This was our first dinner in Madison and it really set a high bar on what we expected for the rest of our meals during our visit. This Laotian cuisine was appealing and intriguing and seemingly draws influence from other Southeast Asian cuisines such as Thai and Vietnamese. Our group of 14 tried several items: Thai iced tea, vegetarian egg roll, chicken satay, pork tenderloin satay, drunken noodles with beef, Lao Laan-Xang fried rice with combination meat, three mushrooms with tofu, spicy peanut curry with mock duck, stuffed chicken wings, stuffed pork tenderloin, and sweet sticky rice with mango. We thoroughly enjoyed every item but there were a few that particularly stood out. The stuffed chicken wings had vermicelli and pork tenderloin had a blend of herbs and spices. Both were excellently executed and a must-try. Keep in mind that both of these require more time to prepare. We have four young children with minimal patience. Therefore I placed an order for both items while we browsed the rest of the menu. The drunken noodle was a huge hit for us. It is similar to the Thai version except I think this does not have the fish sauce and therefore not having that sour, tangy flavor. The sweet sticky rice with fresh mango was their only dessert for the evening and we ordered three bowls to share. My husband and I are generally not big fans of coconut however we made the exception for this. The coconut was not overwhelming and instead well complimented with the mango, sesame, and sticky rice. Not sure what kind of sticky rice they used but it is very different from the white ones that we usually have. Parking was a bit difficult and we had three cars. We had to circle around the blocks a few times. The staff was helpful and told us there is street parking across the street, parking behind the restaurant, and parking at United Way after 5 PM.
Patrick K.
I discovered this place when I drove by it to get a haircut nearby and decided to try it the next night. I was really curious about Laotian cuisine because I am a big fan of Thai food. Although they are different cuisines, they basically share a lot of the same style dishes but with different interpretations and sometimes slightly different ingredients. It was my first time trying Laotian cuisine and I was definitely impressed. The chicken satay was absolutely amazing and honestly the best one I have had here in the Madison-area. My go-tos at this restaurant are the pineapple curry and the spicy peanut curry. They also have pretty good mixed drinks with a Laotian twist. Highly recommend this place!
Alishah Jamal (AJ)
3.8/5 decent introduction to laotian cuisine if you've never had it before. Not all the dishes on the menu are traditional laotian food, but you'll find a few. We had the laotian fried rice and the larb for $38. Pretty good food. The quality of the meat was slightly above average. The larb was pretty tasty and limey. The fried rice was solid too. Overall, I would recommend it because there aren't many laotian food places in the US and this place is a decent introduction to the cuisine.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Jimmy Fackert
We had a great meal here. The staff was attentive and kind to our 18 month old as well as us. The Thai tea was tasty, and the mango curry was excellent. The portions are very generous!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Mango Curry
Cynthia Koshalek
Take out was great. This was my first time here. Loved the huge egg roll and chicken satay.The crab ragoon is in a triangle form which is not as crispy and as tasty as others I've had. Will go back to try other menu items. Very happy with the meal overall.
Had the crab rangoon and mock duck curry at level 2 spice, both delicious and will be back to try more of the menu soon! My boyfriend had the stuffed chicken wings and those were also very well made.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Brandon T.
Got take out. Food was alright nothing that'll tickle your fancy and was missing part of our order.
A Baloney
Mama mia, wow wow weee ahh! Bababooey..
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Justin Thiel
Amazing food it's all good.
Rachel Boldt
Lao Laan Xang has the best crab rangoon + sauce I've ever eaten. Easily the best in Madison. I also enjoy the fresh spring roll with shrimp, as well as the squash curry. My apologies for the misguided review years ago. I'm sure people could read through the hanger though and still tried this awesome food!
5/5 restaurant for asian food by madison standards! my friends and i came here as a group of 4 on a friday night and there was no wait at all. the interior was cute and nicely decorated. service was prompt and we got everything we needed quickly. for food, i ordered the khua mee and my friend got the papaya salad. i'm not sure if this was a laotian specific papaya salad but it tasted very similar to the thai version. i enjoyed the khua mee but it wasn't as satisfying with the tofu imo. i probably should've gotten the chicken. it reminded me a lot of how a pad thai would taste. another thing to note is that the level 4 spice isn't that crazy so i would go higher on the spice level if you're able to. overall pretty yummy spot for laotian/thai food (and is better than other asian restaurants I've had in madison thus far)!
Linda McIsaac
Healthy, delicious food made by original recipes. Lovely atmosphere. Good
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cullen Trobec
Fantastic curries and yummy lychee-focused cocktails. Portions are large and reasonably priced.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Pineapple Curry, Fresh Spring Roll
Caleb E.
Fantastic spot! We often get delivery from here, but the in person experience is even better. My go to is the pineapple curry, and it was excellent as usual. Our server Colin refilled our water frequently and with finesse. The vibes were immaculate and the bathroom was nice and clean. They tried to bring us crab rangoon which we didn't order but it was funny so all good! Me and my companions found the meal to be (in their words) suberb, stellar, and mind-blowingly good. One of the premier restaurant destinations in the Madison area!
Jack Ballard
The drunken noodles tasted like they were frozen and then microwaved. When it came it it was ice cold, the noodles were mushy, and the vegetables were raw. It also took 45 minutes to get… very disappointed.
