Moo Dang

The food here was so wonderful! Some of the best in Reno. The Panang and the Drunken Noodle were so delicious. Definitely will be back.

I know that Moo Dang has been on people’s radar since it opened, and i decided to treat myself on my Birthday recently and invited my ex husband to come along. He had previously gone there with coworkers and was eager to return. Using my check in on Unilocal,i was able to score some fish balls. Yum! I always love this appetizer, and this place does it well. I ordered a plate of shrimp and chicken pad thai for my main meal. Everything was cooked to order, but it wasn’t spectacular. The staff was great and the atmosphere was nice though. I really need to go back and try something that is a house speciality or ‘the’ dish recommended by Unilocalers.

I got take out from Moo Dang. Everything was delicious and what I expected from Thai food. It is reasonably priced too.
My only complaint is that when I went to pick up my order I had to wait for several minutes to be acknowledged even though there was nobody in the restaurant. But that wouldn’t stop me from going back the next time I am having a craving for Thai. Now that I think about it, possibly this weekend…

I hate to be the dissenting vote, but I’ve got to be truthful and honest as well. I’m giving the extra star (originally was going to go with 3) simply because maybe this was in part me, having overly high expectations; now feeling disappointed and let down.
I ordered conservatively for my main course and went with the Yen Ta-​Fo Noodle Soup; my thought was that I could stick with easy comfort food. First, it was good, sort of, but didn’t measure up to what I expected (again, expectations are real let downs). This had amazing eye and taste bud candy: all the little nibblets they said would be there were definitely there and in abundance. What it lacked was a really good broth; it was overly fishy, had an inappropriate sweetness to it, and was just unfitting to me. It even had a fishy odor to it that, just didn’t hit the mark. This was not my finest hour enjoying Thai soup.
Venturing back to a happier place the apps were all sorts of yummy. The fish balls (free with check in) were very good, I really enjoyed them. Also very good was the chicken satay, it was tender, moist, and perfectly seasoned.
Our server was good, attentive, and polite. The restaurant, on this occasion, was not particularly busy, which may have complimented the visit. I will perhaps visit again, but easily I’ve can think of at least two other places for Thai food, I’D have enjoyed much more.

The food here is so good that I wish someone would rub the noodles on my naked body as I gently drift off to sleep.

My sister was the one who told me about this place so my hubby and I dropped in today for dinner. We were greeted and seated immediately once entering. Checked into Unilocal and got the free fish balls which were great. We ordered the roasted pork plate which I think is their special? We also ordered the pad see ew. Both dishes were delicious and our server was very attentive and refilled our water once they saw it going half empty. Too bad we were too full from the food otherwise, I would’ve ordered the mango sticky rice for dessert. We’ll definitely be back someday!

Love this spot! We do Thai quite frequently and there’s something about Moo Dang that just makes it stand out against the other Thai places in town. Everything just tastes so fresh. Not that other spots ever didn’t taste fresh, but the dishes at Moo Dang have a light, clean brightness to them. Great flavors. Definitely try the fish balls and honestly, you probably can’t go wrong with anything on the menu.
The space is lovely. It’s in a strip mall, décor is simple, but some touches like the horizontal slated wood on the bar make it very inviting. Service has always been great. Definitely recommend!

I always feel like an outcast when I don’t enjoy the same experience as my fellow Unilocalers.
My boyfriend and I are obsessed with Pad Thai. Heck, it might as well be on our bucket list to try every single restaurant in Reno that has pad Thai.
We decided to try Moo Dang since the reviews on Unilocal are outstanding. We called and ordered takeout on Saturday night. We placed an order for a small tom yum soup (basically like a hot and sour soup) and an order of their Pad Thai with chicken, shrimp, and beef (we like the extra protein). We were advised the food would be ready within 20 – 25 minutes.
When we arrived the staff seemed nice. We asked if they did military discounts and although they do not, the gentleman was nice enough to take off $ 4. Not going to lie, that made our night because of how thoughtful he was. That is the only reason why we are giving them two stars and not one.
The entire ride home all I could think about was digging into my pad thai. Unfortunately, the food did NOT live up to our expectations. The hot and sour soup was alright, nothing spectacular. It didn’t have the flavor we were expecting. There was an off taste to the pad thai, something I couldn’t describe. I don’t know if it was the type of oil they used to cook the meats or noodles in, it was just… ick. My noodles almost tasted like they were burnt, except they weren’t? The shrimp didn’t taste fresh at all and the meat definitely lacked flavor. My boyfriend and I both agreed this was the worst pad thai we have ever had. Like I said, I feel like a total outcast for not having as good of a rating as my fellow Unilocalers but this is my personal experience. Maybe it was an off night and perhaps I will have to try this place out sometime in the future.

