Sao Lao Thai Café

Amazing as always, tried the rice dish and it was delish! The Curry is my regular so aways great. Service was fast even though they had not received my online order. The day was beautiful for houston and if I had time I would have enjoyed the front patio. I would recommend some large plants to help break the traffic view.

Unique, interesting, delicious food in a clean setting with great staff! What more could you ask for? The location is a bit out of the way for me but I would definitely come back to try other items and get the Tom yum and Nam khao again. As another reviewer said, this is definitely more Laotian and less Thai. I recommend asking the servers to explain the flavor profile differences so you are not shocked. We came in for the boat noodles, which we heard great things about. Our server also recommended the Nam khao (crispy fried rice) and red curry. My friend and I thought the boat noodles were very interesting. Definitely more fishy than I expected. It had beef and came with crispy pork belly on a skewer (for an additional $3). I don't think I would order it again but for people who like a more fermented flavor profile, I think it's a must try. The Nam khao was probably my favorite. The server said they remake the rice and wrap it in a ball. When a customer orders it, they fry the whole ball and then break it apart and add pork. You eat it wrapped in lettuce. I loved it with the garlic chili oil. So delicious. I also loved the Tom yum. It was spicy, tangy and had tons of mushrooms. Beech and bella mushrooms and giant shrimp. They don't skimp on protein and better quality ingredients so I think that's why it's a bit pricier for such casual food. Highly recommend and I can't wait to come back to try the other stuff recommended by our server.

I swing by Sao Lao every once in awhile when I'm in the area and was introduced by a friend that used to enjoy their food truck. To be clear - this is more of a Laos restaurant than Thai - don't even try to order Pad Thai :) While the food is on the pricey side - really genuine family-run business with a clear respect for the food. The owner will be more than happy to explain the painstaking food preparation process for the dishes, which makes me feel a bit better about paying $17 for a bowl of noodles. I recommend the Nam Khan (surprisingly crunchy rice!) and the Boat Noodles. Would I Go Out of My Way to Try? YesWould I Return? YesAmbiance- 8/10Food Taste- 8/10Service- 10/10Value- 6/10

Food: sausage with sticky rice appetizer: two snappy sausages filled with laos herbs with a savory and tangy bite. comes with a dipping sauce that ties everything togetherboat noodle soup: the star of the show!! thick rice noodles, ribeye steak, pork meat balls, and fried pork skin all in a tangy, beefy broth. still dreaming of this!nam khao: crispy fried rice intermixed with sticky rice, the texture was so enjoyable, and the spicy red curry flavor was perfectly balanced by subtly sweet coconut. thai green tea: generous serving for two people, creamy and not too sweet! overall impression- generous portions, everything was so fresh and flavorful!! Ambience: cute and cozy mom & pop, perfect for a lunch date or small groups Service: super friendly and quick, you order and pay at the counter!Overall a wonderful and unique dining experience all around, i can't wait to come back!

First time visitor. Ordered my standard drunken noodles with medium heat. The dish was savory and full of flavor The heat was right on target Service was quick and the interior is very cute. Can't wait to go back!

The people that work here are very nice and the food is great! Small family owned restaurant serving up great food! Food: I had the Thai basil chicken which was good. However it was dark meat. Would much rather prefer white meat for this dish. Great flavor the. The side of broth is really good! I also got a spicy beef dish that came with the broth. I can't remember the name but I was amazing! I will definitely come back and try more stuff off their menu. The customer service is great! Top notch. Everyone that works here is great. I'll definitely come back soon!

I had the food through Ubereats and it was decent. I've had the pho, Thai curry, and mushroom dish. Pho is definitely SALTY, but adding water helped. Mushroom dish is cold has A LOT of fish sauce, so you would like it if you like fish sauce. I think if it has more subtle flavor, it would have been better.

This is a well designed and modern cafe. Cuisine is from Laos that is very similar to Thai. It has been around for 2 years. Just so happen we were in the area and looking for a new Thai place to try. Place has ample parking and outdoor seating.It was not busy when we entered and seated ourselves in one of the booths. Price that instead of usual disposal napkins, they have cloth napkins with option to select chopsticks, forks and soup spoon.You place your order at the counter. We started with papaya salad. Their version has a stronger fish sauce taste and served with vermicelli. Thought it was well done and the vermicelli offset some of the strong taste of the fish sauce.Next we order the Thai Pork Basil. There was a crunch to the ground pork which I liked. It was well seasoned. In addition to the rice, you also get an egg. We order it eggs over easy. Runny would probably have been a better choice as suggested. Very tasty.Next was Tom Yum with shrimp. It is served with rice. The Tom yum was sour and delicious. It had good size shrimps and mushrooms. Broth taste similar to other tom yum soup but they don't serve the lemongrass or tomato rhat we don't eat anyway so this works for us.Last is their famous beef red curry using ribeye. Beef was tender and had plenty of eggplant. Loved the taste... will order it again. Aside from eggplant and beef, did not see othe ingredients like bamboo shoots.Staff was friendly. She may have been the owner and seem to know every other person who walks in the door by name.Overall, nice and modern place for Thai/Lao food. Friendly service. Will visit again in the future. Recommend checking them out!

Small and mighty wins the race every time because even with a smaller menu the food is amazing! I love this restaurant & the owner takes such great pride in quality + customer service.The Tom Yum soup is the closest I've had to the ones I've had in Thailand, so thus this is authentic 10/10.The Thai tea...just get it 10/10 (they can make this dairy free too)Nam Khao...very very good; the texture of the crunch is fantastic with the lettuce wraps, chefs kiss 10/10 (I got mine with shrimp)Sticky mango rice is also another win 10/10...give this place a shot it's worth it! Recommendation to come at lunch time during the week when it's not packed!

TLDR: Dine in to taste the best textured noodles and experience the always friendly staff! Everyone here is treated like a regularThe owner and staff here are top notch - so friendly, love what they do, and prep the food like they are cooking at home. Drunken noodles, Thai Red Curry, and Boat noodles have been our standard order and have never disappointed!