Hot Cafe — Restaurant in Riverdale

I didn’t know what to expect when I first read about this place. Read that it was in a sketchy area. I never did feel that I was in danger. But the best way to find out about an area and try out new cuisine is to go there and see and try for yourself. I am sure glad that I did. Totally worth it to drive two and a half hours one way to try it for myself. Some people say that I am crazy but you are crazy if you don’t try this place out. People who know me,know that I want to go to authentic food places and this place is authentic. The Loas owner can definitely cook and is very happy and friendly and the wait staff are great. They are very knowledgeable and if you need anything or recommendations about what to order they know what they are talking about and will gladly chat with you and discuss any questions about the food and culture. They have an excellent selection of foods that you can choose from and also a combination of food that is cooked in most Loa people homes. I got the Pad Woo Sen and should have gotten some more to take home with me it was so good.There is more Loas restaurants in the area but this is a restaurant owned by the family. If you seek down to earth people and great food it will be hard to find...

We found this hidden authentic gem on TikTok recently so we decided to give it a try! My boyfriend is Thai so we are always happy to try new Thai spots. I heard this place was super authentic for Thai/Laotian food, and that is correct! The menu screams authenticity. They have stuff that most “upscale” Thai places don’t have. I’ve been on the search for lad na here in Atlanta for forever and haven’t been able to find a Thai restaurant that has it on the menu until I came to this place! The menu is very expansive, tons of items to choose from! My boyfriend was happy because they had keo lao jerky which is a very authentic appetizer that you also really can’t find! The jerky was delicious! The basil spring rolls were also a hit. The rolls were super fresh with homemade peanut sauce. I got the lad na with beef and it was 10/10! I loved the gravy sauce and the noodles were cooked to perfection. My boyfriend got pad see ew with duck and it was also 10/10! I definitely recommend this spot if you’re looking for true authentic Thai and Laotian food. You will not be disappointed! Can’t...

I’ve been coming here since forever being a young kid. Honestly the old owner may needed some revamping but the food use to be bussin. Now this place is beautiful and organized but the food has changed a lot. Kind of bland and not as amazing as it use to be. Customer service is great but I had one issue. I didn’t want carrots in the papaya salad because they use to come with it so I politely asked the server to not put carrots in the papaya salad. Then a lady in the back was so loud and said “the damn papya salad doesn’t come with it it’s a garnish!!” At that point I’m a recovering crash out I could have went off but I didn’t because that was extremely rude! All you have to do is just tell the server that personally or just don’t put it on there for it to be a loud outburst made me feel like the customer service was terrible just this day. The price is also outrageous. But overall I’m in between 1-5 I...