I met 2 friends at Moo Dang for lunch. The décor is restful and the restaurant looked very clean.
Our server was very attentive and friendly.
I had the lunch special Pad Thai with chicken and shrimp and it was delicious. Ingredients tasted fresh and it was spiced just like I like it. The dishes arrived at the table hot which is always nice.
One friend had Drunken Noodles and the other at green curry with chicken. They were both pleased with their choices, too.
There was a nice little touch of a small salad to start the meal.
I only have one little quibble and that is that the iced tea was not very strong, but that won’t keep me from returning often.

I think I’ve seen two other restaurants occupy this space over the years, so hopefully this one is a hit. There is another Thai place just across the street to the north, though…
It was full on a Saturday night, but we still didn’t have to wait, which we liked. We enjoyed a variety of dishes from a salad, ginger mushroom tofu (I recommend), sweet and sour, and the popular pad thai. No one went spicy on this trip, but I did see plenty of spicy dishes on the menu to burn yourself with.
It’s a relaxed atmosphere with friendly staff.
Enjoy!

Just outstanding. I came here twice to make sure it wasn’t a fluke. Services was cordial and attentive and the food phenomenal.
I cannot remember the last time I had such good Thai.

I’ve come back a lot more times since my first review and have to say this is one of my favorite Thai places in town. They aren’t your typical Thai, their flavors are a touch different (more sweet and sour than just heat imo) but I enjoy them that way.
The service has always been good even though it’s normally just one person. The prices aren’t too bad and they always have special appetizers offered.
Some of my favorite items are the shrimp cakes, which I first tried during reno bites week and I’ve been hooked since. I enjoy their pad thai, their moo dang soup and their Tom yum noodle soup. The pork meatballs are so tender and flavorful and the wonton pick up the sweetness in the soups. Today I tried the moo ping skewers and I thoroughly enjoyed those too (that sauce has a delayed kick so watch out).
I’m not sure what it is but I just become more adventurous when I come here. I think it’s the prices and the confidence in their recipes that I’ll probably enjoy whatever I try.
Today our server, the same guy with the glasses (possibly one of the owners?) got slammed with customers after we ordered. I think almost every, if not all, small table was occupied and he was handling hosting, drinks, taking and delivering orders, cashing out the checks and bussing… he still managed to ask us how we were doing in a sincere way and get me a to-​go container in a normal time frame. I didn’t notice when I handed my card but when he returned he said he had given us 10% off for being busy and he felt, lacking service, I thanked him but told him he didn’t have to. The point is, he did an excellent job regardless and we were very happy. So thank you!
I will obviously be back. They also don’t judge when I come in alone :)

You know how there are places where you are like, ok, maybe we will give it another chance? This is not one of those.
We came here on a Saturday night and the restaurant was half filled. No one took our order for 15 minutes and it took another 30 minutes for our spring rolls and chicken wing app to come out.
No explanation and no apologies.
Then our tom yum soup came after we’ve been there for an hour, main dishes were probably 2 hours away from our tummies at that point. They did not make it without onions as we asked and did not include the rice noodles we asked.
We had to sent it back and realized we did not want to wait another hour for our food, we asked for the check, which came quickly and over charged us. Honestly at this point some kind of apology or offer to comp our food would be nice but of course they did none of that.
Crappy service, waste of time, we left money for the bill and went to another place to eat dinner.
This place is negative stars in my book.

The Unilocal check-​in was Thai Iced Tea for $ 1.00, so that is what I got to drink.
Moo Ping was on the board out front, I really enjoy these skewers of tasty tender meat so I started with them. Yum!
Lunch Sweet and Sour Red Pork, with a perfectly cooked mound of rice. This was different than any sweet and sour that I had before. This chef has found the perfect balance of sweet and sour which carries throughout the dish. I do not usually eat very much of the rice. When I got full I mixed the remaining rice with the rest of the left overs, I did not want to loose any of the tasty sauce! The rice will be a tasty breakfast !
As an after thought I asked for the happy hour chicken wings. They smelled so good when she brought them out that even though I was full I had to try one as soon as I got home! They looked and tasted as good as they smelled! They were a nice shade of brown and big!
The service has always been excellent! They check several times to make sure that you do not need anything.

So easily overlooked in a strip mall with three other restaurants in it and an established Thai restaurant across the street.
The space is clean and nice and bright. The service was good, so far we have just done lunches. The lunch menu is not an overwhelming large menu and offers some choices at under $ 10. Like most Unilocalers we used the check in and got an order of the fried fish balls for free. They had a unique texture like they were scallops and not an overwhelming fish flavor, I would order them again. Lunches came with a small cup of crisp fresh iceberg lettuce salad and the ginger dressing very good. Ba Mee Moo Dang was a large bowl pretty full of noodles, bak choy, red pork and a ground chicken patty, very filling for lunch. The pad Thai was also a well seasoned large portion. All that food and two Thai iced teas was $ 25.
Need to return and check out the dinner menu soon.

