Chef Seng Luangrath has turned the takeout window at her Southeast Asian restaurant Padaek into something new on weekends: Khao Nom, a Lao snack-and-sweets pop-up serving small bites, sandwiches, rice and noodle bowls, and milk tea out of the Arlington Ridge Shopping Center. The window operates Saturdays and Sundays during lunchtime, with both takeout and patio seating available, and prices run from $5.99 for snacks up to $12.99 for sandwiches and bowls.
According to Arlington Magazine, the name Khao Nom translates roughly as snacks or treats, and the concept spent about a month in a soft-opening phase before a grand opening planned for the first weekend of October. The same outlet reports that rising food prices were part of what pushed Luangrath toward a more affordable, snack-driven menu rather than a full sit-down format. Khao Nom sits at the same address as Padaek, 2931 S. Glebe Road, inside the Arlington Ridge Shopping Center.
What's Actually on the Menu
The standout item is the Fi'Lao O'Fish, a sandwich built on battered, fried cod rather than catfish and topped with a sauce blending jeow bong, a Lao chili paste, and kewpie mayo, according to Washingtonian. Arlington Magazine describes the same sandwich as fried cod finished with a hybrid sauce of jeow bong and mayonnaise. There's also a breakfast sandwich built around a Lao-style chicken patty with scrambled egg and American cheese on youtiao, the Chinese fried-dough cruller that Lao cooks have adapted into their own version called patongos; Arlington Magazine's version of the dish lists eggs, Swiss cheese, Lao chicken sausage and fish-sauce maple syrup between two patongos, while Washingtonian reports Luangrath has spent time perfecting her own take on the youtiao breakfast sandwich.
Beyond sandwiches, the snack lineup includes pork jerky and curry puffs at $5.99 each, along with fried chicken meatballs served with sweet chili sauce, per Washingtonian's reporting. Sandwiches run $9.99 and bowls hit $12.99, and diners can upgrade any sandwich into a combo with tamarind salt fries for $3 more. On the drinks side, Arlington Magazine notes the beverage list includes seven sweet milk tea options, each available with boba, while Washingtonian specifically calls out a Thai green tea and a strawberry shortcake drink made with floral nom yen syrup.
A Nod to a Restaurant That Didn't Make It
Some of Khao Nom's ideas trace back to a restaurant that no longer exists. Luangrath previously opened Sen Khao, a fast-casual Lao restaurant at Tysons Galleria, which she has described as a challenging space, according to Washingtonian. Customers have asked whether she'd bring back something similar, and elements of that menu appear to live on here — Luangrath's cheeseburger, built with a lemongrass beef patty, spicy mayo and Lao-style chili-lime sauce, is one such holdover per the same report.
The Fi'Lao O'Fish itself has history across Luangrath's restaurant group. Baan Mae, her Shaw restaurant that serves other Southeast Asian cuisines including Indonesian food, introduced Fi'Lao O'Fish sliders that use tofu mayo, a plant-based twist on the sauce that Khao Nom's full-size sandwich skips in favor of its cod-and-chili-mayo combination, Washingtonian reports.
Part of a Growing Lao Restaurant Group
Khao Nom is the latest piece of a Lao restaurant portfolio Luangrath has built across the D.C. area. She has focused on traditional Lao food at Thip Khao in Columbia Heights, according to Washingtonian, while also operating Baan Mae in Shaw. Arlington Magazine separately confirms Luangrath owns and operates both Thip Khao and Baan Mae in D.C., alongside Padaek itself, which ARLnow notes was originally founded in Falls Church before this Arlington Ridge location became its second outpost, adding dine-in service in September 2023. Padaek serves both Lao and Thai dishes, ARLnow reported at the time, from pad Thai to an herbal curry stew with wood ear mushrooms.
For now, Khao Nom remains strictly a weekend, takeout-and-patio operation, with food and drinks available only to go or enjoyed at Padaek's outdoor seating. Washingtonian reports Luangrath hopes to expand the snack window to weekdays if it catches on, and that she could eventually open a standalone Khao Nom location down the road.
