Lang Baan Reviews

I heard about Lang Baan from a co-worker in January. I immediately went on to look for reservations as it is a very long wait list. I found them for the night before our 2nd wedding anniversary and boy was it special and well worth the wait. Since it is located in the back of another restaurant it makes it that more fun that you feel like you are going to a secret place. It is very small, maybe fits 20 people max. Everything from the food to the wait staff was beyond exceptional. I cannot find the words to describe the flavors that you will taste, they were simply delightful. We were lucky enough to get another reservation at the end of May, they will have a new menu by then and can't wait to go again.

Quite possibly one of the most amazing dining experiences we’ve ever had! It was worth the seven months we had to wait! We sat at the Chef’s Table which was so fun! Secret doors-Authentic Thai food- fun experience- Oh Langbaan... how we love thee!

What an incredible experience!!! Worth the 6 month wait for a table and well worth every penny. I'm in shock and in awe of the food...literally the best food I've ever had

Get your reservation months in advance and prepare to savor the flavors. Each dish expertly prepared & presented. Complex flavors and combinations. Stunningly good.

Great food and service, very nice venue. It is an expensive option, however it is a very complete menu and above all, it is definitely a true thai food experience!

A wonderful experience for fine Thai dining. Would go back often! Very sophisticated, elegant platings with great food

Totally worth the wait for this tiny restaurant. Fixed price $75 meal. 12 small courses of exquisitely prepared Northeastern Thai dishes. $40.00 wine pairing. The flavors of each dish were magnificent and practically indescribable. The seafood offerings were light beyond compare. Think Akita diver scallops, lemon grass and galangal in cool coconut cream, in a crispy rice cup. How about waygu beef tartare and beef tendon chip? Ora king salmon with strawberry and Thai herbs,melting in your mouth with each bite. Albacore two ways with apricot, pardon pepper and ginger. Curry braised duck. Grilled rockfish. Halibut in coconut cream with pepper, shallot and greens. And more. I cannot even describe the dessert which was the most refreshing thing I have had in years. Go, go, go...no matter how long the wait. Perfect execution. Wonderful service. In the top 5 meal category for me! Menu changes monthly.

Had an absolutely fantastic experience at Langbaan. From the moment you arrive the amazing staff is friendly and welcoming and you can tell instantly everyone loves working there. I am not a food snob but have had the pleasure of eating at many, many very well reviewed restaurants in my life including quite a few michelin star restaurants in the US and many abroad. That list includes a michelin star experience in Bangkok early last year. I can say without hesitation the food and experience at Langbaan sits in the stratosphere for me as a few of my most fancy-schmanzy meals. How they haven't been awarded a James Beard here in the US I will never understand. I will say without question I am a Thai food snob and it's by far my favorite cuisine in the world. Any time I have a chance to step out of the standard Thai menus (which I do love) I will take it. Langbaan blew me away with the creativity of dishes, abundance of flavors even beyond what you normally expect from Thai food and the wine parings. And again, our servers were all amazing. Extremely knowledgable about the food creations and the wines. I am definitely not a wine expert, but the team at Langbaan does their homework and chose wines that were far from the ordinary which I think is a perfect compliment to how unique the food is at Langbaan. Why serve a run of the mill Sav Blanc if you can find a wine from Georgia (country) that uses grapes from a lineage of over 1,000 years? That's the care and creativity they use. If I get back to Portland I will be going back to Langbaan as you might imagine. They change their menu regularly which makes me envy those locals who can go whenever they want.

Really enjoyed the atmosphere. The service was outstanding. The servers had incredible knowledge of the menu. Everything tasted amazing!!

We were living in Portland only three months and just had to get a reservation here. So we did. Twice. Each time was absolutely amazing. Small plates with set menu but so much to talk about! So many flavors you never imaged putting together in a small intimate setting. Expensive at $75 a plate but well worth the experience to taste and explore new Thai dishes! Just try it!

Very impressed! Portland is really starting to make a case for a visit from the folks at Michelin! Very well put together meal with perfect wine pairings. What’s not to like? Looking forward to returning for the “fall” menu. Bravo.

It was a 3 month wait to get reservations at this restaurant, and it was worth the wait because it did not disappoint! Everything from the ambiance, to the staff, the dining area, as well as the food, of course, was amazing! We had the opportunity to sit at the chef table and was totally entertained and learned so much! Though the portions are small, we did not walk away hungry!

