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Londonderry

Europe

United Kingdom

Nestled in the vibrant heart of London at 60 Chandos Place, Lao Cafe offers an authentic taste of Lao cuisine that transports diners straight to Southeast Asia. This cozy, bustling restaurant is renowned for its rich flavors, aromatic dishes, and warm, inviting atmosphere. Whether you're a seasoned lover of Lao food or a curious newcomer, Lao Cafe promises a culinary journey filled with bold spices, fresh ingredients, and traditional recipes that have been passed down through generations.

Explore the vibrant flavors of Lao cuisine at Lao Cafe

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I was very excited to know there was a Lao restaurant in London. Reservations are suggested as it can get quite busy and you will get turned away if you don't. The staff weren't the greatest and a little slow but brought me everything that we asked for.

4/5 Lao noodles - this was a different version of what I've had and I'm used to having it a bit drier and sticky and the noodles are a bit thicker. These are very different and very thin but still taste very good.
4/5 Nam Khao - very good but I'm used to the rice being crispier and the pieces of pork were a bit large but I still really liked it 
4/5 Lao sausage - very good and served with lettuce and herbs
3/5 Papaya salad Lao style with veggie tray - it was a bit too funky
1/5 Glass noodles - I didn't like this at all. 
1/5 Chicken soup - this also was not good

Would like to come back and try some other dishes. I was very very thirsty after this meal... needed extra water!

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Not gonna lie, it smells a bit funky in here. I was, once again, drawn here by a PR Invite on Instagram - which basically means someone got some form of compensation to rave about how great the food is. And, once again, I walked away pretty disappointed. Given the small space and the fact that I was dining alone, I was crammed into a corner bar stool close to the kitchen where the smell really tends to hit you.

The menu was small, but comfortably familiar, with its simple rice and noodle dishes, as well as exotic salads and a few different types of sticky rice. The drinks menu is tiny and not really worth mentioning. 

My pork topped vermicelli noodles were the kind of quality you'd expect to find in a Chinatown restaurant. None of it tasted very fresh, and the texture left something to be desired; the pork was very chewy.

All of that aside, however, it wasn't the most horrible thing I've ever eaten, the flavor was almost something I would crave again, and the prices were actually quite affordable compared to other places in the area.

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The food is so delicious here!  The fish was so fresh, BBQ pork was so tasty, even the condiments were delicious!!!  This is definitely my new, favorite place to go to in London!

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If you crave Lao food, look no further. I ordered the papaya salad, sour pork soup, and nham khao fermented pork sausage crispy rice salad. I asked for very spicy, and the waitress clarified whether I wanted "Asian" or "British" spicy. Naturally, I said Asian, thinking I got what I asked. Mind you, it had a kick, but more like a baby in the tummy sort of gentle kick. More of a tickle. The waitress later said she was afraid to hit me hard, so only gave me 4 out of 7 chili peppers. She came back with 3 more. Yum- that hit the spot! 
The food is overall very solid. So if you really can handle spicy, tell them Asian spicy, 7/7 chilies. Ohh, def make a reservation.

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While I can't comment on authenticity of food between the Lao/Thai debate ongoing in other reviews, I will say the flavors taste quite on the nose to Isaan Thai food I've had in Northern Thailand and some of the better N Thai restaurants in the US. 

My party of two arrived on a Saturday evening around 7:30pm and were lucky to snag a seat after a wait of about 15 minutes. Reservations are recommended as this spot only seats about 25-30 people and it's pretty packed on weekends. The service was fast--after placing our order I think food started coming in 5 minutes, we were quite surprised at how quickly everything appeared. Staff seemed quite courteous and efficient as well. The interior of the restaurant is pretty bright, simple and airy with white walls, cool metal pendant lights in a artful arrangement hanging from the ceiling, and Lao/N Thai photos and art hung on the walls/shelves. Seating is at wooden picnic style tables with wooden benches and chairs. 

We ordered--
1) Sai Oua herbal northern sausage: good flavor.  £9 felt a bit steep for this tho most other menu items seem reasonably priced. 
2) Morfai (hot pot) Tom Zaap Gadook Moo: a hot and sour soup with spicy sour pork ribs. The spice levels are real here. Really warms you up on the insides--I was sweating, and my mouth was slightly on fire but at the same time ready to have more! Lots of tender pork ribs in the soup made for a very tasty broth! 
3) Som Tumm (papaya salad) with Puu (pickled crab): there were several papaya salad options to choose from and the crabs that came with this were little mini crabs which added to the flavor but weren't edible since they were basically all shell (and not the soft-shell kind). The salad itself even at mild spiciness was pretty spicy which I appreciate for staying true to SE Asian heat levels.
4) Pad Mhee Lao: stir fried vermicelli with option of protein, we chose prawns. Loved the wok flavor that was imparted to these noodles, it's a distinct savory stir fry flavor from heating oil in woks over very high heat, not something you can manage on a stovetop at home. Would def order this again.
4) Khao Niew: sticky rice wrapped in banana leaf. A traditional pairing that helped ramp down the spice levels a bit. 

Overall the flavors were good though they could go a tad lighter on the salt. Very efficient service. I'd certainly come here to eat again.

