Song Phang Kong

the small thai is absolutely the best. i came here with my sister so she probably left a review as well. we got papaya salad-​so fresh, the pad thai-​saucy (yummy), and green curry – my absolute favorite – strongly recommand it with the sticky rice. everything is so good i m overwhelmed by delicious food. not to mention that the friendly boss is also the chef. he definitely puts a lot of thoughts into the food he is making since every dish contains colorful vegetables that add some taste into the whole dish.

Got here early for lunch. Good thing because even though this place is a legit hole-​in-​the-​wall, there are enough people out there that do know about this little hidden gem. This place is run by a mom and pop who barely speak English and run the whole shop on their own. There are only 4 tables. Yes, thats 4 tables folks. 2 2-​tops and 2 4-​tops, meaning if you have more than 4 people, you are better off getting take out.
Everything here is BOMB.
The Pad Thai is by far the most flavorful and sauciest Pad Thai I’ve had in Seattle which makes it my favorite now. I mean honestly, tasting the Pad Thai, I can’t even wait to try the Pad See Ew next. I can – not wait for the sauce on that one. Lots of tasty bits in this one, the owner doesn’t cheap out on eggs or veggies, it’s packed full.
The Papaya salad was fresh, refreshing, flavorful and well balanced. Sweet, tangy and fragrant with tons of tasty bits like peanuts, nuts, dried shrimp, cilantro… yeah I would not miss this one.
The Green Curry taste is ON POINT. That curry is ¹⁰⁄₁₀ and out of this world.
Portions are large and each dish is — I kid you not– $ 9 including tax. That’s insane compared to the portion size.
I cannot wait to come here again. Seriously.
Pro tip: Cash Only. Must be patient with owners as they are understaffed and they don’t speak english but they are kind as hell.

Just recently tried this place out, it’s a small place but the food packs quite a punch. I had recently ordered some food for pickup to eat at home. Came into the place at noon on a sunday and it was empty.
I had an order of Pad See Ew for myself and Pad Thai for my GF. I called it in and the guy told me 15 minutes to pickup, when I came the food was packed and ready for me to pay and Go. But on to the food.
Pad See Ew:
Chicken 2 stars spicy (out of 5), and it was a little spicier then I had expected, but it was still good. It had alot of flavor. The stir-​fry noodles was soft and thinner than what I’ve had before, but somehow it works with the dish and it soaked up alot of the sauce making each bite full of flavor. Next time I might have to get 1 star.
Pad Thai:
She got Chicken 3 stars spicy. I was able to try a little bit of this. I liked it, but I didnt have enough of it to give a good review for it.
Overall Good Thai place in the Little Saigon area, will most definitely come back.
P. S. Also tried the Thai Tea, Love me some Thai Tea.

Don’t judge a book by it’s cover… my sister is visiting from Boston and we wanted authentic Thai food. We Unilocaled and this place came up with the highest score.
The menu and atmosphere are minimal and there was only one man working there, but it’s all worth it. The portion sizes were enormous and the food was amazing! We were both impressed and excited that we went against our initial thoughts to walk away from the looks of the place.

I ate here twice a couple months ago but just got around to writing a review. This is a complicated place to review, I will break it down for you:
5 stars for value, 4 stars for taste, 1 star for cleanliness (more on this in a minute), 1 star for service and convenience.
The food is good and the woman running the place is super cute as everyone says. You get all the pepsi and water you can drink it seems and she doesn’t collect tax. If you tip her 20% she gets super excited. The portions are big and hand made right then… but… it is a filthy place. The tables were dirty both times I went there, I over looked it the first time but not again. There is lots of perisible food just sitting out and all the surfaces are pretty grungy looking. She takes orders one table at a time and makes all your food, one dish at a time before moving to the next table. Lots of people just get up and leave rather than waiting up to 20 minutes or so to order.
She desperately needs a second person there during the lunch hour, and really maybe a third person. If she had at a minimum a second person that person could take orders, clean the tables, serve drinks, run the cash register and do a little kitchen prep if she/​he has time.
I really really wanted to like this place, but the cleanliness and possible food safety trumps all for me. I’ll check back next year to see if she gets some help.

