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Spicy Lao Kitchen

4.2 (233 reviews)
ModerateThai, Laotian
Open • 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
Updated a few days ago
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Business Info

SPICY LAO KITCHEN ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Moderate noise
Good for groups
Happy hour specials

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Recommended Reviews - Spicy Lao Kitchen

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Reviews With Photos

Presh N.

UPDATE: Business owner Linda's response to my review was extremely unprofessional & immature. After publicly offering to "resolve the situation," the conversation took a completely different tone, including saying she would report my negative review to Yelp. The entire interaction made the initial attempt to resolve the issue feel performative. As a customer, I believe businesses should be able to receive honest criticism & address concerns professionally rather than making customers feel like their experience doesn't matter once they've already spent their money.

Menu
Belle N.

Spicy Lao Kitchen in Kearny Mesa is such a great find, especially since there aren't many Laotian spots around. I tried the Lao chicken sausages, sticky rice, and papaya salad--everything was delicious and full of flavor. There's usually an older gentleman (possibly the owner) who is always friendly and gives great recommendations. A younger guy there is also nice and provides good service, though he's still getting familiar with the menu. The wait can be a little longer than most places, but the food is definitely worth it. They also sell prepackaged beef jerky. I tried two flavors and both were really good. If you're looking to try Loation food this place is authentic and worth a try.

Boat noodles.
Nate C.

Went for an early dinner on a slow Thursday evening. I came in to try one of their bowls of soup. I settled on the boat noodles. The broth was very flavorful. They give you condiments on the side if you want to add more spice or fish sauce. In my opinion, you really don't need to add anything else. Service was quick and easy. Nothing to complain about. The boat noodles were about $17. They give you a lot of food so I think it's worth it for the price. I would recommend giving this place a try - especially if you like spicy food.

Anna M.

The food here was tasty!!! The sausages were good and I would recommend them. The server was also super nice.

Lao Sausages "Sai Oua", Crispy Rice Salad "Nam Khao", lao Papaya Salad, sticky rice
Brooke T.

Felt like a hidden gem! Came in on a Sunday for dinner, and the place was empty except for the staff in the back tables, who were having a grand old time watching the NFL playoffs. The staff were very friendly, and the place felt very authentic and family-oriented. They told us to give them a holler once they were ready to order and we did, and he complimented our choices as we picked the most popular items on the menu. We got the Lao Sausage, nam khao, and the lao papaya salad to split between me and my friend, and we got a side of sticky rice. They very kindly brought us over a complimentary dessert which were these yummy coconut rice flour cakes. I think it was because we were the only ones there but it was a nice gesture nonetheless. Then they brought us out all our food at once, and made sure we were taken care of before leaving. The lao sausage was both of our favorites; it had such good balanced flavor, and it was delicious to eat along with the sticky rice, which was well cooked. The nam khao was pretty good, but not my favorite in San Diego, as it was a little salty. It tasted better when I ate sticky rice along side it. The Lao papaya salad was very funky and felt like a good representation of how lao style papaya salad should taste like, with the strong fermented fish sauce flavor coming forward. Overall, very nice spot to go and hang out with a friend and enjoy some comfort Lao food for a decent price.

Pad Thai with tofu and Boat Noodle Soup
lisa j.

Stopped by Spicy Lao for lunch on Sunday afternoon. The place was only a quarter filled, but did brisk takeout business. Service was friendly and quick. We ordered boat noodle soup, pad thai with tofu and pad see ew with Chinese sausage. The portions were generous and flavor on point. Boat noodles could have been a pinch spicier. Price point was fair at about $15-20 based on your protein choice. At the register they offered a few desserts, fried chicken skin ($20 a bag), fried pork skin ($17 a bag) and assorted Jerry. Looked good, but didn't buy. Note there is a 4% discount if you pay by cash. Parking is hard since there are 4-5 more more eateries in the lot. If you go around back there is a second lot and plenty of street parking.

Close up of the jackfruit with sweet sticky rice.
Jesse S.

This is a great place for Lao and Thai food. We have been here 3 times so far. The sausage is the best. Very taste with some kind of thin noodles and meat inside. That crack sauce that comes on the side is the perfect combo. Nice and spicy! The wife had a little the Tom Yum soup with shrimp. It was very good. The broth was nice and flavorful. The mango sticky rice wasnt available but they had jack fruit sticky rice. It was very sweet and the jack fruit had a good flavor. Its kind if a mango flavor but mixed with something else. Maybe a melon type flavor. Tough to describe but delicious. Lastly, they also sell some killer beef jerky. Mango and pineapple chilli. Both are very good. Way better than some mass produced stuff.

Menu - Nov 2025
Quynh-Nhi N.

I grew up eating homemade Vietnamese banh canh (my parents even handmade the noodles), so I was so curious to try khao piak sen since it's so similar. The broth was piping hot, garlicky, flavorful, and packed with chicken. Noodles were bouncy and chewy, my fav. Just a heads-up, it also comes with chicken feet and pork blood cubes, which I didn't mind but might surprise some people. I also got the papaya salad, Lao style, level 2 spicy. It was more pungent and bold than the Thai style. Honestly, I liked it way more made this way! Service was quick, and the waiter even brought extra seasonings. Only downside was parking. I came on a Saturday and it took a solid 10 minutes to find a spot.

Yansha Y.

