Flavor Thai & Lao Bowl

I ordered two Panang Curry dishes, one chicken and one with pork. They were a bit too salty for my taste, and the chicken was a bit gamey. The pork was better, but it seemed like it was just simmered in the sauce. Maybe I just picked the wrong dish, but wanted to share my feedback. Thanks!

I've eaten here about 6 times and everything I've tried has been delicious. Usually I get soup - their Kao Pon is so tasty. The balance between the spiciness and the coconut milk and other flavors is amazing. Other highlights are the Pho and I usually share the Beef Sticks as an appetizer. The sauce that comes with them is so unique and spicy; they should bottle it! Comes with sticky rice. The staff are friendly and always create a welcoming and relaxed atmosphere. Truly love this place!

Nice little restaurant tucked into a strip mall. Service was excellent as the staff welcomed us immediately. The food was AMAZING. Probably the best or most flavorful Pad Kee Mao (Drunken Noodle) dishes that I have ever had. Spiced just right and it didn’t overpower the flavor. My sister and mom loved their Pad Thai. We also ordered and shared the Larb (minced chicken). That dish was wonderful too!

This was a different restaurant before and the current restaurant relocated here about 6 months ago when we visited. Never really had Laotian food before, so we wanted to try them out. Everything on the menu sounded great, but we went just a bit out of our norm to get the full experience. Ordered the Kao Pon (chicken and pork coconut curry broth noodles), Lao pork sausage, spring rolls, and the shrimp fried rice. The Kao Pon was an automatic spicy level 2, so it might not be for everyone. We find it mild and love the flavor of the broth. Noodles were soft and soaked in the wonderful aroma and flavor from the broth. Chicken pieces in the broth were juicy and tender. The sausage had small chunks of pork, and I love the fresh chili dipping sauce, but again, it can be too spicy for some. The fried rice was great. It's pepper, and there were 6 huge shrimps! Spring tolls were fresh. We will be coming back to try out other dishes.

My favorite Lao/Thai restaurant. They’re so generous with the side of fresh vegetables and portions too. Food is packed with flavor and the spice I’ve been craving. The people there are so friendly and I was also a fan of their restaurant Blazing Bowl in Redmond so it’s no surprise that their food is delicious. Good place to go if you actually want spicy food or just authentic Lao cuisine in general. Their papaya salad, phad see ew, Nam khao are good if you’re not sure what to get. I’ll be back to try their noodle soups. The restaurant is very cozy and they’re very fast with pick up as well. Be sure to check them out!

This place was a wonderful find! My husband and I were craving soup, and both of us love other Southeast Asian cuisine, so decided to give this place a try. We started with the Lao sausage and the beef jerky (both made in house). So flavorful and delicious! I fell in love with the spicy jiew sauce. We also tried two of the soups -- the Kao Pon and Kao Piek Sen. Both were delicious, and comforting, and everything we were hoping for. Service was excellent as well, and very quick. We will definitely be back to try more of this fantastic food. So excited to have this place right here in Renton.

WOW! This place is so amazing! We ordered way more than we could eat so we could try a lot of dishes and there was nothing that disappointed! The Nam Khao Tod was phenomenal! Super crunchy and flavorful. The Spicy Bowl had so much flavor diversity that every bite was like a new experience. We have never been to a Lao restaurant and we live about 45 minutes away but we will definitely be making this a monthly spot for us! So happy to be taking the left overs home for dinner 12/10!!!

Spicy hot level at 4 is too intense unless you eat like a local. It was quaint how the rice was served.

I got the Lao sausage, nam khao and long bean salad. My go to here is the nam khao. Everything is always made so freshly & it is always sooo flavorful. The khao piak & chicken wings are good here as well. This is my go to spot for whenever I want some Lao food in the area.

One of my favorite cuisines! Came here for a Thursday night dinner, totally empty but we did come around 530. A few people trickled in for take away, but the host was very attentive. It's your typical Asian restaurant environment. There were so many things we wanted, but didn't want to over ordered so we decided on the Laos sausage with sticky rice, papaya salad with long green beans, and. Drunken noodles. The spicy level was definitely true to the number and it was perfect. The sausage paired with the chili paste a sticky rice was pure heaven. Adding the long green beans gave the papaya salad more texture and flavor to the dish. Laotian style just hits differently and we love it. The noods help balanced the spiciness on the other two dishes, but you can taste the wok flame flavor. Everything was delicious and can't wait to come back!