Went here because it sounded like a very authentic experience, but others’ description of «hole in the wall» means more than cozy and hard to find. There is a parking lot right next to the place, which is nice, but seating is limited to about twelve people total, so it’s very crowded.
The menu lists everything as the same price — $ 7.99. That means that «egg roll» is actually six egg rolls. cool for groups, if the space doesn’t deter you, and if they have the seats available. Not many choices on the menu, but that’s no big deal.
We tried a little of everything, which was easy since we had almost as many people as menu items. The Pad See Ew was fairly bland, and the egg rolls were pretty standard. The Phad Thai was good, but very heavy, and the shrimp had an odd flavor. I wish I’d tried the Papaya Salad or Sausage.
The woman talked about in so many reviews was nowhere to be seen, only teo guys who spoke very little English. Our orders came out fine, if a bit staggered. They were pleasant, but there was a mix up on the bill.
Not bad, not great.
The photos for this place are barely indicative of the food served. The Phad Thai is very representative, but the bright photos of other items are not representative of the meal we had, nor the atmosphere.

Sat there for 20 minutes (no exaggeration) waiting for the man to come take my order. He gave me a bottle of water, walked away and served everyone around me, but he never took my order. Then while sitting there, a cockroach fell onto my table. After 25 minutes of waiting and then that happening, I left. This place is dirty as hell. I was going to ignore the dirtiness and sticky table, but the cockroach falling from where ever did it for me. Health department needs to come here, yuck!

We came here right before a Mariner’s game. It was quite the walk and unsuspecting! We were greeted by the sweetest lady. Her friend came to help out and cook. We got to watch them prep the food. It was sooooo fresh. Fresh veggies and you get a recommendation on spice. I don’t know if was an off day for us, cuz we could normally handle spicey. The lady said we should try medium. It was the perfect kick in the mouth. Spicey but still deliciously flavorful. We had the chicken pad thi and green curry.
Such a sweet small little business with the legit flavor to make up for the location. Definitely will come back: D

The food seriously is fantastic, but the only reason that this isn’t a 5 star review is because — and I’m not being facetious — I have no idea when they open. After seeing their mention on Eater Seattle, I immediately checked this place out the following day with a coworker. It was well into noon (probably around 12:20) when we arrived and the place was completely dark. There was a woman inside, but she didn’t pay us any heed after knocking on the window a couple of times.
Came back with a different coworker about a week later, this time around 11:55. The door was open but it was dark inside. We caught a woman sitting on the chair. She barely spoke English and asked that I help her put the backing of her earring on. We asked if she was open to which she replied «I’ll cook for you». She was totally cute, and in her broken English we understood that it would be a bit slow, but that she’d make food for us. We tried the pad thai and green curry. Both were absolutely fantastic, with the portions very generous for the price. I don’t recall ordering a spice level, but the pad thai was maybe a 3 and the curry a 4. I took the curry leftovers home, and for dinner, the spice level jumped up to a 5.
In any event, definitely worth a visit, but just have a Plan B in case they aren’t open. Might I suggest Thai Curry Simple down the street as your Plan B.

I came here on a whim one day because I was craving pork larb. I walked in, peeked at the menu, and didn’t see larb on it. There’s literally like 5 items on the menu and the owner sees you as soon as you step in. She’s super hospitable and I couldn’t walk away from her.
As the bad customer that I am, I asked her if she had any larb anyways and she said yes. She said yes! I was thrilled. 15 minutes later and I got an entire to-​go box full of larb with sticky rice for $ 8. While I was waiting, I was so turned off by the hole in the wall interior with the broken fan, but damn I’m so happy I stayed.
The larb was soooo good. So much flavor without being too overwhelming. Definitely my spot for Laos food now. I hope there’s a seat open for me when I come back (considering there’s only 10 chairs in there, max)!

