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    Lao Thai Kitchen

    4.3 (359 reviews)
    ModerateThai, Laotian
    Closed • Closed
    Updated 2 months ago

    Lao Thai Kitchen Photos

    Business Info

    LAO THAI KITCHEN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Quiet
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Lao Thai Kitchen

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    Fish cakes
    Joyce Z.

    I have passed this spot a few times and knew I wanted to try it someday. That someday came when I was in the area for Formosa Chocolate's Popup and it was a nice stroll to this spot for lunch. It seems to be a popular local's spot as a few customers came in commenting that they were so happy they were back. A first timer myself wasn't sure what that meant only to discover afterwards that they sustained damages due to this year's atmospheric rivers. Can totally relate as my house also sustained some storm related damages as well. Every dish we had was so flavorful and they were so accommodating to dietary restrictions and spice levels. When you are made to feel like family, it is no wonder they have so many repeat customers who care about their well being as well. From the fish cakes (Tod Mun) to the extremely addictive Lao Special Nam Khao of seasoned pork, crispy rice, peanuts, dried red peppers , fresh mint, and cilantro and the Red Curry Salmon that had a perfect amount of kick without it being too spicy, I could not resist getting food to go for my parents as well.

    Pork Larb
    Jan P.

    Service was quick and the food was hot, fresh, and seriously delicious! I'll be back again and will try another dish!

    Inside
    Gerald L.

    I enjoyed my dining experience quite a bit. Came on Saturday for lunch. I think it's the only day they are open for lunch. service is amazing. So friendly and informative. It seems like she really likes her job and the customers. Thai iced coffee was better than the Thai iced tea. Started off with a' Special' appetizer of salmon belly salad. I'm no salad fan but this was good. I like the dressing; forget the salmon belly. Then the wings appetizer... best dish of all of them. Crispy, sweet and just the right tang and spice. Pad see ew is my next favorite. Think stir fried noodles with veggies and beef. Yellow curry with chicken is the good old standby. You can't go wrong. The only dish I did not like was the eggplant and tofu. The eggplant was overbooked which made it fall apart, yet the outer sun was really tough. But I'll be back again to try other new dishes.

    Taylor Z.

    Small family run restaurant but bar none the best Lao food I've had in the bay. Flavors were popping and everything was really good! The best thing was the red curry crispy fish. Really crunchy and paired very well with the rice. Will be back for sure.

    Thai Tea
    Jamie T.

    I would like to start by expressing how kind and likable the restaurant owner is! We enjoyed all her recommendations on the menu and everything was so so so delicious, 10/10. This was my second time dining here and this time I invited my two sisters to join in on the most delicious Lao & Thai food in Albany! Most definitely, dining here whenever I'm in the area. Love their authentic traditional decorations! I think we came extra hungryyyy. We ordering the following items: 4 Thai ice teas (that's a must), thai spicy Level 1 papaya salad, Nam khao, Lao sausages, 2 jeow bong (chili paste), beef Pad Kee Mao, Pineapple Fried Rice, beef Pa Nang Curry, 2 sticky rice, and pork Khao Poon. Everything was phenomenal! Bon Appetite!

    papaya salad lao
    Cuong T.

    Let me preface this by saying that the food was extremely authentic and delicious and the waitress was incredibly kind and helpful and warm. Her service/attitude and the food were the best part of this place. For adventurous folks that don't mind different fishy flavors, I'd recommend the papaya salad. For everyone in general, the lao sausage and pad kee mao were quite good (forgot to take a pic). Beef noodle soup was ok. Duck curry with pineapple was good too. Parking can be found in the neighborhood surrounding the area. My god this place was pricey though for the portions. I'll have to check the bill later but I did feel a little bad knowing how much it was at the end. But what made me truly feel gypped was the fact that they put suggested tipping amounts AFTER tax. Yes, if you paid 100 pre-tax, and then add 10% from CA tax or whatever, then the suggested 20% would be 20% of 110, NOT 100. At the end of the day it's a few dollars but it feels very dishonest so I can't give anything more than 3 stars. Unfortunate. 6/10, would come once in a blue moon and only recommend to a friend who doesn't mind blowing money slightly higher than avg. === The response from the owner was extremely professional and non-aggressive, so I'm bumping this to 4 stars to help with their ratings.

