Nok’s Kitchen

A quaint Laotian restaurant sitting in the hidden plazas within Westminster. A spicy, cozy and family appealing establishment that sets it's aesthetic and food quality to a new standard around the area! Nok's Kitchen keeps it cooking! The restaurant is a bit small to say the least but the aesthetic woven baskets, wooden veneers and dark stone really set the tone of the place. Spacious tables, open parking and an easy to find sign!‍‍ The service was one of my favorite parts about the place! Very friendly and you can easily see the family vibes that surround the place, making it very personable! Plates are pretty wide on the perspective of sides, main plates, shareable, desserts and even drinks! It's safe to say, no matter which corner you turn, it's all average pricing all around! Another notable thing; the price matches the portions! So many leftovers! Top three dishes from this place, both as fresh and leftovers? Tum Mak Huong aka the Papaya Salad! Very refreshing as you get all elements of grated papaya along with more reviving vegetables like cherry tomatoes, long bean all generously garnished with lime, pork rinds, Vietnamese meats and peanuts!Tom Saap made the list also for it's sour soup base with savory ingredients! All from lemongrass to galangal to herbs and to a choice between chicken and shrimp which soak the broth perfectly!King Mokpa Salmon wrapped prettily inside a banana leaf, cooked and allowing the salmon to soak tenderly in the herbs! All sided by cucumbers!

Service was great and attentive. Restaurant was clean. It was very crowded after we got seated. But they also tried to check on us often. 5/10 Lao coffee: very thick, like a water down milkshake. Flavor is confusing and doesn't taste like coffee bean, more like nutty and bitter. I never tasted Lao coffee before so idk how Laos coffee is. Don't expect it to taste like coffee mixed with condensed milk or milk. 9.5/10 BBQ mix combo: the meat was excellent, smokey and well marinated. Dipping sauces bring the meat and sticky rice together.7.5/10 Papaya salad: standard, decent, come with shrimp cracker, good portion7/10 Fried Tofu: good, cripsy. $12 is pricy imo for just fried tofu. Come with 2 sauces. One of them is the sweet chili sauce. Would not order this again. 7/10 Pho: pretty good, $16 kinda skimpy on meatMaybe come back for the BBQ and other dishes. I want to explore Laos food more!

If you're wondering who Nok is, bruh, so am I--but Nok, you're a genius! I walked into Nok's Kitchen with zero expectations and came out planning my next vacation to Laos (after I finish all the leftovers, of course).Here's what you can't miss:Raw Shrimp: 10/5--If I could eat this every day for the rest of my life, I would. But watch out: those chopped peppers pack a punch! Pair with mint and beg the server for extra sauce. It's all in the sauce.Crab Fried Rice: 5/5--It's like a flavor seduction on your tongue. Simple, but oh-so-sensual. Don't even think about skipping this one.Pork Rib Soup: 4/5--Super tart with a side of bone-crunching love. It's like Tom Yum and Vietnamese soup had a secret fling, and this spicy, tangy beauty is their love child.Overall, Nok's Kitchen is the kind of place you'll want to hit up again and again. Go eat here, and thank me later.

Finally got around to trying Nok's Kitchen and swung by for lunch on a Saturday. I haven't had too many Lao dishes, so I was excited to check it out. We ordered a few different things:Com 4 - BBQ Mix Combo - The sticky rice was solid, and the sausage was definitely my favorite from the BBQ mix. The dipping sauce was a nice touch.Fried Pork Spare Ribs - They were good at first, but my friend bit into one and it was raw. They remade it, but she was already traumatized lol.Roti Curry - Simple but one of my favorites. The roti was crispy, flaky, and layered well, and the curry sauce was fire.Raw Shrimp - Basically raw shrimp with a tangy, spicy sauce. They don't hold back on the Thai chilies, so be ready for some heat.Mango Sticky Rice (to go) - It was okay, but probably would've been better fresh.Overall, nothing really blew me away, but I'd be down to come back and try other dishes. Hopefully next time, the ribs are fully cooked!

