Authentic Lao food that reminds me of grandma's cooking and the dishes I grew up with. They have all the classics like papaya salad (Lao spicy with fermented fish sauce), beef jerky, and nam khao to get your fix. For anyone who is unfamiliar with Lao food, the dishes are packed with intense sometimes complex flavors, and the spicy level is much hotter than average. Khao piak (chicken soup with handmade tapioca noodles) is probably our most beloved comfort food, so don't miss out on that. Add a spoon of chili oil (NOT siracha) for the best experience. Thank you for being here, Khao Niew!
Adam K.
Get it, before you regret it. Order everything! The Lao sausage , sticky rice, papaya salad order everything.. chicken skin. All of it.
Bachtuyet L.
What a great space to come and hang out with your buddies and knock back a drink or two.. or three. :) No judgement here. And if you had a few too many, you can soak up the booze with delicious Lao street food. Be aware some items can be super spicy and might give you the next-day fire shits (in combo with alcohol.. you get it). BUT IT'S SO WORTH IT. The food is fire. (See what I did there? Heh.) I actually had a little get together with my friends and family here to celebrate passing of my boards. WOOT! I live out of town and did not plan well. I had no idea where I want to go or what I wanted to eat. All I knew is that I would need reservations and it needed to be kid friendly. Khao Niew does a Lao table dining experience, which requires reservation and I believe they ask that you give them a weeks notice. Their website describes it as "the way Lao people eat back in the motherland." I had 12 adults at 3 kiddos and only 3 days notice. They were so gracious to accept my reservation. I was very happy with the experience (not only because I found a venue and the food choices were set, but because of the hospitality and food quality). The tables were already set up when my party arrived and everything looked beautiful.. It was $35/pp and everyone was served the following items: nam khao, larb, sien savanh (heavenly lao beef jerky), kua mee (pad lao), lao sausages, papaya salad with boil egg, tom yum soup, pork egg rolls, pork rinds, sticky rice. There was so much food. It was a freaking feast. I think one that that could have been an improvement is if they also included a drink and something sweet at the end to complete the meal. I actually suggested that in the comments and the owner responded. They were very receptive to the idea and I thought that was really great and totally unexpected. I feel like those comments usually just get ignored. Last thought, I ordered everything mild, but the papaya salad was anything but mild. Most of the table had trouble eating it, more for me! But I felt bad they couldn't enjoy it. So, you've been warned :)
Jane S.
Probably the best Laos spot I've been to in Vegas. Everything is fresh. My go to every time I'm in town.
Billy N.
Amazing Lao food! We fell in love with their food originally from Happy Valley Food Carts and were happy to follow them to their new location in Cully Central! Highly recommend if you're looking for flavorful and delicious food that packs a punch with each bite!
Briana H.
The stellar reviews is what got me here - first stop from the airport. Ordered online on their website and it was ready by time I made it & that's always awesome. That's +1 star. Parking was a bit difficult. There's a few spots inside this "food truck park" and maybe 5 makeshift spots on the side of the building. The food. 2/5 stars at best. Didn't give me authentic tastes on any dish I had. The sampler: a sampler is always a good idea when trying a new place? This one comes with their jerky, papaya salad, pork rinds, sausage & 1 egg. The jerky wasn't anything special, if you've been to Asia just your typical dried meat you get at a market, but no real flavor. The pork rinds weren't good at all they were super hard. The papaya said was just spicy, and I don't have a problem with spice, but no other notes of flavor came through besides the gallon of fish sauce added on. Ugh, the spicy from the papaya salad should've been distributed to the other dishes.... The sausage was the best thing I had of everything, even then maybe a 5-6/10. I ordered the Nam Khao for myself and couldn't finish it. It was flavorless. I couldn't tell it was pork if I closed my eyes. They give you containers of red pepper chili oil - taste identical to the one at Trader Joe's, and it didn't help the flavor problems. My husband got the Larb Gai & pork belly sandwich. The larb gai had the same problem as the Nam Khao, missing flavor 100%. He got the medium spice level which is the 2nd from the highest and it was bland. The pork belly sandwich wasn't good at all. The pickled vegetables on the sandwich were TOO sour and soaked into the bread and took over the entire sandwich. The pork belly also wasn't good inside. I should've started with the sticky rice, knowing that the sticky rice was subpar would've told me the rest of the dishes weren't going up from there. Maybe I came on a bad day? Unfortunately, this place doesn't have the taste of authentic Lao food, maybe more if a person who visited and brought it back to the states. But, overall I wouldn't recommend due to the dishes missing flavor in 5 menu items, I'd assume the rest are the same & especially if this would be your only impression of Lao food.
Vanna P.
They were busy today at noon but that didn't stop them from the lack of flavors in their food. Everything was delicious and will definitely come back when we come to Portland. Thanks khao niew for our lunches.. sap sap the vegan nam khao was superb. The patties is just delightful and the thummakhoong baw phet baw sap.. only thing I with that was it doesn't come with green cabbage.
P P.
We got the Lao papaya salad, beef jerky, and the homemade noodles chicken soup super yummm. One of my favorite places! Nice staffs, nice place for dining, warm and clean will be back soon!