Came here for dinner with a friend during the week and both of us left with mixed feelings about this hole in the wall restaurant. Located right across from the Viet-​Wah in the international district, it’s pretty easy to locate this restaurant.
If you come here with a group of more than 4, good luck in trying to find a table! Simply because this restaurant is pretty small with limited tables and seats (around 3 – 4 tables). If you come here during «peak» dining hours, do expect to wait quite a bit for your food. The only person we saw working was this cute old lady who cooked, served, and was the cashier. Not sure if she has anyone assisting her in the back of the kitchen but she’s quite the trooper in trying to juggle all the roles at once by herself. How it works when it comes to getting your order in and food made is literally first come, first serve. The sweet old lady will only stop by each table 1 at a time, take the table’s order, go prepare the food, serve that table and will then proceed to the next table waiting. In between, she also tries her best to complete to-​go orders as well.
My friend and I waited around an hour and a half for our two dishes. We were pretty bummed out that we didn’t get to try the homemade sausage (since it ran out) and the BBQ pork (which was forgotten in our order, despite us reminding the lady three times). For dinner, we ordered the pad kee mao and the chicken wings. The chicken wings were average, the flavoring wasn’t as strong and for us, our chicken wings were a bit too burnt for our taste. For the pad kee mao, it was a pretty large serving with plenty of vegetables and man! The level of spice was pretty on point. There weren’t too many noodles in our dish but at least it was pretty tasty. Plus, you do get the option of free bottled water/​soda along with your meal! All the dishes were reasonably priced (slightly cheaper than the average Thai restaurant meals) and do note, this place is cash only and no reservations are available.
So when coming here, I highly recommend eating at the off peak times (like a nice random meal around 3pm or something) to avoid the long wait time. Also, feel free to chip in and help out with the place! I saw this sweet guy who jumped up and volunteered to help the old lady out with serving the food to the other tables and taking orders. From what I can see, she definitely appreciates any help from us foodies on the little things.

We saw an article in the Stranger about a hole in the wall Laotian and Thai restaurant and decided to be adventurous. This place is the epitome of hole in the wall with only 4 tables. Once seated, the owner gave us bottles of water and sodas and made sure we knew it was free. We ordered green curry with chicken, pad see ew with beef, papaya salad, and BBQ pork. Everything was absolutely delicious. BBQ pork chop was moist. Green curry was creamy with just the perfect heat. What can I say about the papaya salad, she made it all by hand using a mortar and pestle. We also ordered thai iced tea and it was huge AND free! Everything was $ 7.99.
Our whole meal took a little over an hour but the wait can definitely be longer if there are more customers. Everything is made to order… so just like a home cooked meal, it does take time. Even the to go orders had waiting time of at least 30 – 45 minutes. Don’t expect to come here and be out in a jiffy. The owner is very sweet. Would definitely recommend this place. Food was tasty, service was great, affordable prices.

Continuing our beginning forays into Laotian food, we went to Song Phang Kong. It is a hole-​in-​the-​wall, single handedly run by the nicest little lady you will ever want to meet.
After graciously meeting and seating us she brought complimentary canned soft drinks and bottled water. The menu had only a few Thai and Lao dishes, everything for $ 7.50.
We had the Lao Papaya Salad that she made in front of us. It differed from Thai versions in that tomatoes were mortared in with the papaya to make a delicious tomato-​based sauce. Four huge, fat, sweet prawns were included.
We also ordered her Laotian Sausages. She makes them herself with a hand cranked meat grinder and they are so, so good. She served us sticky rice on the house and kept bringing us steamed rice.
She has started to take credit cards.

Saucinn’, saucinn’, saucinn’ on you
Watch out, Song Phang Kong is that Thai Iverson. Like that ring he never won. Except you won’t spend all your pay here.
6 reasons:
1.) The epitome of hole in the wall
2.) Brings me back to my summer in SE Asia. As close as I can get without a plane ticket.
3.) The owner. For one, she’s adorable. So kind and generous. Ima stay loyal.
4.) Fresh som tom prepared with mortar and pestle. And she adds actual shrimp.
5.) Beef jerky & chili sauce, grilled pork sausage & sticky rice.
6.) Real real. Make sure to tip well.
Support local businesses! There’s another menu besides the one page print out. Also, stop complaining it’s too spicy/​not spicy enough. Shut up. If you know me, you’ll understand why I love places like this. That’s that shit I been on.

