Lao Café

Great restaurant! Interesting cuisine and flavours, loved the grilled pork neck, would definitely try again. Highly recommend if you’re looking for something a little bit different!

I loved their papaya salad!! They can adjust the spiciness level, which worked great for me as I usually struggle with super spicy foods. Also had the prawn vermicelli noodles and the spicy chicken hot pot, and they were delicious.

Headline: if this is what Laotian food, is like, consider me a fan! We came here for lunch and ordered an assortment from each section on the menu. Everything was delicious but to visit, you probably should love pork! The highlight is definitely the grilled pork neck - it was super tender, incredibly well marinated and tasty! 2nd place would be the pork ribs hot pot - it was sour and spicy with very generous helping of pork ribs! Other notable mentions included the stir fried prawn vermicelli, pork neck salad and the pork sausage with glass noodle salad. Out of curiosity, we also ordered the chicken curry with ant eggs. The curry is a bit different as it isn't made with coconut milk. However for me, it's probably my least favourite dish - mainly because it had a bit too much dill 🤣. Overall, we loved the experience! Service was also spot on, the staff were very all very attentive and friendly!

First visit, loved it. Amazing fresh, aromatic delicious food. Didn’t know what to expect or choose, opted for a papaya salad, hot pot, chicken wings and sticky rice. Lao Cafe is most definitely on our ‘must visit’ list when in town👍. Our thanks.

I stopped by for a quick lunch, i had the som tum lao style, sticky rice and a lemon iced tea, everything was perfect. I wish i asked for more heat on the papaya salad as the standard spice level was quite mild for my taste. The price was high but that is to be expected for covent garden. Loved the pieces of fermented baby crab. Will come again with company so i can try more things on the menu.

Lao Café was my first time diving into Laotian cuisine, and let me tell you—I was blown away! 😍🇱🇦 The atmosphere? Perfect. Bright, cozy, and so relaxing—it felt like a mini escape from the bustle of central London. And for the location, the prices are super reasonable, too! 💸 But what really stood out was the service—top-notch! You feel so well taken care of from start to finish. Now, let’s talk food! My absolute fave? The Grilled Pork Neck. Juicy, tender, and bursting with flavor—everyone at our table was raving about it! 🍖🔥 Seriously, so good! For something a little more adventurous, we tried the Chicken Curry with Ants Eggs 🐔🐜. It had an earthy richness, and the flavors just clicked. Definitely a dish to remember! I’d totally recommend Lao Café to anyone craving something unique and packed with flavor. Trust me, you'll leave with your taste buds very happy! 🙌🍽️

First time trying Lao food for both my friend and I. My friend can’t eat nuts or shellfish and there were still loads of options for us to try😊 We ordered the anchovies papaya salad, pork neck dry salad, grilled Lao sausage, sticky rice, and iced lemon teas. Everything was amazing. Best iced lemon tea I’ve ever had. Portions are great, prices are reasonable, and food is so tasty! Highly recommend this place.

The food was amazing! Relatively heavy in flavor, which is perfect when the ice tea is sweetened. Recommend to always reserve a table before going.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

They're not Lao. They're Thai. And that's fascinating for us Lao people because usually Lao people have to pretend they're cooking Thai to attract customers because many people don't know of Laos or authentic Lao cuisine. We attempted to speak Lao to the staff but no one could speak Lao. If you don't believe they're Thai and not Lao, check out the photo they have of the king of Thailand. So, calling it Lao is a marketing ploy. Meh, more power to them as long as the food is authentic, right? Well, it isn't. It's not awful but it's not Lao. FYI - there is a real Lao restaurant in London above a pub on Westminster Bridge Rd. You have to search for it though.

First time having Laotian food and it was absolutely delicious! I can't take much spice and the restaurant did a good job of accommodating. We ordered the noodles, chicken stew, and papaya salad and it was all super yummy. Super flavorful and full of spices. I would strongly recommend! The interior is modern and well decorated. It's kind of small so seating is limited. A line started forming at 7pm. Definitely get there early.

