Best Thai Food in Houston: Boat Noodles, Isan and Lao Kitchens

Houston's best Thai food comes with a spice scale that tops out at "Raging Volcano." That's the real top setting at Asia Market Thai Lao Food in the Heights, a restaurant that started out as a Southeast Asian convenience store and still sells imported groceries next to the dining room.

This guide is for when you want more than pad thai. It covers boat noodles thickened with blood, Lao-style papaya salad funky with fermented fish sauce, northern Thai khao soi, and the grilled meats and sticky rice of Isan, Thailand's northeast. You'll also find some neighborhood standbys that do the classics well.

The quick list

• If you only go to one: Street to Kitchen in the East End, whose chef was named Best Chef: Texas by the James Beard Foundation in 2023.
• For boat noodles: Sao Lao Thai Café, Asia Market or Rim Tanon.
• For Isan and Lao cooking: Asia Market, Sao Lao, Zaab Der or Lao'd District.
• For khao soi: Asia Market or Rim Tanon.
• For a date or a group dinner: Songkran Thai Kitchen in Uptown Park.
• For a cheap, fast plate on Bellaire Boulevard: Anna Thai Food.
• To bring your own wine: Asia Market, which says there's no corkage fee.

How we chose

We looked for cooking with a point of view: regional dishes you won't find on every menu, house-made sausages and curries, and noodle soups built on long-simmered broth. We also kept a few reliable neighborhood spots so every part of town has a good option.

Every restaurant here was confirmed as operating on its own official website or ordering page in October 2026. We used those menus to name dishes. Hours change often, and several of these restaurants close one day a week or between lunch and dinner. Treat every schedule as "typically" and check the restaurant's site before you go.

We couldn't confirm current official pages for a few longtime favorites, so we left them out rather than guess.

A two-minute guide to regional Thai food

Isan (northeast): Think lime, chile, fish sauce and toasted rice powder rather than coconut milk. Look for som tum (green papaya salad), laab (minced-meat salad with herbs), nam tok (sliced grilled meat salad), grilled sausage and sticky rice eaten by hand. Isan food shares a lot with the food of Laos, which is why so many Houston menus say "Thai Lao."

Lao-style som tum vs. Thai-style: The Thai version is sweeter, with peanuts and dried shrimp. The Lao version uses fermented fish sauce and tastes deeper and funkier. Several places on this list let you choose.

Northern Thai: The best-known dish is khao soi, a coconut curry noodle soup with crispy noodles on top, pickled mustard greens and lime on the side.

Boat noodles: A rich, dark noodle soup with beef or pork, meatballs and herbs. Traditional versions use blood to thicken and darken the broth. The name comes from the canal boats that sold the soup in central Thailand.

Heights and the north side

Asia Market Thai Lao Food

Heights, 3620 N. Main St. at I-45 · Thai and Lao · BYOB

Asia Market has operated from this spot since 1987, according to its website. It started as a convenience store selling Southeast Asian groceries and slowly began serving prepared food. You still eat a few steps from shelves of hard-to-find imported ingredients.

What to order: the boat noodle soup (rice noodles, meatballs, beef, blood and morning glory), khao soi Chiang Mai, and som tum made Thai or Lao style. The menu also lists yentafo, a pink noodle soup, and kanom jeen nam ya, a fish curry over rice noodles. For something grilled, get the Tiger Cry, a marinated ribeye with spicy sauce.

Insider tip: it's BYOB with no corkage fee, and the restaurant keeps wine glasses on hand. Tell them your spice level: Mild, Medium, Hot, Thai Hot or Raging Volcano.

Why it's here: it's the most complete regional menu on this list, at neighborhood prices.

Sao Lao Thai Café

North Shepherd, 5013 N. Shepherd Dr. · Lao and Thai family recipes

Sao Lao's menu leads with "Sao Lao Specialties," and boat noodle soup is the first one listed. Its version comes with ribeye, pork balls, rice noodles, Asian kale and chicharrón.

