Review: Han Lao, St. Louis' first Laotian-Thai restaurant, opens in Brentwood

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Photography by Kevin A. Roberts

Larb gai: cold salad with pulled chicken

Sometimes it’s easier to introduce people to something new by way of something familiar. That was the intention of Han Lao chef/owner Thom Chantharasy, who also owns Robata.

Although St. Louis was already familiar with ramen and yakitori when Robata opened, Han Lao is the region’s first Lao-focused restaurant. Thai food, on the other hand, is already popular here. Thailand, which borders Laos, shares dishes and ingredients with the small landlocked Southeast Asian country, so Han Lao offers dishes inspired by both.

Located just off Hanley Road in Brentwood, the restaurant features a long counter that looks into an open kitchen. The dining room seats about 50 in booths and at a long table. White orchids in pots dot the room.

Most dishes are perfect for sharing. Sticky rice, served at every meal in Laos, is a must. Han Lao serves a greatest hits of common Laos dishes. The thum muk huong (green papaya salad) is refreshingly crunchy, spicy, sour with lime, and offers a little funk from shrimp paste and fish sauce. Served with raw cabbage and puffy pork rinds, it pairs perfectly with the salty beef jerky. The Lao-style sausage is packed with flavor from herbs and ginger and is served with jeow bong (chili paste) for dipping.

The larb gai is another dish you’ll want to share. Larb are cold, fresh herb-and-meat salads. At Han Lao, the dish is made with pulled chicken, herbs, red onion, and crisp bean sprouts and seasoned with lime and fish sauce. It’s served with cucumber slices and lettuce leaves that make perfect wrappers. 

Nam khao is spectacular and quite spicy. A salad of crispy rice is flavored with red curry, fresh herbs, and dried peppers. The jewels of the dish are small nuggets of meltingly soft nam moo (pickled pork sausage).

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Photography by Kevin A. Roberts

Khao Poon

Khao poon is a comforting bowl of curry and coconut pork broth soup with ground pork, herbs, bean sprouts, bamboo, and rice noodles. Another soup, the khao piak sen, is a thick, pale broth holding pulled chicken and fat rice noodles and topped with fried garlic. It appears murky and bland, but the depth of rich chicken flavor will knock you over. It’s also one of the few non-spicy dishes offered.

The Thai dishes are favorites: pad thai, tom yum goong, pad see ew. The last offers smoky undertones that display Han Lao’s mastery of wok cooking. The Laotian dishes, however, steal the show with their fragrant herbs, bright sour and subtly bitter notes, and spicy heat that has a slow and sneaky build. You’ll want to order one of the bubble teas to cool your mouth, but beer and wine are also available. There’s also a selection of cocktails, but we found many of them exceedingly sweet.

Han Lao serves skillfully prepared, flavor-packed dishes. Though familiar Thai offerings might initially be the lure, the outstanding Laotian dishes are reason to come back time and again. 

The Bottom Line Traditional Laotian and Thai dishes provide a new international cuisine option in Brentwood.