Thip Khao

Delicious. Spicy or not. Flavorful. Vegetarians be careful — ask each dish about fish sauce. Some labeled veg are not.

Coming here the first time I was not sure what to expect. I’ve had Thai, Vietnamese, Malaysian, and Indonesian food before so I thought I had a pretty good idea what they would serve here.
After my second time I continue to be impressed by the quality, new flavors, and taste of all the food I’ve had here. I don’t know the names to anything I’ve had but on two occasions we have ordered a multitude of items to get a taste of Lao cuisine. I haven’t had a single dish I haven’t liked and I’ve loved more dishes here then in most other restaurants I’ve been to.
This is one of the fee places where so far I could just point to stuff without looking at the menu and be very happy with what comes out. Be sure to est here ASAP!!!

**Disclaimer** This review was for a visit a few months ago
I was way too excited to try this place when I read that an authentic Laotian restaurant was opening up in the DC area. I’m from Laos so I was glad that there was finally going to be a place to eat real Lao food without eating at home or at a relative’s house. My husband and I decided to go on a Sunday around 4ish. We got there and the host was on the phone and didn’t acknowledge us at all. We waited for her to get off the phone but she took forever so finally a waitress who saw us took us to our seats. The restaurant was not busy at all since it was in between the lunch and dinner rush. Anyway we got to our seats, our waiter came by, poured us water and left and literally didn’t say anything at all. We looked over the menu, decided what we wanted and waited for our waiter to come by– which took forever. He also took forever to refill out drinks.
Here is my food review:
We ordered sausage, nam khao (crispy fried rice), beef tongue, and papaya salad. All of these items are pretty much a staple for Lao food and it’s almost everyone’s favorite (minus the tongue).
Complimentary starters: Two slices of cucumbers, two limp green beans, and jao bong. The jao was good, but 4 slices of veggies total? Come on. I know it was just the two of us but how much did that really cost to serve? A Penny?
Sticky rice: Let me just say… purple rice is used only for desserts. Let’s stop being fancy and just use regular sticky rice for the main food.
Sausage: overcooked, dry, way too much lemongrass, burnt
Nam Khao: too much fish sauce, too much sugar, too oily, and I’ve never had sliced red onions in nam khao. EVER. Gave me and my husband a stomach ache after.
Papaya Salad: I like my papaya salad on the sweeter side but this was way too sweet and not enough crunch. I’m going to assume they either used half green papaya and half riped papaya– which is gross because it was just soggy. Either that or they just used old papaya.
Beef Tongue: the only decent dish but still a little on the salty side.
This may be a brutal review but I was so disappointed considering this was the FIRST Lao place to open and I would love it if people knew just how good the food is! And to see that there is nothing «authentic» about this place was and how rude the staff is, was just so disappointing. I’ve been to Laos before as well and yea, no, this place does not qualify for authentic.
I probably won’t go back to this place unless someone tells me their food improves.

I’m a Chinese who usually doesn’t like Southeast Asian cuisines because of their taste are bit too sweet for me. This one is no exception. The décor is clean and the service is good. However, my 3-​star rating is for somewhat ok bathroom and service. The food (we’ve nine people so our selection’s wide) is another story:
The complementary cucumber with a dash of hot spicy paste is unappetizing — they don’t mesh, do they?
The pig’s ear — the Americans don’t even like to eat the grapes and water melons with seeds, how do they come to like pig’s ears that are full of cartilage?
…
Seriously, is this a novelty or Asian Fever, or both? I know I’ve no sophistication and narrow mind.
The most off putting is their hot rice in the clear plastic: is this even healthy? The little container is charming but I won’t want my food served in plastic bags.

Went to Thip Khao a while ago. I think it was within the first month or so…
Anyways, I’m vegetarian, and they had a slew of vegetarian options. The food was OK the first time around. I was disappointed that the purple rice was cold and brick-​like.
The food was fairly good, except for the rice, and my dish had too much lemongrass. To the point where every bite was interrupted by sharp lemon grass.
The second time, when I returned, I was pleasantly surprised. The food was much better, but the overall service was extremely poor. The rice was still brick-​like which was my biggest issue here. Other than that, the food was quite good the second time around.

