Highly recommended We had a great experience at this Lao restaurant. The food was very authentic and full of original flavor. My wife is Thai, so we're very familiar with Southeast Asian food, and we both really enjoyed the intensity and authenticity of the dishes. The papaya salad was excellent -- very fresh with lots of crisp vegetables and perfectly balanced spice. The clear noodle salad was flavorful and spicy enough, just the way it should be. The ginger chicken was also very good, cooked perfectly and full of taste. You can really tell they care about keeping the flavors traditional. We will definitely come back! read more

See all

This is such a hidden gem in Seminole. It feels like this area is lacking in good ethnic food, but Savanh of Laos is here to spice things up! The little restaurant is easy to miss - it looks like it's part of the dry cleaner, the sign is hard to read, and the parking lot is big enough for maybe a dozen cars. The inside is cozy and colorful. I've ordered many of the menu items here. My favorite thing is the Lao sausage, and the crispy duck is consistently good too. The larb is a great option for someone looking for a traditional experience. The iced coffee/tea isn't overly sweet either. The service is always warm and kind, and I've had the same lady help me out every time. Legit ma and pa owned. They've never been slammed for dining in when I have been there but do have consistent delivery orders the whole time. I would definitely pop in if you're looking for Lao and a less common fare. read more

Ok so I gave this place another try and came back with friends who do like this place and we ordered different things. I can confidently say they've redeemed themselves and earned another star. We ordered papaya salad (lao style), beef jerky, sausage savanh, and mok pa. Everything that we ordered hit the spot. The flavors, the spice; it all tasted like home. I think I'll stick to these items next time I come. read more

See all

Excellent food and service! First time trying Laos foods and was phenomenal. Highly recommend if this is your first time read more

See all

We stopped in during our recent trip to St Pete/Tampa area to check out the local Lao cuisines. As soon as you pull up, it definitely gives you the motherland vibes of Laos with all of the plants and flower decors out front. And as we walked in, the inside was no different. We were greeted by a nice lady. Helped us to our table and recommended some of her popular dishes. Her Paypaya salad was saap saap (very good), we also ordered the kow piek sen for my daughter which she loved. My sons and I got the chicken and beef laap to share, and my wife got herself a yum seafood platter. If you haven't had Lao cuisine, and your in the area, this would be a good spot to try for the first time, or if you're just lookin for Lao cuisine in general, make sure to stop by! read more

Savanh of Laos - Laotian Near Me - Seminole, Florida

Their papaya salad is only good if you tell them how spicy you want it. I told them to put my pepper to the side because my friend doesn't eat spicy but I do. The Lad Na was perfect. But their pad Thai was rare because it's the sweetest pad Thai I ever had. I wouldn't mind returning to try other dishes. The waitress was very nice. read more

We were starting to feel homesick and was craving for authentic Lao food. This restaurant offered kow piek sen and knew it would hit the spot, and it did! The soup also comes with chicken feet and blood cubes, which is very rare. I ordered the small pakow, basically a tray of variety. The beef jerky and tomato jeow dipping sauce were a perfect combination with sticky rice. My daughter wanted the mok fish, steamed in banana leaf. And they bamboo stew was also delicious. This small yet cozy restaurant is located off the busy Seminole road, it's yellow too so you can't miss it. There was 1 server, she was really nice and attentive. Saving this restaurant next time I'm in town. read more

See all

Stop by this restaurant during our trip in Florida. Great service. Papaya salad has strong smell but it is the best. Lots of food for your money. Definitely will stop by again. read more

Savanh of Laos - Papaya salad - Laotian Near Me - Seminole, Florida

Service was good, very pleasant and timely. The server's accent was heavy and a bit difficult to understand, but she remained patient and polite with my questions. The food was very good and authentic. The servings rather larger than expected. I have returned and will continue to count this as one of my go to local restaurants whether I choose yo eat in or take out. read more

