Bida Manda Laotian Restaurant and Bar

I first heard about this restaurant from the heart warming episode of "This is love" . After tearing up about his love of his family I thought about how I'd love to visit there. Unfortunately, I live really far away so I didn't think I would. A few months later I was on a road trip and was finding a place to eat and saw the name. I immediately remembered the translation which brought back to mind the episode. The food was great. Seriously. The servers were nice and the place was really well put together. I'm so glad I was able to visit. Everything is rich and delicious (that I ate) and I left feeling very very full and happy. I'm critical of food and service because I love both so much, so I was thrilled the place was actually as good as I had suspected it would be. Unfortunately I left my bag there but when we called about it they were super nice about it all. They had even tried calling me but I had put my phone on airplane mode. One of the owners herself spoke with us and had locked up my bag safely. I guess if you're going to be forced to go back to visit a place this is the best place to do it at. Hopefully next time I won't be so road weary and remember my bag. 💯
5 8 years ago (21-05-2018)

The best meal of my life! I came here to celebrate graduation with friends, and Bida Manda made it the perfect night. The cocktails are amazing and the food is absolutely divine - so flavorful and unexpected. Our waiter Cliff was amazing. He made great recommendations - he asked lots of questions and even brought a surprise dish out for a friend who could not decide what she wanted. The service is impeccable and the food is crazy good - would recommend to anyone!
5 8 years ago (01-05-2018)

I've eaten here 4x during my 5 day visit in Raleigh! The service is outstanding...couldn't be more friendly or welcoming. The restaurant itself is pretty ...the music is understated and the food is out of this world! I highly recommend the pumpkin curry, the shrimp summer rolls and the Thai ice tea! Oh and if you can fit any more food into yourself after all that...sticky rice and mango will really top it off!!!!!
5 8 years ago (18-05-2018)

So much yes! Make a reservation now through Open Table - it'll take a few weeks to get in, but so worth it! The crispy rice lettuce wraps are a must. I had Shrimp Pad Thai and it was so big it lasted me that dinner and two lunches the following days. Complimentary shrimp chips served with each table are a little weird, but tasty and definitely worth trying. Service is phenomenal! Really worth the visit.
5 8 years ago (01-05-2018)

I don't give very many places 5 stars especially if I've only been there once. The dining experience I recently had at Bida Manda actually deserves 6 stars. My wife chose this place for her birthday. I'm not familiar with Laotian food so I wasn't sure what exactly to expect. When the waitress read the specials we decided to go with a whole cooked striped bass. I'm not a big fish person and the waitress assured me that the bass did not have the common fish taste other species have. We ordered spring rolls as an appetizer and they were presented like small slices of sushi. The vegetables tasted very fresh and had a great crunch. The fish came later and the plate took up half our table. It was huge and a little intimidating to eat at first. My wife dug in right away and I expected to have the usual fish flavor when I took my first bite. The waitress was exactly right. The meat had no fishy taste at all. It had the texture of fish but the taste was just the flavor of the seasonings. It was delicious and what was even better were the sauteed vegetables under the fish. These vegetables had soaked up all of the juices and tasted great. The fish was stuffed with crunchy rice which my wife fell in love with. The whole meal was fantastic. The entire time we were there we had several servers come by to make sure we were happy with our meal. My water was also never more than half empty. This place is something special. It's hard to explain but the hospitality was so great at Bida Manda we almost feel like the people working there are our friends now. The style of the place is very unique. You could go there for a fancy dinner or casual date. The prices are very reasonable as well. You can get 3 courses with drinks and spend around $60. The experience is well worth the money. I can't write a review that can do this place justice. All I can say is go there, you won't be disappointed.
5 8 years ago (18-05-2018)