I had heard of the 6 month wait for a reservation last September 2015, during Feast Portland. Luckily, I took a chance and looked for a single seating for the dates I would be in Portland, and found an 8:45 seating. A reservation secured 2 weeks before I would be in Portland. Score! As a solo diner I was seated at the counter with a lovely couple next to me. These are the best seats in the house. Not only did I get to see the kitchen in action, but I was able to ask a few questions about courses being served. Before the first course is served, the theme of the menu is explained by one of the servers. Throughout the dinner, each dish is described. As a solo diner I never felt like I was dining alone. For many of us, this was our first visit to Lang Baan, and felt compelled to share the experience at first bite, and every bite afterwards. Never a lull in the dining experience.

Difficult to advise "travelers" unless they plan a trip to Portland that is at least 6 months away. We obtained a reservation before Thanksgiving but I do see on the restaurant facebook it is possible to be contacted if there is an opening for a cancelled res.. As the many foodie reviews/press state the quality of the food and dining experience is superb. What made it unique and entertaining was being seated at two of the four stools in front of the chefs.I completely appreciated watching the trio prep and assemble each dish with great care.They quietly and smoothly flowed in the kitchen area and presented lovely dishes with extraordinary complex flavors. Unless your there for strictly a romantic or social evening I would recommend asking the hostess for seating at one of the observation stools.

I was able to try Lang Baan for the first time at an event last night, and was blown away! The food was so delicious; flavorful and completely unique! I would highly recommend to anyone that is looking for an amazing meal!

The food here is just too good to describe. The 6 month reservation is worth the wait. You can check for cancellations on their facebook page, try to get lucky. Secret here is check out their drinks. Prices well and super tasty. This is a place where the food is like no other. You can't make this stuff at home, nor will you find any of the dishes at a street cart or even your favorite Asian restaurant. Its worth the price, period!

Such a treasure. If good things come in small packages then this is the motherlode. Ten tiny courses of exquisite preparation and unique flavors. It's hidden behind a larger and more usual Thai restaurant but don't be fooled. With more food courses than tables, you have to book in advance, waaaay in advance.

Wow. Had no idea Thai cousins could be this upscale....and amazing. We had kitchen side counter seats that really gave us a great view of how the food was actually prepared for presentation. There is enough food for you to come away full, which is sometimes my fear when I gotta these fancy places. All the dishes are spot on and ingredients explained. There was not one plate that I didn’t love during the 12+ course meal over 2 hrs. Make your reservations now because you may be waiting for a long time! One of the best, if not the best, in Portland

4 of us ate here sharing interesting dishes that never failed to elicit superlatives. Our waiter said he was on his first day and was being monitored but he knew everything by heart, was enthusiastic, knowledgeable and super-friendly. Loved it. And we walked in and had no waIt at all. Good cocktail too!

It lives up to everything you have ever heard or read, and still manages to exceed even your most lofty expectations built up after waiting months and months for your reservation date. The service is so warm and personal, from the minute you walk into PaaDee and tell them you are dining at Lang Baan you can feel the excitement for what they know you are about to experience. Peter lead the night for us and impeccably guided us through our meal. We gave him control of choosing our wine (not the wine pairing), I highly recommend letting the staff there lead you through the journey. I can't even tell you what it was we ate, I just know I will remember the flavors forever. I no longer eat lamb, because they are too cute, but I ate it and the flavor of the meat didn't even remotely resemble any lamb I had ever had before. The flavors are magical and the atmosphere is perfect. You feel tucked away which almost allows you to think you are in a small restaurant in Thailand, right down to the quirky, squeaky barstools. When we made a comment about them, Peter appropriately responded...there are little things that are on purpose just to remind us, we are just eating food after all, we can't take everything too seriously. Bravo Lang Baan!

