Sao Lao Thai Café

While it’s not much to look at outside, the inside is homey and comfortable. We started off with hot tea.
I appreciate that they gave us 3 tea bags.
I wish the teapot was larger with a cap.
It didn’t take long for the hot water to cool off.
They also gave us jar of mostly solidified honey with a wooden honey dipper.
I had to ask them to microwave the honey to melt it.
I would have preferred a honey squeeze bottle. 1.
Egg rolls.
Nothing special here that you can get elsewhere. 2.
Lao sausage: this was flavorful and tasty. 3.
Boat noodle soup: This was quite tasty.
Soup was tangy and full of flavors.
Although I’ve had something similar before I feel that this will be a hit with locals. 4.
Drunken noodles: This wasn’t bad.
Flavors were there but taste is not what I’m used to for Drunken noodles. Overall I thought the food was decent.
I’m always glad to see another authentic Asian restaurant give us a peek of their culture.

Owner response

This is a must-try spot in Houston.
We stopped in for lunch on New Year's Day.
It was busy but service was excellent.
We shared three dishes - the boat noodle soup, mushroom laab, and Thai Pork Basil.
They were out of nam khao when we visited, something I want to go back and try.
Everything was delicious and full of flavor.
The pork basil was probably our favorite of the three dishes, but I would order them all again.
The owner shared her story about opening the business and how she designed the menu.
Beginning to end this is a great experience.
Highly recommend stopping here.

Owner response

Small, simple eatery serving Laotian and Thai food that’s pretty authentic.
Portions are generous and the food is served fast by friendly staff.
We ordered the Nam Khao crispy fried rice seasoned with curry paste.
We swapped out the pork for tofu.
Really enjoyed this dish.
We tried the papaya salad, something we would eat almost daily during our visits to Thailand.
It was OK but there was something about the seasoning that I didn’t like.
My wife enjoyed it, though.
Finally, we tried the Mushroom Laab, which had a nice minty flavor.
I would definitely go back to the Sai Lao Thai Cafe.

Owner response