Lao Der sits on N Elston Ave in Irving Park, built around an exhibition kitchen where guests can watch the cooking as it happens. The restaurant describes its noodles, sausages, broths, and sauces as made by hand from family recipes, framing the project as a way to bring authentic Lao cooking to a city that has few restaurants dedicated to it.
The menu pairs those Lao specialties with familiar Thai dishes — Pad Thai, Panang Curry, Pad Kee Mao, Pineapple Chicken, Orange Beef, and Classic Thai Fried Rice all appear alongside the house recipes.
Regulars describe it as a cozy, intimate room with a hidden-gem quality, and the crowd consistently points to authentic cooking and attentive service, even as execution can vary dish to dish.
The menu pairs those Lao specialties with familiar Thai dishes — Pad Thai, Panang Curry, Pad Kee Mao, Pineapple Chicken, Orange Beef, and Classic Thai Fried Rice all appear alongside the house recipes.
Regulars describe it as a cozy, intimate room with a hidden-gem quality, and the crowd consistently points to authentic cooking and attentive service, even as execution can vary dish to dish.