    Plate of Thai Green Papaya Salad, Tom Ka Soup and Red Curry with tofu & rice
    paula c.

    I was craving soup on a sick day and Tom Ka Gai was the only thing that was going to satisfy me, but as a vegetarian, it's difficult to find a place that will make it without fish sauce. I was happy to discover that Lao Thai Kitchen has ample vegan variations on their menu. I ordered everything "medium spicy" and the results were quite varied, so be prepared for that. Tom Ka flavor and ingredients were delicious and just what I needed, but I would classify it as "mild". The vegan version of the Thai Green Papaya Salad was very spicy (had to take a bite of plain rice to recover) but also delicious and fresh. We also ordered a red tofu and green chicken curry and Pad Thai. Everything was great. I remember eating here a million years ago and the restaurant itself is very intimate, only a handful of tables. Ordering takeout is by phone call only, which I respect since it's a mom & pop establishment, so be patient with calling (multiple times to get through) and waiting for your food to be prepared.

    Kailee M.

    Amazing service and super flavorful food! I got the pad see ew, yellow curry, and of course a thai iced tea and everything was packed with flavor!

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    5 months ago

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    11 months ago

    Such affordable and delicious Thai food. Portions are generous and the staff are very friendly.

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    4 years ago

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    Edgard P.

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    8 months ago

    Excellent food. Friendly service at locally owned restaurant. Great chicken wings!!!!

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    2 years ago

    Excelente food and service. We order takeout regularly and the food is always amazing.100% recommend.

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    Page 1 of 9

    Ask the Community - Lao Thai Kitchen

    Is there outdoor dining or no? Different signals on Yelp vs Google

    No outdoor, indoor dining only.

    View All 2 Questions

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    Bua Luang - Feel walm and cozy while dining.

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    3.8(360 reviews)
    0.4 mi
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    Outdoor seating
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    Lunch Special $22 Chicken Satay appetizer and Cashew Nut with Tofu. $6 Thai iced tea with coconut…read more Tofu was well seasoned and surprisingly more delicious than the chicken satay which was already pretty decent. Really nice flavor profile with plenty of umami, spices, and oil to provide fullness. Thai Iced Tea tastes like the premade stuff I'm familiar with at many restaurants. Good food but not necessarily worth going out of your way to try.

    With such a plethora of excellent Thai options nearby, we never got around to trying Bua Luang…read moreuntil just recently. Walking in on a Friday evening, we were able to snag a table right away without any wait. They have both indoor and outdoor parklet dining options, and both are very nice options to choose from. The interior is very spacious with tables sufficiently spread out so you can have private conversations without feeling like you're intruding upon your neighbors. For our meal, we ordered the following: Fresh Rolls: Wrapped with tofu, shiitake mushroom, rice noodle, romaine, carrot, cucumber and cilantro. And comes with a side of sweet & sour and peanut sauces. We found this one really refreshing and light. And I really enjoyed the delicious sweet & sour sauce that was included (so much so that I used it as a sauce addition on my entrée as well). If you choose to, they are also willing to customize and add shrimps or other proteins of your choice for an additional charge. Pumpkin Curry w/ Chicken: Curry with pumpkin, green pea, bell pepper and sweet basil. My wife is a big fan of pumpkin so she really enjoyed this one. You have your choice of proteins (some with an additional charge) to choose from. My wife opted for the chicken. Pineapple Fried Rice w/ Beef: Fried rice with Pineapple, garlic, green peas, onions, egg, raisin and cashew nut. I'm a big fan of this dish overall and I found Bua Luang's version to be ok. A bit light on the flavor, but overall enjoyable. Overall portion sizes were on the smaller end. Service was excellent and they make sure to check in on you regularly throughout the meal.

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    Bua Luang - Patio area seating in the sunny day. Perfect for dining and drinking.

    Patio area seating in the sunny day. Perfect for dining and drinking.

    Bua Luang - Kao Mun Kai. One of the most popular Thai street food dish. Now available for everyone to enjoy.

