Fresno is known for its diverse cuisine — from Mexican to Indian, the city has restaurants that are as varied as its population.
And the city has plenty of Southeast Asian restaurants, including popular Thai restaurants.
But a lot of those Thai restaurants are actually owned by people from Laos, the owner of Sticky Chix restaurant, Davanh Phayarath-Khamsone, told The Bee during a recent interview about her new downtown Fresno restaurant.
Feeling like customers didn’t know where or what Laos was, they stuck with the familiar Thai in their name, she said. But that’s changing, she added, noting an increasing willingness among business owners to say that they are Lao.
“This is why I’m kinda proud of Fresno,” she said. “ I feel like Fresno is one of the main ones that started saying Lao. It just started trending.”
David Rasavong is a restaurateur who has opened some trendy Asian restaurants in Fresno in recent years. At first glance, his restaurants appear to be Thai: Satay Thai Kitchen & Bar, Love & Thai and the former Tasty Thai.
But Rasavong is of Lao descent.
Look closer and you’ll see some of those restaurants labeled as Lao-Thai kitchens on their signs. Even Satay is predominantly Thai, but also has some Lao influence, he said.
Rasavong grew up with a mom working in the restaurant industry. Most of the Thai restaurants she worked at in the Bay Area were Lao owned, he said.
“In San Francisco, especially back then, you couldn’t say Lao just because people weren’t familiar,” he said. “The country of Thailand has always been much more familiar.”
Laos is sandwiched between Vietnam and Thailand.
Fresno has the fifth-highest population of Lao people in the country. Many people from Laos prefer to call themselves Lao instead of Laotian, Phayarath-Khamsone said.
At Sticky Chix, she combines the flavors of Laos with the Cajun spices of Louisiana where she grew up.
She’s gotten all kinds of questions about her background over the years.
“Oh, what are you? You’re Filipino. You’re Chinese,” she said. “Nobody (knew) who we were. You don’t want to sit there and explain yourself.”
So it was easier for business owners to say they ran a Thai restaurant, she said.
Lao and Thai cuisines
Thai and Lao cuisines are very similar and use many of the same ingredients, such as lemongrass, she noted.
Customers may find their papaya salads very different, though.
The Lao papaya salad has a bold flavor and is made with fermented fish sauce. The Thai papaya salad is milder and sweeter.
But the willingness to put Lao in the name of a restaurant is changing — especially in Fresno, said Phayarath-Khamsone, who’s lived all over the country.
Rasavong agreed, saying social media has helped people understand the Lao culture.
Phayarath-Khamsone credits restaurants such as B&K Asian Kitchen — now closed — for being among the first to put Lao & Thai on its sign. A C Deli simply refers to itself as “Authentic Lao Food.”
When the identifiers worked for them, more restaurants followed suit, she said.
“It’s good to see that,” she said. “I love seeing a lot of that in Fresno.”
Davanh Phayarath-Khamsone shares her new Cajun-inspired Asian restaurant Sticky Chix Tuesday, July 28, 2026 in downtown Fresno. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com 
Nupohn Inthanousay, a co-owner of Goldee’s BBQ, takes Lao sausage out of the smoker and onto cooling racks before the Fort Worth restaurant opened for the day on June 28, 2024. “This is the food I grew up with and it’s a part of me,” he said. “A big part of me is being Lao, but also being Texan.” Chris Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com 
From left, Tito Thepkaysone, Sophorn So, Anna Nguyen, and David Rasavong, co-owners of Satay Thai Kitchen and Bar in north Fresno, pose for a photo during the grand opening of their restaurant on Thursday, May 8, 2025. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com 
Lychee blossom mocktails are set out for guests during the grand opening event for Satay Thai Kitchen and Bar in north Fresno on Thursday, May 8, 2025. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com
This story was originally published August 11, 2026 at 12:28 PM.
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Bethany Clough covers restaurants and retail for The Fresno Bee. A reporter for more than 20 years, she now works to answer readers’ questions about business openings, closings and other business news. She has a degree in journalism from Syracuse University and her last name is pronounced Cluff.