Well, I finally made it to Moo Dang… and I’m SO glad I did!
We were greeted with by a very friendly hostess, and were able to choose our table (since there was NO ONE there when we arrived for dinner).
I ordered a Thai Iced Tea, it was good… tasted as I would expect it to taste.
We ordered the following:
Green Papaya Salad — it was good, but I’ve never had it before and felt it was a little too salty for my taste. I ate some of it though, and let Rain have the rest to take home.
Garlic and Black Pepper (added Shrimp, because I guess you choose your protein?) — Ok… Honestly??? I would say that everyone should try this dish at least ONCE in their lives! The sauce, tastes like it was kissed by the GODS. In fact, my mouth is watering right now, just thinking about it! The downside is, I will never order it again. $ 12.95 for a small bed of cabbage, almost half a plate of undercooked broccoli, a few slices of carrot and 7 shrimp (that’s right… 7 shrimp!!), makes those the most expensive shrimp I have ever ordered! I wouldn’t have counted, I guess… had I not been splitting the dish with Rain. She got 4 shrimp, I got 3. I’m just not seeing the monetary value in this dish, at all.
Crab Fried Rice — YES!!! This is a no-​brainer next time I come back (and I will come back!). This rice is packed with fresh crab, and a very light delicate, DELICIOUS flavor! I’ve never had anything like it before, and it has easily become a favorite for me!
Mango and Coconut Sticky Rice — OMG!!! DO IT NOOOOWWW!!! Enough said!!!
The service was great, the place is clean and fresh looking… classy yet casual at the same time. All in all, I really like it and am glad they’re in our neighborhood. I can’t wait to go back and try some of their other dishes!

Oh great, another Thai restaurant in Reno?!? Those were my thoughts before experiencing Moo Dang. I have my favorite Thai restaurants that I have been going to for years and I was hesitant at first at trying a new place, but I am so glad that I did. Moo Dang was simply delicious.
Upon my arrival, I was greeted at the door right away. I was given options by the hostess of where I wanted to sit. I picked a booth in the back corner. There were many parties near by. The hostess chatted with me for a few minutes and was interested on how I have heard of this place. Throughout the evening our waiter checked on our table and provided excellent service.
The menu seemed pretty creative and full of noodle dish options. I really like that they have a Happy Hour, which I will definitely be back for. Our waiter made many recommendations, and my friend and I, ordered the Pad see ew and the drunken noodles. My pad see ew was very flavorful with broccoli, carrots, and shrimp, although not very spicy. Next time I would ask to kick up the heat factor.
I wasn’t in the mood for caffeine, although after reading Unilocal reviews, I found out that if you check-​in that you get a free Thai Tea. Sounds like an amazing deal to me. Overall, Moo Dang provided great service and incredible food.

Sept. 4, 2015 Friday — 5:45 PM for dinner
2 Adults
Atmosphere — 5stars
Food — 5 stars
Service — 5 stars
Background — Seems to be all the rage on Unilocal so we had to try it. Unilocal never fails!
Atmosphere — An old strip mall that is housing this Thai treasure. The place is very modern feel, bright and clean. The booth was comfy.
Food
Drinks — Singha beer, prices are really good here. They have a really good selection.
Appetizer — Fish balls. Who knew those water animals had balls. They were free with the Unilocal app checkin. Three of these balls were deep fried and on a skewer. But for us it was all about the sauce they came with. Yummy. The item is not on their menu, but I did see it on the happy hour menu.
Dinner — My wife and I split the Moo Dang Fried Rice and the Pad Thai. The Pad Thai was solid. It comes with shrimp and chicken. I ate the chicken while my wife had the shrimp. I liked the chicken big pieces. For me the star of dinner was the Moo Dang Fried Rice. The seasoning was amazing. But the Moo Dang, the red pork pieces, was my savory goodness. I could have had a place of just that!
Service — We had a team serving us and we could not ask for more.
Future — Yes please.

