcohol, which is surprising because they are strong. We had the Love Island and I forgot the name of the second drink, but it had strawberries with a light spiciness at the end, and they were delicious. For apps we always go with our favorites: Mai's Eggrolls, Sach Ko Ja Kak (Steak skewers), and Sach Morn Ampil (Lemongrass & Tamarind fried wings). When I see ANY of these items on the menu, I don't hesitate to order ESPECIALLY the wings.... crispy whole wings and that sauce is to die for! On to the entrees! - First up was the Sach Ko Ang, which are beef ribs of Flinstones proportions that have been braised for 10 hours.... Let me tell you, the meat is fall off of the bone with crispy end bits, and the sauce was also soooo good. Don't let me lie, we were slightly intimidated when they came out, but all reservations were gone once we dug in, and asked for extra napkins (you'll need them, lol). We also had the Sach Chrouk Ampil (pork ribs), which were tender, but also with an extra crispy bite and a sauce that is sweet and spicy. We also tried one of the soups, Somlor Machu, that contained chicken, shrimp, and veggies in a light but highly flavorful broth. Dessert came around, and we got to try a hand-whipped Ube mousse, a durian brownie, and a sweet black-eyed pea dessert. Do not let me lie, that black eyed pea dish was REALLY good, and I kept going back for more, but my absolute favorite was the Ube mousse. Good flavor without being crazy oversweet, and super creamy. We also enjoyed the Durian brownie, which is not a mix I thought would go together, but surprisingly complemented one another beautifully. As always the ambiance is great, and the wait staff are very knowledgeable, kind, patient, and helpful. Chef Mona is always a treat to see, and makes sure that all of her patrons leave full and happy with a smile on their faces. Khmai is always a special and welcoming restaurant with a menu that rotates, and does a phenomenal job at showcasing the bold and funky flavors of Cambodian food!

    This is the first time I've had Cambodian food, and I'm glad to try it out…read more Kroeung is in a lot of dishes and is a foundational herb with spices like Lemongrass, galangal, tumeric, garlic. The dishes we tried had similar notes to other SE Asian delicacies but a little different flavor profiles and styles. It was a little funky with the fermented fish paste but in a good way. The Trei Chien- fried red snapper was awesome. The market price we paid was $45 and was tasty with the mango salad and fresh herbs. The Katang was almost like a Thai Pad Sie Iew with the wide noodles. I craved a bit of spice with it. The Amok Tawhou was like a curried tofu, the little bamboo box it came in was cute. I enjoyed the Kapi Ktiss with rice instead of just the raw veg to cut the saltiness of the fermented paste. Service was a bit slow and the main server seemed a little over whelmed. But overall it was a good experience and I'm glad we went.

    Lao Der - laotian - Updated May 2026

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