What a nice place to enjoy fine Laotian cuisine with quite decent selection of drinks! A perfect place for us «Gourmands».
After several visits to this Thip Khao, I am now ready to write a review with confidence.
I love the venue, and the menu. :)
So far my favorites are the papaya salad, minced chicken salad, the stuffed chicken wings, hot and sour pork belly, fried calamari, snakehead fish cooked in banana leaves with ginger and dill, etc.
I would even go for a solo happy hour just to have a Lao Beer with papaya salad and stuffed chicken wings. The service is really good with the friendly and smily servers and the interior is nice and modern and comfortable. (I only wish the reservation takers were a bit more friendly.)
I had a reservation for 5 at 7:30pm last night but 2 of us did not show up until 7:44 which was only 1 minute away from the 15 minutes time limit that Thip Khao has as the reservation policy. (Thanks my gourmand friends, for the suspense and stress! :)
They don’t give you a table until your whole party shows up either. But, after all, the food is worth obeying their strict reservation policy in my opinion.
All my friends enjoyed every dish we ordered last night. We shall be back!

Go to Thip khao immediately, this is one of the best restaurants in DC. After a handful of trips to Thip Khao, here are my thoughts on the food:
LOVE:
+sun dried beef– the flavor is amazing and the beef is tender. I loved this. You can get it as an appetizer or as an entrée with sticky coconut rice (khao sin). The only thing about the entrée version is that it only comes with raw cucumber and radish, no other veggies.
+Nam khao crispy rice salad — delicious, texture is great with the crispy rice. I’ve tried it the vegetarian way but Its much better in its regular form with pork (and the fish sauce makes it more flavorful). It’s also better as an appetizer than a main dish because the flavor is strong.
+Crispy watercress salad with shrimp and cashews– flavor is so good with a bit of a sweet and sour taste given the tamarind. Texture is awesome with the crisped crunchy watercress .
+Thai ice tea– to me they make a perfect version of this classic drink– not too sweet but really tasty.
+pandan soy milk– southeast Asian twist by adding sweet pandan leaf flavor to the soy milk.
LIKE:
+Invasive snake fish fried.
+Lemongrass pork sausage
+crispy tofu appetizer
+laab (ground meat with chilis)
+noodle soups (it seems they’ve changed their noodle soup options a few times, but they are consistently good).
MEH:
–Kua mee: this is a very tamarind-​y form of pad Thai. To me this is too sweet and too sour.
–Knaap paa: grilled fish wrapped in banana leaves. I wasnt a fan, this didn’t have much flavor to me
–papaya salad: pretty basic
The restaurant is closed on Tuesdays. Make a reservation if you’re going Friday or Saturday night, otherwise expect to wait more than an hour. During lunch on weekends or dinner on weekdays there usually is not a wait.

I was surprised, because I did not like the one Chef Seng’s food in Bangkok Golden, which was raved about a lot by my chef friend. So I never was interested to come here. Then I have a buddy who is really into spicy food, and I decided to give it another try. Since my buddy is allergic to shell fish, all the marinated stuff on the menu is out.
In Bangkok Golden the food I had was much more salty and spicy hot than here.
For starter, we had CHUENH PEEK GAI (Crispy chicken wings, spicy and sweet chili sauce, cucumbers), and CHUENH TOFU (Crispy tofu, spicy and sweet chili sauce, scallions), none of them were very special. They are average but not bad.
For main course, we have the GAENG DAENG (Red coconut curry chicken, Thai eggplant, green beans, bell peppers, Thai basil), PAA KOT TOD (Crispy fried snakehead filet, spicy mango sauce, avocado, lemongrass, red onions, mint, cashews) and a Stewed Pork Belly.
The main course was better, the fish is well fried, and the pork belly is ver tender. None of the dish were over salty and none of them were hot spicy like the one in Falls Church, may be the chef changed its favor profile to suit the city’s taste.

This spot has a wide variety of authentic Laotian dishes and a majority of them are extremely delicious. I think this cuisine is best enjoyed family style, so I would strongly suggest going here with a crew and trying as many dishes as possible.
Here is what we ordered:
— Laab: The meat was cooked perfectly and seasoned extremely well. The cilantro and mint leaves added in a nice refreshing component, making each bite a great combination of spice and freshness.
— Kua Mee: This dish was a little too sweet for my liking. The spices were good, but the sweetness overpowered all the other flavors. This was my least favorite dish of the night.
— Gaeng Daeng: An absolutely delicious coconut curry broth. All the flavors were perfect and the veggies in this dish soaked in all the spices from the broth. Great option if you have vegetarians in your group!
— Orm Lam: A very good stew that had various intricate flavors. It was rich, hearty and quite unique from everything else we ordered.
Next time I’m here I am definitely trying out the Jungle Menu! I’ve only heard great things about all of those dishes.

