I came here with a friend for dinner on a Tuesday night. It was so busy for a Tuesday which shows you how good they are!! Our server was so sweet and accommodating. She had the bartender make me a custom mocktail since I can’t drink alcohol. They brought out complimentary shrimp chips. The lettuce wraps were AMAZING and huge. We barely finished them. The pad Thai was good and extremely large too. Enjoyed and will be back!

Loved this little oasis of a restaurant. The decor and hushed noise level are reason enough to make it a regular stop. I loved the crispy rice lettuce wraps - clever way to invoke bacon without using any! And I love crispy rice anything... The Pad Lao was delicious: very similar to Pad Thai I've had, but the sauce is caramelized on the noodles and the egg is almost shaved on top. Fun with textures! Heads up that if you prefer the Spring Rolls, you'll get their fried appetizer (what I would have called egg rolls). Their fresh rice paper app is called a Summer Roll. Oh and the tea list is great. The Thai Tea was divine!

Absolutely amazing restaurant. I don't get how people rank this place with anything other than 5. As of the beginning of May 2023, the rank is 4.7, but it should definitely be a round 5.0! The food was amazing, and the service was superb. If you have an option, ask for Noel as your waitress; she managed to elevate the experience to levels that are hard to describe with words and turned the meal into a pure pleasure. My wife and I had a nice romantic dinner at Bida Manda. I recommend the Crispy Rice Lettuce Wrap and the Pad Thai, but I have a feeling that no matter what, you can not go wrong. All in all, I highly recommend visiting this restaurant.

This place is every book lover’s dream. Is a beautiful place that’s a restaurant, has a bar and it also happens to have a library. The ambiance is immaculate. We went there for drinks and took a look at their library. Which you are welcome to borrow while you dine by the way. I have been there twice and it has not disappoint. I will not comment on the good because surprisingly I haven’t had their food yet. From the menu, it looks like an Asian menu be sude they have pad Thai. I usually go for their drinks because they were great. Hopefully I get to visit again and try their bone marrow.

INCREDIBLE. First off, our service was some of the best we’ve had in Raleigh - Cliff was a fantastic waiter, and explained the menu in detail and helped us pick the very best things to try. The pork belly soup was AMAZING, and sort of like a curry that has coconut milk and rice noodles, it’s not just a light soup. It’s HUGE and so filling so split it, and get another entree to split! We couldn’t even finish our split portions. We got the Pad Lao as well but with both dishes being so rice noodle-heavy, we barely put a dent in it. The lettuce wraps were so good for an appetizer, and they gave us a free dessert just because! We will definitely be back! Can’t wait to try the rest of the menu.

Definitely the best restaurant in Raleigh. Everything was so good at our dinner that we had to come back for lunch. I booked 2 weeks in advance just to make sure I didn’t miss out this beautiful place. I must said service at dinner was better than lunch, but honestly I won’t complain because we enjoy it very much. Food was outstanding and better than expected, also with drinks, we try almost all the cocktails and they were all very good despite the mezcal one, that wasn’t my favorite, I’m Mexican and I think this one was the only you guys could improve to take it to a perfect level, mezcal is not an easy liquor so I encourage you to make it more balanced. The place is very intimate so for our date night was perfect! Thank you very much is great to find places around the world that makes you feel like home and give your souls and belly such a great memories.

Love this place since the first time I came! Their complimentary shrimp crackers are delightful. The service was good, food came out relatively quickly, and the quality of the food can’t be beat. The pork belly soup and Pad Lao are so delicious! The cashew chicken was okay, tasted healthy but the flavor was more mild. They gave us little shot glasses of citrus to help us digest at the end, which was a new thing. I don’t remember getting those the last time I came. I will definitely be back though!

I was visiting Raleigh from Tampa,FL and I’ve heard about this restaurant a lot. Let me tell you, it was everything I hoped and more! The place have good atmosphere, cozy, and the smells were amazing. Flavors of every dish are amazing and surprising! My favorite was the curry dish (which I took with pumpkin). The crispy rice was a great appetizer. Definitely need to do a reservation up front (we set on the bar). Great place!

My friends and I had an amazing experience at Bida Manda! The food is packed with such delicious flavors and combinations of textures. We also had the pleasure of having Greg as our server for the evening. He was very attentive and very passionate about the food giving us very thorough descriptions to help us make our choices. I had the papaya salad with the Crispy Dill and Lemongrass Trout which was such a great combo of freshness and light flaky fish and some heat (which can be taken up or down). The restaurant is also very charming and unique. I would highly recommend this restaurant to try something new and unique!

We travel often to DJ Indian and Fusion weddings all over the country. We came to Raleigh, North Carolina for a two day wedding and were excited about trying local restaurants. This was by far our favorite. Amazing food, nice decor and good drinks. Some of our highlights were crispy rice lettuce wraps, Lao beef jerky, green papaya salad. Try something new here and come with an open mind and hungry stomach. They won’t disappoint.

I can't say enough things about this eatery! The ambiance was absolutely phenomenal, very laid back with a beautiful aesthetic to the bar+lighting. Everything on the menu seemed delicious, so we picked and split a few different items. The Lao ice coffee is light and very sweet, and the old fashioned coffee was strong+very delicious. We ordered the beef jerky and sticky rice lettuce wrap and my taste buds lost it. I've never had such tender, flavorful jerky. Use the sweet chili sauce- don't be afraid to drown your meat, it adds an insane amount of flavors that spark the taste buds. The pork belly was perfect split in two, and had a mixture of soft/crunchy/meats and a broth that is 👌👌👌. Last was the Manda Herb salad with chicken and 😱😍🥹... I COULD EAT HERE EVERYDAY.

