Vientiane Market

Looks like a hole-​in-​the-​wall, but when I closed my eyes, the food in my mouth made me feel like I was in the heart of Southeast Asia. This makes sense, since the best food I’ve eaten in Southeast Asia came from street food vendors. The flavors are fresh and distinct, the quality is excellent and the proportions definitely did not leave me hungry. The people are as nice as can be, and there are some good staples available if you want to try cooking your own. But why would you bother, if you can have these wonderful dishes expertly prepared for you? If I lived in Portland, is be eating here once a week.

Not only is this restaurant close to home, but also close to my heart. *queue sentimental music*
My mother used to bring me here as a kid to pick up assortments of asian grocery items. Since then, I’ve frequented this Thai restaurant on days off, during breaks, or when I need to clear my sinuses, i.e. get a 5 Start spicy entrée.
I used to opt for the Pad Thai but I’ve developed a fondness for the Yum Nau,
which is a delectable dish of beef served on top of lettuce, shredded carrots, tomatoes in a savory,
salty sauce, and the spicy papaya salad (when it’s in season).
I would also suggest the drunken noodle of the pad see ew. Both made with flat noodle.
Oh, and they have containers of kimchi in the fridge.

I get take out from Vientiane Market once a month or so — often an order of Fried Rice with Chicken before a monthly board meeting, or a bunch of us will go in together on takeout lunch at work.
Their Pad Thai is great, I also enjoy their crab rangoon, and one of my colleagues loves their Yellow Curry.
The only downfall is that they’re not always precise about ingredients. I have a colleague who is allergic to mushrooms, and has had to pass along on her lunch because a menu item has included them and not had it listed on the menu. Always ask if you have food allergies!

This place offers cheap and satisfying takeout. It’s not the best Thai food I’ve ever had, but it hits the spot. Sometimes you just want a cheap dinner under $ 10. This place offers just that! My favorite dishes include the green curry and pineapple fried rice. The green curry comes with tons of veggies that are fresh and cut in nice shapes. The little carrot pieces are cut in wavy shapes. Plus, the owner is sweet and the service is fast. They even take plastic!

I love this place. It’s probably above and beyond my favorite Thai place in Portland, and God knows — we have a plethora of them!
As other reviewers have stated — it is has very unassuming façade. In passing all you see is ‘Asian Grocery’ and you’d never know w/​o going in that there’s a functioning kitchen in the back… I don’t even remember how I discovered that it had such a thing!
Affordable, very affordable. And you’re not skimped on anything. The veg dishes are loaded, you get a bunch of meat product (chicken, pork, shrimp) and fake-​meat product (tofu) if you select to have it w. your vegetables and you also get enough rice to fill out the meal and soak up any residual sauce which might happen to remain in your bowl. While I don’t generally go for noodle dishes, the folks I sometimes go with never seem dissatisfied w. their noodles.
While they exercise a fairly limited menu there is enough on it to keep you coming back to try the next thing in the line up… or that one particular thing, if you like the way they’ve done it.
So, great food which works well when you’re on a stricter budget. A hidden gem stuffed into a hole in the wall, and unlike the Saco-​lady would suggest — the neighborhood isn’t all that bad (it isn’t downtown), for in fact, I’ve lived in that neighborhood (Oakdale).
If you’re in the mood, I def recommend you check this place out. I can’t imagine much disappointment.

Unassuming location and building. Excellent Thai food. Their drunken noodle is the best in the city. Lock your car doors, though.

Limited menu, and really great food. I’ve had the pad Thai and the laab gai dishes, both delicious in their own way.
The pad Thai I had eaten in at the store and it was a little wetter than what I’m use to, but as I ate, the sauce thickened up, probably what the end result of what most folks get for take out. Great noodle texture. Sauce was sweet and had the right sourness and peanut flavor! Winning dish.
Laab gai is a lot of food. It’s a ground chicken with a sweet/​sour flavor from what I assume is derived from fish sauce, vinegar and sugar. You get crunch from the shredded carrot, lettuce and lemongrass. Delicious!
Great take out place for sure. Most «unique» eat in atmosphere because it’s almost like you’re eating in a grocery shop.

Super bomb. Super close which is a plus. Only do the spicy scale on a 1 – 4. Ordered a 3. It’s dumb spicy. Not going above a 2 here. N usually get a ⁴⁄₅ at most ethnic spots. Drunken noodle so fire.

Inexpensive take out, this place is great! Their pad Thai is just the right amount of vinegar and not too much fish sauce. Love the fresh spring rolls too. I would not suggest eating in, although there are a couple tables. You will feel like you are eating in the middle of an Asian market, because you are. Hidden gem. love this place!

This place is a hidden gem. Looks like just a grocery store from the outside but it a family run operation with a whole menu of the delicious and fresh Thai dishes. All the curries and noodles that I have tried are really good. The seating and the plates are basic but this place is ideal for take out or a quick lunch. They accept cards with no minimum. The portions are huge so you can either share or save some for dinner !

I stop here on all trips back from PWM. Food is Thai and consistently very good. Mostly take out but a few tables for sisting. Price is very reasonable. Also lots of staples for Asian cooking. It is a «hole in the wall» for sure. Friendly staff.

Great thai food! We just ordered take out from Vientiane Market for the first time and were very impressed. Inexpensive but absolutely delicious! We ordered Pad Thai with chicken which was perfect, other than being a little spicy (we ordered it two stars), thai rolls and pineapple fried rice. All fantastic!

Excellent Thai food. Been here more than any other restaurant in Portland. They do a great job with their fried tofu, and the service is pleasantly quick.

