Lanxang Kingdom, San Francisco's First Lao-Focused Pop-up, Headed To Turtle Tower

Despite San Francisco's diverse array of Asian foods, Lao-focused cuisine has been hard to find aside from a few dishes on Thai menus and a couple farther-flung spots in San Bruno or Berkeley. That'll change this Thursday with the launch of Lanxang Kingdom, which bills itself as San Francisco's "1st authentic 'Lao-Only' restaurant."

With a fairly extensive menu, Lanxang Kingdom looks like it'll be taking a deep tour around the country's cuisine. Options range from Khoua Mii (fried rice noodles that are not to be confused with Pad Thai) to more adventurous items like Eom Hoy snail stew and an entire section of the menu devoted to fried insects like silk worm larvae, crickets and scorpions served with a traditional side of fried peanuts and seaweed.

The pop-up officially hits Larkin Street during lunch service on Thursday, followed by a ticketed benefit for the Center for Lao Studies from 7 - 9 p.m. featuring guest chefs from Cooking with Nana and Green Papaya Food Truck. After this week, Lanxang Kingdom will be open for lunch and dinner every Thursday from 11 a.m. - 9 p.m at Turtle Tower on Larkin.