Normally I like to write heavily detailed reviews based on my experience. However, my experience at Lang Baan was so good that words fail to adequately describe it. In place of my detailed coverage of the food I will simply say a few things about the restaurant itself. Make reservations as early as possible. I made my reservations in September, 2015 for April, 2016. Immediately after my experience I went home and made another reservation which will not be until October. Dinner was later than I'm used to. We did not begin eating till about 9:00PM. Earlier meal times were booked out. Expect to spend some money. I went with a family of 4. We did not purchase the drink accompaniment and instead elected to select a couple of bottles of wine from their list. In total our bill came out to be about $490.00 for two bottles, the meal service, and an after dinner drink for one. The Service is exceptional, the staff was very friendly and knowledgeable. The food was delicious. I encourage any diners to try everything and expect to stretch their palate. Though they would enjoy it, I would not recommend this establishment for those that like to put extra salt on their food whenever they eat out. The flavors were masterfully constructed and did not require anything but an appetite.

OK.. so one dish (the royal thai "soup") was a complete miss. The rest of the dishes were outrageous! Lang Ban is one of the best dining experiences I've had anywhere. I would rate it in my top 3 or 5 in the world. The place is very small, like 6 or 8 tables, but this adds to the experience of exclusivity. The service is very personal. The dishes are prepared by a bevvy of chefs, each one talented. If you can get in, just GO!

THis is truly an amazing place. They have 2 seatings and is a set menu for everyone with a variety of appetiziers, salads and main courses for everyone to share. The flavors are masterful, the presentation wonderful and tastes superb. If you like Thai food and want a great, unique dinner, this is the place to go A few things 1. This is a pretty pricey place ($75/person for dinner) so would not say this is really a place for kids etc..... 2. THe wait list for reservations is very very long. Not a place you can just walk in. So if you want to go, you need to plan ahead. For larger parties, the wait list can be over 5-6 months, so if you are planning a trip to portland in the future, make your reservation now ! 3. This place is actually inside another restaurant called PaaDee (owned by the same people) so you wont see a sign outside. 4. Again, it is a set menu, so if you have dietary restrictions, check out the menu. The menu does change every month 5. This is a typical portland high end restaurant in that while the food is top nothc, the dress code is typical portland. Heck your waiters are often dressed as much like Hipsters than anything. So suit and tie NOT required

Incredible food and just as difficult to get a spot. You leave you name and number and if you are lucky, they'll call you back for one of the two seatings on Thursday - Saturday. There are only a few tables, probably less than ten total, but the configurations can be adjusted depending on the number in your party. Ten courses of exquisite perfection. Tiny bites leave you wanting more but then another dish shows up that is different and also superb. The overall menu is different each time, I'm told, but I suspect some may stay for a while, or at least they should. When I have reviewed other restaurants, they were already listed on Trip Advisor and there was also question that asked if this was one of the best meals I had ever had in a restaurant. Lang Baan is the first one I could say 'YES' to - but that question isn't here. And there's also no place for uploading photos. Maybe those options will show up later? I feel very lucky to have had the chance to eat here. Hope you get that chance too.

Lang Baan's concept is great. Prepare a set menu of interestingly unique, high quality Thai cuisine. However, the hype didn't jive with the almost-impossible-to-get-reservation and overall quality of the food. Having traveled and eaten extensively around Thailand, and searched out the best Thai the U.S has to offer, I can say that this food is good but not great. My friend had waited a couple months on the very long waiting list to finally get a call to dine with them. Our expectations were understandably high. At $70/person before drinks, we also had the right to have high expectations. I like the Thai food in the front of the house in the sister restaurant PaaDee for a lot less money.

In the 23 years that we've lived and dined (a lot) in Portland, our meal tonight at Langbaan was the best that we have ever had, bar none. Every course was creative, beautiful and Incredibly delicious. Amazing.

Like others we loved the food and there was not a course that we either didn't love or made us "think" and talk about it. The best courses are the 3 starters-exceptional flavors and presentations, there would a couple of thinkers in the middle. Of the mains, one item was just way too hot and clouded the other flavors. The two desserts were exceptional. If you need a beverage, go for beer or their drinks, both are fairly priced. The wine list on the other hand is way overpriced. It is not that those are not good wines, but pairing with thai food is a real challenge because of all the strong flavors, some of which are incompatible with many old world wines. The selection of aromatic whites is good and results in good pairing, but they could and should offer other more affordable options given the $80 price tag for dinner. IN sum, don't take anyone here who does not have a broad palate and can savor all the flavors..

What a wonderful experience. Excellent wait staff, super tasty food. Interestingly prepared dishes that were so full of flavor and we're very well crafted. Very impressed with this little spot, very exclusive and it was well worth the wait for the reservation. Definitely a fun experience and a must try!