What to order: boat noodles, nam khao (crispy Lao fried rice with fermented pork, coconut and peanuts, eaten wrapped in lettuce) and the house-made Lao pork sausage with sticky rice. On a cold day, try the Lao pho. The menu says its beef broth simmers for 15 hours.

Why it's here: for Lao cooking, it's our first stop in Houston. Hours aren't posted on its website, so call ahead at (713) 485-0107.

Kin Dee Thai Cuisine

Heights, 1533 N. Shepherd Dr., Suite 160 · open daily

Kin Dee is the polished Heights option, with creative cocktails and dishes the restaurant describes as made from scratch with hometown recipes. Use it for a group with mixed spice tolerance or for a sit-down dinner that doesn't need much planning.

What to order: the Southern-style green curry, Thai flower dumplings and pad see ew.

Why it's here: it reliably works for everyone at the table, and you can make a reservation. See our Heights restaurant guide for more nearby.

East End

Street to Kitchen

East End, 3401 Harrisburg Blvd., Suite G · reservations recommended

The restaurant opened in a former fried chicken space next to a gas station. Since then it has earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand two years running, and in 2023 chef Benchawan Jabthong Painter was named Best Chef: Texas by the James Beard Foundation. It now sits in a larger East End space.

Its website states the house rule plainly: no modifications or substitutions of any kind. Order the food the way the kitchen makes it. The drunken noodles, the menu warns, start "quite spicy" at Thai mild and go up from there.

What to order: som tam Lao with fermented fish sauce, the scratch-made green curry, pad see ew with serrano pickle juice on the side, and the massaman curry.

Why it's here: in our book it's the most exciting Thai cooking in Houston, and the clearest argument for eating it at full heat. Its site typically lists weekday lunch, dinner Monday through Saturday and no Sunday service; check before you go. For a pre- or post-game plan, pair it with our EaDo restaurant guide.

Montrose and Upper Kirby

Rim Tanon

Upper Kirby, 2241 Richmond Ave. · modern Thai street food

Rim Tanon calls itself modern Thai street food. That shows in a menu built around the snacks, grills and noodle bowls you'd find at a market stall.

What to order: the Thai boat noodle in "intense spice brown broth," khao soi (the menu calls it northern Thai curry noodle), Lao-style papaya salad with salted crab, and Crying Tiger ribeye.

I didn't know that: the menu's railroad fried rice is a style that, it explains, began as the fried rice served on Thai trains.

Why it's here: it's the easiest place in central Houston to try boat noodles and khao soi in one meal. More options are in our Upper Kirby guide.

Nidda Thai Cuisine

Montrose, 1226 Westheimer Rd. · open daily

Nidda says it was established in 2006. It's a comfortable Lower Westheimer standby with a long menu and steady cooking.

What to order: the grilled E-Sarn sausage (the menu describes it as northeastern-style pork sausage with garlic and rice), nam tok pork salad, and tom kha gai.

Why it's here: a dependable Montrose dinner with Isan dishes on the menu. Browse our Montrose guide for nearby bars to round out the night.

Uptown and west

Songkran Thai Kitchen

Uptown Park, 1101 Uptown Park Blvd. · reservations via OpenTable

Songkran takes its name from the Thai New Year festival in April, known for throwing and splashing water for good luck. The restaurant describes its menu as traditional Bangkok cuisine. It's the dressiest room on this list.

What to order: the Wagyu braised short rib (nuea siam), the clay pot red curry with duck, and the crispy whole red snapper for the table.

Why it's here: for anniversaries, client dinners and showing off Thai food to out-of-towners. See our Galleria and Uptown guide for more.

Zaab Der Thai Cuisine

West Memorial, 14642 Memorial Dr. · Thai-Isan

Zaab Der describes its cooking as Northeastern (Isan) home-style food alongside traditional Thai dishes. The menu leans into grills and jaew, the tamarind-chile dipping sauce.

