Zabb Elee — Restaurant in Lowell

This place is a delight. We were going to be passing by Lowell. Though I had never been to Lowell before, I had heard that there are a bunch of Southeast Asian immigrant communities living there, and equally a large variety of Southeast Asian cuisine restaurants in town. I was particularly craving Laotian cuisine. We stopped in to order to go.

Once we walked in the door, we were greeted warmly (I forgot to ask for the hostess’s name). I said up front we wanted to order take out so she gave us a seat with menus and offered us two large glasses of ice water. After placing the order, I started to take in all of the decor. It’s pretty sumptuous, and at times I might call it a little decadent, but I’m guessing the goal is to make customers comfortable and feel like they are in a (small) palatial setting. There is a lot to look at in the large display cases, above and below the bar, in the corner with the ornate (rosewood?) table, chairs (thrones?), and divan. Lots of beautiful, spiritual, and fun, carved statues.

Our food was ready within 25 minutes, which was about the time we finished looking around from our seats at the heavy wooden table/chairs area.

The food smelled fantastic as we dove home. The dishes did not disappoint in the least. We ordered

C14. Nam Kao (deep fried rice with pork sausage and peanuts, to be wrapped with lettuce leaves). C12. Pad Pak Boong (water spinach). C7. Kra Pao Moo Krob (stir fried pork belly with bell peppers and onion) B6. Lao sausage Side of Jasmine rice

Everything was wonderful and fresh with delightful flavors. We would order these dishes again without hesitation. And I’m sure that there are many other things on the menu that deserve trying. That said, the star among our ordered dishes is the Nam Kao. That particularly was what I was craving and this is among the best that I’ve had (to be clear, I’ve only eaten Laotian food in the US; I’ve never been to Laos). The textures and the flavors were perfect. The Lao sausage was also worth writing home about. Definitely give this place a try. Note that there are only a few tables to sit at in this tiny restaurant, so if it’s a busy night you may have to wait outside.

I will add photos and...

I had this restaurant recommended by a Lao friend who is in the restaurant business and it did not disappoint. If you want truly authentic Lao food that caters to the local Lao population this is a great option. You will get food cooked like they do at home & not modified to an American palette that is more accustomed to Thai food. Small restaurant with limited seating, and lots of Lao decor. The staff was very friendly. There are 6 parking spots right in front or else street parking.

The cooked larb beef was fantastic. Often if you can find this dish at a Thai restaurant it will be ground beef which isn’t as good, but not here. Thinly sliced beef with lots of aromatics. Make sure to order a side of sticky rice which it is typically eaten with. There was enough food for 2 people if you ordered 2 sides or rice. Heat was on a scale of 1-10 and they gave me a “medium”. I like spicy food and boy was I sweating.

I was also recommended the Kao Piek soup and absolutely loved it. It balanced out the heat from the larb since it is not spicy. It is similar to an American chicken noodle soup, but 10X better. Very thick broth with tons of garlic and very comforting. They hand make the noodles everyday. If you want it spicy, typically you add chili oil (not sriracha) which is a condiment at the table. Their chili oil is much spicier than other Asian restaurants I’ve been to so...

Zabb Elee is a good Lao and Thai cuisine restaurant featuring “Traditional Laos Cuisine” near downtown Lowell. The room is small with only a few tables for seating. It has a kitschy museum feel that’s almost like someone’s home where they keep their heirlooms and collections. There’s a lot to look at here, and every glance at the same spot reveals something you missed the first time; pretty interesting actually, and much of it is for sale. For food I started with the excellent Lao Sausage which is very tasty and has a mild kick. Next up came Moo Krob, which is deep fried pork belly. This was way too fatty for me; nearly 100% fat on three quarters of the plate, with the outer surface of each bite being very hard. Generally, I like it about 50 / 50 or more on the lean side like Dominican chicharrones. Maybe fatty is how the Lao prefer it but for me it was unsatisfying, however, the spicy sauce that came with it was excellent. After that I had Pad Pak Boong which is stir fried vegetables; very flavorful and very good. Service was also very good, and friendly. For drink I had black tea which was good. Maybe I didn’t try the right things, but overall, it was a pleasurable enough experience and I most certainly will return for another...