The ULTIMATE THAI FOOD TOUR in Los Angeles! 3 Must-Try Restaurants!

Wow, look at how big these pork skewers are. So far, everything that I've been eating here, it's like so feel good. Wow, big comfort food. Hey guys, welcome back to my channel. This is Steve from Rockstar Eater coming to you with another rocking episode. And I am out here in Los Angeles bright and early today because today I'm gonna be doing the ultimate Thai food tour. Thai food is one of the best cuisines that you can eat at in Los Angeles. And you might be asking, what are some really great Thai foods I must explore in LA? Well, of course I cannot cover all of them in this episode. But what I can do is show you three of some of the top Thai restaurants that you can start with. And these are some of the best Thai foods they can eat in LA. So I encourage you, stick all the way to the end of this episode, especially if you love Thai food, because I'm gonna show you some incredible, mind blowing Thai food that you can eat when you are visiting Los Angeles or you live in LA. And also if you're new to this channel, take a moment right now to hit that subscribe button, as well as the notification bell because I post these food and travel videos weekly, you don't wanna miss out on. So go ahead, do that right now. And in the meantime, let's go to our first spot. Behind me is Love to Eat Thai Bistro. Now I am super excited to be here because this is really one of the most acclaimed Thai restaurants that you can find anywhere in LA. They've been on LA Times 101 list, Michelin Guide, you name it. I'm gonna go in and check out this award-winning Thai food. They specialize in Southern style Thai food. So it can get a little bit spicy, but it doesn't stop people from coming here. Like I said, it is one of the most popular, highly rated Thai restaurants that you can find in LA. And they're open pretty much every day, all day. So this is definitely a good spot to be, especially if you're in the Hollywood area. There must be at least a hundred things on this menu. It's pretty big. So I guess if you don't know what to get, you can always go with the chef special. Can't go wrong with that, right? Like I heard this one, this curry is really one of their best sellers. So yes, I'm gonna get that. And look at all this amazing stuff. Ooh, yeah, the fried chicken. I heard this also is another popular item. Some of these do take a while to cook. So you just have to be patient with it. Yep, you see a lot of recognizable dishes too, like the pad see ew, Chinese broccoli with the fried pork, and your curries and soup, like Tom Yum soup, yellow curry, red curry, green curry. Oh, I want it all. There is so much activity going on here in the kitchen. I mean, I can tell it's a pretty big menu because they're doing so many things at the same time. Like they are grinding, they're grilling, they're stir frying, all kinds of Thai food. I almost feel like this is watching a Thai street food operation in place in this kitchen, like in Thailand. Coconut milk from Thailand? And the coconut milk from Thailand. Oh, okay. Okay, and I put a little bit sugar. Okay, and this is for your crab curry, right? Yes. And this one, okay. Can I put this one in the chili paste, the crab curry from the southern Phuket, Thailand. What kind of, you want spicy? Oh, then please make it mild if you can. Yeah, mild, yes. Ooh, so this is the premium crab meat? Yes, the premium crab meat. Oh, okay. Okay, and this one, the blue crab. Suppliers. You can tell, it's pretty high quality just by smelling it, premium. Yes. Last step is to put the crab meat in. It's looking good. Yeah, it's done, look at that. Smells so good, it looks great too. I mean, anything curry is good, right? I'm telling you, LA is really the best place out of Thailand to get Thai food. When you watch them cook this thing, you know it's authentic, it's legit. You have every reason to be excited. Starting out with the first five, like five out of the 100 that I got. No, I'm just kidding, yeah. We'll see how I feel after this. So if you wanna get a noodle dish, I think this is the one you gotta get on the menu. Jade noodle with three barbecue pork, crispy pork, and roasted duck. Bean sprouts, green leaves, Chinese broccoli, crushed peanut. So what you're supposed to do is to mix it all together and eat it kinda like a salad. Oh, it is a little bit hot in the bottom. Okay, kinda like warm noodles. Guys, this is one of the craziest things I've seen in a Thai restaurant. This is called the moo ping. I don't know if you guys can see it, but they're pretty big. I saw them grilling this just a moment ago. Wow, this is like a taste of the streets of Thailand right