South East Asian BBQ

We were in the area so thought we’d pick up some papaya to go. I told them extra spicy, and it sure was… just like how I like it. My mouth was on fire! Also their nam wan was very good, the right sweetness. I’ll have to go back and try the other food for sure.

This place has the best phở’. Yes i alwYs buy a large phở with meatballs and an order of sticky rice. There customer service is great, its like your eating at home fresh, tasty.

This place is amazing! I have never been disapointed. Everything is so fresh! I always get the chicken larb with a side of the pickles and spices so good! The chicken scewers are amzing as well!

Found a full blown grown fly in my phở last time. It was truly disgusting! Avoid at ALL COST!

Cash only! The bbq chicken wing on a stick is great when it’s fresh, if no one is cooking it outside its probably not fresh. Everything else is the same as any lao/​Thai restaurant out there.

Glad I stumble to this gem. It’s not on the best place in Sacramento but I think it’s worth it coming here. Its about 5 minutes drive from Arden mall. They only accept Cash Only. It’s like a little mom and pop shop serving authentic Laos dishes. They make the best beef larb by far. You can request how spicy you want your larb and adjust the saltiness as well. They also make very good papaya salad and grill Thai wings. You can either call ahead or stay and eat here. It’s up to you just be careful when you go or maybe don’t go alone or late since it’s a shady part of town like I said earlier. Either way I’m glad I have this place when I crave for some yummy Laotian food. Lastly, prices are pretty cheap too. =))

Admittedly the location is a bit shady. It’s a mile from where I was having a meeting and normally I would walk that small distance but considering it was approaching sunset I chose to drive. Judge me if you will but I am a small female in an unfamiliar neighborhood!
Beef phở and chicken wings were delicious! The meatballs must be made in house be user they have a very unique and tasty spice to them and great texture. The noodles were soft without being overcooked (that’s a big deal). All the necessary spices and add ins are available (chili oil, salt, peanuts, lime, hoisin sauce, etc.) which is a HUGE plus if you have a SE Asian tongue like mine. Chicken wings were plump and cooked perfectly. Absolutely authentic like if I were back on the streets in Thailand or Laos!
Friendly staff but go to the counter to order and BRING CASH!
Highly recommend!

Love the food so much. Most of the times I go there, it’s freshly made. There was once or twice I went and the noodles were all poofed up already and the larb tasted like it was heated up only. But other than that, the phở there is my fav. Their papaya is good also. I just don’t like how it’s cash only. Service is okay, they don’t really come around to refill your water.

Yes it’s in the ghett. O!
Yes it’s incredibly fresh.
Best chicken Larb I had and such a nice lady.
I took one star off because the pricing was way too high for the hood.

The location is a bit rough, the food makes it worthwhile. The larb gai is great, and they will gladly kick up the heat for those who love spicy food, like me. I didn’t like the meatballs at all. but the larb overshadowed everything else.

Love their raw larb/​laab. Make it spicy and bitter and people like me will come. Lol. My favorite dish here is the larb. Minus a star because their menu isn’t that extensive. Hmmm… maybe they should add a few more items to the menu.
Tip for the newbies. You order and pay upfront at the counter. If you are dining in, after you’ve ordered/​paid, continue on to find a seat. Your food will be brought out to your table.

Cash Only
FOOD
— Papaya Salad: Shredded papaya and tomatoes served with a side of cabbage and vermicelli noodles. 3.5÷5
— Meatballs: Served over a bed of lettuce. Tender and a little on the sweet side. ³⁄₅
— Kapoon: Vermicelli noodles, shredded chicken, in coconut broth. The broth was good. It could have been more coconutty. I was hoping for more ingredients. ³⁄₅
SERVICE: Fast and friendly. ³⁄₅
FINAL THOUGHTS: The food was mediocre at best.

Tried this place today for early dinner. The interior has a homey and comfortable feel to it. The bathroom is well maintained and it’s clean, the dining area has a cafeteria-​like setting and its spacious. I think they’ve recently painted the wall or they scrub it bc it looks polished. My bf initially found this place on google map while looking for a lao/​hmong restaurant. This is the first one we found in north area since moving to natomas. I lived in south sac and the area is flooded with all kinds of Asian restaurants and I’m proud to say that most of the restaurants there all have a sense of authenticity which I really love bc of the richness of flavor and the rich seasoning that I grew up eating with. We ordered skewered chicken wing, papaya salad and sticky rice and a Thai tea. They were all delicious I must say. I usually don’t finish my food if they taste mediocre but not this time. The chicken wing was grilled almost to perfection. And it was well seasoned/​marinated it was really good. I felt nostalgic eating it. The papaya salad was exactly what I expected, it was tasty, nothing too extreme and it was spicy enough for me. It was great all in all. The noodles was a little too soft almost soggy but I didnt mind it. I didn’t finished my sticky rice bc it was a little hard for me to chew but my bf loved it so he took the left over rice home. Everything else was great especially the service. Everyone whom we spoke to were all friendly yet reserved and super accommodating. Before coming in my bf called the place to double check on some things. They only take cash and I’m not too sure if they are closed on some days. My bf said the person he talked to on the phone had a soft voice and seemed like a nice person. Overall it was a pleasure eating here. I just can’t say much about the location but I don’t think it matters as much since I’m coming from south sac and I’ve been around oak park area a lot plus the best places are always on the most sketchiest part of the town! so this place was definitely a good find and a gem in this random neighborhood. Cheers and until next visit :)

