Ma Der Lao Kitchen

My first visit to Ma Der Lao was also my first real experience with Lao food. The dishes are served family-style and meant to be shared, so my good friend and I followed our server’s recommendations. We ordered the Nam Khao, grilled beef skewers, sticky rice and chili dip. The Nam Khao had a great combination of crispy rice, cured pork sausage, fresh herbs, and peanuts, with lettuce for wrapping. The grilled beef skewers were tender, well-seasoned and edged out the Nam Khao by the smallest of margins, although both were excellent. As first-timers, we didn’t realize that the sticky rice should be rolled into a ball and used to scoop up the chili dip. A little explanation would have helped—especially because that dip was powerful! 🌶️🔥 I’m giving Ma Der Lao four stars, not because the food wasn’t excellent, but because one visit didn’t give me enough opportunities to explore the menu. Based on what we tried, I will absolutely return and sample more before deciding whether it earns that fifth star.

Ma Der Lao Kitchen was hands-down the best meal I’ve had in 2026 so far. After hearing so many people rave about it—shout out to Big Tre TV for the inspiration—we headed there for dinner. The moment we arrived and saw a line out the door, I had a feeling we were in for something special. People don’t wait around for mediocre food, so I was happy to be patient if it meant the meal would be worth it. What I wasn’t prepared for was just how incredible everything would be from start to finish. While we waited about 20 minutes for a table, we grabbed cocktails at their sister concept next door, which made the wait fly by. The cocktail program was thoughtful, the service was outstanding, and every dish we ordered delivered. We shared the crispy pork ribs, chicken larb, crispy rice salad, beef jerky (which was so good I forgot to take a picture), and finished with the banana cheesecake. The only minor note I can even think of mentioning is that a few bites of the ribs had a little gristle. That’s it. Everything else was exceptional. The food was already amazing. The service was already amazing. But that banana cheesecake took the entire experience to another level. It was the perfect ending to an unforgettable meal. I have to admit, Oklahoma City has completely surprised me. It’s one of the most underrated food cities I’ve visited, and Ma Der Lao Kitchen is a huge reason why. I already can’t wait to go back.

Outstanding service from the warm welcome at the hostess stand and the attentive wait staff eager to answer questions and make recommendations. The food was very good as expected. We ordered papaya salad, crispy rice salad, beef skewer, sticky rice, and chicken wings. I was not going to order the sticky rice; however, our server highly recommended it and I'm glad we followed her advice. It was the perfect and quintessential accompaniment to our meal. . . one order, between two of us, was just the right amount of bland carbohydrate to swipe up sauce and get the palette ready for more flavorful bites. We ordered the papaya salad at medium spicy level. I was surprised to find it a tad over my spice threshold because I thought I could appreciate spicy. Next time, I would order less spicy and add a spicy condiment if I needed more heat. Regarding atmosphere, I liked seeing the kitchen and the hustle and bustle of food service. Unfortunately, something about the place amplifies every clink, thud, and tap, but especially the high-end treble of voices. The cacophony was more than I could endure. We finished our meal early, taking it to go eat elsewhere.

This definitely deserves all the 5-star reviews. Yes, the crispy rice and beef kabobs are amazing. But we really enjoyed the wings and coconut soup (maam vahn) desert, which is a light and refreshing soup that tastes similar to jackfruit banana coconut milk boba.

I came here on a recommendation. The atmosphere was modern and had a nice layout. The food is served family style. I sat at the bar and 'JO' was my bartender. She was very attentive and friendly. She was great at items to order. I had the wings! Wow! Amazingly tasty. I also got the chicken salad dish. It was delicious. The food,service and atmosphere was the best. I'll come back and tell ,Jo, thank you for your kindness. That's why people come back!