Love it here! The food was so good I got my kick for Laotian food with the khao pak sen was so well flavored. You have to get the sausages best thing ever!!! Our server Jordan was amazing & provided the best service he was so patient & went above & beyond!! Thank you Jordan!

CJ L.

This is my second time here. My friend and I came here for our birthday lunch. We ordered the Lao sausage, Laap, and stir fried noodles with seafood. The Lao sausage was amazing! The sauce that comes with it was also bomb! The beef Laap was also very tasty. There was an abundance of citrus flavor to this dish, so if you are not a fan of lemons, I would not recommend it. The stir fried noodles was nothing special - meaning that every other Asian cuisine has something like this (Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese). Aside from that, the food here was excellent! I would come back and try some of the other menu items for sure.

Appetizers menu 12/2025
Amelea J.

A hole in the wall - clean restaurant and the restroom is good, but could be better. The service is quick and friendly. The food - I probably won't come back again. The best thing I've had is the lao sausage - I'll eat that again. The wings were crispy and light on the tom yum flavor. Everything else that we had had an acquired taste that wasn't for me. I would recommend people to try it and give it a shot, but for me there wasn't anything that floored my taste buds.

Lao Sausages "Sai Oua"
Monique W.

Stopped by Spicy Lao Kitchen for takeout after a long morning at the hospital--my mom insisted (post-anesthesia cravings are real ). The gentleman who took our order was friendly and extremely patient with us. We took our order to-go. I went with the pad see ew--not traditionally Lao, but I needed wok'd noodles--asked for Xtra Veggies and spice- it hit the spot. The Lao sausage was better than okay, but I'm used to the extra spicy, homemade kind from a friend's aunt in Southeast San Diego, so my bar is a little high. The seafood salad. It was full of crisp greens and, fresh herbs, like South East Asian salads I've had-- the raw tuna was a nice change, especially compared to papaya salad with raw shrimp, which I usually go for. We both got the lemon Thai iced tea and WOW--this was magical. It had that creamy Thai tea feel (without condensed milk! Which I cannot drink) with this unexpected citrusy brightness from the lemon. So good. Definitely coming back to try the Tom Yum wings and more of the menu!

Tom Yum Chicken Wings and beef laap
Liz B.

An underrated spot for Lao food with bold flavors! The laap was amazing and the sauce was so tangy and spicy. We got a level 7 spice, which is perfect for people who can handle the heat. The khao piek sen was also a unique dish with a collagen rich chicken broth made with chicken feet. The udon that came with it was perfectly chewy, but I thought the soup was a little too salty. The spot is casual and the workers are very welcoming. Our server was so friendly and checked up on us frequently! I can tell that the food was made with love and authentic ingredients!

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Ask the Community - Spicy Lao Kitchen

Are there vegan options?

Doesn't look like it based on the menu as they use fish sauce and other animal based sauces in their food. But give them a call and ask.

Can you make some of the food not spicy for little kids?

Hi Gene, Of course, we can! We can adjust spice levels according to your or kids' tastebuds.

Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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Some of the best Thai food I've ever had. This place is very small with only a few outside tables…read more Our order took up to 45 mins to arrive. We ordered around 8pm on a Saturday night. Worth the wait. Thankfully we were able to snag an outside table for our party of 5 ppl. The flavor of my fishes were top tier. Definitely recommend this place. Portions are large. I had to take home leftovers. Basil Fried Rice w/ Tofu: 4.5/5 Pad See Ew w/ Tofu: 4.5/5

Came here at 5:30pm for an early dinner and we beat the rush! For 3 people we ordered the Crispy…read moreFried Calamari, Pad See Ew with Duck, Yellow Curry with Shrimp, the Crab Fried Rice, and a side of White Rice. This was definitely enough food for all of us with some leftovers to go. We all thought the Crab Fried Rice was the star, definitely very flavorful and the dish that stood out for us. There was actually a lot of crab in it which was great! We had asked for all dishes to be mild because one of my friends has a sensitive stomach, but I think the peppers in the Pad See Ew were actual spicy peppers and not just green bell peppers so that dish still had a kick to it. Overall delicious meal, my only gripe is that they packaged everything to go even though we said we were eating there, so with the small tables it was hard to find enough space for all of our food/tops and such. I guess that's an easy way for us to pack the leftover food to go though, so I understand why they do that. I did see that they're renovating a couple doors down and it looks like there's going to be actual dine-in seating!! It looked super IG friendly so I'm excited to visit when their bigger location opens!

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I came here on a Tuesday afternoon around 2 PM, and the place was pretty full. We were seated…read moreimmediately upon entering. They have a lunch special Monday through Friday from 11:30 AM to 3 PM, ranging from $13.95 to $15.95 depending on the protein you choose. It comes with soup and two samosas as an appetizer, which is a pretty good deal for lunch. I ordered the: * Pad Thai with Shrimp: This was delicious! I got the lowest spice level since I don't do spice, and it was perfect for me. It came with three pieces of shrimp, and the portion was a good size for lunch. The service was great. Our waiter kept our waters refilled, and our food came out in less than 10 minutes. The portions were a decent size and definitely enough to fill you up for lunch. The inside is cute and has a nice atmosphere. There was also plenty of street parking, which is always a plus. Overall, I had a good experience and am looking forward to coming back to try some of their other dishes!

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