The food is great! Excellent taste I am really pick with food but this is great and the cozy place. Also the prices are affordable and the size too.

Our first time to try this place. We had Ubereats deliver. I would've given lower rating but my husband said curry is ok. He's has better. Plus I don't like giving bad reviews. However, I was really looking forward to their fried tilapia. It didn't taste fresh at all. Plus the oil they friend it in did t taste fresh either. But it did arrive warm and crispy. Again, we've had better yellow curry, and better fried fish near us. But we wanted to support small businesses and try their food. Unfortunately after eating the fish my tummy doesn't feel right. So we ordered one fried fish, one yellow curry, and two small rice. For over 60.00 not sure I'd go back.

Tasty Thai food with generous portions, I only tried a couple of the typical Thai noodle dishes so would probably go back and try the more Lao-cuisine items to get a better feel for their cooking. This restaurant is located in the East Valley Business Park strip mall right off the Valley Freeway in Renton. Parking directly in the lot outside. I came for lunch on a weekend and the restaurant was about 1/3 full around 1:30pm. The space is pretty good-sized for a strip mall restaurant, with seating for 60+ people. Simply decorated, there are only a few generic stock-art type wall hangings. The rest of the restaurant is cafe seating arrangements of 2-6 and tables that can be pieced together for larger parties. I ordered the deep fried spring rolls $11.95 which came with 6 spring rolls, pretty decent--well fried, warm and crispy on the outside. The pad thai $14.95 with chicken and pad khee mao $14.95 with beef were fair though I wouldn't object to ordering them again. The noodles and bit less slippery than I'd like, and the veggies maybe slightly more cooked than my preference though overall a solid meal and the portion size and amount of protein was terrific. Props for keeping food affordable!

I thought food down in the Renton/Kent area couldn't get any better until my friend recommended me this place! I came here with him at around 3:15pm for a late lunch/early dinner to a very spacious inside with many tables that can seat groups of 2-4+ people. This place shares its parking with other businesses in a strip mall that's not far off from the Great Wall Shopping Mall and IKEA. Our server was very kind and I appreciated how he would ask us how the food was every once in a while as well, and this wasn't even the start of the great experience I had here! For the dishes we got: - I got the Thai red sala soda, and my friend got the Thai green cream soda. Both of ours tasted like very sweetened candy, though I ended up preferring my friend's green cream drink over my sala soda because of the very strong candy taste on mine. - The Lao fried egg was essentially a large fried egg with green onions on top. Nothing too special here, but it served as a nice and savory palette cleanser for the foods coming up ahead as this came sometime after our drinks. This is also how I enjoy my eggs at home sometimes, so this did not affect my experience on this dish at all. - I got the Lao pork sausage, and this was served with sticky rice on the side inside a small container. The sausages themselves were huge, juicy, well-flavored and just flat-out delicious; I could taste the lemongrass flavoring in an instant. This was quickly my most favorite dish from this visit! - I got a taste of my friend's fried rice with shrimp. He had it in mild spicy, and while it's just fried rice, I tasted not only the spice (which was actually a lot more than I thought) but also the wok hei that I look for in fried rice. I wish this place was more advertised out there, their food is soooo good!

Very good solid choice for Lao Food. Dine-in or take out & the food is good eats either way. Dining in, service is always great. Their kapoon is a solid 3 stars. It's comforting & will hit the spot when you have a craving & don't want to make. The fried ribs here are a 10 out of five. They are marinated & seasoned to absolute heaven. I couldn't stop eating them. It paired well with their jeow & also the papaya salad. The papaya salad Lao style is dank, funky, & everything you expect from Lao style.

We love the food here. We all there online and they are very on time. The price is good and food is very delicious. Give it a try.

I've been visiting this restaurant half a dozen time now and every time I take some home to my husband he is always commenting on their Nam Khao! We love supporting this business and my kids love the khao piak sen. if you are in the area please stop by.