Every tasting was delicious! A variety of flavors and sensations, all amazing. I enjoy my Thai food spiced medium plus, this was spiced perfectly for me. They walk you through each item, the ingredients and preparation. For the 20 customers there are 3-4 servers and 3-4 cooks! It was an experience that I would like to do again sometime! Definitely worth the 6 month wait!

Had an amazing Thai experience last night! It is very hard to get a reservation at Lang Baan but it is worth the wait. It is a set menu that changes regularly. The dinner starts with small bites that are bursting with flavor and leave you wanting more. Then salads and soups arrive followed by the main courses. The flavors were amazing. I highly recommend this restaurant and can't wait to go back. You just have to plan ahead!!

People used to have to wait 6 months or more to get reservations here, but it definitely has gotten better. I was able to make reservations for two weeks out for an 8:15 seating for two people. An added bonus, they message you via text about a week before the reservation to check and see if you have any food allergies or dietary restrictions. This restaurant changes their menu monthly, which I think it great because it makes people want to keep coming back to try new dishes. We went during the month of August and the dishes were influenced by Northern Thai food. If you're a picky eater, I'd recommend viewing their menu for the month beforehand to make sure you're okay with what they're serving. The service was great. The wait staff explained the ingredients in every dish, what to expect, where it's from, and in some cases recommendations on how to best eat it. There were only a couple of dishes I didn't really enjoy, which was solely just a personal preference on taste. The timing of the dishes coming out was perfect and the amount of food was perfect as well. By the time we finished our main dishes we had just about had enough. If you're looking to experience some great food unlike anything you've ever had then this small, quiet restaurant is the place for you.

It was one hell of a ride the entire night. I have never tasted such well conceived Thai food. The breadth, depth, sophistication and how the various ingredients come together to create the ultimate gastronomical experience. Watching the chef prepare at the counter is a must do experience. Will definitely come back again if I am ever in Portland again which incidentally has the best food scene in America.

Although reservations for Langbaan were months out, using Yelps’ SeatMe provided an unexpected spot on a recent Saturday night. Langbaan is chef Ninson’s 24 seat intimate fine dining version of Thai cuisine that is found behind his Paa Dee restaurant and holds the coveted Oregonian’s 4-star review thanks to the culinary expertise of Ruaysuntia. Langbaan also received nods in 2015 from James Beard Foundation (semifinalist Best New Restaurant) and GQ magazine (2nd place Most Outstanding Restaurant list). You enter Langbaan by going into Paa Dee, making your way to the restroom but make a sudden u-turn and approach what appears to be a bookcase and pull on the large handle to enter. The menu selection here is a fixed tasting menu with innovative cocktails and matched wine pairing available from Paa Dee’s excellent mixologist. The service was good with each dish was presented and explained individually at your table. It is noted that the service is table specific so you only got your next course when you were finished with the current course vs whole room getting the same course at the same time. There are also only 2 seating's each night and due to their size and concept, don't expect vegan or gluten free options. The fixed menu is a parade of courses that consist of one-bite flavor wonders. On our night, we were privileged to actually sample a new menu and approach that was the result of Langbaan being closed for 5 weeks as they explored Thailand for new inspiration – and they found it. The menu was divided up into 3 snacks, a soup, 2 appetizers, 4 dishes that make up the ‘main’, and 2 desserts. We started off with very creative and wonderful cocktails and opted for the wine pairing. Note that the wine pairing was very well done and perfectly complemented the Thai cuisine. Our menu included: Snacks: marinated shrimp with pomelo, chili, lime and ginger wrapped in a betel leaf; scallop in coconut cream with lemongrass, and galangal in a crispy rice cup; and Phuket style rice noodle stuffed with ankimo, dried shrimp, shiitake mushroom, port, sprout, omelet, garlic and soy vinaigrette. Soup: savory clam in coconut broth, Romanesco, matsutake mushroom, sawtooth, and shallot. Appetizer: soy cured wagyu zabuton, groundwork carrot, braeburn apple, dried squid, mint, shrimp powder; kanpachi, mandarin orange, delicate squash, pomegranate, sunchoke, zucchini, pine nut. Main: Dungeness crab curry with cha-om, pineapple, betel leaf, kaffir line; turmeric fried squid with tentacle and smelt; Chef Ann’s (Ruaysuntia) salted duck egg relish with prawn, fresh greens; Jasmine rice. Dessert: cassava, job’s ear; pineapple, black bean in coconut borth, jasmine ice; pan fried roti, local spicy honey. Overall the majority of the dishes were mild with only the last ‘main’ dishes considered ‘spicy’ for those sensitive to chili heat (as my dining companion). Out favorites for the evening were scallop in coconut cream, savory clam in coconut broth, soycured wagyu zabuton, kanpachi with orange, and Dungeness crab curry (spicy), and the cassava and job’s tear and pineapple in coconut broth. This is not a budget outing as total damage, including tasting menu, cocktails, wine pairing, and after diner scotch was $125/person (expensive by PDX standards). So if you are in PDX and enjoy a fine dining Thai experience, you will be competing with us for any open seats going forward. Definitely worth the reservation and the detour.

