Lanxang Kingdom

Being a Laotian person, I can definitely say that there are not very many Laotian restaurants anywhere in the city or Bay Area or at least ones that have insects! This place is no doubt authentic Laotian food and I really appreciate that! I loved that they have insects because that’s what Laotian people really eat and it’s awesome to see that there’s a place that offers it and really shows how cool (& tasty) Laotian food is! I thought the insects were delicious and loved the ant egg salad as well. It’s unfortunate that it’s only a pop up because I brought a friend who wanted to try the good here on the usual Thursday nights and it was closed.
UPDATE: they are currently looking for a place to open shop and are no longer at Turtle Tower in Thursdays. I think they should update their Unilocal page to keep people informed because I tried to go twice but luckily after calling several times, they said they aren’t open but hoping to soon.

alright– this place is pretty cool. there are not a whole lot of places in san francisco where you get a taste of real asia aka insects.
apart from the obvious gimmick that initially drew me and my friends here, the food was actually really good. i have been to laos before and eating here brought back great memories. (what’s up with that ‘laotian’ Unilocaler who gave this place a 2 star review?! sounds like someone has a silk worm stuck up their butt) i was here with 8 – 10 other folks and we pretty much ordered the whole menu and we enjoyed all the dishes that we got. no complaints at all.
sadly i don’t think they are at turtle tower anymore. something about the rent being to darn high. now i just have to stalk them on their fb page to know where they will be so i can get my laotian fix!

Food is bad and overpriced. Service is much worse. Stick to any of the many other Asian restaurants in the TL, and skip this one. I love Laotian food so I know my stuff.

Great food and service! This was my first time trying food from the Laos culture and I was pleasantly surprised. Everything I tried was flavorful and you could tell the the dishes were all cooked from the heart. I almost felt like I went to someone’s home for a home cooked meal.
I was even courageous enough to try something I’ve never eaten before… insects. Yes… little bugs that I would typically run away from… I opted to eat because it’s a delicacy. Fried silkworms, crickets & grasshoppers. Sounds kinda gross, I know. But once I got over the initial thougts of the little critters being critters and just psyched myself into putting them in my mouth… they weren’t half bad. Out of the 3… I think the fried grasshopper was my favorite. Not only did I eat insects… but I also tried a very nice and fresh papaya salad which was delicious. The noodle soup with a curry broth was also quite tasty. The fish steamed in a wrapped banana leaf was one of the best dishes of the night… and to top it off… the custard with sticky rice for dessert was absolutely scrumptious!
I highly recommend a visit to Lanxang Kingdom for those who are looking for flavorful and delicately prepared foods. I had a delightful culinary experience and I think this place is a hidden gem.

I’ve been here twice so far and I love this place. It was hard because its only open on Thursdays but for lunch & dinner.
I was a little deterred at first because I read a bad review from a Unilocaled who was also Lao.
I’m Lao, I’ve also been to Laos.
First off they are going to review a Lao restaurant and they don’t like spicy food (Whaaat?) Why don’t we just take vegans to an Argentinian steakhouse?
SO onto the review*
This time I had the Khao Pun (the vermicelli curry soup). It was some of the best I’ve ever had.
My mom doesn’t make Lao food this good.(sorry mom I love you)
I’m glad they subdued the salty fish flavor with good fragrant herbs and emphasized the spicy flavor. The flavorings were just right mix of coconut and chicken. I would come back again just for this dish alone.
Lots of Lao crispy/​salty appetizers (Fried grasshoppers, larva, crickets, beef jerky) are meant to be eaten with the beer cause it goes with the crispy flavor.
The beef jerky is okay I wish they had the Sweeter spicy kind but this is aright. I would probably want it deep-​fried more crispy.
— The previous time I had the Khao Piek (hand made noodle chicken soup) with the very authentic pork’s blood (they were too generous with the portion) — it was delicious after I ask only for 1 or 2 cubes.
— I love the papay salad but its hella spicy so i always get a 1(first level of spiciness) — and some sticky rice with it.
It’s not expensive for lunch if you just get one or two things (like noodle dishes) but I would follow the groups of 2’s and and 4’s for dinner seating.
I think its a great place to bring friends cause you can share all the appetizers family style and the soups/​noodles are the meaty sustenance.
But overall it taste like great quality authentic cooking so that’s why it gets 4-​stars.
*NOTE also the managers get a little offended when you compare their food to Thai. Not be rude or anything *ahem* Unilocal reviewers. If you went into a Puerto Rican restaurant and said hey this is Mexican food. It’s two different countries!
Sounds Ignorant much?
I applaud you for trying NEW things though that’s the point– education.