My girlfriend and I came to Flavor Thai & Lao Cuisine because we used to eat the kao pon at the Laotian restaurant Blazing Bowl in Crossroads Mall every once in a while before they closed, and we had read that the chef moved here. Our meal here was definitely worth the drive from Bellevue, and I'm sure we will be back again in the near future. Instead of the kao pon, I decided to try something new and get the MeeKaTi, a sweet curry coconut noodle soup. There was an option to choose between regular (chicken and pork belly) and traditional (chicken feet, shredded banana flowers, and pork blood jelly pieces), and I decided to go with the regular. The MeeKaTi reminded me a bit of a khao soi, but with pho noodles and a slightly lighter broth. The broth was a nice combination of sweet, spicy, and creamy. I was also impressed by the amount of minced meat and chicken that was in soup. The combination of noodles, meat, broth, and veggies (green beans, bean sprouts, cabbage?) was just so good. I honestly might be tempted to get this every time I come. My girlfriend got a traditional kao pon which she said she enjoyed very much (especially the chicken), though she also mentioned that she might just stick with a regular next time since she doesn't feel like she really needed to eat chicken feet with this soup. We also shared an order of lao pork sausages which were pretty tasty, especially with the dipping sauce. The sticky rice that came with it was also nice. All in all, I would love to come back. The noodle soups are a perfect dish for the cold Seattle winter days.

Wow wow wow. I love their papaya salad so much. It's flavorful & not sweet unlike Thai papaya salad ( fking sweet n nasty). 1000% recommend this place. Service is also great

My wife and I love to cook Lao/Thai dishes all the time, we grew up eating what our parents taught us. This restaurant is very authentic from what I learned and from being in Laos and Thailand. I order almost weekly

I don't know much about Lao food, but I do know good food when I have it, and this place was freaking amazing for a small unassuming mom and pop shop in a strip mall. Fried egg rolls - stuffed with pork, served with that sweet and sour thick fish chili sauce, perfectly crispy - it's hard to find well fried egg roll like these. 6 to an order. Beef larb - oh yea, fish sauce funk with fresh veggies and sticky rice. Love the mix of flavors and textures. Super fresh mint and veggies for extra points. Fried pompano - the owner recommended the pompano over the tilapia because it was meatier he said. I don't know how you get a crispy crust on a fish without battering it, but they knew. So fresh, and the fish meat itself was slightly sweet. My dad is a fish fantastic, so he knows fish and said it was super fresh (yes, he ate the whole thing including the head; I got the fish belly). And while no one talks about this dish, this dish alone is worth coming back for! Mee ka ti - sweet coconut curry noodle soup with chicken and pork belly. Delicious mix of curry and pho noodles - a slight funk with plenty of meat. We accidentally ordered regular instead of traditional - which includes chicken feet and pork blood jellies, and 100% intend to try it next time. Reminds me of khao soi, but funkier with thinner noodles and more interesting proteins. Crab fried rice - you don't actually need to order fried rice when you already have sticky rice and noodles, but it's great for left overs the next day. Pretty sure this also has fish sauce in it. Thai green tea - would get this over the normal Thai tea any day. Similar in that it uses a really strong concentrated tea base and then adds condensed milk for sweetness and body. First time I've had it - need more of it in my life!!! We all agreed, this place is fantastic and I want the chefs and owners of the restaurant know just how amazing it is. Support them so they'll be around for a long time!

We celebrated my sister's birthday dinner here yesterday, and the food was great! If you're looking for Laos food in Renton, this spot hits! The Nam Khao was so yummy, and the chicken larb, Lao sausage, and chicken wings were all delicious. Pretty much everything we ordered was scrumptious! They go pretty heavy on the spice, though! So if you like it super, super FIRE, 5 stars all day! But if you prefer it spicy but not too spicy, I recommend a 2-star level. We tried the 3-star and it had my man sweating a bit! Aside from the food, the owner, Ken, was great and super accommodating. I called in advance to ask if he could play Game 1 of OKC vs. Wolves in the NBA Finals, and he already had it on when we arrived! Overall, the experience was super chill and felt like home! Will definitely be back!

I've been here many times and every time I come here the food is always great and so is the service. The Nam Khao, khao piak sen, fried spare ribs, chicken wings are my favorite but the list goes on and on. When I try something new it never disappoints.

Quiet, clean, a bit unassuming spot for great food. Quick service. Kao Piak has a great flavorful broth and homemade tapioca noodles. Comes out piping hot and stays hot! Thai Tea is strong and flavorful but very sweet for my taste, I enjoy it with less creamer and more ice. I've been here before and I will be back again.