here. And this one is their papaya salad. A good way to start off. Yeah, so it has the shredded papaya with peanuts, tomatoes, and there looks like there's some cabbages in there, green beans. This restaurant seems like it's good for any occasion. You could dine in, you could take out, and the parking looks pretty decent out there, you know, free parking. And they have a catering menu too. So if you wanna know more details about that, you can always call in and ask them how it works, and they're gonna take care of you. Tastes just like a lot of the great papaya salads that I've had in a Thai restaurant. This restaurant is known for their spiciness. So if you guys like it spicy, then by all means enjoy it. But if you guys are not into spiciness, tell them to do it like mild, number one, however that system works. But you got some Thai stew to kind of cool it down, right? Mm. Oh yeah, totally does the trick. It's like crunchy, refreshing, spicy, all at the same time. Mm. Now if you should get some sort of like salad or veggies on the menu, I mean, it can't be all meat, right? You got the spread of the carbs and the proteins and the veggies all mixed just like that. It seems like every time I go to a Thai restaurant, I'm discovering new dishes all the time. Mm. That's kind of crazy, isn't it? Well, I definitely like the crispy pork in there. That's a given. It's like a very savory flavor. And the reason I like it is that it is really a complete meal. They got your veggies, they got even two kinds of meat, like the pork and the duck in here. So awesome. Mm-hmm. Wow, amazing stuff. That is a beast right there. Never had pork skewers this big before in a Thai restaurant. It's sweet, kind of smoky. So unless you guys really don't like pork, then yeah, you should get this, because like I said, it is one of their best-selling items here. And I've not seen anything like this in a Thai restaurant, and I think it's pretty cool to explore all this. Crispy pork with Chinese broccoli. Yeah, if you've never had this before, you're missing out. So this is really one of the best Thai dishes that you could eat in a Thai restaurant. Yes, gotta get it all the time, even if it's not one of their specialties. Definitely worth ordering. This one, they make it perfectly here. Nice crispy pork, broccoli, nice and crunchy. It's so fresh and really good oily flavor. That's the way I love it. Mm-hmm. Try it because this is another one of their best things on the menu. Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if everything on the menu was like their best thing. And this one is called the Kwa Kling. I've had this before at another Thai restaurant that specializes in Southern cooking. Oh yeah, so you have your choice of protein. I think the ground pork is the way to go. So this is stir-fried with turmeric curry paste, and it has the stink beans inside of it. Ooh, that's fantastic. Wow. And it's so small. Look how fine it is. Like not big, chunky pieces. Really finely made ground pork. Has a turmeric curry flavor. Not that spicy, or at least you can tell them not to make it that spicy. Mm. Very nice. Definitely something you gotta get at this restaurant. Kwa Kling. You cannot forget about this one too. This is their famous hot yai fried chicken, or their Southern-style fried chicken. I'm always down for some fried chicken. Look at that. There's some fried shallots on top. We got some sticky glutinous rice to the right. Sweet chili sauce. We're all set. Fried chicken time. Oh yeah. I'm a fried chicken type of person, so you bet I'm gonna order this thing. Uh-huh. Okay. I can already tell I'm gonna get this again next time I come here. That skin is so perfectly crispy. I don't know what this marination they use on this chicken is, but it is so good. But it does come with this sweet chili sauce. That enhances the flavor, especially if you like it sweet. Wow. Bro, this is like one of the best things here. You totally get it. And you see? This one comes with some rice too. Yeah. Mm. Can you tell? I'm really enjoying this restaurant. Now here is the last one. This is the one that I heard everybody gets at this restaurant because it's so good. Maybe the best in LA. So this is the Phuket-style crab curry khanom jim, which is blue crab inside with additional crab meat, curry served with your vermicelli rice noodle, hard-boiled egg. So this is the way you're supposed to do it. You put the noodles right there with all of your toppings. All right, here we go. Yes, I'm gonna get a little bit of everything. Got the piece of crab right there. Yes, you need the curry because that goes over the noodles. It makes your noodles taste really good. Maybe I'll eat this one