Savanh of Laos is a wonderful, authentic Laotian restaurant in Seminole. The staple food of Laos is steamed sticky rice. Laos people eat more sticky rice than any other people in the world. Some of the more popular Laos dishes like larb and papaya salad, are available in Thai restaurants due to their influence in Northeast Thailand. Laos Cuisine is the cuisine of Laos and the Northeast of Thailand. The parking lot is private with about 6 parking spaces in the front. There may be more spots in the back. Upon entrance, the hostess and kitchen are directly in front. There are about 10 tables, including booths, inside. FOOD: 1. H03 Khoua Kapao Shrimp (4/5): This rice dish is from the chef's special section. There are 5 pieces of shrimp and a fried egg within the long green bean, eggplant, and onions. It was good overall, but the flavors did not stand out when compared to other Laos dishes. 2. L11 Pork Belly Nam (3/5): It is less fatty than pork belly slices in Korean dishes (ssamgyupsal). From the dry taste, I would call it pork belly jerky. This is shareable between 2 people. 3. L01 Papaya Salad Lao Style (5/5): It was my favorite papaya salad I've tried with perfect textures to its bold flavors. The flavors are sour lime, spicy chili, savory fish sauce, and sweet palm sugar. I highly recommend this, as this appetizer can be shared between 3-4 people. 4. Purple Sticky Rice Mango (5/5): It was a perfect sweet concoction, balanced with the chewy, steamed rice in a coconut and sugar mix. It's sharable between 2-3 people. Also, peak mango season is in April and May. The service was great. The server came by often and refilled our waters on time. The spice level is real here, and it's delicious. Would I come back? Yes. Authentic. read more

See all

I had to try this cute little restaurant on Seminole Blvd - they have received rave reviews and had to try for myself. Ordered the popular papaya salad Laos style Crispy rice and chicken peanut dish - I forgot its name. All were delicious and devoured by me and my husband. Since my first try and before my writing of this review, I have been to this place 3 times already. Give them a try, they will not disappoint!!!! read more

See all

The food was authentic from the northeast Thailand area and very delicious as usual.Everything I ordered so far from this restaurant has met or exceeded my expectations. I would definitely recommend this joint to anyone who enjoys this cuisine or to whoever who would like to sample some amazing Asian dishes from the Laos and northeast Thailand area. read more

See all

Mmm mmm mmm... no words, just mmmm was what you heard coming from me and one of my food besties and partner in crime. We absolutely love Laos food and had to try out this spot. Service was decent, nothing extravagant to share from a typical Asian restaurant. However, the ambiance did suit the restaurant and food. The sticky rice, beef jerky, and Laos sausage were so good. Asked for medium Larb and it definitely had a kick to it. Ugh, wish we had a restaurant like this back home. So worth almost missing our flight! read more

See all

Good food, good service and the place look cute not too crowded. Our server was very friendly and attentive. Food was amazing. Definitely recommended this place. read more

Savanh of Laos - Laotian Near Me - Seminole, Florida

See all

Savanh of Laos is very good. The food is excellent and came out fast. We had a wonderful server. It's very clean. We find new places on Yelp to go to every week and it's worked out to be really fun. I would definitely recommend you try it. read more

Nothing authentic about this place, considering being half Laotian. Eye catching presentation of food, but lack of flavor and ingredients. Lao sausage - overly priced for 6/7 pieces, dry, lack of flavor. Lao style papaya - ordered medium spicy but was more mild, mid flavor, needs to be more pungent for Lao style. Beef larb - very dry, overly cooked beef, where is the toasted rice powder? Yellow chicken curry - watery based, missing coconut cream. Also, service could've been better regardless of cultural background. Came here to support your own kind of people, but they don't appreciate you as customers, very disappointing. Try smiling next time. read more

See all

Great spring rolls and peanut sauce. Had chicken larb for the first time. Make taco like sandwiches with lettuce leaves and compliment with peanut sauce for the win! read more

I've seen a lot of good reviews about this hidden gem so I decided to go with my sister! We've never had Lao cuisine before except for papaya salad and boy it did not disappoint, best papaya salad EVER, everything tasted so fresh I love that they provide herbs/lettuce on the side as well :') definitely coming back! Especially for their papaya salad! read more

