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Looking for some delicious Thai food in the Bethlehem area?

You’re in luck, as La Kang Chicken & Rice opened its doors several weeks ago at 15 E. Fourth Street. The new venue near the heart of the Southside’s business district occupies the same location as the former Mexican restaurant, General Zapata.

“They were there for about 15 years…they were on their way out, and we had the opportunity,” said La Kang co-owner Tony Valdez. “We saw it was right across the street from Lehigh University. It was about the same time we were opening our (Thai) hot pot, and we said, ‘you know what, let’s do it.’”

Credit: La Kang Chicken & Rice / Facebook

It’s been a busy, productive couple of years for co-owners Valdez, Nakkarawoot Krueawong and Ratchaphol Rojratana. In addition to the new Bethlehem location, they jointly operate three other restaurant concepts–including a Thai restaurant in downtown Hellertown–and a food truck across the Lehigh Valley.

“Our first location we opened is in Easton (La Kang Thai-French Cuisine), and we’ve been there for about five years,” Valdez explained. “We opened La Kang Thai Noodle Bar about two-and-a-half to three years ago in Hellertown. In July, we premiered a food truck, and we’ve taken it to a couple of festivals and a few other places. In December, we opened the hot pot upstairs at the same location as the noodle bar (in Hellertown)–it’s right upstairs, so we have two different concepts right there.”

Each La Kang restaurant offers a unique spin on Asian cuisine.

“Most places will have one concept and just take it to different boroughs–we didn’t want to do that,” Valdez said. “Same owners and quality food that you would expect, but different concepts.”

In fact, Valdez said La Kang Hot Pot in Hellertown is the first Thai hot pot eatery in the state. “Everything else is either Korean, Chinese or Vietnamese,” he added.

Above, a banner advertises La Kang Hot Pot outside La Kang Thai Noodle Bar in Hellertown. The restaurants are located in the same building, which is at 620 Main Street, and are part of a growing La Kang restaurant group in the Lehigh Valley.

A food item that can be found at each La Kang location is their Lehigh Valley-famous Pad Thai, which Valdez noted has won local awards.

“The noodle bar has traditional items such as Pad Thai and Drunken Noodles…but we’re seafood-focused, and we also do crafted noodles here (at La Kang Chicken & Rice) as well,” Valdez said. “At the flagship (restaurant), Thai-French (in Easton), it’s a little more high-end, you get whole fish, duck, salmon and much more. It’s still Thai food with French techniques.”

“A lot of people think it’s a fusion, but it’s not,” he added. “For example, we do Pad Thai there, but we do it a little bit differently with an egg crepe on top–we incorporate French ingredients into the recipes.”

As for the menu at the new Bethlehem location, you will find Pad Thai on it, of course, but also salads and appetizers such as Crispy Dumplings and Grilled Flank Steak, multiple types of curry and five different La Kang Over Rice options, including Original, Fried Chicken, Grilled Chicken, Grilled Flank Steak and Duo.

“There’s a famous lady in Thailand, and she pretty much does Khao Man Gai, and it’s just chicken and rice–steamed chicken, ginger rice, a couple of cucumbers and dipping sauces,” Valdez said. “This way, we’re doing a play on that–kind of elevated Thai street food.”

La Kang Chicken & Rice opened last month on the South Side of Bethlehem. The restaurant is located in a space that was previously home to General Zapata at 15 E. Fourth St.

The menu also features desserts like Coconut Ice Cream and Mango Sticky Rice along with a beverage list that includes Thai iced tea, Thai iced coffee and a Thai tea slushy.

Valdez, who has cooked all over the Valley, said he met one of his co-owners in culinary school and they “just clicked.”

“We had a friendly rivalry because my style of food is more Latin-Asian, and he likes the Thai-French…we would always go at each other and try each other’s food,” he said. “We kind of went our (separate) ways…I got back with these guys, and said I think we can do great together… Each of us has a specific role, and that’s why we’ve been able to do these three different concepts within a year, and you can’t do it without a solid team.”

According to the La Kang Chicken & Rice Facebook page, business hours are Tuesday-Sunday, noon to 9 p.m. Order pickup and delivery is available via apps such as GrubHub and DoorDash, and each La Kang location is BYOB.