Dinner at Kalaya. | Kalaya.
14 essential restaurants for Thai and Laotian favorites
It’s easy to find Thai food in cities and strip malls all over the country, but too often the pad thai, drunken noodles, and coconut milk curries are watered-down versions of the country’s cuisine. Happily, Philadelphia is home to a handful of Thai restaurants that aren’t afraid to introduce clientele to the real-deal sweet, sour, salty, and bitter flavors that make up the DNA of this fascinating Southeast Asian cuisine. These bright bursts of flavor can be influenced by a longtime shared culinary tradition between Thailand and Laos, which border each other. While dedicated Laotian restaurants are few and far between, it’s not uncommon to find a mix of both cuisines on a menu. Some of these 14 restaurants serve Thai food, some serve Laotian and Thai, and all are worth going to.