First thought that came to my head when I tasted their food was --- the food is definitely different that what we expected - some good, some ok.
My wife and I are always seeking out new restaurants to try in the area, either for takeout or dine-in and I stumbled upon Pho Thai Lao on Doordash. Typically, when ordering takeout during the day, we try to look for restaurants with a lunch special menu, since prices are usually a few dollars cheaper there. Unfortunately, Pho Thai Lao doesn't meet that criteria, BUT don't let that deter you from ordering from their unique menu still!
When looking at their menu, at first glance, it might like your typical Thai restaurant menu with Pad See Ew, Pad Kee Mao, Pad Thai, Thai Fried Rice, Basil Fried Rice, Pineapple Fried Rice, etc., etc., but if you take a closer look, there are quite a few other dishes that you probably have never, ever seen before and that's because Pho Thai Lao is ALSO a Lao restaurant (as you can obviously tell by the title). Honestly, I'm not familiar with Lao restaurants or cooking, but if you're seeking Laos-inspired dishes, there are plenty of those to choose from. And with Laos restaurants seemingly quite the rarity in this neck of the woods, or country for that matter, take advantage of being one of the few areas with one!
To give the restaurant a chance, we spread the love and ordered 4 different dishes to try:
Pad See Ew Noodle
Pho Soup (Lao Style)
Lad Nah Noodle
Massaman Curry
Everything was pretty good and I keep saying different, but they really were foreign to my usual palate. The Pad See Ew wasn't the traditional dark colored, salty, egg-filled Pad See Ew I was used to at Thai restaurants. Instead, there were ALOT of mixed vegetables in there and the noodle was a much lighter color with a light brown sauce on it. The flavor was not what I expected as it had a sweetness to it and less saltiness. I assume there was a Lao touch to it.
The Lad Nah and Pho Soup were also very interesting. To be honest, they both looked on the bland side because of the colors of the soup bases. With the lighter color, came the assumption that it was more "watery", but the flavors were not bad. However, we still prefer more salty, flavorful pho noodle soups, like the ones served at Viet restaurants.
Saving the best for last, the Massaman Curry definitely stole the show for us! First, we loved that they gave a WHOLE 1 qt tupperware full of curry and potatoes. Not only that, but it was deeeelicious. Honestly, it's hard to use an entire quart of curry on just the 1/2 quart of white rice that it came with, so I would highly recommend making more carbs to put the curry on for a leftover meal! Even with our appetites, tt was easily a dish we could split into multiple meals.
And to top off everything, we ordered 2 Thai Ice Teas, which amazingly came in nice mason jars! I was expecting the usual plastic cup with a lid on it, but nope, Pho Thai Lao goes above and beyond and serves their takeout Thai Ice Tea in mason jars! And, YES, the Thai Ice Tea was freaking goooooood and so worth it.
Overall, we loveddddd...let me reiterate, loveeeeeddd the Massaman Curry. It was super flavorful, but the Pad See Ew, Lad Nah and Pho Soup weren't our cup of tea. They weren't bad and some might prefer them over the more traditional flavors they have tasted at Thai or Viet restaurants, but it wasn't for us. STILL, Pho Thai Lao were a solid 3.5 stars on those dishes alone and, on top of it, the employees were super friendly when I dropped in for pickup. I always stress kindness and friendly customer service and they displayed it while I was there. I DEFINITELY will be back to try the Lao-style entrees! read more