What to order: the Isan sausage, Piggy Cry (grilled pork loin with jaew), the beef noodle soup the ordering page calls Thai boat noodle soup, and the five-hour duck noodle soup.

Why it's here: proper Isan cooking for the west side, and a good stop near the Energy Corridor. More nearby in our Energy Corridor guide.

Bellaire Boulevard and Sugar Land

Lao'd District

Chinatown, 9393 Bellaire Blvd., Suite B · also Sugar Land, 15295 Southwest Fwy.

Lao'd District cooks the food of Laos and Thailand and calls it a love letter to the food its owners grew up on. It serves the same menu at both kitchens and is typically open daily from 11 a.m.

What to order: nam khao and laab, the two dishes the restaurant names on its own homepage.

Why it's here: a friendly first step into Lao food, with an easy suburban second location. Pair it with our Chinatown and Asiatown guide.

Anna Thai Food

Bellaire Blvd., 11201 Bellaire Blvd., Suite A-6 · counter-style, open daily

Anna Thai Food is the quick, inexpensive option on this list, with takeout typically available every day from 10 a.m. The menu runs long, from curries to a whole section of Thai-style noodle soups.

What to order: a Thai-style noodle soup, the Thai pork jerky, or the fried gourami for something you rarely see on Houston menus.

Why it's here: lunch for one, done well, on the Bellaire Boulevard stretch of Chinatown.

Save this: the Thai noodle and Isan checklist

Screenshot this and check them off:

1. Boat noodles at Sao Lao Thai Café
2. Khao soi at Rim Tanon
3. Som tum made Lao style at Street to Kitchen
4. Yentafo, the pink noodle soup, at Asia Market
5. Nam khao at Lao'd District
6. Isan sausage and sticky rice at Zaab Der
7. Tiger Cry at Asia Market, Crying Tiger at Rim Tanon, Piggy Cry at Zaab Der: one dish name, three kitchens

A north-side Saturday route: lunch at Asia Market (bring a bottle; there's no corkage fee), then shop its grocery shelves for curry paste and sticky rice, and finish with an early dinner of boat noodles at Sao Lao on North Shepherd. Check both restaurants' hours first.

Tips before you go

• Spice is real. At Street to Kitchen, Thai mild is already spicy, and substitutions aren't offered. Elsewhere, start one level lower than you think.
• Order family style. Thai and Lao meals are built for sharing: one salad, one grill, one curry or soup, and sticky rice.
• Eat sticky rice with your hands. Roll a small ball and use it to scoop laab or dip it into jaew.
• Check hours. Several places close between lunch and dinner or one day a week.

Love Southeast Asian food? Our best Vietnamese restaurants guide is the natural next stop, and the Food and Dining hub has the rest.

Last verified: October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I get boat noodles in Houston?

Sao Lao Thai Café on North Shepherd, Asia Market Thai Lao Food in the Heights and Rim Tanon on Richmond Avenue all list boat noodle soup on their menus. Zaab Der on Memorial Drive lists a beef noodle soup it calls Thai boat noodle soup.

Which Houston Thai restaurant won a James Beard Award?

Street to Kitchen in the East End. Chef Benchawan Jabthong Painter was named Best Chef: Texas by the James Beard Foundation in 2023, and the restaurant has also earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand.

Where can I find Isan or Lao food in Houston?

Try Asia Market Thai Lao Food and Sao Lao Thai Café on the north side, Zaab Der on West Memorial, and Lao'd District in Chinatown and Sugar Land. Look for som tum, laab, nam khao, grilled sausage and sticky rice.

Which Thai restaurants in Houston are BYOB?

Asia Market Thai Lao Food says it is BYOB with no corkage fee and has wine glasses available. Policies change, so check with the restaurant before you go.

Where can I get khao soi in Houston?

Asia Market lists khao soi Chiang Mai, a chicken curry soup with egg noodles, and Rim Tanon serves khao soi with crispy noodles, pickled mustard greens, lime and chili oil.