I always make a stop here when I'm in London. Mainly because every time I'm in the UK I don't eat a single vegetable other than potatoes and my digestive system gets backed up a bit. The spice clears that right up. It's a relatively small place, with maybe seating for 25. I came through with my giant suitcase and they were nice enough to stash it away as I shoveled food in my face. For two, I normally order: - Thai-style tumm (two chilis) - Makhuer Yao (grilled aubergine) - Jee Moo (grilled pork skewers) - Sai Oua (herbed pork sausages) - Khao Jee (grilled sticky rice) - And a milk tea for my white friends who cannot handle spice The one thing that can be improved on is the portion size and the salt levels - it's slightly heavy-handed.

Legit Lao food (or alternately Isan if you're coming from the Thai side). They unabashedly use the extreme hot and sour flavors of that area - great if you want the authentic flavors, but could be a bit much for the unprepared. We had: * Nham Khao (crispy rice with fermented sausages) - well balanced dish with all the contrasting textures, flavors, and colors happening. * Jee Kor Moo (chargrilled pork neck) - nicely seasoned, grilled, and tender pork neck. Could've definitely had more of the dipping sauce to go with it. * Tom Zaap Gadook Moo (spicy sour pork ribs) - not the most extreme test of ones spicy and sour tolerance, but still a bit much for me (I'm apparently a wimp on this regard) The prices seem high considering the size of the portions, but being left wanting more is probably a good thing. Service was mediocre (standardish for a homey asian restaurant), but at the price point the expectations are higher.

Authentic nitty gritty Laotian food. Don't come here if you're expecting Thai food. The dishes offered here are authentic to the Lao homeland. I ordered Lao papaya, pork jerky and Nam Khao. It was pretty tasty and made just the way my parents made it at home growing up. Fishy and spicy with lots of herbs. The nam khao could be crispier but that based on my own personal preference and also what I'm used to in the states.

Authentic Laotian Food...That the feeling I got, what I researched online and what I have been told by people who have gone here I have never tried Laotian food and thought this place would have the South American Restaurant Curse of adding Thai and Vietnamese dishes to its menu...I was happily surprised that eveything on the menu were things I never heard of and gave me such excitement as its rare to try something so different in London The menu is efficiently split between Laotian salads, hot pot and grilled meats. We tried the papaya and Laotian Sausage salads as starters and the pork and poussin grilled meat dishes with a side of the brown sticky rice (more than enough for two people) All were amazing and different...all spicy, aromatic, marinated to perfection and fresh This place is really good if you want to try something NEW and ORIGINAL which is harder and harder to come by in London Importantly: Good value for money as well and the portion sizes were perfect = 5 stars in my opinion Gets really popular even on a weekday night when we went so go there not later than 18:30 to definitely get a table as they dont take bookings

Fabulous Loatian food in busy Covent Garden. Similar to Northern Thai food in flavour. Papaya Salad - delicious. Nham Kao - delicious. Laab Ped (Duck) fantastic! Beer Lao - thirst quenching. Service friendly and helpful. Decor modern and inviting. Portions a little small for the price but everything was very tasty.

Being South East Asian, I was craving Lao food and on my recent trip to London it was a "must visit". The place is so modern, cosy, charming and staffed with friendly people. I ordered signature dishes such as Lao Tum (papaya salad), Jee Moo (pork skewers), Laab Ped (duck salad) and Nam Khao (crunchy rice with fermented sausage). Oh my goodness! Deliciousness all the way!! Be careful as some of the dishes are pretty spicy for those who are not used to chilies. Portions are just right, prices are reasonable, service is friendly. Food isn't prepared super fast (for Asian cuisine) but totally acceptable timing. Loved the place, can't wait to return!

Absolutely terrible customer service. We sat down and ordered coffees and teas and were then told that we couldn't be served because we weren't ordering food. Seriously? The word "cafe" in in the title of the restaurant.... That doesn't make any sense. The place wasn't even half full, it's not like we were taking up any room. I've never had anyone turn me away because I only wanted to get drinks. If you are going to turn away paying customers, change your name to something that makes more sense.