first, right out of the shell. Mm, almost kind of tastes like liquid actually. Kind of creamy. Ooh, it's good. By the way, I've had these raw before because they serve these in Korean restaurants as well. So good, so good. These noodles kind of act as the rice because there's no rice with this dish. I mean, I suppose you could put it over the rice, but this is the reason why they give you the noodles. Mm. Oh, wow. Really good curry flavor. So if you guys like curry, this is the dish you gotta get here because everybody here gets this dish. That's what I heard. That's the reason why a lot of people come here. Every time you have a bite of something, you feel like you've traveled to some exotic Asian country out there. I mean, that's the feeling you wanna get, right? Like it feels adventurous, but then it feels so homey, you know, very feel-good. It touches your soul when you eat it. That's exactly what I'm feeling here. Yeah, definitely get the fried chicken. Get the crab curry. I think those are two of some of my highlight items here at this restaurant. Hey, I mean, even this guac ling was pretty awesome too. I mean, everything. Wow. Now I can see why it's such an award-winning restaurant. They got so much going for it. Flavors, it's just amazing, really. One of the top Thai restaurants you'll find in LA. Probably like the top five that I've been to in LA. Well, definitely. Even if I ended right there, I would be so happy, but gotta go to more Thai spots. Now this next restaurant that I'm gonna be eating at is quite a historical spot. Behind me is Chow Krung Thai. This restaurant has been here since 1976. So it's running on almost 50 years. Family business, and they are a Thai select restaurant, which is a Thailand organization that certifies authentic, very legitimate Thai food outside of Thailand. So if you get one of these kind of awards, it's almost like getting a Michelin star of Thai cuisine. Well, that's good enough for me. One of the things that you're gonna see when you come in here is that this is kind of a low-lit, dim restaurant. It has some more of a contemporary vibe, kind of romantic too. And I heard that the food is a mixture of everything in Thailand, North, Central, South, just whatever is good to the chef. And Chef Amanda, she is pretty amazing. It's a fairly simple two-sided menu. You got your appetizers, of course, just like any other Thai restaurants, house specialties, Thai salads, and their curries here are really good. So you definitely should consider getting a curry. Got some really good noodles, like Pad Thai, even though everybody does it, but theirs is very good. So you'll be very safe ordering it. FYI, they do have a lunch menu too that runs between these hours from Monday through Fridays. So if you're here for lunch, you can get it for a little bit of a cheaper price. Ooh, even happy hour, all right. This is Chef Amanda. She's the one who runs everything at this restaurant. Yeah, the brilliant cook at this restaurant. So what do we have here? We have my specialty, the Isan sausage, fermented. It's a sour sausage. It's a great appetizer. It pairs up really well with beer. Beef jerky made with Picanha beef, Brazilian beef. You say Brazilian? Yeah. Oh. It's Brazilian. Have you had a Picanha before? Yeah. Well, this is the same cut. Really? This is a Thai marination. All right, so what are we making, some Pad Thai? Pad Thai. Pad Thai, yes, starts with the egg. We'll make it to the egg last, but it's gonna be scrambled. Yes, woo, look at that go. And I know your mom loves Pad Thai. Oh, veggies, okay. Oh, I think it's done. Wow, that was pretty quick. Yes. Wild prawns. Grilled wild prawns. On a Pad Thai sauce. Oh. Definitely an extra chive in there. And this is your omelet also. Okay, that looks good. So this one is a Thai sour sausage. There's a lot going on in that plump sausage. Minced pork, galanga, lemongrass, sticky rice, coriander root, pepper, served with ginger, lime, and bird's eye chili. And then this one is the Thai beef jerky. So it is flash fried sliced sirloin cap that's marinated with seasoning sauce, coriander seeds, roasted rice with chili's dipping sauce, which is that. This is not on the menu because this is a house specialty. So this is their steamed mussels. Oh, this one looks really good, right? So it's supposed to be cooked in coconut milk, lemongrass. I do see some of those chili's all around. And you know the really good thing about this restaurant is that it's so close to the farmer's market and Beverly Grove. So if you happen to be around there or maybe you wanna pair it up with dinner, you're in the mood for Thai, this is gonna be your best bet. Remember, Thai select. These