I was in DC recently visiting a friend. My hometown doesn’t have a lot of great Asian options, and she had been wanting to check this place out, so we dropped in for an early Saturday dinner (we were without reservations and hungry, so it worked out!). We were immediately seated on the outdoor patio with an excellent server. Neither of us had had true Laotian food before but in general love spicy Asian food, and our server made some GREAT recommendations.
They have two sides to the menu: «normal» menu + their Jungle menu. The Jungle menu is a bit more traditional as it is significantly more spicy (at least, that’s what we were told).
Food: (to save words, please note that we loved EVERYTHING)
Complimentary cucumber and spicy paste starter
Tam Muk Muang
Chuenh tofu
Knap Paa
Muu Som
I also enjoyed their beer list.
We walked here from the subway stop after doing all kinds of touristy things, so I have no idea where you would find parking. It’s close to public transit, though — easy walk.

Everything we ordered was AMAZING! So glad we found this place I had been dying for some good Kao piek, papaya salad, and Lao sausage. Everything tastes fresh and delicious! Being from California it’s hard to find good Asian food let alone LAOS food! The sticky rice tastes just like how my mom makes it, the sausage was sweet tender and flavorful, the Kao piek was flavorful and chicken was tender– I didn’t like that there was so much sliced ginger (I hate ginger) but it wasn’t a problem I just picked them out. The papaya salad soooo good and spicy had a sweet tastes too! My husband had the pork belly and he loved it, tender and flavorful! Definitely authentic in my opinion! Just like homemade! They even use their own fermented bean paste!!!
The service was prompt and everyone was polite, even though I know I was being pain with my crazy kids and requests for chili oil and tamarind powder (they didn’t have it– next time I will bring my own lol)

As if the brilliant hook of offering a Jungle Menu isn’t enough, Thip Khao also provides an Invasive Snakehead Menu. This is a must-​visit spot with spectacular flavors. I enjoyed the cuisine as well as the excellent service, which was most helpful to this Lao food novice.
The knap paa seemed like the best choice from the snakehead menu for enjoying the fish itself, which was on the firm and mild side. The curry, ginger and dill flavorings were appealing but not over the top. The other snakehead offerings sounded more complex.
I was warned that the tam muk houng phet phet, a green papaya salad, would be severely spicy. The other salads can have the spice level varied; this one cannot. I was a bit concerned but I was really curious about ingredients like unfiltered fish sauce but couldn’t leave without sampling the Jungle Menu. Be very careful with this one. Take small bites. You may cry, but they will be tears of joy.

Awesome place. Food is crazy good, the menu interesting and diverse, and to top it off, it’s extremely reasonably priced. Four of us ordered drinks and all of the dishes that our hearts desired and it came to about $ 30 or so a person. Throw this downtown or slap the name Jose Andres on it and it could easily be twice as expensive. But, in its tucked away niche in Columbia Heights, it’s pretty much perfect.
The biggest highlight of the meal (and there were many) was easily the chuenh tofu. Normally I’m not a big tofu fan because I feel like it’s usually used as a meat-​substitute and as a non-​vegetarian, I would rather have the meat itself. But, for this dish, that is far from the case. The tofu gives it a soft inner consistency to counter the crispy exterior. The sweet (and not that spicy) sauce gives it a somewhat smoky zestiness which really shines through. For tofu lovers, it’s a must. For non-​tofu lovers, it still is.
The next highlight was the sun-​dried pork. They were out of the sun-​dried beef so we went for the pork instead and I’m glad we did. It had the crispness and dry-​rubbed nature of jerky but wasn’t nearly as tough to chew. There was also the naem khao (crispy coconut rice) in which the textures were enticingly complex. And the gaeng daeng (red coconut curry) was light yet filling with an irresistible sauce.
Essentially, everything about dinner was great and this restaurant won’t disappoint.