I've always passed this place by when going to IKEA, but never realized they were in this plaza. I believe it's the owners who helped us and they were all very friendly. Listen... Their Kao piek sen is to die for. You want the perfect hangover cure? Come here and order this. You'll thank me later. Also, their chicken friend rice was delicious. It had that subtle charred taste that fried rice should have. Absolutely delicious food here. Highly recommend.

We came for lunch on a Friday about 30 minutes after they opened. The place was cozy and service was good. However, I have mixed feelings about the food. We ordered the traditional Khao Poon, beef jerky and spicy Lao sausage. Khao poon was a very decent size. I'm sure you could split it two ways and still be full off it. It traditional bowl came with 2-3 pieces of chicken feet, several pork blood and a few pieces of shredded chicken. The broth was lacking flavor. I didn't add any fish sauce or spice because I wanted to see what they were working with as far as the base. I had to ask for lime though LOL. The jerky and and sausage were 4 out 5. They both came out with a small basket of sticky rice and a little bowl of jeow mak len. It's not the traditional jeow, as I'm used to cilantro and gr onions in it. However, it tasted just ok. The thing I'm most disappointed about was the fact that I didn't get the 4% discount for paying with cash! There was a sign posted at the cashier that basically tells you that. Of course I didn't figure it at the time because they don't give you an itemized receipt (at least they didn't overcharge me). I figured out the amount when I got home. I doubt I'll be back, but I'm glad I tried it out.

They service and food was amazing. Would definitely go back. I have Lao papaya salad. Traditional khao poon and khao piak

A great place to get your Lao food fixing! Food is flavorful and delicious. Salty, sweet, spicy, and tangy! Sap sap lai!

This place charges top dollar and I get thai food all the time the curry container is half the normal size and I got charged 64.00 dollars For soup a side and pad pork garlic and curry never go there. their taking advantage of inflation there pieces of shit if you like to waste your money go ahead what a joke. Seving size is a joke and the food is sub par. I've eaten thai food all over washington. So I think reviews were done by the restaurant. worst thai food I've ever had. Never go there unless you like crappie thai food

Yummy place when we are craving Lao food. The flavors seem to change a bit based on the season but in a good way. This is not fast food / food is cooked as you order so be prepared to wait a bit. It will be worth it! We ordered papaya salad, beef jerkey, jaew, nam khao tod crispy rice, and kao piek sen chicken rice noodle soup. The nam khao came with a big plate of veggies to make small wraps. The soup came with fried garlic, cilantro, green onion and lime - add chili oil to your spice level.

Perfect delicious Lao food. Some of the best I've ever had. Pad Lao was balanced, excellent flavor, the eggs were fluffy, the tofu was nicely charred. I would get this every time. The Lao spicy sausages were great. Crispy with a soft texture and deep flavor. Nicely spicy too, especially with the accompanying relish. The sticky rice was perfect also. The khao pon was so good. The broth is the perfect balance of spicy, sweet, a bit of richness from the coconut, and herbal flavors. Great mint flavor. I loved it. I can't speak for some of the other reviews but we had great service here, and I highly recommend it.

I've been searching for the danky authentic papaya salad (iykyk) and finally found it tried the nam khao and was fire too definitely gonna be my go to. Can't wait to try other dishes!

What a gem! This place just opened in our area a few months ago but then the reviews were not that great. Then last week, we were craving something new and saw that the reviews have changed so we decided to check it out. We ordered the Lao pork sausages, Tom Khem (caramelized pork and egg in sweet broth), and Kao Piak Sen (Lao soul food). The Lao sausages were housemade and you can tell! The crispy ends were my fave pieces! The Kao Piak Sen soup is like your quintessential Asian comfort food. It's perfect on a cold, rainy, and gloomy day! The Tom Khem is similar to the Vietnamese Thit Kho, but sweeter and thicker! The server told us that they make almost everything in-house. While they're new to the Renton location, they are not a new business. Also, the reason for the better reviews? They read the reviews when they first opened in Renton and improved their food! What a nice addition to that Renton plaza! I'm glad I don't live too far from this restaurant!

Tasty! I keep coming back for their pork Lao sausage and their Nam Kao Tod. Veggies are always fresh.

