Ma Der Lao Kitchen (formerly Goro)

[SEMIweather]

Excited about this. Absolutely love Four J’s Diner at SW 29th and Agnew which serves mostly Thai but has a few Laotian dishes as well. Can’t wait to see what the menu at this place looks like.

[Pete]

Ma Der Lao Kitchen:

[Pete]

Ma Der Lao is now open.

You can see their menu here:

https://maderlaokitchen.com/menu

[shawnw]

Just FYI closed on Sunday and Monday, per signage on their door.

[Roger S]

Saw an article this morning... may have been in 405 Magazine but can' t remember, about the Top 10 places to eat fried chicken in OKC..... Ma Der Lao was on the list already.

[BoulderSooner]

Ma Der Lao is now open.

You can see their menu here:

https://maderlaokitchen.com/menu

really reasonably priced ...

[probeeOKC]

Repping OKC in the list of 50 best new restaurants in America

https://www.bonappetit.com/story/50-...s-america-2022

[BoulderSooner]

Repping OKC in the list of 50 best new restaurants in America

https://www.bonappetit.com/story/50-...s-america-2022

well deserved ..

[shawnw]

If you haven't listened to the recent "This is Oklahoma" podcast episode with Greg Horton, he mentions Ma Der in it. It's a VERY good interview and he makes great points.

[BridgeBurner]

What do those who have been there recommend? Never had laotian food so looking at the menu online is kind of intimidating but I want to go on a Thurs when they have khao soi (certainly impacted by the fact that its the only dish I recognize).
Every time I suggest we go here, the GF stares at the menu on her phone confused for a minute before suggesting somewhere else- so need some suggestions.

[Roger S]

Every time I suggest we go here, the GF stares at the menu on her phone confused for a minute before suggesting somewhere else- so need some suggestions.

I suggest not telling her you'll be eating with your fingers.

[OKProf]

Been a few times and really like it. They have some standouts including crispy rice (my favorite), beef skewers, and fried chicken. Sausage also good.

[BoulderSooner]

What do those who have been there recommend? Never had laotian food so looking at the menu online is kind of intimidating but I want to go on a Thurs when they have khao soi (certainly impacted by the fact that its the only dish I recognize).
Every time I suggest we go here, the GF stares at the menu on her phone confused for a minute before suggesting somewhere else- so need some suggestions.

this would be a great start

What to order:
Original Lao Papaya Salad ($11); Steamed Catfish ($12); Lao Sausage ($8); Grilled Beef ($11); Sticky Rice ($4); Chili Dip ($2).

if you are not a big fish fan i would swap that out for the fried chicken

[Libbymin]

What do those who have been there recommend? Never had laotian food so looking at the menu online is kind of intimidating but I want to go on a Thurs when they have khao soi (certainly impacted by the fact that its the only dish I recognize).
Every time I suggest we go here, the GF stares at the menu on her phone confused for a minute before suggesting somewhere else- so need some suggestions.

If you like Thai or Vietnamese food, then there's a pretty good chance you'll like Laotian food. The fried chicken, crispy rice, mushroom stew, and papaya salad were all excellent.

[Mott]

Don’t have the link, but Ma Der made a top 50 restaurants this week list in the New York Times.

[sooner88]

Don’t have the link, but Ma Der made a top 50 restaurants this week list in the New York Times.

I've only been once, but need to get back. All of the food we had was amazing (be careful on the spice on the papaya salad, it gets hot real fast). The grilled beef is one of my favorite dishes I've had in OKC lately. Super simple, but we couldn't get enough.

[corwin1968]

We tried Ma Der Lao yesterday and it was fantastic!!! Very reasonable prices and delicious food.

I'm not a fried chicken person but everyone else really enjoyed theirs and the sauce that comes with it is crucial.

The crispy rice was absolutely amazing as was the grilled beef and coconut soup dessert. We also got the sausage, sticky rice, beef jerky and maybe one or two other things.

We were taken there by an out of town relative and if Ma Der Lao had been open today, he would have taken us back!! It was that good!!

[Jeepnokc]

I am shocked that this place hasn't gotten more attention since last year. We went yesterday for lunch on the suggestion of Tim down at OK Cider Co. It will not be my last trip. It is rare that i can go somewhere and find no fault (other than not having OK Cider Co on tap as it would go well with the spice but that is a personal taste).

We went in right at noon and expected a wait but they were able to sit us immediately. Upon seating at a high top, I had to request a low table as I had eye surgery the day before and was worried about my balance. The only two low tables available were the only two 4 tops in the place and so they normally don't sit 2 tops at them. I told the host we would wait on a 2 top as we weren't in a hurry. Moments later she sat us and told us she checked with manager and he told her to seat us at a 4 top as I was unable to do the high top. Wasn't necessary but appreciated and shows a management with flexibility to needs.

Our server was friendly, happy and knowledgeable as to the offerings. The menu is not large but is vast in flavors and options. We ordered the beef jerky, the fried chicken and the grilled beef. The server suggested sticky rice and the two dips which we added. She explained it was fingerfood and most people eat with their fingers.

The dips were very different and full of flavor and were great by themselves or with each of the items we ordered. The red dip had a nice lingering heat that wasn't overbearing. The green sauce was more like a pepper verde sauce but wasn't overly spicy either.

The beef jerky came first and it is served warm and is not overly dry but is jerky. Has a great lemongrass flavor. It was excellent by itself and great with the sauces. We ended up ordering an order to go for my daughter to try that night. It was equally excellent cold as well.

The fried chicken came out next. We did not expect it to be breaded. The breading was light and absorbed the sauce that was on top. The sauce has a subtle sweetness to it and the chicken was moist and juicy. The flavors blended well together
.
The grilled beef came last and was equally fantastic. Although it is described as lemongrass marinated beef, it is very subtle unlike the lemongrass on the beef jerky. The toasted rice powder gave a great almost curryish-deep roasted pepper taste that accented the beef well. It was not spicy but very flavorful. It looks like one piece of meat on the skewers but was actually little chunks like a kabob all pushed together.

I had two glasses of wine and my son had water. Total tab before tip was $74.

This is a hidden gem. If you haven't been....put it on your list to go soon. We will definitely be going back

[OkieBerto]

Chef Jeff has once again been nominated for a James Beard Award!

[OKCRealtor]

We've been twice recently and loved it. So many flavors. 10/10. OKC doesn't have anything that even remotely compares IMO.

[OkieBerto]

We've been twice recently and loved it. So many flavors. 10/10. OKC doesn't have anything that even remotely compares IMO.

He is also doing a ton of Collabs with other local and out of state Chefs for pop up menus. Kind of going back to his days starting out in OKC. Really cool!

[OkieBerto]

Chef Jeff Chanchaleune is Oklahoma's First two-time Beard Finalist
by Dave Cathey

[BoulderSooner]

Chef Jeff Chanchaleune is Oklahoma's First two-time Beard Finalist
by Dave Cathey

would be awesome for OKC to have back to back winners ..