Chris Cartwright
This is a gem of a place. The food is always do fresh & tasty. We are devotees of their Nam Khao, it's delicious ?
Dolores Castillo
Wonderful and tasty food. Fast and friendly staff.
With the cold weather returning, We needed comfort food & what better than khao poon in the belly! Drove into a Sketchy neighborhood and then ... the twinkle lights! They appear with the cutest whimsical adornments of flower garland and Southeast Asian hats. I felt close to home (and Safe lol). Easy to access parking and clean/comfy outdoor seating. It wasn't cold enough for the heaters to be on but they have em'. The guy taking orders is very friendly- he pointed me toward the menu but we already know what's up. Khao poon, lao sausage, beef jerky, specifically asked for lao papaya salad, which if you don't know, is VERY diff from the Thai version & we opted to try their soup called sukiyaki (? Japanese name- I was confused) & asked for chicken wings but got nuggets. Fine whatever- I'll blame the mask for miscommunication. For dessert we tried the mango sticky rice. Prob the most disappointing part of the meal but it wasn't the main attraction. They have a nice list of beers, cocktails & wines too. Food came quickly. LOVE the jerky. Khao poon was ok- the broth wasn't as complex as I'm accustomed to. Lao sausage was ok - I'm used to tasting more herbs. The "sukiyaki" reminded me more of khao piak sen but with Chinese mung bean noodles inside, & finally my papaya salad- wahhhh... it wasn't made with the dark fermented shrimp paste, so I'm mad. Just glad it didn't have peanuts. Overall good, but not the best Lao food.
Lauren M.
Super cool staff, nice beer selection and solid Laotian meals? Count me in! This woman-owned Laotian (sort of Thai-adjacent for those who haven't tried) has a menu packed full of great street food options, most of which I have eaten many times. On the weekends they have a couple of special soups, one of which I got, and am no stranger to, Khao poon. It's a spicy, coconut milk based noodle soup. The bowl was huge and had little boiled quail eggs hidden in the broth which was a fun surprise. The broth could have used a little more salt and felt a little flat overall but I ate the whole entire thing. There's lots of yummy whole pieces of chicken and bamboo shoots surrounded by nests of thin rice noodles. You can easily enjoy their spacious patio with your party though they have some distanced indoor dining. The patio as really enjoyable, especially this time of year. Definitely a great low key spot on the northeast side.
N V
Super cute outside sitting area. They have cute sticky rice steamers hung with flowers outdoors. Food was ready quick. Papaya is very spicy, just how I wanted it!
AC Pin
friendly, authentic and delicious… brilliant! hands down, one of the best meals in Portland!
Authentic Lao food that reminds me of grandma's cooking and the dishes I grew up with. They have all the classics like papaya salad (Lao spicy with fermented fish sauce), beef jerky, and nam khao to get your fix. For anyone who is unfamiliar with Lao food, the dishes are packed with intense sometimes complex flavors, and the spicy level is much hotter than average. Khao piak (chicken soup with handmade tapioca noodles) is probably our most beloved comfort food, so don't miss out on that. Add a spoon of chili oil (NOT siracha) for the best experience. Thank you for being here, Khao Niew!
Get it, before you regret it. Order everything! The Lao sausage , sticky rice, papaya salad order everything.. chicken skin. All of it.
What a great space to come and hang out with your buddies and knock back a drink or two.. or three. :) No judgement here. And if you had a few too many, you can soak up the booze with delicious Lao street food. Be aware some items can be super spicy and might give you the next-day fire shits (in combo with alcohol.. you get it). BUT IT'S SO WORTH IT. The food is fire. (See what I did there? Heh.) I actually had a little get together with my friends and family here to celebrate passing of my boards. WOOT! I live out of town and did not plan well. I had no idea where I want to go or what I wanted to eat. All I knew is that I would need reservations and it needed to be kid friendly. Khao Niew does a Lao table dining experience, which requires reservation and I believe they ask that you give them a weeks notice. Their website describes it as "the way Lao people eat back in the motherland." I had 12 adults at 3 kiddos and only 3 days notice. They were so gracious to accept my reservation. I was very happy with the experience (not only because I found a venue and the food choices were set, but because of the hospitality and food quality). The tables were already set up when my party arrived and everything looked beautiful.. It was $35/pp and everyone was served the following items: nam khao, larb, sien savanh (heavenly lao beef jerky), kua mee (pad lao), lao sausages, papaya salad with boil egg, tom yum soup, pork egg rolls, pork rinds, sticky rice. There was so much food. It was a freaking feast. I think one that that could have been an improvement is if they also included a drink and something sweet at the end to complete the meal. I actually suggested that in the comments and the owner responded. They were very receptive to the idea and I thought that was really great and totally unexpected. I feel like those comments usually just get ignored. Last thought, I ordered everything mild, but the papaya salad was anything but mild. Most of the table had trouble eating it, more for me! But I felt bad they couldn't enjoy it. So, you've been warned :)
Probably the best Laos spot I've been to in Vegas. Everything is fresh. My go to every time I'm in town.