See all

Wow. Just wow. Five star Yelp rating- over 200 reviews.. Can it really be that good in a sleepy little Beach town? Ummm.. Yeahhhh. First let me start by saying they took my phone order 20 min before it closed, an hour earlier than posted on Yelp..but place was completely empty so why not close early? Let me start by telling you about the people- if you've ever been to Thailand or Laos, you know that they are some of the nicest people on the planet. I met the main chefs husband out front detailing her car, he said his wife is in Thailand bringing a group of monk's to a temple she purchased in Buenos Aires, but the backup chef tonight is pretty good lol.. It was impossible to find a menu online for this place unfortunately, so I'll post an updated one. I ordered crispy chicken wings, Kow Peark (Lao Udon), chicken Larb salad, and crispy duck entree, sticky rice as side. This is real Lao food. I haven't had food this flavorful since I traveled Thailand years ago. The chicken wings cooked perfectly- a uniquely flavored sauce, lightly smokey, a little sweet and a lil salty. The Udon was tasty, unique clearish white-ish thick broth, chicken bits and Thai greens. The Chicken Larb salad is the best I've had on the States I'm betting. Look at the picture, tasted even more amazing than it looked. Fresh huge green leaf lettuce to wrap it in. The chili's were pure FIRE. The crispy duck was fantastic, fried to perfection, on a bunch of fresh steamed veggies. The sauce it came with in a half pint container, was outstanding. They call it a brown sauce- it's like a thick delicious beef broth with duck fat dripping deliciousness. Don't tell anyone but I sipped it like a soup lmao I loved it so much! I travel a lot with work, and finding places like these off the beaten path makes work travel fun. This place is bomb. I can't wait to go back! read more

Savanh of Laos - Laotian Near Me - Seminole, Florida

So glad we stumbled into Savanh of Laos recently. We had just come from an event and were in the mood for some homemade Asian food. We looked at the reviews on Yelp and off we went. Atmosphere: - Homely, I really did enjoy the fact that this restaurant was a repurposed house. Personally, I think this adds an intimacy to a place that can't be matched by a more commercial space. - Cute decoration and loved the upside umbrellas under the lights, very clever. Service: - Couldn't get any better. Everyone was extremely friendly. - The server and potential owner was sweet, patient, and checked on us appropriately. We conversed with her for a bit and really enjoyed our conversation. Food: - Yummy and wholesome. What I appreciated most about Savanh is that the dishes were not overly salty and had a good amount of vegetables. - We ordered the Tom Ka soup, vegetarian style. The flavor was delicious and I must say that their mild was mild which is exactly what I need! - The crab rangoon was perfectly fried and had the best stuffing to wrapper ratio I've ever had. The overall flavor was delicious. - The panang curry, yes, yes and yes. Would absolutely order again. - Volcano chicken; the best thing about this dish is that it was a sliced, grilled chicken breast. It was perfectly cooked with the right amount of seasoning and sauce. - The Laos Iced Tea was also delicious. Yes, we'll be back! read more

See all

the food is delicious. the crispy rice is something we get everytime we dine in. the selection is good. don't forget to try the fried ice cream with bananas! read more

Savanh of Laos - crispy rice with red curry in the back - Laotian Near Me - Seminole, Florida

See all

I still have so much to learn in life. SoL reminded me of that as I navigated the special Laos portion of their menu with no clue as to what I was reading. Most of the menu is typical Thai fair, but there is one page in the back that is dedicated to food from Laos, which is what we ordered. We definitely made the eight decision! The portions are massive, enough for at least two to eat one entree. Most of the dishes include their amazing handheld sticky rice. The sampler platter is definitely recommended if you are a first-timer like me. Can't wait to return and try more. read more

See all

Delicious food! The larb is delicious! Mild papaya salad was also very good. Even as mild it was pretty spicy and the person in the booth next to us had a hard time eating it but we loved it! Of course you have to end the meal with dessert so we got mango sticky rice and it was perfect. The service was amazing (wish I caught the server's name because she was so friendly)! read more

It's off beaten path and easily missed, but once you find it, you will be back again and again, and you will be telling everyone it is best Asian food in area! Cute and super chill dining room. Staff did everything to make us feel welcome and comfortable. Service was exceptional, food was fresh and vibrant and beyond flavorful - Fresh vegetables, perfect ratio of vegetable to rice/noodle, and seafood was nice portion and GOOD quality! I am super excited to now know about this place. It was referred by word of mouth. And I will be referring it to others. A lot of time, thought, and care went into the dishes we enjoyed this evening. Thank you! Bianna, you were awesome! Thanks for everything and give biggest shout out to grandma and grandpa! read more

We love this place. You must get the Sticky Rice Mango. Everything is fresh and flavorful. Family owned and run, very friendly.