Pop up Laotian food in Turtle Tower only on Thursday. First off, I am Laotian, I can cook Laotian food, & I’ve been to Laos. So this cuisine is my thing!
Service/​Staff: super friendly from everyone! Those are the main stars here. People would come in thinking they’re getting Viet food, look at menu, walk out. The staff handled it well & professionally. Our waitress was very forgetful, brought 1 of our dishes to another table by mistake & didn’t leave me a pen for signing check. These are minor issues bc she was just too sweet of a lady!
Food: I am one of the very few Laotians that do not like spicy food. But my friend loves spicy.
–kow poun (curry coconut noodles) I like mine more savory. They had too much curry paste in theirs. Some ppl add to much coconut milk vs too much curry. Eh
-#6 silk worm larvae: such a small portion maybe ½ cup or lil more of the larvae. Seasoning was too spicy & overpowering.
-#9 ant egg salad: I freaking paid $ 12 for this!!! Seriously it is only ½ cup to maybe ¾ cup amount of actual salad. They made it not spicy for me. It was ok tasting but for portion-​No
-#33 khoua mii with chicken (my friend got this) we asked no bean sprouts. It came late & they took it off bill but still had bean sprouts in it. I like this dish with a scrambled egg sliced into strips on it. Noodles should be thicker.
So Land of Elephants aka Lanxang, I’m sure there are people who love your food & it excites their palate. Not very favorable to us especially since I paid $ 30+ for lunch. It was a bittersweet experience for us but I’ll stick to making all those items at home now. Good luck!!!

Everything here IS authentic and good! My boyfriend had the red ant egg salad and liked it. The papaya here is the best! Too bad it’s only open Thursdays. They also have homemade som muu which I can’t find anywhere else. Parking is hard to find but to me it’s worth it.

Time: 12:47pm/63°F sunny
Purpose: Listed as first Lao restaurant in the USA. I follow this pop up till it hit prime time. Even in negotiating times, I was watching the place on a daily basis.
Ambiance: Since this is a pop up and shared space business. I can’t say much as it may be fair for one and not for other. I’ll keep it plain and simple. Typical Asian eatery with kitschy décor. Plenty of seatings with good bright lights near the front, the back a dimmer, but manageable. Flat screen tv plays Lao movie themes with muted volume. Inner back is all kitchen with cases of beers that reaches the hallway to restroom area. Rounding off the place with a cold beverage/​dessert fridge and front counter. Just plain décor regardless of which company is operating at the time. Noise is low to medium depending on the patrons conversations, calming.
Staff: About 5 – 6 workers distributed evenly from kitchen to front end. Johnny the manager was the only one that shows enthusiasm, but didn’t have time to chat. Very fast brief multitasker, he’ll take a order then pick up funds for a bill on the way back along with plates and dishes. The others were just follow along workers. They do what they’re are told, nothing more, no interactions or engaging as much. Not even knowing what they have or out of. Wasn’t too inform about sold out dishes.
Cleanliness: Grade B+, again I can’t speculate on one business and not other. To keep it fair. I’ll just say that its in the best interest for both business to come to an agreement. The pastel yellowish walls may need fresh coat of paint. Upon getting closer about 1ft away you can see smudges, splashes of liquids, small indentations spotted, dry hair gel from people leaning on walls etc.
Eats/​Drinks: Khoua CII Lo (fried crickets) $ 8.50. First cricket I pick up, I close my eyes while taking it in. These poor crickets probably said bye to each other before being fried to a crunch. Came with 5 – 6 pieces of seaweed, unsalted peanuts, shredded cabbage, fried basil leafs. What made it so tasty was the crispy basil leaf stir-​fried together with olive oil and sea salt. For those still thinking well, I’m not sure about this. Well, imagine eating store bought thai peanuts, but with crickets included. That’s how close I can scribe it! Tam Maak Huung salad $ 9, consider a national dish by all means took their word for it. After I mixed all ingredients together, I felt some spiciness immediately. Noodles were perfect, no clumping together very fresh with plenty of fermented fish paste. Papaya steal the show, heaping pile of them perfectly shredded, no shortage. Definitely good just wish it didn’t have so much fish paste, over bearing, but satisfactory. Mok paa kod $ 10 another highly recommended dish. Basically minced catfish wrap with banana leaf then steam. This dish was the highlight of my lunch. Using my fork slowly dissecting what’s inside reveals to more than just catfish. Its real pieces held together by spices and crushed rice. Ate it with sticky rice pairing it with protein to carb ratio. Fantastic dish to ask about or else I won’t know about it. Steam catfish probably made a fan out of me base on this experience.
Main Features: Mok paa kod, tam maak huung, beerlao, fried crickets.
Products/​Services: Stuffed sausage, fermented pork, fried silkworm larvae, fried crickets, red ant salad, lao beef jerky, lao salads (3 types), sticky rice/​white rice (extra cost), lao tilapia civeche, laab, mok paa kod (steam catfish), khoua mii, coconut juice, iced tea/​coffee, beerlao, assorted cold beverages. Minimum $ 15 CC, proceeds goes to nonprofit Lao studies. Find them on FB. April 23^rd, 2015 I’d Lao New Year (closed).
Punch Lines: Pop up, share location, opens Thursday only, entry of seating, zippy service, kitschy décor, lively atmosphere, modest cost, drool-​worthy, not kids friendly, interesting takes, all entrees under $ 10, pleasing flavors, well prepared, sumptuous, devotees, business lunch, can’t go wrong, causal and delicious, worth the wait, take out of town guests, street parking, seedy TL area, minutes from downtown.
Tradeoffs: If it wasn’t for open on Thursdays only and shared location factor. There could be more options listed on menu. They have more to offer if space and right equipments were in place. Hopefully more items will be on their experimental future comings.
Final Thoughts: I will need to clarify that I’m not a insect eater at all. When I was sent a copy of their menu prior to opening on March 26^th their first day. I saw fried crickets and silkworm listed almost flip over menu, but didn’t. So I kept it under low priority stats. Now let me tell you this! To my surprise, I’ve found out that I actually like the place. I had no choice, but to eat what was given to me, including the crickets. Very well thought of idea being a 2 in 1 type of place. Good efforts well thought of idea utilizing a slow day of the week to make a place offering some interesting takes.

