Eat A Lao Restaurant - Rockville

I pulled up on a randomly snowy Friday afternoon leaving work. I was missing the southeast Asian flavors that I have t had since moving back to MoCo and searched for any local Laos or Thai spot. Already filled with great reviews, I was hype to come across Eat A Lao. For the time I arrived, it was empty and quiet with a staff that was welcoming and accommodating! The menu was extensive with options for your own heat choice (definitely wish I went hotter) that all can accommodate your palate. The curry pastries were perfect and flaky, the crab rice cooked to perfection and filled with tender pieces of crab, the Muay Thai beer was a refreshing addition to the end of a work week and the wings were EXTREMELY flavorful. I’m excited to come back and fully explore the menu!

The food here is amazing! Everything was so delicious. I noticed the dipping sauce for the meat dishes was quite sour, very intense and zesty. I’m not sure if that’s the authentic style of Lao cuisine, but it was definitely a bold flavor that woke up my taste buds! ​However, we need to talk about the Brulee... it definitely needs some 'serious improvement' lol. It wasn't quite there yet. But hey, the main dishes were so good that I’m still happy. ​Overall, a great new find! I’ll definitely be back for the food (but maybe I'll skip the dessert for now 😉).

Overall very flavorful, more in the saltier side but very delicious! Highly recommend the drunk noodle and Don't Leaf Me Alone ( Mieng Tilapia ) portions are all generous the pork belly were over fried

TLDR: Bold flavorful Laotian food, awesome milk teas, big portions, and super reasonable prices. Eat a Lao is absolutely worth the visit. Eat a Lao is serving some of the best Laotian food in the state. It is a humble spot but the flavors are bright, bold, and impressive. My party of two went for Sunday lunch and the place stayed busy the entire time we were there. Always a good sign. The dining room is nicely laid out with plenty of seating for both small and larger groups. We were next to a table of eight who were clearly enjoying their meal but there was still plenty of space between tables so nothing felt cramped. The menu is huge. You can use a physical copy or scan the QR code, which I actually recommend because the digital version has photos of every dish. With this many options

We enjoyed the foods. There are a lot of hot/spicy foods. We ordered the crushed salmon fried rice, doesn't ring a quail (roasted quail), and Lao Khao Soi (spicy rice noodles with pork). They are all tasty. We don't generally eat spicy so 1/5 spicy is enough for us. The atmosphere is OK. I like the bamboo lamp shade.