Amazing Lao food! We fell in love with their food originally from Happy Valley Food Carts and were happy to follow them to their new location in Cully Central! Highly recommend if you're looking for flavorful and delicious food that packs a punch with each bite!
The stellar reviews is what got me here - first stop from the airport. Ordered online on their website and it was ready by time I made it & that's always awesome. That's +1 star. Parking was a bit difficult. There's a few spots inside this "food truck park" and maybe 5 makeshift spots on the side of the building. The food. 2/5 stars at best. Didn't give me authentic tastes on any dish I had. The sampler: a sampler is always a good idea when trying a new place? This one comes with their jerky, papaya salad, pork rinds, sausage & 1 egg. The jerky wasn't anything special, if you've been to Asia just your typical dried meat you get at a market, but no real flavor. The pork rinds weren't good at all they were super hard. The papaya said was just spicy, and I don't have a problem with spice, but no other notes of flavor came through besides the gallon of fish sauce added on. Ugh, the spicy from the papaya salad should've been distributed to the other dishes.... The sausage was the best thing I had of everything, even then maybe a 5-6/10. I ordered the Nam Khao for myself and couldn't finish it. It was flavorless. I couldn't tell it was pork if I closed my eyes. They give you containers of red pepper chili oil - taste identical to the one at Trader Joe's, and it didn't help the flavor problems. My husband got the Larb Gai & pork belly sandwich. The larb gai had the same problem as the Nam Khao, missing flavor 100%. He got the medium spice level which is the 2nd from the highest and it was bland. The pork belly sandwich wasn't good at all. The pickled vegetables on the sandwich were TOO sour and soaked into the bread and took over the entire sandwich. The pork belly also wasn't good inside. I should've started with the sticky rice, knowing that the sticky rice was subpar would've told me the rest of the dishes weren't going up from there. Maybe I came on a bad day? Unfortunately, this place doesn't have the taste of authentic Lao food, maybe more if a person who visited and brought it back to the states. But, overall I wouldn't recommend due to the dishes missing flavor in 5 menu items, I'd assume the rest are the same & especially if this would be your only impression of Lao food.
They were busy today at noon but that didn't stop them from the lack of flavors in their food. Everything was delicious and will definitely come back when we come to Portland. Thanks khao niew for our lunches.. sap sap the vegan nam khao was superb. The patties is just delightful and the thummakhoong baw phet baw sap.. only thing I with that was it doesn't come with green cabbage.
We got the Lao papaya salad, beef jerky, and the homemade noodles chicken soup super yummm. One of my favorite places! Nice staffs, nice place for dining, warm and clean will be back soon!
This is a gem of a place. The food is always do fresh & tasty. We are devotees of their Nam Khao, it's delicious ?
Wonderful and tasty food. Fast and friendly staff.
Restaurantji Recommends
With the cold weather returning, We needed comfort food & what better than khao poon in the belly! Drove into a Sketchy neighborhood and then ... the twinkle lights! They appear with the cutest whimsical adornments of flower garland and Southeast Asian hats. I felt close to home (and Safe lol). Easy to access parking and clean/comfy outdoor seating. It wasn't cold enough for the heaters to be on but they have em'. The guy taking orders is very friendly- he pointed me toward the menu but we already know what's up. Khao poon, lao sausage, beef jerky, specifically asked for lao papaya salad, which if you don't know, is VERY diff from the Thai version & we opted to try their soup called sukiyaki (? Japanese name- I was confused) & asked for chicken wings but got nuggets. Fine whatever- I'll blame the mask for miscommunication. For dessert we tried the mango sticky rice. Prob the most disappointing part of the meal but it wasn't the main attraction. They have a nice list of beers, cocktails & wines too. Food came quickly. LOVE the jerky. Khao poon was ok- the broth wasn't as complex as I'm accustomed to. Lao sausage was ok - I'm used to tasting more herbs. The "sukiyaki" reminded me more of khao piak sen but with Chinese mung bean noodles inside, & finally my papaya salad- wahhhh... it wasn't made with the dark fermented shrimp paste, so I'm mad. Just glad it didn't have peanuts. Overall good, but not the best Lao food.
Super cool staff, nice beer selection and solid Laotian meals? Count me in! This woman-owned Laotian (sort of Thai-adjacent for those who haven't tried) has a menu packed full of great street food options, most of which I have eaten many times. On the weekends they have a couple of special soups, one of which I got, and am no stranger to, Khao poon. It's a spicy, coconut milk based noodle soup. The bowl was huge and had little boiled quail eggs hidden in the broth which was a fun surprise. The broth could have used a little more salt and felt a little flat overall but I ate the whole entire thing. There's lots of yummy whole pieces of chicken and bamboo shoots surrounded by nests of thin rice noodles. You can easily enjoy their spacious patio with your party though they have some distanced indoor dining. The patio as really enjoyable, especially this time of year. Definitely a great low key spot on the northeast side.
Super cute outside sitting area. They have cute sticky rice steamers hung with flowers outdoors. Food was ready quick. Papaya is very spicy, just how I wanted it!
friendly, authentic and delicious… brilliant! hands down, one of the best meals in Portland!
Amazing food and super friendly staff