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    White Lotus Thai Cuisine - Khao Soy $16.95 | 07.19.2025

    White Lotus Thai Cuisine

    3.9(450 reviews)
    0.5 mi
    •$$

    Our server Toy was charming. Great smile. We ordered our meal and really there's nothing on the…read moremenu that you would just absolutely completely enjoy. I love the freshness and the presentation at this place too. They put a lot of effort into bringing bright colors and textures to your plate to serve your food on. when the food arrives you know that they have done their job because it's absolutely delicious. Everything I had I'm always glad that there's enough leftover that I can take it home and have it again tomorrow. I'm looking forward to my second round on this food. And they say that pork is the new chicken so I always order my Thai foods now with pork. It adds a different texture and flavor to the food. I would absolutely recommend this place to come to and bring friends. If you want food, that's handmade, traditional flavors and the items on the menu are Thai you won't see lotion or American foods are mixed with it. They stick pretty much to the rules. I will be back. This was a special evening for me celebrating my anniversary and my wife's birthday. Perfect evening.

    $75 LESSON LEARNED…read more I love Thai food, and unfortunately, this was one of the worst Thai meals I've had. The restaurant itself is cute with a pleasant atmosphere, but I came to eat, not admire the decorations. On a Saturday afternoon, the place was completely empty--which, in hindsight, should've told me something. Poor CUSTOMER SERVICE !!!! The tofu tasted like it had been sitting in the refrigerator. The rice tasted old. The sauce was mediocre and completely unremarkable. The broccoli was probably the freshest thing on the plate, but plain broccoli couldn't save the meal. The Pad See Ew was sticky, heavy, and tasted anything but freshly prepared. We barely touched one of the dishes and expressed our disappointment, yet not one cent was removed from our approximately $75 bill. We paid it, learned our lesson, and kept moving. As a Yelp Elite reviewer, I don't expect perfection--I expect decent food, reasonable service, and some concern when a customer clearly isn't enjoying their meal. For me, White Lotus missed on all three. Goodbye, White Lotus. That $75 was tuition. I learned my lesson. 1 star for empathy ...

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    Sistory

    Sistory

    4.3(295 reviews)
    0.7 mi
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    My best friend and I grabbed dinner together at Sistory! Our initial plans didn't go through due to…read morethe holidays, but we're happy to have checked off a new spot. I've always wanted to dine at Sistory for brunch, but coming in the evening, it wasn't too busy. There was a steady flow of customers and take-out orders. The restaurant is warm, cozy, and quaint. There are several tables for pairs or parties of four, plus some artwork displayed. There was only one server who was juggling customers, but we were well taken care of. My best friend and I shared Roti Dip, Pad Thai with Chicken, and Yellow Curry with Tofu. The roti was so flaky and warm! The Pad Thai tasted good and was typical of the ones I've had. The curry was robust and flavorful! Being mild, it was a bit spicier than we had anticipated. So if you have a low spice tolerance, keep that in mind! We also got Thai Tea, which was refreshing! Portion sizes were good, and we took our leftovers to go. Sistory Thai Kitchen is an addition to the Albany and North Berkeley area. I wouldn't mind coming back to try their brunch! They're located off San Pablo Ave. with street parking out front.

    My friend and I came here around openning time on a Saturday and were sat right away. We ordered a…read moreKao Soi and Pad Thai to share. After ordering the food came out really quickly and we were able to dig in right away after some pictures. Both dishes were huge and we definitely had left overs to bring home. The kao soi was very flavorful as it was sour, spicy, and very creamy due to the coconut. The egg noodles really soaked up the sauce and made each bite taste so good. I wish there was a little bit more meat in it though. The pad thai was very saucy tasted so good. The noodles weren't soggy at all and had a lot of meat throughout. Overall a really nice place to share food with your friends and family.

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    Sistory
    Sistory - Kanoom Jeen Nam Ngew/ traditional dish from Northern Thailand

    Kanoom Jeen Nam Ngew/ traditional dish from Northern Thailand

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    Funky Elephant - Pad Thai Old Skool

    Funky Elephant

    4.0(444 reviews)
    0.9 mi•West Berkeley
    •$$

    I had their fried chicken and Roti, which came with fried chicken thigh, roti, sweet chili sauce,…read morecurry sauce, and pickled cucumber. Everything tasted really good. The fried chicken was juicy, tender, and cooked to the perfect level of crispiness. For the sauces, I liked their curry sauce more because it had more complex flavors from the spices. The roti was like a huge puff which was really interesting because I have neven seen it prepared that way elsewhere. The only downside was it's a bit greasy. Other than this, everything tasted great!