We dined here for lunch to celebrate birthdays. Gwen was an exceptional waitress, explaining menu items in detail and providing suggestions as it was our first time visiting. We had the crispy rice lettuce wraps, green papaya salad with pork neck, pad lao, Manda's herb salad, and the purple rice- all of it was phenomenal and I would highly recommend each of them. We will absolutely be dining here again in the future. Thank you Bida Manda team for a wonderful lunch.

I found Bida Manda on a short one-night trip to Raleigh back in 2021 and I have consistently remembered the meal I had that night as one of the best meals I’ve ever had. No exaggeration! I’ve genuinely considered making a trip back just for this dinner as I really can’t find anything similar to what I had near me. I felt compelled to leave this review (although very late) after trying to google how to make that crispy pork belly soup. The service was amazing, our server was so passionate and knowledgeable of the menu, we fully trusted them to pick our entrees and it was incredible. Green papaya salad and crispy pork belly soup I have not stopped thinking about you!! The vibe of the restaurant is unique, drinks are amazing. If you are in Raleigh looking for dinner do NOT skip Bida Manda.

Wow gorgeous restaurant! Wonderful service! Our waitress was phenomenal! I wish I would have gotten her name, so I could give her a shout out in this review. Wonderful food & wonderful drinks! This will be one of my favorite restaurants!

We were able to be seated without a reservation within a reasonable time as we unfortunately couldn't make reservations due to a last-minute decision to visit on a Friday night. It is a charming restaurant with great service, very kind and wonderful staff. I wish I would've gotten the name of the lovely hostess who came to our table to hang my purse along the side of our table with a purse hook. We ordered a Naturalized Margarita from the bar, which was very nicely made, and 2 entrees of Sweet Chili Salmon based on their online reviews. The salmon was cooked perfectly. Everything was nice. I enjoyed our time here. We plan to visit again.

The bartender easily answered a dozen questions about the menu and he immediately inquired about any dietary needs. With over a decade of experience, his drinks were delicious and well-balanced. The waitress quickly accommodated my request for extra spice and to go items with the most pleasant demeanor. I didn't give 5 stars for food because they do not substitute ingredients or show much flexibility in the menu. For atmosphere, there is an awesome classic ice shaver, bamboo ceiling, and altar, but not a genuine feel for Laotian culture and music. (I personally wouldn't bring kids.) The food itself is superb; I will return to taste other meals despite that the cost is a tad high for my preference. An appetizer, main course, and two drinks was about $70. In this instance, you are paying for higher quality that is worth it.

Enjoyed our first experience here. Food was impressive and tasty. Generous portions. Seasoned waiter, very knowledgeable. Five stars for food and service. But half liter Sangria for $25 which indicated “seasonal fresh fruits” gets 2 stars - nothing special and no fresh fruits as seen in the pic (quarter slice of lime and lemon) - was hoping for Sangria like we’ve experienced other places.

First time ever trying Laotian!! It’s definitely a mix of Vietnamese and Thai, and it was so good. Such a cute little restaurant with super friendly members of staff. So glad my colleagues referred this restaurant to us as we would’ve never guessed to come here for lunch. The portions are quite big and hearty.

Really good! Portions are a bit too big for my taste, especially if you get (which you should, any of their excellent appetizers) but everything was exceptional! The pad Thai was nice and slightly more sour than usual pad Thai, the naem khao was exceptional, and the crispy pork belly soup was really good, and even better the next day.

Came here with a couple of friends for Friday night dinner to treat ourselves and we had a really great time! We were initially told the wait for a table would be about 30 minutes, but we were seated much quicker than that. We got the papaya salad and sticky rice to share as an appetizer and it was really really good! To eat, I got the pad lao and enjoyed it. My friend got the basil stir fry and they were able to accommodate that to make it vegan for her. Server was friendly and helpful with the menu. There's an interesting set of cocktails but nothing I tried really stood out to me. All in all, Bida Manda is a great place to try and I would come back again.

Second time here … I had curry pork belly noodle again! Because I remember it was really amazing last time. I was a little disappointed the soup wasn’t hot enough … kinda lukewarm to me. The pork belly tasted good but I think it got refried .. so they were kinda dried. Overall I think it was a good experience. I would love to try something else next time.

Food and service was absolutely amazing! Ate here on my first night in town. Seems popular, I would recommend reservations if you plan to bring other people. The food had lots flavor and alcohol was nice and strong. I had the Pho Lao.

Their house special gin and tonic was delightful and purple! The waitress Holly was very welcoming! The pork belly soup dish was absolutely divine! The best meal I had in NC. Crispy pork skin with juicy meat. The curry/ soup broth was so flavorful. After finishing the noodles, we ordered jasmine rice to soak up all the broth! The portions were very generous, so we didn't have room for dessert.

I say that this place is a spa for your stomach. The atmosphere is so relaxing and the food is the most robust flavorful food I've ever tasted. We split the lettuce wraps for an appetizer and I had the manda salad. They have great vegetarian and vegan options. I will definitely be back!

Bida Manda is a Raleigh staple, which is rated at the top of most peoples lists. And rightfully so, they have some of the best Asian cuisine that I have ever had. The summer rolls, lettuce wraps are my favorite appetizers. The pork belly soup, chicken fried rice, pho, curry dishes are all amazing. They also have interesting and delicious cocktails. This is a must go to in downtown Raleigh.

Trendy, yet very tasty. A great time! Our server was a absolute delight. Definitely order the crispy rice lettuce wrap appetizer and the papaya salad. These were the highlights of the meal! Really excellent flavors and variety of textures. The crispy pork belly soup is a good value (very filling) and pretty tasty, but not as much of a stand-out item. The saffron crepe was unique, but not as good as I thought it would be. The salmon was very nicely cooked, however nothing special.