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Garage doors, string lights, and colorful tablecloths in a former parking lot, which tells you exactly what kind of house party this counter-service spot wants to be. The Lao-American cooking lands hard: papaya salad that makes your eyes water, chiles and fish sauce everywhere, and a smashburger spiked with lemongrass pork sausage that shouldn't work as well as it does. A James Beard semifinalist and on the New York Times Restaurant List.
The awards strongest first
- Food & Wine Lao’d Smashburger · Best Dishes Our Editors Ate This Year
- Eater Coconut Escolar Ceviche · The 8 Best Meals I Ate This Year, 2024
- The New York Times 2025 · The Restaurant List
- Eater Best New Restaurant
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Austin Right Now
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in Austin
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Best New Restaurant
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Texas · Bob Somsith
One number, weighted & current 91
How we scoreThe dishes from the writeups
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Papaya salad
“The papaya salad stings with eye-watering fresh chiles”
The New York Times, 2025 -
Lao'd smash burger
“The Lao’d smash burger, for example, is proof that American cheese and lemongrass-spiked pork sausage make a dreamy pair.”
The New York Times, 2025 -
Coconut escolar ceviche
“First-timers should not miss the coconut escolar ceviche — escolar tuna cured with coconut water, coconut cream, and punchy vinegar — served in a fresh coconut bowl”
Eater -
Nam khao
“Lao’d Bar is all about full-on spices, from the nam khao (crispy fried rice with red curry) to its papaya salad”
Eater
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