Authentic strong flavors with balance. They also carry quality chilies with proper heat and you can customize your food by #peppers. This definitely satisfied my spice cravings. Easy to differentiate it from the more commonplace Thai dishes. Would recommend coming with a small group and ordering everything. -1 star for being a tad overpriced. The Instagram counter and garden decor are quite hipster

I never tried Laotian cuisine before so right away I was intrigued. Came to this busy, Covent Garden section of London restaurant that packed out really quick. Started with a bowl of fried bugs which were grasshoppers and crickets for £2.50. Ordered the food as they suggested on the menu "Laotian style" meaning ordering a bunch of dishes, sticky rice and share. Went with the papaya salad which was citrusy and refreshing. Grilled pork was outrageous but the grilled beef was nothing to write home about though served with a nice dipping sauce. Flavors got more intense with the knockout laab ped (duck salad) which was spicy and full of herbs. The om gai soup was extremely spicy and quite delicious as well. Portions are rather small so it will be advisable to order extra which is going to add up to a hefty tab after all is said and done. But, the food is flavorful and service is fine. My first experience trying Laotian cuisine was very enjoyable here and recommend this place.

Pretty legit Lao/Thai-Isan food. Would love to have sticky rice in bigger portions, but I can understand it's a restaurant and not some family members house. Interesting to get a variation on some recipes when outside the Pacific Northwest, but really good flavors and about the right amount of heat.

Had potential but I was disappointed. Got a seat right away but took a long time to get any service. I ordered a papaya salad and the grilled pork. Had to order rice extra which is expensive for a little glob of rice in a banana leaf. The salad comes out, fairly good and somewhat spicy. Then she comes back and says sorry, out of pork. But still brings me the rice by itself which they would have charged me for. Which of course I had no need for. After being there 45 minutes for a simple salad to be delivered, i bailed and went elsewhere.

Wonderful Laotian food in the Covent Garden neighbourhood, every dish was full of flavours, fresh spices and so tasty! The fried crickets and worms on the menu to get snacking with a beer were a bit of a novelty but everything else was wonderful

This is the first Laos restaurant I ever found to taste so authentic. As if it came from my parents kitchen. I highly would recommend to anyone looking for true Laotian cuisine. Fresh, simple & exceptional.

Probably the best SE Asian restaurant I've been to outside of SE ASIA, with a quality that's hard to find in SE Asia. I'd come every week if I lived nearby.

The food here is actually pretty authentic but the portions are extremely extremely small for the amount that they charge. I'm Laotian and been to many Laos restaurant and I've never seen portions this small. Example if you order a side of sticky rice or side of noodles it's only a handful and when I say handful it's a small handful. Also they charge for tap water, that's ridiculous. I won't be coming back here.

The food at this place is extremely good. We ordered the tom yam soup, the grilled beef and the laab pork salad. All absolutely delicois. The service however - oh boy. The waitress was completely disinterested in us, took forever to serve and generally didn't understand what we wanted. At the end, it got even worse. They forgot to serve us another salad that we ordered (despite us reminding them). The owner of the restaurant came over to resolve the matter - only to accuse that we were pretending not have received the dish. They took it off the menu in the end - not without plenty of nasty looks however. Also, at the end of the evening the restaurant simply turns on the lights and kicks everyone out. Not the most atmospheric thing to do. Not sure if we'll come again

The food wasn't proper Laotian food and tasted awful. The staff were unhelpful when I enquired about vegetarian options and rude from the moment we walked in. The whole experience was unpleasant and highly disappointing, and we were met with further rudeness when we didn't tip the full amount. I do not recommend this place.

Stopped here while on vacation. Never tried laotian food before, so I'm biased. I found the food too salty, to the point of inedible. Could be the dish we ordered though. Unless you know what you're getting into, I would not recommend.

Great authentic Lao cuisine. Visited twice this week already! Highly recommend this restaurant. Reminds me of my travels to Lao and Isaan.

I was disappointed when my husband and I realize the restaurant was not lao, but Thai. I should have known when I saw a picture of the Thai king. The food wasn't horrible but it wasn't lao. The nam khao was not crispy . The lao sausage was Thai style and very sour. Everything else wasn't memorable.

Superb, outstanding, wonderful....I could keep going! Great little spot, very clean, food selection perfect, not overwhelming but checks all the Laotian boxes, highly recommend!

The food is spectacular! Quite spicy, so we recommend drinking one (or both!) of their recommended local to Lao/Thailand. Eat with your hands! Sticky rice, duck salad, mushroom soup, herbal northern sausage were delicious!

Delicious food ! The dishes are small and shareable with delightfully fragrant spiciness. Definitely try the pork skewers and a papaya salad. The rice is yummy and comes wrapped in a leaf ... and when in doubt ask for advice the servers were very friendly.

Outstanding food and a friendly vibe. Pay attention to the advice about how spicy the food is!