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Cute little restaurant near Covent Garden and Trafalgar Square.  Recommend making reservations as it gets busy and is small.  Two of us went before a show in the West End and ordered:

- Crispy rice with fermented sausages:  portion was a bit small for £10.50 but decently tasty with the slightly crispy rice, sausage, and peanuts.  Spice level was there but mild, and the sourness was a nice touch.  I've had better versions of this dish at Isaan Thai restaurants, but this was still good.  4/5

- Spicy sour pork rib hot pot:  not sure why it's called hot pot as it's just a soup very much like Tom yum but with pork ribs.  Satisfying on a chilly London evening, good but nothing extraordinary.  4/5

- Papaya salad for 2 - Lao style:  we were puzzled by the plate for two since we thought it was a different type of salad, but then they asked us to choose a type of papaya salad and a spice level.  We picked the Lao with raw crab, medium spice.  Sadly there wasn't much crab in the salad; in Bangkok the crabs were also a bit larger and these were minuscule with barely any meat.  The platter for two was served with pork rolls (similar to the Vietnamese pork rolls), pork cracklings, vermicelli noodles, hard boiled eggs, and lettuce.  The medium spice was definitely spicy, so make sure you can handle it, but it was doable.  Flavor was spicier and less sweet than Thai papaya salad, but I had expected it to be more pungent than it was.  It was fine but I wouldn't order it again.  3.5/5

Overall I thought the food was very solid but nothing that would stick in my mind as special.  Since I live very close by, I'll give it another shot later but not in a hurry to do so.

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So we were hunting for food earlier tonight. We said let's try something different and decided on this place after reading some reviews. We walked from our hotel and got here in a few. This place is busy!!! We were told we have a 30 mins to 1 hour wait. But we decided to wait right in front of the door, glad we did! We were seated in 10 mins. We decided ahead of time to get the food in my pictures. Salad and sticky rice came out shortly. Wow! That papaya salad was spicy and refreshing. Pork was wow! But the pad thai like dish was just wow! We were quite satisfied.

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Delicious food and some good portion sizes (though not for the curry IMO, a tiny bowl for the price). I had the papaya salad Thai style and the brown sticky rice. Wow, the salad had a DELICIOUS flavour, a bit sweet, crunchy and fresh, albeit very very spicy (for the mild). However, my friend said to her the spice level was mild ha! Just be prepared if you're sensitive like me bc I went through two sets of napkins dabbing my eyes and nose! I was quite pleased to see brown sticky rice as I've only seen white in places. Lovely texture and good to offset the papaya salad. My friend's curry had a wonderful flavour as well: definitely umami. Hard to describe but rich and satisfying. 

We were seated promptly when we walked in yesterday at lunch opening time with no reservation. Overall very happy and would return.

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It's really hard to find an authentic Lao restaurant in the states so we were shocked when we found one on our vacation to London. My wife is Lao...very Lao and she was ecstatic to see that the menu was truly Lao and not just another Thai restaurant with a Lao dish or two. 

We were joined by a another couple whom I work with who had never enjoyed real Lao but were excited about trying it for the first time. They were blown away! 

My wife comes from a lineage of Lao chefs who owned food stalls in Laos. My wife can cook! This place absolutely tickled her palette as it was one of the only Lao restaurants that actually serves....real Lao food!

I thought it was good but it's really hard to beat my wife's cooking. 

If you have tried Thai, Vietnamese and want something different that is like a sucker punch of flavor in every bite...this is your place!

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Ive had my fair share of Laos food (restaurants & home cooked), and i must say, the reviews on here for this restaurant are a bit off. I guess, if theres only 1 to a few Laos restaurant in London, then you really dont have much to compare it to.

We ordered a few things: pork skewers, laos style papaya salad, sticky rice, nam kao, laos sausage & khao soi. Everything was okay. It definitely wasnt 4 stars. The skewers were fine like any other asian grilled sweet meat & the sauce it came with was, meh. The papaya salad wasnt even shredded properly; they were thick as toothpicks when they're supposed to be a lot thinner. The sticky rice was fine but you cant really mess that up unless youre serving an old batch. The laos sausage for £9; you dont even get a full sausage, totally overpriced. The nam kao and khao soi was also alright, nothing to brag about.

Also, service was super slow.  We showed up for lunch and there were only 2 tables ahead of us. We ordered and it took awhile for us to get our food. After we were done, we had to ask for our bill twice (5 mins apart). I had my credit card ready, i tried handing it to the server when she brought our bill, but she wouldn't take it and told me she will be back for it. Another 5 mins go by... smh! 

So recap: pretentious, slow, small portions, overpriced for OKAY food.

Lao Cafe: Authentic Lao Cuisine in Covent Garden, London

Discover an authentic taste of Laos in the heart of London at Lao Cafe, located at 60 Chandos Place. This cozy yet vibrant restaurant offers a genuine Lao culinary experience that will delight food lovers and adventurous diners alike. Whether you're craving spicy salads or hearty noodle bowls, Lao Cafe promises a memorable journey through traditional flavors with a modern twist.

Visit us and savor the flavors of Laos today

Experience the rich flavors of Laos in London

Savor authentic Lao cuisine at Lao Cafe in London’s vibrant WC2N. Experience bold flavors and cozy ambiance—book your unforgettable foodie adventure now!

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