Zaap That, Hon

New Thai-Laotian restaurant zaps Dallas with hot 'n' spicy flavors

Spicy food fans have a new hang.

Photo courtesy of Zaap Lao

Sabaidee Lao & Thai Street Food, an authentic Asian restaurant in Dallas, has a new sibling that gives diners a roomier place to discover the joys of Laotian food.

The new restaurant is called Zaap Kitchen, subtitled "Lao & Thai Street Eats," and is located at 6107 Greenville Ave., in the space that was the short-lived Orange Chicken.

Like Sabaidee, Zaap aims to find a broader audience for Laotian food.

"Not too many people know about the country of Laos, and one of its best kept secrets is the food and cuisine," says spokesperson Latsanida "Cookie" Voralath. "We want to help put Laotian cuisine on the foodie map."

Sabaidee opened two years ago at 5200 Lemmon Ave., where it has found a loyal audience who love its authenticity and sharp flavors. The only shortcoming is that Sabaidee has limited seating.

Zaap, which means "delicious" in Laotian, is more spacious. It also has a greater variety of dishes, Cookie says.

There are Thai and Asian staples such as spring rolls and noodle dishes such as pad Thai. But even familiar items such as green papaya salad can be ordered "Lao or Thai style"; in the case of the salad, "Lao style" has crab claw and crab paste, and is also quite a bit spicier, as in hotter, as in wow, this food is spicy.

Fans who like it hot say that Zaap is the rare place that actually makes the food spicy when you ask for it to be spicy. Cookie's word for it: bold.

"Laotian flavors are more bold," says Cookie. "When customers come in, we let them know our food is quite bold, especially the Laotian dishes. They're more spicy."

There is sizzling Lao sausage, heavenly beef jerky, crispy wings, dancing garlic riblets, and juicy pork shoulder bites. Pineapple fried rice is a dish with ingredients that teeter between savory and sweet, with egg, cashews, pineapple, raisins, peas, carrots, onion, tomato, and garlic.

There's a Laotian fried rice with egg, white onions, green onion, tomato, and garlic, which you can get as-is or with chicken, beef, pork, shrimp, or tofu.

"When you see Chinese fried rice, you see things like sausage, peas, and corn mixed together," she says. "Ours is more focused."

Zaap will also follow a fast-casual service model, to expedite those who are on tight lunch hours.

"We know everyone is on their lunch rush and we want to cater to that group," Cookie says. "We're catering to our customers' needs."

openings

Where to eat

Where to eat in Dallas right now: 10 best new restaurants for July

Frenchie

Natalie salad at Frenchie

The July edition of Where to eat, CultureMap Dallas' monthly column of the hottest restaurants, has an exciting range of cuisines and locations: from a new bistro in McKinney to an impressive Indian restaurant in Coppell to a downtown Dallas cafe to a mom-and-pop taqueria in Oak Cliff.

Here's where to eat in Dallas right now:

Boxed and Brewed
Downtown Dallas cafe from Boxwood Hospitality features boxed lunches, breakfast sandwiches, croissants, and breakfast tacos. They do it gourmet style with offerings such as a curried veggie goat cheese wrap, Mediterranean chicken sandwich, and Greek salad. They're open in the U.S. Post Office at 400 N. Ervay St. during classic downtown worker hours: Monday-Friday for breakfast and lunch.

Centro on the Square
Italian bistro from acclaimed restaurateurs George Stergios (Knife Steakhouse Plano) and Brian Dunne (Mexican Bar Company) has made its long-awaited debut on McKinney’s downtown square in the former Harvest space (which relocated in 2023). The menu features hearty Italian-American dishes like chicken meatballs, mussels, cacio e pepe pasta, short rib ravioli, chicken marsala, soups, and salads. They also served grilled items including salmon, red fish, and chicken.

Donde los Tacos
Small taco shop in Oak Cliff in a former gas station is a mom-and-pop from first-time restaurant owners Martin and Jennifer Reyes who are putting lots of love into this small, cozy spot. Their tacos include trompo marinated pork, chicken, chorizo, fried shrimp, a slow-simmered beef called suadero, a ribeye taco, and a vegetarian taco made with plant-based protein. Appetizers include guacamole & chips, queso, and Mexican street corn. The majority of their tacos are $3 but on Tuesdays, they offer a $2 taco deal.

Ella
American bistro in the old Chido Taco Lounge space brings elevated eats to Preston Hollow Village. The concept is from Chido Taco Lounge founder Blaine McGowan and executive chef Kyle Farr, with Michelin-awarded Julian Shaffer leading the bar program. Their menu features shrimp and masa dumplings, pork cheeks, steak frites, and sides like broccolini and truffle fries.

Flamant
European cocktail bar and bistro that cooks over an open flame is now open at the Boardwalk at Granite Park in Plano. The restaurant is from acclaimed restaurant team Tanner Agar and Taylor Rause, and is a sibling restaurant to award-winning restaurants Rye and Apothecary. The menu features flavors from Portugal, Spain, France, and Italy with dishes such as faux gras, pasta, wood fired Wagyu burger, and pepperoncini chicken. They also offer weekend brunch with frittata and cannoli French toast.

Frenchie
French concept from Travis Street Hospitality (Le PasSage, Georgie) recently opened in the former Corner Bakery at Preston Center Plaza, which closed after 23 years in 2022. The restaurant is a French brasserie, serving casual lunch and dinner. There are dishes such as crepes, quiches, oysters, steak frites, and onion soup.

Silk Road IndianSilk Road

Mas Chingon
Sports bar and restaurant with a lively atmosphere recently opened in Bishop Arts dishing out Latin vibes and a Mexican-Latin menu. Standout dishes include tacos, Mexican burger, al pastor burger with both a beef patty and al pastor, elote coated in Hot Cheetos dust, and ceviche. They also do bar food such as a burger, chicken wings, and an over-the-top $350 Cowboy steak.

The PoBoy Shop
Sandwich shop obsessed with po’boys is a spin-off of Evan’s Meat Market now open in Preston Center. Founder Evan Meagher is drawing on his Louisiana roots on po’boys and sandwiches such as fried shrimp, fried bologna, turkey, and pastrami, available in 4-inch and 8 inch sizes with Cajun sides such as dirty curly fries topped with grilled boudin or Zapp’s Potato Chips.

Ruthie's Cafe
Do-gooder cafe that started out as a food truck is bringing new life to South Dallas. They serve grilled cheese sandwiches — solo or with tomato tomato soup — including one stuffed with brisket. There's also breakfast including sandiwches, a power bowl, and a chicken sausage & bacon wrap. They just added a coffee bar, in response to customer demand, with creative espresso drinks such as Nutella latte, Horchata, and Matcha latte.

Silk Road Indian
Indian concept from a hospitality trio recently opened in Coppell. The restaurant comes from Prinu Prasannan, Sushil Kumar, and Sreekumar Madolil, who have roots in the Kerala state in India but met in Dallas. They serve a range of vegetarian dishes such as vegetable samosas and tikka masala. They also have non vegetarian and Indo Chinese dishes including biryani, butter chicken, fish curry, and egg curry.

bests lists where-to-eat