You’ll be hard pressed to find another restaurant that serves delicious Laotian food with such an American-​friendly vibe and wait staff. Well situated in the hipster Columbia Heights neighborhood, Thip Khao has common Southeast Asian dishes (pad thai, meat skewers, and curry) as well as a whole different menu with more atypical dishes (alligator and catfish).
Coming with a group of 10 was a great decision, as we were able to split a bunch of dishes from both the standard menu and jungle (read: exotic) menu. We ordered the gang dang (red curry), knap paa (seabass), pork and chicken skewers, kua mee (pad thai), go muu som (pork belly), pork shank, go laab e kae (alligator), 2 curry puffs, paa kot tud (catfish), siin haang (sundried beef), and mango and avocado sticky rices for dessert. Many of the dishes came with small containers of purple sticky rice. Everything tasted amazing, although my absolute favorites were the curry, seabass, pork shank, curry puffs, and catfish.
The above 13 dishes and 2 desserts left us absolutely stuffed — we probably had 1 or 2 too many. Also, our group had a low tolerance for spice and got everything mild, and everything was deliciously flavorful and not too spicy.
If you’re planning on coming on a weekend, make sure you have a reservation. We had a reservation on a Saturday night, and the wait staff almost gave away our table 15 minutes after our scheduled time because it was so packed.

FISH FLAN SOUFFLE CRACK SMOOTHIE.
What feelings does that invoke in your inner being?! No cheating!!!
Disgust?! Pleasure?! Happiness?!
KNAP PAA = FISH FLAN SOUFFLE CRACK SMOOTHIE= HAPPINESS.
You will get the KNAP PAA at Thip Khao, and YOU WILL LIKE IT.
Get the KNAP PAA– Chilean Bass, and get a straw, a bib, and leave with a huge grin.
What is KNAP PAA??? Your choice of fish, grilled inside banana leaves with curry paste, ginger, dill.
I didn’t know I needed this in my life on a regular basis until I had it, honestly to tell you the truth when I opened the banana leaf up I thought it looked like a fishy mess of gelatinous gingery dill weirdness, and I wish I had unseen what I saw. But to my surprise, my eyes enlarged as did my belly as soon as the first bite entered my mouth. The texture was so melty and flan like, that it just dissolved in my mouth and offered the most perfect fishy bite. Honestly, if I’m 90, with dentures, no ability to chew, please feed me this everyday for every meal please…
SO-​Wash down that fish with a glass of the Thai Iced Tea while you’re at it! Portion could be bigger for the tea, but all in all who can complain because it tasted so rich and decadent.
NAEM KHAO– Crispy coconut rice, lime, scallions, sour pork, peanuts, cilantro, served with lettuce wraps.
WOW the variety of textures meant that every bite felt like I was experiencing this dish in a different way!
BLOOD SAUSAGE– If you’re a fan of chinese sausage, give this a try it has a milder taste.
Thank you Bad Saint for having a 2 hour wait, and thus allowing me to come to this Laotian food heaven… I’ll be back!!!

Thip Khao is not afraid to offer Laotian delicacies which is one of the many admirable characteristics of this fine dining establishment. There is something to be said when a restaurant stays genuine and true to their concept and mission.
Space/​Ambiance:
Their open layout attributes to their spacious dining and bar area. The tables are just far enough from each other to retain privacy, but because of the open layout you still feel like you’re partaking in the dining experience overall.
Food (* = notable dishes):
Our table of four ordered the following to share: *Siin Heng (sun-​dried beef), Alligator Laab (minced alligator), Knap Pah (catfish wrapped in banana leaf), Kee Mau (rice noodles) and the *Ping Moo (grilled pork neck) alongside sticky rice. The Siin Heng is an obligatory savory starter while the Ping Moo offered fall-​apart tender bites that I’d go back and order as a default staple on future visits.
Thip Khao has quietly earned its humble spot amongst other great neighborhood additions to Columbia Heights.
Beer Lao cheers all around.

I was starting to feel sad that I hadn’t been wowed by any restaurants on this visit to DC, AND THEN, I discovered Thip Khao.
Another couple in town said they had been wanting to try this place for a while, because they had heard it was so good. You have to call to make reservations and I called, the day of, and was able to grab a table for 4.
There’s street parking all around and we were able to find a spot a couple blocks away.
We were greeted and seated right away. Its Laotian food, which I have NO experience with (it reminded me of a mix of Thai/​Vietnamese/​Filipino.
I started with a couple of their specialty cocktails (I only ordered 1, but someone at the table didn’t like their other and I gladly commandeered it).
Kuang Muh-​vodka, gingambere, orange & Thai Basil. Kind of like a moscow mule, but not as sweet.
Ginger, Apparently-​The name is exactly as it implies; there’s apparently ginger, but it tastes like straight gin. haha! I enjoyed it.
The Food? Here’s where everyone went to heaven!
Chuenh Peek Gai-​crispy chicken wings w/​spicy & sweet chili sauce
Lao Curry Puff-​puff pastry stuffed w/​curried potatoes, sweet & sour sauce
Kua Mee-​MUST HAVE!!! This was SO GOOD, that we finished it and immediately ordered another one. Its fried rice noodles w/​shrimp paste, fish sauce, egg, peanuts and we added chicken.
Hu Muu Todd-​fried pig’s ears. These were good, but several at the table did not like the texture.
We had a couple more dishes, but can’t remember. All I know is that EVERYTHING was good.
With that said, we decided to push ourselves and have dessert, too.
Avocado Sticky Rice
Khao Khum Sung Kaya
EXCELLENT. We finished them off.
Finally, service was excellent and attentive.
Fantastic drinks, dinner & sweets w/​good friends!