We were looking for a new spot to try and came across Nok's Kitchen. With the high ratings and delicious looking photos, we decided to give them a shot!- PARKING -Easily missed parking lot, as it's a narrower alley between two larger plazas on each side. The strip lot has limited spots, so when it gets busy, you may need to walk over from a different street!- SERVICE/ENVIRONMENT -We walked in at 11:30am (time they listed as open) on a Sunday, and there were already people seated inside. Most tables seat 4 people comfortably, although there are a few options for larger parties. By the time 12pm came around, the entire restaurant was filled! I believe they put out a Yelp waitlist tablet soon after. Although we did have to flag down a waiter to order initially, the service was amazing after that. They consistently came to check in on us, and even at the end when they saw we had leftovers, they asked if everything was OK as to make sure quality was up to par!- FOOD -Fried Pork Belly ($15.00): So crispy, so fatty - the sauce paired with this cuts through that fattiness perfectly!Roti Curry ($11.00): I'm a sucker for Roti, so when I saw it on the menu I had to order it!! Their Roti is so flaky and light, and the curry was delicious! We later confirmed it's very similar to their Khao Soi base.Lao Pork Sausage Combo ($15.00): I'd probably buy their Lao Pork Sausage to-go next time! So flavorful, great snap to the sausage, and again paired with that savory, spicy sauce! Their sticky rice is great too!Nam Khao ($15.00): One of our favorite Laotian dishes, and Nok's Kitchen does their Nam Khao right! We loved finding the bits of extra crispy rice!- OVERALL -So glad we stumbled upon this restaurant! Will definitely recommend to anyone who has a Laotian food craving in the area!

It was my first time trying Laotian food and it was so bomb!! The storefront is easy to miss since it's like a hole in the wall but I'm so glad my friend recommended this spot :) so yummy

Quick and efficient service and good food! I like the presentation of the dishes and am very pleased that there is Laos representation in the OC! Highly recommend ordering the papaya salad and pork jerky.

We had high hopes for this place. Being that it's Laos, it was unique and a first for us.Negatives:-taste, my wife got the khao soi. It was creamier than the Thai khao soi and it has more of an herbal taste. My wife usually loves khao soi and she didn't want to finish it. The crispy noodles on top tasted stale. I got the khao pun sin (Lao bun bo hue). It tastes nothing like Vietnamese bun bo hue, so if you order it expecting that taste you'll be disappointed. I'm kinda surprised that they labeled it as bun bo hue, had they not, I would have been less harsh. The noodle they used was wrong, the beef was extra fatty, and the soup was very murky and oily.-value, at these prices i expected it to be much better. Our khao soi was $20 for crispy pork. Khao soi at other places are $13-17 and you can get shrimp for that price. My Khao pun sin was $17. For bun bo que, it's $14-15 and I would finish the broth. Here the broth was so fatty, I ate around the fat and did not feel like having too much of it. Positives:-taste: we got pork belly appetizer, this was the only dish we enjoyed. The sauce was really good too. -service, it was quick and the waiters were very nice.Overall 3/5The ambiance was modern and it did have nice decor. I have never had Laos food before, but if I had to compare it to Thai or viet based on the dishes we got, I was expecting things to be a lot spicier. I love eating spicy and the peppers they had weren't enough for me. Unfortunately, we probably won't be giving this place a second try. Maybe Laos food isn't for us.

3rd time coming to Noks within the month with family and each time it's been incredibly tasty. The service is always fast and convenient with a very easy going vibe. It's hard to go wrong with anything on the menu, would highly recommend the Khao Soi, Larb or their Pad Kapao (comes with fried egg).The pandan mango sticky rice is incredibly tasty and unique (a rare find). Looking forward to returning soon again!

AB. SOL. UTE. LY. AMAZING. FOOD.This place is so good. We ordered a bunch of dishes and every single dish was a hit and we loved every single thing here. The larb was my favorite thing here, they got the sour, spicy, and sweet sauce so balanced. The bbq combo skewers were so smokey and tasty. Fried rice was perfection. The only thing I didn't love but still enjoyed was the curry noodles but I didn't realize it was yellow curry based which I am just not a fan of. Boyfriend loved it though and highly recommends if you love yellow curry. The staff is super friendly and service is quick. Restaurant is clean and nicely spaced so you're not sitting right next to another party. Located in a small plaza, parking is easy to find but lot is a little small. Definitely will be back.