noticed Lanxang Kingdom open after finding the Chairman closed for emergency maintenance.
Lanxang is a popup in the Turtle Tower spot, open only on thursdays
eats: Som Khay Paa Lao Caviar (9.5)
–about 6 pieces of «fish patties» grilled or fried
–slightly spicy and salty with veggie sides
very hot if u bite in a hot pepper.
–touted as a «lunch special» actually it wasn’t, rice extra
–not a good value, 3 stars
take outs:
–didn’t know it was a pop up
–thai menu also available. service helpful, friendly
suggested entrees not priced.
–crickets, ants, other insects also available. live or freeze dried?
–noodles may be best option if one has time to dine in.
–giving 4 stars for the novelty, dinner may be a trying experience, lunch was a breeze.
(just had to watch for wandering meter maid).

The extremely friendly service warned me that this was not Turtle Tower, but rather a Lao restaurant on Thursdays, which I assured them I was seeking out. I really enjoyed the mok paa, a catfish and dill dish wrapped in banana leaf and steamed. It was herbacious and perfectly cooked. The sticky rice was also better than I’ve had in other Lao restaurants.

I’ve had lunch here twice now, so I feel well-​informed enough to write a review.
The food is great, my favorites were the papaya salad, the chicken laab, and the steamed fish.
However, both times I went, they were out of steamed rice, and only had sticky rice. Not only do I like sticky rice less, but it’s also twice the cost. Steamed rice is also simpler to make — not sure if I just got unlucky both times or what, but it was annoying.
Enjoyed the free Lao iced tea today for Lao New Year.

I went to the grand opening reception and was lucky to try almost all the dishes. Everything is delish! Savory papaya salad, Noodles, mok pa and other great dishes. I love it all. Great concept and money goes back to the community. Long line you say? …So what? Plan ahead, it’s so worth it.

It was just the second night that they’d been open but already there was such a buzz and there were constantly people coming in. Small parties were seated quickly but the wait for food was long due to a shortage of staff. We had a bigger group of people than most. We were all very excited to be having authentic Lao food in SF. Everything we had was delicious! Some of the guests who were with us were brand new to eating Lao dishes and wanted to get a bit of explanation from the waiter about how to eat specific dishes. Due to such a high demand our waiter was too busy to thoroughly explain the dish. There were LOTS of choices on the menu… it really could have used editing of items if only just to really allow a newbie to truly experience a few great dishes and not to be overwhelmed looking for explanations of each dish. Once they figure out the kinks in the system this will definitely be a place to come back to over and over again. 4 stars for food alone! Lost a star for our wait. We will be giving them another chance soon!

The five stars is for the food. This pop-​up serves delicious, AUTHENTIC Lao food. Finding authentic Lao food is no easy task. I usually make the trek to Oakland (to Vientiane Café) once a month to get my fix.
I ordered the ka’poon noodles and papaya salad sampler, which came with beef jerky, pork rinds, etc. Everything I tasted reminded me of Laos. The herbs, flavors, spices, and preparation were top-​notch.
Okay, another thing that reminded me of Laos was the service. They shouldn’t offer a full menu. The chefs can’t be expected to make a million different items when they only work together once a week. There was limited operational efficiency. I ordered the easiest thing on the menu and it still took over 45 minutes.
My suggestion is to pare down the menu, or add new items each week, so they can work on the operations. Once they perfect the timing, the menu can grow. Besides, they really don’t need a million items!

This place is a pop up every Thursday working out of the Turtle Tower phở location. We waited for 45 mins for a table for 7, but saw plenty of smaller parties get seated before us. I’d suggest going in a group of 4 or 2. Once you get seated, they give you PLENTY of time to figure out what you want to eat. The quality of service here, from my perspective, is mostly due to being under staffed. The waiters are very nice and accommodating and polite. Food comes out really slowly, so I suggest you set aside at least 1 – 2 hours.
Don’t get me wrong, the food is really good. The papaya salad is spicy as hell and the various meat salads are delicious. The sticky rice is a great pairing to all their food, especially the sausage and jerky. My favorite dish was the «non-​pad Thai» noodles. It’s a must in my opinion; it doesn’t taste like pad Thai, but it reminds me of it.
I would have given this pop up 4 stars, but the service was a bit too spotty. I sympathize that this is a pop up, but they may need one or two more people helping them out.
PS: they try their best to keep your bill consistent with what you order, but I suggest that you double check your bill before you pay. Just a suggestion.