Lovely little place with friendly service and delicious food. Got the crispy rice with chicken and it was delicious, unlike anything I have tried before. I will be back for more stuff. read more

Love love love their Laos Papaya Salad - extra crab. I personally recommend- definitely the papaya salad wit) extra crab. Duck / chicken wings / beef salad/ fried bananas / pork belly ALL so good!!! It's so worth the drive... family friendly! read more

See all

Loved our dining experience at Savanah of Laos. Everything was so good. I wish my phone didn't die too, or I would have taken pics of all of our great food. So I don't forget the food we had, I must list it here, we started with the Tom Ka Gai soup - which is a sour flavor from the lime and lemongrass. It also has chicken. I love this flavor. It's definitely not a flavor I have had much if any, and I was just loving it. It also has coconut milk in it for a slight creamy texture. My husband didn't like it but I'm super happy he tried it. He's more of a chicken rice soup kind of guy, and he said it was excellent. We then tried the BBQ chicken. This is not like the usual chicken anywhere. It has a unique flavor to it, and it doesn't need any sauce. It does come with a spicy sauce on the side. Our Lao style crispy rice came next. This is a traditional Lao dish. To us, it reminds us of Rice Krispies with a flavor. It has red hot peppers on top but she said just take them off if you don't want heat. I took them off. I did feel a slight heat at the end. This comes with lettuce and cilantro and basil and you eat it like a lettuce wrap. It is a mountainous plate. It's really good so definitely get that. The last thing I had was the steamed fish. It's served in a banana leaf. It doesn't have any bones. It has a slimy texture to it. It's not overpowering though. I ate it up and it was very good. I would definitely come back. They also have many Thai options as well under their curries and noodles. Our server was really nice and helpful. We have been to one Laotian restaurant in Orlando called Sticky Rice Lao Street Food, but it's been a while. So we don't have Lao often but we surely would come back for more. read more

Savanh of Laos - Tom Kha Gai Soup - coconut milk, lime juice, lemon grass, chicken - Laotian Near Me - Seminole, Florida

See all

Having been twice before, previously excellent meals and not been in over a year - it was high time for a Laotian Lunch. The Seminole Blvd restaurant is quaint and relaxing and appropriately decorated. The menu is rather well suited for most asian cravings and the service very polite. We had a entree of Red Curry veggie style and the Lad Nar with Tofu. Lad Nar uses the wide rice noodles with a brown gravy and some may know this as "Drunken Noodles". A beverage known as Laotian Iced Tea couldn't be pass up as it's just like "Thai Tea" with coconut milk. The food was exceptionally fresh & hot and tasted absolutely delicious. The Tofu was fried perfectly. If you're an Asian Fare lover, you won't be disappointed! It's not the most inexpensive, but one of the better purveyors in the area. read more

Savanh of Laos - Lad Nar Tofu foreground, Red Curry rear with what's left of my delicious Laotian Iced Tea. - Laotian Near Me - Seminole, Florida

I heard good things about this restaurant from a friend, and it said "Authentic and Vegetarian" cuisine on the website and menu, so I went with giddy anticipation to try their veggie options. However when I arrived and reviewed the menu, it seemed like most of the menu was chicken, pork, or seafood, and when I asked the server, she said discouragingly that there were limited vegetarian foods in Laos cuisine and that there was fish sauce in many of the dishes. It seems like they need to make the marketing information more accurate to what they offer. Fortunately though, she mentioned the Kow Peark udon noodle dish ($17) did not have fish sauce and they could include tofu as the protein, so that's what I ordered. The soup had a thick, starchy consistency similar to egg drop soup, and had numerous sticks of ginger that I had to pick out, lest I take a mouthful of them every bite. Otherwise I thought the noodles, soup, and tofu were delicious. My friends ordered the red curry with sweet sticky rice ($18). We all enjoyed our food, but 2 out of 3 of us said the broth was very salty. They couldn't finish and had to take the food to go. Service was reasonably quick, and the place was nicely decorated and felt authentic at least from non-Laos eyes. If they had more vegetable options I'd probably go again. read more

