A Seattle restaurant known for bringing the vibrant street food culture of Bangkok's Yaowarat Chinatown to the city, offering bold Thai-Chinese flavors.
Gao Lhao brings the bold, electrifying flavors of Yaowarat, Bangkok's iconic Chinatown, to Seattle. It offers Thai-Chinese street food with a fierce, traditional spin in a stylish and welcoming atmosphere, known for its rich broths and diverse pork preparations.
Customer Perception
Customers consistently praise the food for being fresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented, often described as works of art. The Kurobuta Boat Noodle and Tom Yum Moo are frequently highlighted as delicious and satisfying. While the ambiance is generally well-received, some feedback indicates inconsistencies in dish quality on repeat orders and occasional slow service, particularly in the bar area, with communication issues regarding orders and condiments.
Additional Details
Gao Lhao features a surprisingly fun cocktail menu with unique options, such as the Kinnaree Bird Nest, which combines pandan-infused bourbon, coconut water, coconut cream, and butterfly pea flower juice. Their Mango Sticky Rice offers a distinctive twist by using black sticky rice mixed with red bean paste.
The restaurant is open daily from 11:30 am to 10:00 pm. While specific peak times are not mentioned, reviews suggest it can be buzzing with customers, implying popular dining hours for lunch and dinner.
I first visited this restaurant a few months ago and had such a great experience that I decided to come back again tonight with a friend. I’m happy to say the food and service were just as impressive as I remembered.
We ordered several dishes, including the shrimp Pad Thai, noodle bowl, and dessert, and everything was fresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented. The Pad Thai was especially delicious, with perfectly cooked noodles and generous portions of shrimp. Every dish arrived looking like a work of art.
The atmosphere is stylish, welcoming, and perfect for a casual dinner with friends or family. The staff was friendly, attentive, and made sure we had a wonderful dining experience from start to finish.
One thing I really appreciate is the consistency. Sometimes restaurants are great the first time but not the second. This place delivered the same excellent quality on both visits, which says a lot about their standards.
If you’re visiting Las Vegas and looking for delicious food, beautiful presentation, and great service, I highly recommend stopping by. I’ll definitely be back again on my next trip!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Highly recommended! Consistently great food, service, and atmosphere.
Food: The food came out quickly enough and was fresh.
Chive cakes are soooo tasty! They taste just like what my Indonesian grandma used to make when I was young. Even the slightly sweet and sour soy sauce that comes with them tastes 99% similar. It’s nostalgia on a plate.
Pad kee mao with beef is surprisingly fragrant when it’s served. It’s flavorful and basily, with every bite full of savoriness, sweetness, and spiciness (I chose medium spicy). Each bite of the soft yet perfectly chewy rice noodles is coated in the sauce. It’s a carb feast if you just bike down to greenlake.
Service: All the staff ladies we met were extremely friendly, yet you don’t need to make lengthy small talk like you do at some places. Very introvert friendly and comfortable.
I’d say this is a place that’s great for dining alone or coming with friends, a partner, or family. Definitely worth a second visit, and I want to try more dishes
4
Came all the way from Texas and had been looking forward to this for 2 months, so my expectations were really high. I wasn't disappointed, but it didn't quite exceed them either. Everything we had was good, especially anything with pork belly. My only note is that the food leaned a little on the sweeter side. Desserts were amazing, the staff were super friendly, and the atmosphere was great. Overall, a really nice experience.
4
🐖 Kurobuta Boat Noodle Style
An absolutely top-tier boat noodle. The portion was huge, packed with both noodles and every form of pork imaginable: pork belly, sliced pork, pork skin, pork balls, plus a rich pork blood broth. Deeply flavorful and incredibly satisfying. Easily one of the best boat noodles I’ve ever had.
🦐 Tom Yum Moo
They offer several kinds of tom yum here. This version uses the same broth as their hot pot and is great for solo dining or smaller groups. The soup is rich but not overly creamy, and loaded with toppings: crispy pork belly, char siu, minced pork, and more. The sour and spicy broth cuts through the heaviness of the pork really well, making it a great option even for people who don’t usually love super pork-forward flavors.
🥭 Mango Sticky Rice
My friend said this was the prettiest mango sticky rice he’s ever seen. Instead of regular white sticky rice, they use black sticky rice with a little red bean paste mixed in. It honestly made me wonder if the chef was inspired by Hong Kong-style dessert flavors.
We also ordered chicken wings as an appetizer — pretty average, wouldn’t especially recommend them.
Their cocktail menu is surprisingly fun though, with even more interesting options than Kin Len Thai. I ordered the Kinnaree Bird Nest, which combines pandan-infused bourbon, coconut water, coconut cream, and butterfly pea flower juice. Super layered and playful in both texture and flavor — one of those cocktails that’s genuinely fun to drink. There were several other cocktails I wanted to try too, so I’m definitely planning another visit.
😋 Broke Foodie Rating: 8/10 — already planning to go back
💰 Around $50/person (cocktails make it pricier)
📍 Gao Lhao Bangkok Noodle Shop
5
Really enjoyed my visit to Gao Lhao. The tom yum moo was the highlight for me. It had a great balance of sour, spicy, and savory flavors, and the pork was cooked perfectly.
The service was good and everyone was friendly and attentive. The ambience was amazing too. The space felt cozy, welcoming, and made the whole experience even better.
Would definitely come back and recommend it to anyone looking for good Thai food in Seattle.