This was my first experience having Laotian food and it was just about perfect. It reminds me a lot of Thai food, there are many similar flavors but some subtle differences that set the two apart. First if you decide to come, plan ahead, the wait can be about 1.5 hours long. The wait is definitely worth it, after we got seated, the food came out shortly after ordering.
For starters, we ordered the fried pigs ears which was just a glorious combination of crunchy, gelatinous, chewy, fatty pig goodness. We also ordered a Chicken Laab which was delicious and refreshing.
For entrees, we ordered the
PON PAA: eggplant galoor with a nice soft boiled egg mixed with a savory soup and sticky rice
GANG HUA PAA: Laotian twist on thai tom yum soup
NAEM KHAO HU MUU: fresh crunchy lettuce wrapped around salty fermented pork and chewy pig ears
KHAO POON LUANG PRABANG: Laotian twist on ramen noodles (amazing)
KUA MEE: Laotian pad thai (slightly sweeter than the thai version)
For dessert we just shared a avocado sticky rice pudding, it may sound weird but it works. Something about the creaminess of the avocado makes the rice pudding satisfying without feeling too heavy.
All the food was amazing and tasted great, you cant go wrong no matter what you order. My only remark was some of the dishes could be a little less salty. I will definitely be coming back!

First time having Laotian food and I’m happy I got to try it here.
Although the wait was long (1.5hrs) it wasn’t too bad because there were stores to visit nearby. We were able to kill time at Target.
We left our number with the hostess who texted us letting us know that our table was ready.
The menu is extensive with different types of salad, soups, rice and noodles.
We ordered the pig ears for starters along with the Laab salad. I didn’t try the pig ears but my friends who did said that they were amazing. They were perfectly fried, crunchy and chewy. As for the salad, it was a different and unique flavor my mouth has never experienced before.
For the entrée, we ordered:
— khao poon Luang Prabang: it looks like ramen, has noodles similar to ramen but tastes very different. It is a curry based soup. You can adjust the level of spiciness. I got medium but it wasn’t spicy at all. I ended up getting chili powder on the side. It was very delicious and I would highly recommend this!
— Pon Paa: it’s also a soup based entrée with a side of sticky rice. It is very savory. The eggplant was cooked very well and the brown rice and the pork was the perfect mix together. I think it’s a good thing to get when its cold outside.
For the dessert, we had the avocado sticky rice. It really is delicious! It is a warm dessert with sticky rice and warm avocado with condensed milk. Make sure to save some room for dessert!

Ermagerh.
Please come to Thip Khao — the food here is amazing. After hosting a small superbowl party soirée, I casually asked my friends about which were their go to restaurants in DC — a restaurant that is consistently delicious, the portions are good, and the price is on point and for them it was Thip Khao.
We went on a Saturday night, we didn’t have a reservation because by the time we called it was full, but decided to show up anyway. The wait was for an hour, so my group and I went to Zeba, the bar across the street while we waited — luckily Thip Khao texted us after 20 minutes at the bar saying our table was ready!
I had never had Laotian food before, but I was very pleasantly surprised with its flavors — I would describe it as a combination between Thai and Vietnamese cuisine.
As an appy my friend suggested the Naem Khao, please try this, its so good. It was a combination of coconut rice, pork, scallions, and other vegetables and you serve it yourself on a lettuce wrap. So delicious and refreshing and a perfect appy for a group of four!
For my main dish, I ordered the red coconut curry Gaeng Daeng with Chicken and it was so flavorful and filling, it came with a side of white rice and it was just the perfect meal. I’d recommend ordering from the non-​jungle menu if its your first time. Everything was so delicious, well portioned, and well priced. Thip Khao also has a very impressive drink menu! My husband who is a huge whiskey lover was surprised to see all of their great whiskey options!