Amazing once again. Everything was still the same from the inside to the outside. Service and food were still great as well. read more

See all

Simply heavenly... This small and intimate setting enchants me! Fresh fish Larb and sticky rice. Pork belly is crisp and flavorful. Don't forget fried ice cream for dessert. read more

Absolutely delicious Laotian food. We loved the crispy rice, larb, and beef jerky. I've been talking about it since my last trip to the St Pete area, and it once again did not disappoint! read more

The laarb is such a satisfying meal consisting of exotically seasoned meet served on a plate of fresh herbs, raw vegetables and lettuce for wrapping. I somehow feel healthy and gluttonous at the same time. I love it! My children recommend the summer roles, pork belly, and wonton soup. read more

Update on my original review: it's been over a year and we live in FL now. We finally made it back to Savanh for dinner. We really love the food here. This time we ordered for starters egg rolls, chicken wings and sausage. For the meals we ordered Lard nar putseu, fried rice, beef jerky and sticky rice. Everything was pretty good still. My husband and I both noticed the lard nar and the putseu tasted a little different. My kids really enjoyed the food her and they said it made them feel like home. We will be back, and don't forget to order the iced coffee it's delicious!!! read more

See all

Many times, eateries are named after the country the owner is from. Yet many times You see non indigenous are not chefs. It breaks my heart and then they hurt my wallet. Indeed not only the food is legit, it was prepared by a Laotian Chef. Here is what we ordered, Spring roll, Laos sausage, papaya salad, lard-chopped beef, fresh egg roll and sticky rice. Beware, do not assume the heat, Laos people are known for spicy heat, so please make sure you ask and ask for recommendation. The ambiance was very much like my dining room, not loud at all yet be free to have fun and enjoy the meal. Please call ahead for reservation if you more than 4 people and also parking is limited. If there is no room, and you have guest, let them out in front the front door and ask the proprietor for parking space and they will point a place for you. I highly recommend this location. read more

This hidden gem was a delightful surprise. I stopped in for lunch and ordered chicken and steamed veggies with the chili sauce. The food was hot, fresh, colorful and tasty. The veggies were fresh, not frozen and slightly crispy. Wedges of onion, cabbage, broccoli and other veggies really made the dish. The chicken was a grilled chicken breast, sliced for convenience. The menu displays a short story about Lao (part of Thailand) and the bit of education it offers makes the experience more enjoyable. The simple , clean meal with the civil and welcoming staff encourages me to return. I have saved this restaurant for a lunch return in the future. read more

Savanh of Laos - Chicken and steamed veggies with chili sauce. Sticky rice - Laotian Near Me - Seminole, Florida

See all

Great authentic Lao's cuisine and Asian foods. Amazing service. Love visiting here every time we in town. Highly recommend this place ! read more

See all

Super unique restaurant! After watching Iron Chef on Netflix, I'm more determined to try cuisine from countries you don't get to eat often. None of us had laos food before, and we were so pleasantly surprised. The medium spicy papaya salad was pretty spicy for us but we couldn't stop reaching for more. The steam fish, pork belly, roast chicken (size is more like quill), bamboo shoot soup, and mango sticky rice are all pretty delicious. If you've never had Laos food, i would definitely recommend coming and trying it out. Stuff may look similar to Thai or Vietnamese food but I promise they taste different. The only reason one star was deducted for this review was because my friends found the server not friendly, especially when we were ordering, since we have never had it (which we explained), she was impatient to our questions. After the meal she was cheerful and nice, maybe something happened during our ordering period that she carried her annoyance from something else to us. read more

First visit and first experience with Laotian cuisine. Everything was quite delicious and service was attentive and speedy! The Khoua Kapao was our favorite, full of flavor and delicious sauce. The Larb Duck was a little underwhelming, the meat seemed more like pork or ground chicken over the expected texture and flavor of duck. However, the salad accoutrements of the dish were fresh and bright. The mixed dish was also good, and the beef jerky surprisingly tender. Our only disappointment was the alcohol selection is limited to a handful of beers. The menu says house wine is available but it is not. Would definitely return though to eat both in house or take-out....so much more to try! read more

See all