This was our first dinner in Madison and it really set a high bar on what we expected for the rest of our meals during our visit. This Laotian cuisine was appealing and intriguing and seemingly draws influence from other Southeast Asian cuisines such as Thai and Vietnamese. Our group of 14 tried several items: Thai iced tea, vegetarian egg roll, chicken satay, pork tenderloin satay, drunken noodles with beef, Lao Laan-Xang fried rice with combination meat, three mushrooms with tofu, spicy peanut curry with mock duck, stuffed chicken wings, stuffed pork tenderloin, and sweet sticky rice with mango. We thoroughly enjoyed every item but there were a few that particularly stood out. The stuffed chicken wings had vermicelli and pork tenderloin had a blend of herbs and spices. Both were excellently executed and a must-try. Keep in mind that both of these require more time to prepare. We have four young children with minimal patience. Therefore I placed an order for both items while we browsed the rest of the menu. The drunken noodle was a huge hit for us. It is similar to the Thai version except I think this does not have the fish sauce and therefore not having that sour, tangy flavor. The sweet sticky rice with fresh mango was their only dessert for the evening and we ordered three bowls to share. My husband and I are generally not big fans of coconut however we made the exception for this. The coconut was not overwhelming and instead well complimented with the mango, sesame, and sticky rice. Not sure what kind of sticky rice they used but it is very different from the white ones that we usually have. Parking was a bit difficult and we had three cars. We had to circle around the blocks a few times. The staff was helpful and told us there is street parking across the street, parking behind the restaurant, and parking at United Way after 5 PM.
I discovered this place when I drove by it to get a haircut nearby and decided to try it the next night. I was really curious about Laotian cuisine because I am a big fan of Thai food. Although they are different cuisines, they basically share a lot of the same style dishes but with different interpretations and sometimes slightly different ingredients. It was my first time trying Laotian cuisine and I was definitely impressed. The chicken satay was absolutely amazing and honestly the best one I have had here in the Madison-area. My go-tos at this restaurant are the pineapple curry and the spicy peanut curry. They also have pretty good mixed drinks with a Laotian twist. Highly recommend this place!
3.8/5 decent introduction to laotian cuisine if you've never had it before. Not all the dishes on the menu are traditional laotian food, but you'll find a few. We had the laotian fried rice and the larb for $38. Pretty good food. The quality of the meat was slightly above average. The larb was pretty tasty and limey. The fried rice was solid too. Overall, I would recommend it because there aren't many laotian food places in the US and this place is a decent introduction to the cuisine.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
We had a great meal here. The staff was attentive and kind to our 18 month old as well as us. The Thai tea was tasty, and the mango curry was excellent. The portions are very generous!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Mango Curry
Take out was great. This was my first time here. Loved the huge egg roll and chicken satay.The crab ragoon is in a triangle form which is not as crispy and as tasty as others I've had. Will go back to try other menu items. Very happy with the meal overall.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Crab Rangoon 6, Grilled Chicken Satay 4 GF, Cucumber Salad, Peanut Sauce
Had the crab rangoon and mock duck curry at level 2 spice, both delicious and will be back to try more of the menu soon! My boyfriend had the stuffed chicken wings and those were also very well made.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Got take out. Food was alright nothing that'll tickle your fancy and was missing part of our order.
Mama mia, wow wow weee ahh! Bababooey..
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amazing food it's all good.
Lao Laan Xang has the best crab rangoon + sauce I've ever eaten. Easily the best in Madison. I also enjoy the fresh spring roll with shrimp, as well as the squash curry. My apologies for the misguided review years ago. I'm sure people could read through the hanger though and still tried this awesome food!
Food: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
5/5 restaurant for asian food by madison standards! my friends and i came here as a group of 4 on a friday night and there was no wait at all. the interior was cute and nicely decorated. service was prompt and we got everything we needed quickly. for food, i ordered the khua mee and my friend got the papaya salad. i'm not sure if this was a laotian specific papaya salad but it tasted very similar to the thai version. i enjoyed the khua mee but it wasn't as satisfying with the tofu imo. i probably should've gotten the chicken. it reminded me a lot of how a pad thai would taste. another thing to note is that the level 4 spice isn't that crazy so i would go higher on the spice level if you're able to. overall pretty yummy spot for laotian/thai food (and is better than other asian restaurants I've had in madison thus far)!
Healthy, delicious food made by original recipes. Lovely atmosphere. Good
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Fantastic curries and yummy lychee-focused cocktails. Portions are large and reasonably priced.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Pineapple Curry, Fresh Spring Roll
Fantastic spot! We often get delivery from here, but the in person experience is even better. My go to is the pineapple curry, and it was excellent as usual. Our server Colin refilled our water frequently and with finesse. The vibes were immaculate and the bathroom was nice and clean. They tried to bring us crab rangoon which we didn't order but it was funny so all good! Me and my companions found the meal to be (in their words) suberb, stellar, and mind-blowingly good. One of the premier restaurant destinations in the Madison area!
The drunken noodles tasted like they were frozen and then microwaved. When it came it it was ice cold, the noodles were mushy, and the vegetables were raw. It also took 45 minutes to get… very disappointed.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 2