I have been here a couple of times. First time was with a group of friends after a pop up. I shared a couple of dishes with a friend Nam Khao Tod and Pad Sa Ew. My friend didn't want any spice wasn't which I was bummed about. Food was good and came out quickly Service friendly and not rushed. The space isn't anything fancy but clean and well lit. Very much a casual restaurant plenty of tables there but I imagine get a lot of take our orders as well. The second time I went with a friend that likes a little more spice. Thank goodness! We had the Lao Sausage and Nam Khao Tod. My friend had some Lao dishes before not these two which more popular. He really enjoyed it and I as able to at least get three stars this time. Everything was delicious and my friend enjoyed them as well. Consistent and tasty place to visit when in the neighborhood

Delicious laotian food and I'm so disappointed there aren't more spots in the greater Seattle area. They have a sibling restaurant around but this place is closing at the end of the month along with their lease so... it's going to be one less until they re-open somewhere else. Ive been here before for their kao poon, lao beef jerky and sticky rice - and it was all amazing. Their Nam Kao is also extremely delicious but SO overpriced for the tiny amount you get. But before they close I decided to try their Lao Hot Pot that I've always seen others try but never did. Got the spicy lao beef broth which was yummy (not as unique as I thought it was going to be but still great) and you just get whatever toppings you want on the conveyer belt, paying by color of plates. It was a really fun experience, since I've only seen this done with sushi and charcuterie but not hot pot yet - but honestly in the end not super worth it because of the price. You can get all you can eat hot pot at places starting around 25 dollars, average 30-35 I'd say, but here we spent 40 per person and weren't super full. So it depends what you end up choosing and what will be worth it for you - probably cheaper if you only get a few dishes of noodles and veggies. But on the bright side, there's no pressure to eat until stuffed as you do at AYCE places so if you don't eat much this concept works for you! I think with the minimal amount of competition it's easy to charge the prices they do, even though it's located in a food court (nothing fancy) and portions are varying. Either way, can't wait to see them open up again at some point (hopefully at a better price point).

We've been to the other location in north Seattle on Aurora. I normally like to get the spicy beef soup but the soup options were very limited here and they unfortunately did not offer that item on the menu. I got the kao pon instead which was delicious as usual. The pad se ew was tasty and so were the crab rangoons. The Thai tea is especially good here! I can taste the tea and the drink was not overwhelmingly sweet like most Thai teas. Staff were friendly and interior was nice. We'd love to come back! Especially for that Thai tea! I highly recommend all to try!

Some really good Laos food. The wings were crispy and breaded well. Went great with the sauce and sticky rice. The caramelized pork belly was great. So succulent and sweet from the sauce. Paired with the rice was wonderful. I love how they have shots of hennesy.

Pay attention to your bill because they will charge you extra. One thing the guy charged me $2 extra for traditional noodles in soup. What does that mean by traditional style??? Just be extra careful and stay away from this business. They aren't honest period.

My husband and I tried Flavor Lao Bowl for the first time. Fast service and the place was very inviting. Food was excellent and had a home made vibe. We ordered the papaya salad, red curry with tofu and the staple Pad Thai with chicken all with three stars spices. Enjoyed the flavors of the food and will definitely come back again and try their other dishes like their hot pot.

Realllly good food! My sister and I came for lunch. We found this place on yelp and it was delicious. We got the papaya salad, tofu Todd, and fried tilapia! Great portions, wonderful service and good people!

5 stars for service. Mary delivered amazing hospitality and took the time to tell us about the menu and what her favorite items were. We would def go back just based on how well she took care of us. Order: Kiao Pak Sen - comforting soup, like a chicken noodle soup version Lao style. They make their long noodles IN House and if you have kids, this is the perfect thing to order that they will love. Chicken is soft and tender and 2 people can even share if you want to also try another dish. Some people might think it's bland but it's because you have to build it up to your own liking using the sauce, garnishes and lime on the side that comes with it. (Tip: add some chili oil and more of that fried garlic) Kao Pon- also good noodle soup with a chicken and pork meat combo, but it is spicy. They cannot edit the spice level to make it less spicy. Larb Gai- chicken with sticky rice also on the Spicier side but I believe you can edit the spice. Sticky rice was a little harder so they just need to get better at that part. Lots of parking at the front parking lot and lots of tables inside we did not have to wait. Saw a lot of To go orders that came through during our lunch. Will definitely come back. P.S. Family owned and I believe their other family owns the high rated Blazing Bowl Lao restaurant in Bellevue.

I'm glad there's a place in Renton where I can enjoy Sian khao biak. Much closer to home than us needing to travel to Bellevue. Very favorable soup and will be trying other dishes soon!