sausages are pretty insane, right? All right, well, let's try one of them. Ah, whoa, it's so hot. Wow, these sausages are really good. It's sour, it's juicy, full of a lot of flavor inside. So take it like that. Maybe add some of that peanut and some of those sliced gingers in. Look at that. You got like a nice little taco right over there. Isn't that so cool? Wow, even better. For sure, put that cabbage to really good use. It's gonna make all the difference. So now it's really crunchy and refreshing. It's almost like that feeling you get when you eat those Vietnamese egg rolls with the wrap around it, you know, when you put in the fish sauce. Kind of similar. This is not Vietnamese food, of course. This is Thai food. This is some of the best sausages I've had in a Thai restaurant. I always like steamed mussels. This is always fun, uh-huh. Wow, that mussel is so fresh. Yeah, that thing just is like, almost tastes like it came out of the sea. That's really good. I love that coconut milk flavor. It's kind of deep inside this dish, so it's hard to see, but it's in there. Dip it into some of this sauce, yeah. Takes it to a new level. It's a little bit spicy, so just letting you know, but it is so good. I know this kind of looks a little bit like a fine dining restaurant, but you can use your fingers with some of these dishes. Tastes just like something out of a Brazilian steakhouse. This is like the best beef jerky I think I've had in a Thai restaurant so far. Based on the way the appetizers taste, I know the entrees are gonna be very good. I'm looking very forward to it. All right, here we go. Main attraction. So this one, I've had a version of this earlier at Love 2 Eat Thai Bistro. Crab curry khanam jeem. I know I'm not pronouncing that right, but you get the point. Creamy coconut red curry made with lime leaves, shallot, galangal, and lemongrass with blue crab. This one is the crab omelet. One of their best things here. Yes, and it does come with fish sauce and some sriracha. Yeah, that's what you dip it into, almost kind of like your ketchup. And this is their famous pad thai. So this one is the one with the large grilled prawns. I've never seen a pad thai so elevated like this before. All you gotta do is put some truffle and caviar on it, and we are good to go. What would a Thai food tour be without some pad thai noodles, right? But you know, with their own little twist. Mm, wow. That's like sweet, and it's chewy too. You know, pad thai is not exactly my favorite Thai noodles, but it is one of their most popular items here at this historic restaurant. So I had to get it, and I'm not disappointed, because it tastes so awesome. See, the reason why I think this one is so unique is that it comes with these tiger prawns. Wow, this is such a fancy dish. Mm, wow, that's so amazing. You're gonna like it. It's definitely one of the much better pad thais that I've had. You know, Chef Amanda, magical touch on everything, even the pad thai. Crab omelet, here we go. I love omelets, especially made in Asian restaurants. Mm, that is like a comfort dish right there. Just imagine just a big piece of fluffy egg that's inside your mouth with that crab meat, and you can also dip it in that other sauce too. Wow, both sauces are good in its own way. The combination of white rice and the omelet is supposed to be really good, so request it if you don't get it. Like mom's home cooking. I'm telling you, that omelet is like the best thing ever. I would come back to this restaurant just to get that. The crab curry also involves a little bit of assembling, just like we did at the first restaurant. So the noodles, along with your veggie toppings, just like that. Oh yeah, look at that curry, look at that. Oh, I love that red color. Here we go, yes. Over the noodles, flavor that thing, almost like spaghetti sauce over spaghetti. Don't you just love that red color? I don't think it's really that spicy, but I'll find out. Mm, almost like eating curry soba in some place. Oh, this is really good. Everything about this is so fantastic, like the noodles, the veggies, you know, very refreshing, crispy curry sauce. Oh yeah, it just shows. You don't always have to have rice with curry. You can actually do with noodles too. I also got the 10 ounce flat iron Wagyu beef. Yeah, so this is their Wagyu steak that runs for $45. On the menu, it's marinated with garlic, white pepper, oyster sauce. Got some of that awesome chili roasted rice powder dipping sauce, uh-huh. No words. That thing is so rich, it like melts in your mouth, wow. Yeah, just get it. I know every place has steak, but it is so delicious here at this restaurant too. You're not gonna go wrong with it because