Champa Garden in Redding, CA

Nam Kaow (Rice Ball Salad) at Champa Garden in Redding.

One of our favorite Lao/Thai restaurants in the Bay Area is Champa Garden in Oakland. We recently found out they have sister restaurants in San Francisco & Redding, and that the chefs cross-train in all three restaurants, ensuring very high quality. We had long planned a trip on Memorial Day Weekend to Northern California, so we made it a point to visit the Redding branch.

We knew it was going to be good, but didn't suspect it was going to be this good. The presence of this restaurant makes Redding much more cosmopolitan in our eyes. 

Their version of the Rice Ball Salad stands out from all the rest in terms of having the crispiest texture we've encountered. One thing that was quite evident was how fresh the accompanying herbs are, we're talking about mint and cilantro with just-picked flavor. In fact, all their produce & meats taste incredibly fresh, and we're thinking that this Champa Garden must have local sources for many of their ingredients.

Kaow Poont: coconut soup with chicken, vermicelli, sprouts and cabbage. One of the best versions of this dish we've had, a broth that's rich with umami, chiles and ginger.

Pad Mah Kuer: sauteed egglant, pork, onion, chiles, thai basil. Sublime.

Champa Garden in Redding

(530) 221-4999

1107 Hilltop Dr, Redding, CA 96003