    This review is about the woman at the register who has no business working with the public…read more A friend put me onto this place years ago because it reminded her of living in Thailand, and the food really is good. We've been regulars since. The last few visits, though, the woman at the register has had this nasty attitude every single time we order. We told ourselves everyone has bad days and let it go. Today my friend, who just lost her job, went out of her way to grab me food because I was having a rough one. She spent $30 on Khao Mun Gai. The khao mun gai came with broth and sauce containers that were less than half full, like they were rationing it on purpose. She ordered it to go and asked for an extra box so we could split it. The woman got an attitude because my friend didn't tip her. My friend explained she'd just lost her job and couldn't tip right now, which honestly shouldn't have even mattered since this was a to-go order. Nobody tips on to-go orders in California generally. The woman told her she wasn't getting a box because she didn't tip, and said if she wanted one, she could go buy it at Philz Coffee. Then she mocked my friend for not having a job and said she could just go buy her own box. When my friend pushed back, the woman had the nerve to say, "California is expensive." Yeah, the food is great; that's never been the issue. People don't want to support a place where customer service is hot-garbage. Maybe that's why fewer and fewer people are coming to eat at your restaurant. If she wants a tip, here's one: don't treat customers like shit because they're going through something; don't shortchange people on the broth and sauce; and maybe fix your portion sizes while you're at it. Nobody owes you money on top of the price of the food, especially when the food portions don't match the price. Humiliating people who are already struggling is disgusting. The food used to be great. Now I'd think twice before going back.

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    Larb Thai Food & Tapas

    Larb Thai Food & Tapas

    4.4(742 reviews)
    1.2 mi
    •$$
    Vegetarian friendly
    Family-owned & operated

    Other than yelp, I may gate keep this place. Definitely a hidden gem in this community! It's hard…read moreto find notable Thai food anywhere in the bay, and I think this place may be it for me. Food. You can really taste the love, effort. Aunties and uncles in the back definitely throwing it down. You know the Thai food is good when the spice level is the actual spice level (some places say medium when there's no spice at all, lol). The khao soi alone is worth the trip. We'd also recommend (quite literally anything else). We also loved the Thai Arnold Palmer. Service feels like home. Respectful, friendly, kind and prompt. Ambience is busy during lunch! As they should be. Though, very attentive. Had us reminiscing about our time in Thailand - and felt the same kind of love, same notes of flavor of food. If i didn't have self control I'd probably be here once a week

    First, the positives: the staff were inviting, pleasant, and attentive, and the restaurant itself…read morewas comfortable and nicely decorated. Their friendliness is the main reason I'm giving two stars instead of one. Unfortunately, the food was a completely different experience for me. Everything I ordered was overwhelmingly oily. I don't mean slightly greasy--I mean so saturated with oil that it overpowered virtually everything else. At one point, I felt like I might as well have bought a bottle of (spicy) red hot chili oil and tried drinking it through a straw. I ordered a mild curry, but after only a few bites, my mouth was on fire from the unexpected chili oil. More importantly, I couldn't taste the complexity or balance of Thai spices I was expecting. The curry sauce seemed to be watery without any thickness yet somehow excessively oily at the same time. The vegetables were also severely overcooked. Instead of having any texture, they were extremely soft and mushy. Between the mushy vegetables, excessive oil, and lack of discernible flavor, I simply couldn't continue eating. I genuinely dislike leaving a review this negative because the staff were very nice, and I had high hopes based on the reviews. However, I spent far too much money on a meal that I ultimately couldn't eat and ended up throwing away while still hungry. I was specifically trying to find a good Thai restaurant closer to home rather than spending time on a long BART ride into San Francisco for some of the Thai restaurants I've enjoyed around the Inner Sunset area. Unfortunately, this didn't come close to what I was hoping for.

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    Larb Thai Food & Tapas - Crispy rice ball salad

    Crispy rice ball salad

    Larb Thai Food & Tapas - Dry tom yum. Got medium and it was SPICY, couldn't eat it and had to wash it with water.

    Dry tom yum. Got medium and it was SPICY, couldn't eat it and had to wash it with water.

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    Lao Thai Kitchen - thai - Updated September 2026

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