Located in the very heart of the Burnside Ave in SE Portland, this is a Thai restaurant with a full bar and cocktail venue. The place is small and there no parking or no waiting area once you check in with the host. Menu has a variety of starters, main course items but no dessert. Portions are adequate but not a lot if you are hungry. Taste is pretty good since there are so many other Thai options in Portland area. You can try it out but nothing extraordinary

For the best in Thai food, service and exclusivity, check this place out. Reservations required, and it books out several weeks. Must try!

May be it was not living up to its pre COVID reputation, may be my expectation was set too high from the first experience, or may it was the over 90 degree heat in which we dined….whatever it was this experience did not live up to my expectation or the price point. First of all, I am sure there is no air conditioning in Lang Baan and if there is it happened to under repair. It was uncomfortable for me all night, but for my wife she almost had to step out from feeling lightheaded from the heat. The heat seemed to have taken all the steam out our enthusiasm and overall the experience was just exhausting. There were some outstanding dishes, like the clam soup, beef carpaccio, and all of the snacks were delicious. I would have to say that some of the presentation were a little on the sloppy side. And some of courses came out in shared plate style and not individual plates. Some disappointing dishes were salmon which was bathed in a very flavorful jungle curry broth but the salmon itself was plain and flavorless. There was too much rice which counted as one of the courses. Overall good food but way to hot and didn’t meet my expectation, which may have been too high. I will return again as I am sure they change their menu. It’s just that this time, it left me disappointed…and hot.

Lang Baan (back room in Thai) is exactly that, a room stashed in the back of Paadee. The room only sits around 22 people so reservations are a six month wait. No type O, 6 months. The menu is a set menu that changes monthly. The month of November is food inspired by Muslim communities in Thailand. If you have read any of my other reviews you will know that we are adventurous when it comes to food. This was an adventure for sure but nothing too crazy. You can choose to go with a wine pairing of either standard vintage or reserve. Two of us went with the reserve and one with the standard. There were distinct differences in the wines but the standard paired just as well as the reserve. The food was outstanding and as you might expect the service was on point. Since the menu changes each month and you have no choices there is really no sense in me going through the menu. Plan to spend $200-$300 per couple depending on what you do with beverages. Our meal included 3 appetizers, one soup, two salads, 1 entree and 2 desserts. Small portions but more than enough food. Everything was really good but if I had to choose a favorite item for the night I think I would go with the Soup gam wua, beef cheek. Go for the experience with an open mind and enjoy yourselves. You won't be disappointed.

So if you've looked at the reservation timeline, it's kinda long and I completely forgot about mine until a few days before (best kinda surprise in years). The presentation and ambiance of the room was great. The classic 4 Thai flavors were well represented across the meal. Some of the best pieces were in the early bites. Oh and hats off to the service staff, obviously they communicate on a level that would outshine most relationships. They are on top of everything without hovering and can answer any questions in detail that underlines their professionalism. Did i mention it's affordable?

Small, a few tables, cozy, rustic, fine dining Thai in Portland. Reservations needed, at times months in advance, but well worth the wait and the price! Twelve delicious, beautifully presented and so many different flavors in their set menu. Wine pairings available but you can bring your own at $30.00 corking fee ,each of the first two bottles. Service, excellent, professional and knowledgeable.What a gastronomic experience!

