Vientiane Noodle Shop Offers Pho and Much More

Pad Thai. Photo taken Feb. 10, 2026 by Cari Taylor-Carlson.

February, also known locally as Phobruary, is a good time to visit Vientiane Noodle Shop on West National Avenue to try the pho, which is featured there. Friends and I recently enjoyed two lunches there. Vientiane serves a variety of Laotian, Vietnamese and Thai dishes, including several kinds of pho, the Vietnamese soup that begins with a rich stock usually made with beef bones and spices such as cinnamon, anise and ginger, and, for extra umami, a touch of fish sauce. This flavorful broth is poured over rice noodles and meat and served with mung bean sprouts, basil and lime wedges.

At Vientiane you can order the Phobruary special pho, beef and meatballs, at the special price of $8, or do as my companion did and order pho duck. This was a gigantic bowl of broth and noodles plus several pieces of duck, bones and all. We noted that the beef and meatball special came in a smaller bowl that still held more than enough pho for a satisfying lunch, while half of my companion’s duck went home for another meal.

You can order the Thai yellow noodles two ways: crispy mee krob, served with a variety of vegetables, or pad yellow noodles, stir-fried with vegetables in a dense sauce that created a rich and filling entrée. Slices of chicken were mixed with mushrooms, kale, carrots and broccoli in the pad yellow noodles, and, like the pho, half of this dish went home for another meal.

We found the three appetizers, from a list of 14 appetizers on the menu, all exceptionally tasty. Egg rolls stuffed with pork and served with a spicy sweet-and-sour sauce, fried Vientiane sausage and crab rangoon left no doubt that great care is taken with everything on the menu. Other appetizers included steamed Chinese broccoli, marinated and deep-fried quail, firecracker shrimp and pork belly.

When I returned for a second lunch, one of my companions ordered pad Thai because this was a dish he had frequently ordered at other local Thai restaurants. This pad Thai, notable for its bright, fresh flavors, had a touch of gentle heat. A hint of fish sauce in the background, crunchy peanuts and mung bean sprouts completed this classic Thai dish.

Another companion ordered two soup entrees: Thai tom kha gai, coconut soup with chicken and mushrooms, and Thai kang phet, red curry in coconut milk with bamboo shoots, mushrooms and the combo — beef, pork and chicken. We noticed that the underlying flavor from coconut milk in the kang phet and the tom kha gai was similar. The tom kha gai had more spicy heat and large pieces of chicken, while the kang phet came with a bowl of jasmine rice to add to the soup.

The Laotian specialty bee boun will bring me back to Vientiane. This was a dish I could eat once a week. Two egg rolls that were cut into bite-sized pieces topped skinny vermicelli noodles that then topped mung bean sprouts, crisp iceberg lettuce, carrots and cilantro. Unlike the Thai specialties, the bee boun was served at room temperature. A light sauce, crushed peanuts and barbecued pork added the right touch to finish this dish. It was memorable.

Our beverage of choice, Thai iced tea made with 2% milk, sugar and tea, was a light and refreshing drink that enhanced all the bright, fresh and diverse flavors that we discovered at Vientiane. In the words of my companion who ordered the familiar pad Thai, “This is a place I want to come back to.”

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• Location: 3422 W. National Ave.
• Phone: 414-672-8440
• Hours: 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tue-Sun
• Neighborhood: Silver City
• Website: http://vientianenoodleshop.com
• Facebook: Vientiane Noodle Shop

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