Bida Manda

This place is amazing. The pork belly soup is delicious. Only downfall about this place it is definitely pricey but the overall food is great! Good customer service and nice environment. It get busy so expect to wait or get a reservation which is recommended.

We travel often to DJ Indian and Fusion weddings all over the country. We came to Raleigh, North Carolina for a two day wedding and were excited about trying local restaurants. This was by far our favorite. Amazing food, nice decor and good drinks. Some of our highlights were crispy rice lettuce wraps, Lao beef jerky, green papaya salad. Try something new here and come with an open mind and hungry stomach. They won’t disappoint.

I came here with a friend for dinner on a Tuesday night. It was so busy for a Tuesday which shows you how good they are!! Our server was so sweet and accommodating. She had the bartender make me a custom mocktail since I can’t drink alcohol. They brought out complimentary shrimp chips. The lettuce wraps were AMAZING and huge. We barely finished them. The pad Thai was good and extremely large too. Enjoyed and will be back!

This review is based on a very small sample of what the menu offers but every bite and every sip I had, sitting by myself at the bar, was amazing. The HAZELNUT MANHATTAN made with “Bourbon, frangelico, cardamaro, and black walnut bitters” was served in a coup glass that was aggressively frozen so the first sip was a little slushy. Simply delicious. It reminded of not too sweet butterscotch. The best Manhattan variation I’ve ever had. There are several drinks on the menu I want to try but the Manhattan was so good I just ordered another one for my second (last) drink. I also ordered the SAO NOY’S CRISPY SPRING ROLLS “Filled with local herbs, vermicelli noodles, vegetables, ground pork, and served with our house-made caramelized sweet chili sauce with peanuts” for an appetizer. They are crispy salty with a complex mix of flavors and not a bit greasy, these are a next level spring roll. Loved them. Finally for dinner I had the GREEN PAPAYA SALAD “made with hand-julienned unripe papaya, tomatoes, peanuts, our house-made tamarind dressing, and sticky rice. Fresh Thai Chili is added to your heat preference. With the Crispy Dill and Lemongrass Trout added”. The bartender asked if I liked spicy food and I told him I do but also that I wanted to be cautious. He said the medium spice was a 7 out of 10 and recommended that based on the fact I like spice. He also added a side of chili paste in case I needed more heat. I did not need more heat. If anything it was a bit more spicy than I would have wanted but that didn’t stop me from stuffing myself. Every part of this dish is delicious. The papaya is finely julienned and dressed with every surface covered but not a ml more so the salad is not soggy. The trout might be the best trout I’ve ever eaten. Lightly breaded with crispy breading and skin. The flesh is heavily seasoned amazingly moist and flaky. A masterclass of fresh water fish. I will be back to Bida Manda at my earliest opportunity and I will try some of the other items on the menu. Based on my first experience here this is one of my top 5 restaurants in Raleigh and on par with the best Asian food I’ve had anywhere. (I cut and pasted the restaurant’s dish descriptions into this review and placed those excerpts inside quotation marks)

I found Bida Manda on a short one-night trip to Raleigh back in 2021 and I have consistently remembered the meal I had that night as one of the best meals I’ve ever had. No exaggeration! I’ve genuinely considered making a trip back just for this dinner as I really can’t find anything similar to what I had near me. I felt compelled to leave this review (although very late) after trying to google how to make that crispy pork belly soup. The service was amazing, our server was so passionate and knowledgeable of the menu, we fully trusted them to pick our entrees and it was incredible. Green papaya salad and crispy pork belly soup I have not stopped thinking about you!! The vibe of the restaurant is unique, drinks are amazing. If you are in Raleigh looking for dinner do NOT skip Bida Manda.