Had my 40th birthday dinner here. Only negative price. Food was amazing, service was great and I will now save up for another year to go back and eat it again.

If you are a foodie and enjoy Thai food then I promise that dining at Lang Baan will not disappoint. They have 2 seatings on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It is prix fixe. I have eaten there twice and each time there were 12 small plates with an optional wine pairing. It is located in a secret space behind a bookcase door in the restaurant Paa Dee. The cocktails are also amazing. My favorite is the "Waterfall". The food is focused on a particular region of Thailand. The flavors are outstanding. My best meal in this country!

We were looking for a great experience and outstanding food quality after reading most of the reviews. Unfortunately it was not the case. We only liked two from the eight dishes and we are not coming back. Long explanations full of nice words and marketing concepts for each dish but the food was far from what we expected. We spent two hours, and $200+ for two persons and the return of investment was not there. You can't choose your food and they do not are able to adjust the spicy level, out any other request, etc. Which means that you simply like what's available that night or you are on your own.

The food, service, presentation were all excellent. I think the portions were small (though, obviously, it is not an all youc an eat buffet but a tasting menu). But still, a little bit more would have been great. I liked everything I had. I just think for the money you can do better in Portland.

Words are poor conveyors of what this restaurant is all about with its ten exquisite courses of slightly larger than bite-sized portions of the most flavourful, delightful, sweet, sour, spicy mouthfuls you could ever imagine. Each dish is totally different from course to course in so many ways, from taste to texture, from presentation to fragrance. I heard that they just switched to an online booking method which means they are probably booked through 2020. Do what you have to but get there.

Langbaan is a culinary delight from the beginning when you go through the "secret" door to the end when you walk out of the restaurant that it is contained in. As others have mentioned, it's damn near impossible to get a reservation unless you plan 6 months in advance or are on the wait list. Our party of 4 went on a Thursday night for the first seating after having drinks nearby. The service is impeccable and reminiscent of what you would expect from a foodie fine dining experience in our casual city. I went with the $35 wine pairing in addition to the $75 tasting menu and was happy with my choice. Every single dish was beautifully presented and blew my mind with complex tastes and textures. Their December menu is based off Thai street food.

We had to wait over two months to get a reservation to Lang Baan and it was worth the wait. The intimate back-of-the-house dining area (behind the bookcase with the meat grinder handle) and ability to watch the team of chefs prepare your meal was a magical experience. Course after course surprised us (duck, salmon, scallops, coconut, mushrooms, spices) and finishing off with the coconut tapioca dessert with cantaloupe balls was truly the perfect finish to a meal full of flavor. Incredible food. If you are ready for Thai that you will not expect elsewhere, go to Lang Baan.

After returning from Bangkok last November I’ve searched Portland for the best Thai food. Search is over. Words can do little justice to just how amazing the food is. Perfectly balanced. By far the best meal I’ve ever eaten. At times eliciting an emotional response. Filling me with joy. I can’t. Words just can’t. Speechless.

Lang Baan is a place you definitely want to experience. The service was excellent. The food was very good. Given the prix fix nature of the menu it's a just go with it kinda meal... some things I tried I will never put in my mouth again and others I still think about - the menu changes monthly so you can't go back to have your favorite thing which is what makes me wonder if I'll go again. it's high in demand so you just have to make a reservation and block that day 6 months from now off on your calendar.

After a 2 month wait, we finally got to experience what it was all about. Tucked inside Paa Dee Thai restaurant, we were lucky enough to sit at the counter to see the action and talk with owner/chef Earl and chef Rassammee. Nice folks. Each course represented a unique new and refreshing taste. Loved the miang som-o. So many flavors in one bite. Loved the wagyu beef layered with kobe beef. And loved the mussel pancakes. The menu changes monthly. So experience it for yourself. It's worth the wait.

I've eaten at places all along the west coast including Las Vegas at some really amazing places. Langbaan is one of the best meals I've ever had. The portions are rather small but completely packed with flavor. The seating is very limited and I would suggest doing what I did and get your reservations six months in advance. The dining experience is very intimate and the people working here take real care of each guest. The menu changes all the time but each tasting menu is created with a theme and each course compliments the next course coming. Wonderful place to try some very interesting Thai options. The tasting menu we had was $75 per person but it's well worth it since you could spend much more at other places in Portland and not get near the experience or quality.