Café Khao Neow brings serious Lao cooking to Wasilla
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Café Khao Neow is a Lao spot that commits to the classics instead of sanding them down into something vague and friendly. The menu is long and specific, and it reads like someone wrote it to be a weekly stop: multiple versions of laab (chicken, beef, pork), papaya salad, pho lao, bamboo soup (gang nor mai), mok gai, and noodle dishes like khua mee. It also calls out the condiments the way a Lao table actually works, with jeow bong, jeow maak len, and jeow som listed as part of the language of the place.
A lot of the appeal is how direct it is. Orders arrive with fresh herbs, sharp sauces, and the kind of balance Lao food does well—funk, heat, acid, and sweetness with nothing muted. If the move is something recognizable, start with laab and sticky rice, then pivot to one of the soups; the menu gives multiple ways in, including pho lao and curry noodle soups. For something that reads like a full meal in a bowl, look at the noodle section, where the kitchen treats stir-fries and soups as equal citizens.
The room is casual and practical, and the cooking stays the focus. It is not trying to be a destination restaurant; it is trying to be the place in Wasilla that makes someone crave Lao food and then actually delivers.
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