Asia Market Thai Lao Food — Restaurant in Houston

Tucked away in a strip mall between a Whataburger and an auto part store is Asía Market Thai Lao Food.

You walk in and the front half of the establishment is the restaurant and the market is in the back.

I was greeted by the guy behind the cash register, grabbed my menu from the counter and took a seat.

Drunken noodles are a fave so I knew I had to order that, I asked the waitress to choose a curry with chicken for me to try and I also ordered the soft spring rolls with shrimp.

I knew it would be a ton of food but this place came highly recommended and well I wanted to go all in as much as I could lol

While I sat and waited for my food I watched the place come to life, when I arrived it was myself and another table, by the time I left it was packed. At the table to my left a mother and son discussed the menu, it appears they come quite often and have had just about everything on the menu. They’re my kind of people because they seemed to be ordering an abundance of food for just the two of them, papaya salad, sausage, morning glory, curry, pineapple rice…. I mean YAAASSS! All the foods. Something I did not know is that you can bring a bottle of vino as they had. Mental note I’ll bring wine and a date next time.

Alright so after listening to them order, my food arrived. Ah, so much goodness. The soft spring rolls were ginormous, they were crispy and delicious, the peanut sauce was good and was my fave of the two sauces.

Next I tried the drunken noodles and I ordered those to be cooked to the “HOT” level and y’all know your girl loves some spice and I was disappointed with the level of spice, next time I would order “Thai Hot”. The flavor was great and the spice level wasn’t anything I couldn’t fix with some chili oil. The noodles themselves were so yummy and the beef was delish. Loved it.

I had asked the waitress to choose my curry dish because I couldn’t decide so when my food arrived I was eager to find out what I’d be eating. I had the red curry with chicken and it was delightful. It’s a huge bowl that’s packed with flavor and so much chicken, they don’t skimp on the meat y’all.

I do want to come back because the table to my right ordered a coconut drink and the mango rice with their main meal because as much as the waitress reiterated it was sweet and a dessert item they insisted it be brought out with their main dishes, the gentleman said it was that good he couldn’t wait 🤷🏻‍♀️

Also, they are all super sweet, service was great and welcoming! The atmosphere was warm and I liked that I was sitting in a grocery store. It was different and fun!

Thank you Mr. W, you passed the test ✨💖✨ you know your food stuffs, that means we can go on date number two....

Based on the reviews we were expecting the food to be great but the experience was less than stellar. I placed the order to go. When I arrived I walked around to see what they had in the store. Freshly made Thai desserts, packaged and canned goods similarly found in any Asian market (e.g. H-Mart, 99 Ranch). They also have some tables for those who wish to dine in.

I took a few items (limes, drinks and one dessert) and went to the counter and saw my food order on the counter. It had my name misspelled so I told the young man behind the counter that it was my order. He asked if I paid and I told him I did. He didn’t ask to see the email confirmation, my id nor credit card so in reality, I could have not been the person who placed and paid for the order and just have taken it. They really should do a better job of ensuring the right order goes to the right person especially since they seem unorganized and inattentive.

FOOD: The Pad Kew Mao with chicken was extremely disappointing. It had zero flavor (none) and the chicken was dried out and rubbery. I think they forgot to add any sauce or seasoning. I give this one star out of five which is a shame since this is usually one of my favorite Thai dishes.

The fried rice with tofu was fine. Nothing special but not bad, just average. Mostly rice with a small amount of diced carrots, peas, egg and onions. The tofu was diced. Three and a half stars out of five.

The salad was not at all what I was expecting. The crab it came with was actually tiny pieces of shell and claw (see my photos). I surmised the crab is there for flavor not to eat. Don’t do what I did if you’re expecting crab meat. The rest of the salad was a bit spicy though I requested mild. It consisted of sliced cherry tomatoes, julienned cucumbers, sliced cabbage, peanuts and a very spicy dressing that was all liquid. Strangely enough it wasn’t bad. Despite the tiny pieces of crab shell, I would actually give it four stars. The dressing was like a fish sauce because of the crab and the slightly sweet and spicy flavor.

I also bought a dessert from their refrigerated section. Probably not to most Americans’ taste especially as a dessert but I liked the creativity of the shapes and colors where they were made to look like vegetables. It’s made from mung beans and sugar.

Overall I wouldn’t order from Asia Market Thai Lao Food again because it didn’t stand up to the positive reviews online and the Pad Kee Mao was so subpar, but found the store and homemade desserts to be...

Mmm!! I am so glad my boyfriend picked this place for dinner! I think I may have found my new favorite Thai restaurant! The parking is limited, but the food tasted amazing~!

We ordered lemongrass chicken nuggets (recommended by the waiter) as our appetizer. The chicken was crispy, there wasn't too much breading, not too salty, and you can definitely taste the lemongrass. It came with a type of hot sauce, which really complimented the dish!

I got the glass noodle dish with beef, medium spice, and it was so good! The beef was tender, the spice level was just right for me (it did get my nose kinda runny though), the glass noodles were soft, moist, and plump.

My boyfriend ordered pad Thai with chicken, medium spice, it was great! It wasn't super sour, even with the lime juice squeezed in. The chicken was also nice and tender.

I ordered Thai tea, and omgggg it's soooo good! I've had Thai tea from different places, and this one tastes on point! It doesn't have the overwhelming bitterness from the tea, it's not super creamy either. It runs down your throat so smooth. What I liked most about the drink, is that they don't fill the whole cup with ice.

This place does not look fancy, it's like a hole in the wall type of restaurant. When I first walked in, it did kind of stink a bit. Also, you have to get your own utensils and to-go boxes from the shelf in the back.

This place is SUPER affordable for Thai food. I think our bill was about $25 without tipping! I would recommend this restaurant to anyone!! Come try it for...