Shouldn’t Moo Dang be more appropriately named Oink Dang? Well, Moo Dang does mean ‘red pork’ in Thai, doesn’t it? Can’t resist being a smarty-​pants although I must give MD credit for showcasing some unique entrees not commonly available in the US. After perusing the menu, my bud and I both appeared lost even though we are not newbies to Thai cuisine. We knew we needed to try red pork… that was a given. While wondering what else besides the tried and true, it was fortuitous that I recognize another Unilocaler, Tessa, dining with her companion. I remembered reading her review on MD and I thought asking her would be the smart thing to do. Thanks Tessa, your input on some new entrees made our evening a culinary adventure!
So our choices were a happy mix of new and old.
As far as I’m concerned, no Thai dinner is complete without Tom Yum ($ 7.50). I often use that as a benchmark to test the waters, so to speak, whenever I try a new Thai place. I was delighted right from my first sip, it had perfect balance between sweetness, sourness with an exotic lemon grass taste. It’s one of the main signature dishes that defines Thai flavor. We requested for Thai hot as my bud is a spice fiend and I went along. Whew! The spiciness didn’t burn my tongue off. (⁴⁄₅)
The next dish is another perennial favorite, Chicken Satay ($ 7.95). Loved the cucumber salad that came with the satay as it provided a distinct contrast to the meat. The salad was crunchy, sweet and sour vs. the savory and peanut-​y dipping sauce. My only comment is using chicken breast for satay is getting old… very old! There are a lot of meats out there that will go well with the satay sauce like beef and lamb not to mention seafood/​shellfish as well. (³⁄₅)
A new entrée meant an entrée I have not seen before in a Thai restaurant in the US. I have however visited Thailand and recalled the Nam Tok Salad ($ 9.95) usually sold by a street vendor. Thai idea of a salad is quite different from what we are used to. The dressing is always a refreshing blend of mint, lime, chili and cilantro and enhanced with fish sauce. Can you imagine the symphony of flavors when these ingredients are blended together? It certainly wouldn’t be creamy like ranch or thousands dressing. The next unique feature was Thai salad invariably had meat and in fact, a hefty pile of BBQ pork. (⁴⁄₅)
Ginger and 3 Mushrooms ($ 10.95) sounded it had some Chinese overtones. Shitake, wood’s ear and button mushrooms were stirred fried with ginger, onions and celery in garlic and soy. The red pork is MD’s house made specialty and I would not even attempt to second guess the marinade recipe involved but to mention MD uses lean pork loin mimicking the Chinese BBQ pork or char siu. The flavors of the whole dish though were authentically Thai, savory and tangy and I loved the crunchy wood ear mushrooms. A job well executed! (⁴⁄₅)
To save the best for last, Mee Kra Tee ($ 11.95) was literally out of this world! A cursory glance reminded me of the Malaysian Mee Goreng with its reddish color noodles from copious dousing of ketchup. The noodles here were Chinese mei fun (vermicelli noodles) and the owner, John, swore MD does not carry ketchup in his kitchen. The secret was simply coconut milk and red shallot sauce! MD sure fooled me! Upon tasting… yes, the unmistakable taste of coconut milk! One of the toppings was just as unusual… shredded omelet. Nice! The noodles were soft (as opposed to al dente), slightly creamy, savory, tamarind-​tangy and incredibly fine tasting and none of the more well known Thai noodles like Pad Thai, Pad See Ew or Pad Kee Miao came close. It was that good! (⁵⁄₅)
It is always welcoming to throw in something new alongside with the old to generate interest. The décor is minimalistic without the pretentious clutter of Thai knick-​knacks on the walls. The owner was white and fluent in Thai and I can tell he has spent some time in Thailand.

This is exactly the type of restaurant we need more of in Reno. One might think opening «another Thai restaurant» in Reno would be a big mistake considering all the options already available, and Id agree.
Fortunately, Moo Dang is so much more than one of those! It should really be called a Thai noodle house because it’s menu is focused on these dishes, but of course they offer the usual suspects too, made with a special touch that makes their version unique. Moo Dang brings our community the chance to experience a different part of the Thai cuisine, and what you’ll find there may surprise you in the best way possible.
For example, did you know Thai’s enjoy a version of noodle soup similar to the Vietnamese version popular throughout the city? Moo Dang is the only place that in town that serves it, and they have quite a few variations to choose from. My favorite would be the Tom Yum noodle soup, which is not at all the Tom Yum found on most Thai menus. This version is light, brothy, and rich in flavors that balance sweet, salty, bitter and spice do well. The namesake Moo Dang, or housemade red roast pork, make an appearance in this bowl, along with the housemade «meatball» that reminds me of a more tender flavorful version of its Viet cousin, bok choy, and noodles. Moo Dang gives you options in the noodle department too, and for this soup I go with egg noodles instead of the rice noodles.
The food here is made with lots of love and care by Opal, owner and chef, and her husband John makes sure everyone enjoys their experience up front. Moo Dang is so darn craveable, and with each dish I try I’m more and more impressed.
Make sure you go and support these guys. They’re breaking the mold here and I like it! Make sure and try the Nam Pok salad and the Bae Mae Moo Dang too! Actually I haven’t found anything I didn’t like so just go for it! And as always, if you ever wanna grab lunch just let me know!