Spicy LaoKitchen
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Nam khao crispy rice salad with peanuts, dried chilies and herbs
Lao & Thai · Kearny Mesa

Lao home cooking, made your spice level.

Crispy nam khao, fiery laap, Lao sausage and soul-warming noodle soups, served with sticky rice by a family that grew up on them.

Order OnlineCall (858) 229-8146Directions
4.1 from 102 Google reviewsOpen daily 11 AM-9 PM
Family-owned Lao & Thai kitchen
Choose your spice level on every dish
Homemade Lao beef jerky and sausage
Dine in, takeout and delivery

From our kitchen

The dishes people come back for

See the full menu →
Nam Khao

Nam Khao

Crispy rice salad with cured pork, peanuts and dried chilies.

Heavenly Beef Jerky

Heavenly Beef Jerky

Homemade seen savanh with sticky rice in a bamboo basket.

Pho Lao

Pho Lao

Beef broth, sliced beef, meatballs and a pile of fresh greens.

Khao Piek Sen

Khao Piek Sen

Silky hand-cut noodle soup, fried garlic and herbs.

Your heat, your call.

Every dish is cooked to order at the spice level you choose, from gentle to full Lao spicy. Pick your protein: chicken, pork, beef, shrimp or organic tofu.

Gentle
Mild
Medium
Hot
Lao Spicy
Dining room with Mekong river-village mural and green boothsNeon mortar-and-pestle signOrder counter with Lao snacks

Our Story

From the family behind JL Jerky.

Spicy Lao Kitchen is a family-owned Lao and Thai restaurant in Kearny Mesa. We cook the dishes we grew up on: crispy nam khao, fiery laap, Lao sausage (sai oua), hand-pounded papaya salad, and comforting noodle soups like khao piek sen and khao poon, all with sticky rice on the side.

Dine in at our booths under the Mekong mural, pick up Lao snacks at the counter, or call ahead for takeout.

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Guest reviews

"You can definitely feel the love."

4.1

102 Google reviews

Went here for lunch on a workday. Boat noodles were 10/10. I'll be back and I'll be sure to take photos! Went back for a dinner on a weekday. Dinnertime is busier, but service was still great. Got the boat noodles, egg rolls and crispy rice+pork special -- all excellent and such good value!
AArriele Bernardo· Google
I loved their lao papaya salad! Only thing was at spicy level 10, I tasted no spice. I guess this is a ME problem. I eat too much spicy! Their lao sausages are also so good! Service was fantastic and its nice and quiet here. I would definitely come again for lao food.
DDee· Google
Thai style papaya salad paired well with the Laos sausage and beef. The soup had a lot of vegetables. You won't feel bloated nor guilty after eating all this food. I could imagine eating this again in a hot summer day. Gives you that fresh and cooling feeling while eating.
Aadi mart· Google
This place is really good! Loved the fat little spicy sausages, the Lao salad, the crying tiger beef, the Mok fish and the heavenly jerky. So flavorful, warmly spicy but with lots of lemongrass and herbal flavors. Not a fancy place, but you can definitely feel the love.
MMichelle Merrigan· Google
Great family owned spot that brings you as close to mom's home cooked meals! The flavors are authentic and the ingredients used are fresh. Ypu can tell they take pride in what they do here!
LLaura M· Google
Owned by the same folks that run JL Jerky, we have been waiting months for SLK to open. The nam khao, khao piek sen and laab were all solid. Will be back for more.
IIan Nicastro· Google
Got some yummy take out from Spicy Lao Kitchen! Ordered chicken pad Thai and beef pad see ew and waited for about 15 minutes. Very friendly staff and loved the aesthetic of the restaurant. Recommend, they have a large menu so will have to come back.
WWandering in Paradise· Google
Love their foods. Yummy. Beef skewers was a great desert. We had drunken noodles and curry noodle. Love them all.
MMianne Rose Mizner· Google

A look inside

Spicy Lao Kitchen storefront with red 3D lettering and round mortar-and-pestle logoNam Khao crispy rice salad with peanuts, dried chilies, shallots and herbsRare beef and meatball noodle soup topped with scallionsBright window seating with hedge wallSpicy Lao Kitchen logo and menu graphic: red script on cream with gold Lao ornamentsSliced green mango with chili dipping powderDining room with Mekong river-village mural and green boothsLao noodle bowl with cabbage, bean sprouts, herbs and crispy toppingsLao beef jerky with sesame beside a sticky rice basket on a bamboo trayNeon mortar-and-pestle sign and Southeast Asian wall artOrder counter with Lao snacks and leaf-blade ceiling fanBeef and meatball rice-noodle soup with fresh greens, chilies and dipping sauces

Come hungry.

  • 5375 Kearny Villa Rd #118, San Diego, CA 92123

    Suite 118 in the Spectrum Village plaza on Kearny Villa Rd, Kearny Mesa. Plenty of plaza parking.

  • Open daily

    Monday-Sunday · 11 AM-9 PM

  • (858) 229-8146
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