I absolutely adore this place! Ahhhh let me say that she opened a few months ago and I was walking to the bus stop actually and stopped to see her Lao restaurant sign and had to go inside! Lao restaurants in Seattle are scarce man! Unfortunately I didn’t have cash so I waited to come back. But I don’t wanna share her! She’s like the hidden gem you found and don’t wanna share because her food tastes too good and she reminds you of what you think your grandma would be like if you had one!
Ever since my return, I am utterly in love with this cute lady! She is Laotian, not Thai. She specializes in lao food just to let yall know. Yes she makes Thai food but let me tell ya you are missing out if you only come here for Thai food! Chile!!! This sweet lady will hand make anything you request! & for a low price of $ 5.99! You gotta be kidding me!!!
–her lao sausages are bomb. Savory and delicious. She sells them too freshly made $ 5 for small ziplock or $ 10 for huge zip of authentic homemade lao sausage. Yes!
— she also makes nam for all my SE Asian heads that know wassup! She makes it daily, however, with business booming for her, she might have to go wholesale! Haha forreal though. She makes nam khao too but you’d have to request. Not to mention her homemade lao jerky! Yesss! Honestly, that’s how you know she’s good. Handmade everything in house and cooked to order!
–if you’re lao or know of lao food, you’re in luck! She’ll make you anything! If you like laksa, her khao poon is delicious amd savory and well balanced. She gives you tons of noodles too! & enough food for 2 meals!
Her papaya salad is delicous as well. Well seasoned with a 5 star so spicy my ears are ringing and belly so satisfied I wont put down my utensils. I keep eating her papaya salad until my senses are gone and my tongue is burning. Just the way I like it! Real peppers and real spice levels! Just like how I make it at home! She gives you sticky rice just like how you’re supposed to eat it traditionally.
**small hole in the wall that barely fits 15. But so worth the wait. She’s the grandma I’ve always wanted who cooks the food so close to heart and home. Cheap and sweet. I try to see her every week but work’s been crazy. But go there and eat up! The food is authentic and everything you need to fulfill your home cravings!

The warmest meal!
Feels like eating at a relative house. Except this chef is thai and barely speaks English. The love and the hospitality from this lovely lady made such impression that I will not forget this place anytime soon! Or anytime in the near future.
This tiny little gem gave me a very memorable dining experience. Maybe because we came right before the closing time. Maybe because we were the only two. Maybe because she loved my eyes I such a sweet compliment!!). A lot of maybes, but one thing for sure. I love this place. And it isn’t just about the food.
The chef Bing is sweeter than honey and warmer than Lao’s and Thai’s climate during March. It is a compliment of course. I, as an obsessive foodie and an obsessive traveler, love street food! And all things mom and pops and hole in the walls. This charming little place with cherry blossoms outside immediately made me squeal. Once I came in and got greeted by the chef, I was even more thrilled.
She is so sweet!!!
Now the food. We were in and out in about a good half hour and a few dishes. This amazing little lady cook, serve and gave me enough free food to take home for days! Ahhh. I’m usually pretty friendly. And she’s really friendly. We were like a match made in cute little foodie heaven :) She complimented me several times on my eyes! And she fed me amazing food. I’m in love!
The menu is simple with one papaya salad, two noodle dishes, two curries, two grilled meat dishes, wings and sausage. It’s all cash only as well.
Som Tam — she made it right in front of me! How cool is that? Papaya salad loaded with dried shrimps, thai chillis and prawns. She let me watch and document the process. So sweet!
Pad See Eww — this also came with prawns! It doesn’t say it on their minimal menu so beware if you have shellfish allergy. I love the shrimp! Love the eggs! It was quite tasty!
BBQ Pork — this was a Laotian dish I was told. And it was not what I was expecting. Pork chops prepared with garlic, peppers and green onions. it’s simple and delightful.
Green curry was also quite tasty. And she gave us free sticky rice on top of free rice, veggies and peppers. Oh and she also made me thai ice tea– for free! I told her to charge me but she just smiled and said no. Obviously, I am going back and ordering everything on the menu.
I love her warmth, hospitality and her food. So much warmth! Ahhhh. I’m a happy kid for days. And can’t stop bragging about this little place. I hope she does really well. Small hole in the wall place with great food and an amazing chef. Most memorable meals in life doesn’t need to involve white linen napkins. And this place was exactly that :)

You Seattle Unilocalers better appreciate what you’ve got in this place.
It was deserted on a Friday evening. I was in town for a conference and went here based on Unilocal ratings. I was not disappointed. I watched the owner make my papaya salad dressing in a wooden mortar and pestle right in front of me. The salad and pad see ew were excellent. Tiny place, no decoration, total barebones. Amazing food and very friendly service.
I was there for an hour. A friend of the owner came in and started talking to me. By the time I left, the three of us were all sitting at the table laughing and joking. This place will be stop No. 1 the next time I am in Seattle.