This was a nice local surprise. We don't eat Laotian food often, so that may color my review, but I found some of the flavors really interesting. Their sausage was excellent and we got their soup that used peanut in a really interesting way I haven't had before.

When ordering I asked if the pad krapao dish was wet or dry stir fry. The cashier insisted it was dry without sauce. I ordered to go, got back to my truck and opened the box. Sauce everywhere! And who uses sliced pork for pad krapao??? Lao sausage was mushy and dry and beef jerky was too sweet.

I've been meaning to try this place for awhile now and decided to come in on a Saturday around 12pm. Was not acknowledged even though it's obvious when someone comes through the door so I had to walk up for an employee to acknowledge me. Ordered three different dishes and I was surprised the deep fried short ribs portion was so small for the price. Definitely not ordering that again, but it was pretty good, just not worth the money. I did enjoy the papaya salad though! I don't know if I would come back since customer service wasn't really there and the portion isn't the greatest for the price!

The food was delicious. Our waitress, Loi, hope I remembered that properly was awesome. Provided us with great insight on what their traditional Lao dishes were and how some were made in house. They made adjustments as needed to better the quality of their food after seeing yelp reviews over time after opening. We were skeptical in going at first but stopped by and had a great experience with food and service. Flavorful and deflections all around. Our top 2 dishes were definitely the Lao Sausage and the soup!

The food was alright. The Papaya Salad has too much shrimp paste for me. The service was good. It's a small family owed restaurant.

I was looking for some Lao food in the area and stumbled upon this place. I ordered a serving of chicken wings and the khao piak sen. I went around 3 pm and I was the only one in there so I got my food pretty quick (around 6 minutes for to go). I will say, it was pretty dark inside when I went so that's something to keep in mind if you're dining in. The chicken wings remained super crispy even after a 20 minutes drive home and the soup was still boiling hot. The soup had great flavor and reminded me a lot of congee. My only complaint is how small the chicken pieces are. I think it's about 8 pieces for nearly $14. Overall I recommend this place, especially since there aren't many Lao restaurants in the area!

I was really hoping this would become a go to spot for Thai/Lao eats. But both times I ordered Togo, the food was a complete waste. I ordered chicken kahpoon and the chicken they used that time was extremely mushy and stringy! Completely, altered the taste of the soup itself. I also ordered the Lao style papaya salad and the sauce was gelatinous and frozen!!! Not fresh at all! I'm highly disappointed! From my experience, it wasn't the best. Perhaps they'll improve since they're established now at the new location (Renton, Wa)

I am so glad to see that we have a Laos restaurant in Renton, I usually go up to Blazing Bowl in Bellevue or a Vienne Tienne in MLK. I'm just glad to see it here and the service is great. There was a sign that said it was still their soft opening, but wow they did great. Got enough food to last me for lunch for the next couple days. Food was fresh and like all other Laos places, it comes with sticky rice. Makes a huge difference especially if you enjoy dipping in the Jiaw (Spicy Sauce). Can't wait to try their other foods here. My server was also super nice and we had a really good conversation about culture and food in the area. I appreciate that a lot!

Pretty good!! My friends and I had dinner here and food was delicious! I was a bit skeptical because I read some mixed reviews but overall had a great time here. We ordered several dishes and did family style as usual. Lao jerky x2, Lao sausage x2 + jaew , papaya salad ( 1 med & 1 spicy), pad see ew, seafood tom yum, khao poon, 3 orders of sticky rice, fried fish, tom khem, and nam khao. Everything was delicious and flavorful. I would have liked the nam khao to be a bit more sour and papaya salad to be more balance in flavors but I understand everyone makes it differently depending on their family and such. Still very good. Khao poon had a nice kick to it . The jerky and sausage were reallly good. I loveee the jaew that accompany the sausage; spicy and very umami. I would say that there was only one person taking order and bringing out food so do be patient with them. He was also very nice! We were pretty loud but he didn't seem to mind. Space is very large, much larger than the Laos restaurant near my house. Anyways, I'm definitely a fan and will come back whenever I'm in the area!