Location is not the best.
The Laab was barely passable. Some pieces of meat and tripes were quite tough. The taste was a bit lacking.
The sausage was very good. It was our first time to try it. It’s so different from the usual sausages, especially the European and American varieties. This sausage had a lot of different spices and was really tasty.
The sticky rice was good, but it has to be consumed quickly because it gets tough or even hard when it cools down.
I don’t know if I would want to come back to try other dishes. Maybe if we found ourselves nearby by chance.

Cash only, folks! We had the meatballs with sticky rice and kapoon. The food tasted as good as expected, but I think I prefer the better ambiance and bigger menu down the street. Times must be hard when the clock on the wall is broken, there’s no background music, and the ceiling looks like it’s giving in.

Hole in the wall but very good phở, great egg rolls and killer chicken wings on a stick.

I’ve been wanting to try this place for the longest time and i finally had the chance to. When we came in, my boyfriend and I basically ordered the whole menu.
The items we tried were:
Beef noodle soup (phở): Nothing really stood out about the broth, you really had to add a lot of your own seasonings. To me, when a broth is a good, you don’t need to add much stuff to enhance the soup’s taste.
Kaopoon: It was missing something. I don’t know what, but it was a bit bland and the broth wasn’t so tasty. I ate half way and gave the rest to my boyfriend.
Sausage: This was probably the best thing we ate here, however, it was not so good as well. It was lacking flavor and the crispyness of the skin.
Sticky rice: Standard.
Papaya salad: A little too fishy and salty for my liking and the sauces was not balanced. I had to squeeze a couple more limes onto it and added peanuts.
Meatballs: I don’t know what the hype is all about the meatballs. It was very bland and had no taste.
Overall, I didn’t quite enjoy the food, however the service was friendly. They were a bit skimpy on the meat for the noodle soups. I think it would probably be my first and last time here.
Stars: 2.5

I love these hole in the wall restaurants. Was it the best Laotian food I’ve had? No… cause well, home cooked meals are always the best. Haha. When it comes to a restaurant though, south east asian bbq was a-​ok.
We ordered quite a few items for the two of us as we probably won’t be back in the area anytime soon. We picked up papaya salad with 7 peppers, meatballs, sausage, laab, and sticky rice. Oh, can’t forget the thai iced tea also!
The papaya salad was good… not great. 7 peppers were perfect for me but not for those who can’t take spice. I’m just saying… don’t try to be daring if you think tabasco is spicy. Haha. My complaint was that it was waaaaay too salty. A little less and it would’ve been perfect.
The meatballs were ok. They were tender but I’m not a fan of sweet meat. I could see how others might like that particular dish though. The sausage was probably my favorite meat dish. The flavors were all there and they were cooked perfectly. I’d definitely order them again. The laab was also tasty but on the saltier side again. I loved the combination of textures and flavors though.
So you walk in, order at the counter, and they’ll bring your food to you. The prices were super decent. Oh, and don’t judge the area! This is the epitome of a hole in the wall. All in all, if I was in the area, I’d come back again.
Solid 3 stars.

First and foremost, this place is the definition of hole in the wall. With that being said, hole in the wall restaurants can be some of the best and underrated places ever. And I must say, this is THE BEST Lao restaurant in Sac hands down. I’m Laotian and I know good Lao food when I eat it. The kao piek is delicious; the broth is so flavorful even without condiments. The meatballs drenched in the orange sauce is to die for. I’ve been coming here since I was a little girl and the food never disappoints. One star off because the bathroom is a little dinky. But other than that, it’s worth the drive from south sac.

Place is a little shabby but don’t let the place fool you. Everything about this place is so good. Honestly though, the phở isn’t that good here. At all. I come here all the time, when I’m sick, hung over or to have lunch with my dad because he lives around the corner. I don’t really like Lao food but there are some Lao dishes that I can’t get enough of.
When you get here you have to order at the register, when you’re done with that, just sit down and the servers will bring out your food and wait your table.
When I’m here I always order the kao piek, papaya salad, Lao sausage, sticky rice and chicken. Yes I know it’s a lot but I share? Kind of lol. But I’m usually here for the papaya salad and kao piek. Kao piek is like udon noodles with broth. It can have chicken and blood in it. Only two things I can’t get enough of. Occasionally I’ll crave kao poon, which is similar to Vietnamese bun bo hue, in my opinion. It has a creamy red broth with vermicelli noodles, bamboo, blood, shredded chicken. and veggies.
Anyway best place to get Lao food if you’re too lazy to make it yourself. And people it’s spelled KAO piek, KAO poon. KAO anything because kao means rice, not ka ok? =) like kao = rice like the rice noodles we use for the soups.