This review is for the crab Rangoon only. I just needed something small to eat so I decided to pick up something from here given the outstanding reviews and someone specifically recommended the crab Rangoon but if I do come back, it would definitely do something more traditional like their pad thai. I just think the taste was a bit off. And not like I don’t know they come frozen, but it was kinda weird to see her pull out a few with her bare hands and throw them to the other staff. It is a thai grocery store too and the staff seems sweet. Just saying, I expected them to be the best crab Rangoon and I would probably say they were not even good at all. But only 4 dollars!

This is a pretty legit Thai place. The menu is online and the prices are pretty good. I recommend this place as a take out option; if you want to dine in (especially to impress someone), I recommend going somewhere nicer.
But don’t let the lack of «nice-​ness» of this place deter you from the food. It’s very good. I was able to try the Green curry, Pad Thai, and Spring Rolls. Not the absolute best I’ve ever had in my life, but still good nonetheless. And with like 97% of all menu items being under $ 10, it’s hard to go wrong
If you’re looking for cheap and very good take out, look no further! Support this small, family-​owned business!

This is the best Thai food in the Portland area. Don’t let the looks of the nondescript store front or the location fool you. Everything is cooked to order and is delicious. I have been coming here for almost 20 years and I have never had a bad meal. I almost always do take out since the ambiance of the place is like a convenience store. They do have tables but you are certainly not paying for the atmosphere. There are great things to buy like fish sauce and all kinds of exotic ingredients if you’re into cooking at home.
I always have the Tom Kar soup which is yummy. I usually have the Pad Thai, 3 stars It is certainly spicy enough for me and again, the flavors are well-​balanced and delicious. I also love the fresh spring rolls which tastes like a fresh salad with mint in a thin rice wrap with peanut sauce.
Don’t pass Vientaine up. There are plenty of Thai restaurants in Portland. Many are way more expensive and don’t even come close to how authentic and wonderful this establishment is.

Vientiane is our go-​to pad thai place! Great for take-​out and I wouldn’t recommend eating in at Vientiane but, to each his own. I’ve enjoyed their pad thai, pad see ew and fresh rolls — all are good (especially if you aren’t on a diet). If you’re on a diet maybe stick to the spring rolls and your tummy (and wallet) will thank you. Their pad thai has a perfect balance of flavors and will be the perfect pick-​up order for you to enjoy on a Sunday while watching Walking Dead (or equivalent of your favorite television show).
If you’re watching television while enjoying your thai food or not, Vientiane is a great thai pick-​up /​delivery choice. The chicken pad see ew is also good. I’ve had better but it is not bad by any means. I just think their pad thai is a little better than their pad see ew. I’m sure their kitchen isn’t the example of cleanliness, but I’m not going to question it and just say here that Vientiane is a great take-​out choice for thai food here in Portland, ME.

So Wesley just gave this place one star citing the food was pre-​made and he didn’t like the look of his water. Ok, here’s my take:
Ambiance/​Décor: ²⁄₅
It’s a market, not a restaurant. There are four, maybe five, tables in the place. The tables are kind of sticky and everything seems a bit shabby. BUT, it’s not ugly or horrendous, just not a restaurant… it’s a market. And yes, absolutely everything comes in a takeout/​disposable container.
Kitchen: ⁴⁄₅
The fried rice is excellent. Really superb — and I like fried rice… a lot. The flavors of the vegetables were in tact and the veggies themselves were crispy. There was good heat in the basil fried rice (no need for extra hot sauce) and the mango fried rice was mellow (as it should be).
I’ve also had the pad thai which, contrary to Wesley’s claims, was not bland and crappy. What it wasn’t was overly sweet which is a problem in the US. Actual Thai pad thai is not supposed to be super sugary. This pad thai wasn’t amazing by any stretch but it wasn’t terrible either.
Their coconut soup is good and spicy. Again, not amazing but definitely solid. And the spring rolls were solid as well.
Portions for all main dishes are quite sizable, but the soup is small.
Service: ²⁄₅
It’s usually just one lady behind the counter so you generally need to grab your own stuff. She’ll bring you your food in a takeout container but that’s about it.
So why the four stars? I usually average my ratings out, so this place would get a 3 star review. But it got hated on unnecessarily so I’m evening out the ratings AND I love run down and kind of scrappy places which consistently provide inexpensive but tasty food. It’s my kind of place. Good value for your money here and if you take out you won’t deal with the ‘issues’ of this place not being an actual restaurant.

I try to give other Thai restaurants some business by visiting and trying them.
To try them out I get the basic noodle dish on the menu, yes you guessed it
«The pad Thai». No one even come close to this place .
We come back to this same place over and over again. No doubt in my mind.
This is the best Thai restaurant in Maine!
Don’t just go there RUN there. You will not regret it!

This place almost got 5 stars, but they didn’t have Thai Ice Tea with my Drunken Noodle dish…
For a weekend visiting a friend from college, this hole in the wall hidden gem is a must do!!! And please remember, it is so deceiving from the outside. I think it looks like a run down sub shop, and it is even dingy inside– but the food is so good.
Pros:
1) UofMaine discounts
2) Pad Thai and Drunken Noodles were flavorful. Ordered #3 spicy scale and there was def. a kick in the food (5 is the spiciest)
3) Mom/​Pop
4) Thai grocery store. They have your Vietnamese Spring roll wraps, fish sauces, tamarind, shrimp paste, and a variety of stuff trader joes can’t give you.
5) Call ahead for take-​out
6) Close to UMaine Law School
Cons:
1) A lil Dingy on the inside– but I didn’t really mind it
2) Service was great– but if there are a lot of people/​only 1 – 2 workers. it can get a lil slow-​but i am from a large city (Boston/​San Fran) and i expect things to be done in lighten speed
3) No bathrooms
But– this is a must TRY– especially if you live in the area!!!