Me and my wife came to Flavor Lao Bowl yesterday and had a wonderful dinner! We ordered chicken larb, red curry with chicken, and tom khem. The chicken larb came with sticky rice. The other 2 dishes came with steam rice. The red curry was really good and had some bamboo and other veggies in it. The tom khem was also delicious and had some sweet taste that goes well together with the pork and eggs. The chicken larb was really good. It has the combination of spicy, sour, mint taste to it. The food was delicious! The waitress was nice. The place was clean. I would definitely come here again!

We decided to try Flavor Lao Bowl one night because there was a Groupon for it (check it out if you're interested in trying this place and want a good deal!). The restaurant is almost like a hole in the wall on the busy street of Aurora. You can park in the neighborhood or in their reserved stalls in the parking lot in the back. The food was delicious! There are many menu options. We ordered the kao poon, spicy bowl (about a medium spice level), and garlic fries (with cilantro, garlic, and a sweet chili sauce on the side). Our favorite was the kao poon. We hadn't tried this dish anywhere else before. We were the only ones dining in on a Friday night around 6 pm however shortly after, many other dining parties arrived. Overall we were satisfied and would return again to try more of their menu!

I really really enjoyed it!!! So happy it took over the place. It was a Chinese noodle/dumpling restaurant. This place now serves some really tasty and authentic Thai/Laos dishes. This is a hidden gem! Nothing fancy. This will be one of my go-to places from now on. This is a good place for a quick lunch but I am not sure it is a decent place to sit and hang out. Personally I would like to order their food to go and enjoy at home comfortably. I loved their chilli sauce - Jiem - spicy but delicious. I was able to try only three things off the menu and we will definitely return for more!

I really want to like them more. But it truly was a 2-ish Stars experience. I still hold out hope that it can be better because I didn't eat the food immediately which may have contributed to the "decline". I'm also optimistic other food choices may yield better results. The Food: Tom Khem $14.95 - 0 Star - Menu description: A traditional lao dish of caramelized pork belly and boiled egg in sweet broth served with steam rice. We have had a "Thom Khem" from Taurus Ox, which was fantastic! When I saw the same name but identified as "in a broth", I still didn't hesitate. The menu photo looked somewhat caramelized, thickened, or stew-like. I told myself it should be good. What we got was pure broth. There is no caramelization whatsoever. It was fatty pork belly skin, which is *not* that good when it's not crunchy - just kind of gross. Hubby counted two pieces of edible meat, two eggs, and lots of fatty skin and fat that didn't taste caramelized. Compare my photo with the menu photo; it looks nothing like each other. This was a HUGE disappointment. Nam Khao Tod $11.95 - 1.5 Stars - Menu description: Crispy fried pork and rice salad loaded with flavor - with chopped peanuts, sliced scallions, shallots, mint, cilantro, lime juice, fish sauce, and more This dish did not travel well; I'm willing to give it some benefit of the doubt. The "crispy" fried pork was no longer crispy. The peanuts weren't chopped and also not crispy. The chili peppers were whole, dry pieces on top. Were we supposed to chew on that?!? That's a solid not-gonna-do-that. I threw them away. The dish smelled pretty good, but it was just ok. Seafood Bowl $14.75 - 4 Stars - Menu description: Semi-spicy, Sour Tom Yum Broth, Scallop, Shrimp, Calamari, Crab Stick, Salmon, Fishball, Firm Tofu, Napa Cabbage, Enoki Mushroom, Bok choy, Watercress, Green Onion. Other than it's only mildly-spicy and not that obvious of "sour Tom Yum", this dish is a pescatarian heaven. I *love* seafood, tofu, and veggies. This dish is packed with all these goodness. Content-wise, it was excellent. Flavor-wise, it could be more potent. We ordered in person. The food was quoted as 20 minutes, but wasn't available till 30 minutes. Not a deal breaker.

After seeing this reviewed on a Seattle influencer on Instagram I was intrigued. Unfortunately it didn't live up to anything in reviews for us. Unfortunately the major issue for us was service. I got Lao sausage pretty quick but it didn't seem freshly made. It was warm not hot. Sauce was spicy though which I liked. Steam rice was not hot and kinda on the colder side. My other party waited forever for soup. I was basically done and we still waited probably 20 more mins for soup. After that it was kinda disappointing. Never got drinks we ordered and water was never offered to be refilled. Bad night? Maybe but left a bad first impression. The inside was kinda just chaotic as well. No matching decor or anything just really basic and nothing special actually which is okay. I had higher hopes and just at every level it wasn't met unfortunately.