you have that really awesome house-made chili sauce, this one, that I feel makes anything taste good, especially this steak. So you're taking an American food and you're giving it this Asian twist and you have like the most awesome dish ever. And of course, I have to finish off with my mango sticky rice. This has a lot of condensed milk over it and I think that's toasted rice that's on top. And I have a feeling even this would be pretty fabulous here. Perfect. Rice is perfect, mango is perfect, just wonderful. So remember that here on Fairfax, near the Beverly Grove and original farmer's market, Chow Krong Thai, one of the best Thai restaurants in LA. I am super convinced of that. You'll find that out once you come here and you try it for yourself. So once again, Chef Amanda, look out for her when you come to Chow Krong Thai, awesome food, yes. And one of the things you're gonna notice about Thai food in Los Angeles is that all the great restaurants are really spread out all over LA. So it's not just one specific concentration, like Thai Town, for example. You're gonna find great award-winning Thai restaurants everywhere, even in the San Fernando Valley, which is where I'm headed next. So the third restaurant is here in Sherman Oaks. It is called Anajak Thai. This is really one of the most acclaimed Thai restaurants in all of Los Angeles. In fact, they made the LA Times number one restaurant of the year. You heard that right, the best restaurant in all of Los Angeles, nominated by LA Times. So it can't be really that bad, right? Well, let's check it out, I'm so excited. You can tell that this restaurant is very popular because right when they open at night, everybody comes in. Yeah, reservation is a good idea. They have indoor seating, they have outdoor seating, and unlike the other Thai restaurants that I've been to, you're gonna find a lot of traditional Thai dishes, but then at the same time, a lot of inventive, chef-driven dishes. So this is really what makes Anajak so different is that it is Thai fine dining at its best in LA. You see, you got crudo of Japanese kampachi, Peruvian scallops, so they are very into seafood. Very chef-driven, like I said. And then when you get down here, heavier stuff, like Southern Thai fried chicken, which put them on the map, oh yeah. And as well as like, okay, I see some traditional stuff. Pad Thai, pad see ew, drunken noodles, uh-huh. Of course, a lot of the cooking takes place in the back in the kitchen, but then a lot of the appetizers, especially the cold dishes, I guess it's prepared right over here by the counter. We can watch it, like open preparation. And if you guys like to drink, there's a very extensive wine list. Anajak is really known for their big beer and wine selection. So as you can see, this is not a cheap eats restaurant, but if you're willing to pay for quality, you're gonna get it because this is pretty much like eating at a LA Times 101. Number one best spot. Some two good appetizers to start off. So we got some crudo of Japanese kampachi with palm sugar and lime. Look at that, how fancy. It looks just like it came out of a sushi restaurant. And this one is something that we recognize in all Thai restaurants. This is their papaya salad with snap peas, peanuts, kumquat. I like how finely shredded it is. Look at that. I should tell you that there is a parking lot there, but it is blocked for seating purposes and for food preparation. So park somewhere on Ventura Boulevard, but after like 6 p.m., it's free. So yeah, that's good news. It's not like parking in downtown LA where you have to pay for everything, right? Oh, wow. I don't know what exactly is in this sauce, but it does look very pretty. It's like a spicy lemongrass, slimy, a little salty flavor, which I think is good because it's a very strong flavor that makes this kampachi really pop in its taste. Wow. So if you guys like raw fish, they got it here. And it's really one of their popular items you should get. And I think this is the first time I've seen kumquat inside of a papaya salad in a restaurant. The kumquat adds like a citrusy flavor. I feel papaya salad is something, if you don't know what other salads to get, it's always a safe bet. Second time having the papaya salad today. Not as spicy as the one I had at Love to Eat Thai Bistro, but this one is really delicious in its own way. So I guess this is the first big entree that came out, the pork ribs with pineapple glaze. This is my first time having this here. So I have been to this restaurant one other time, but I have not had this one when I was here last time. See how saucy your mouth gets? I like the sauce over it. It's so sweet. So that thing has been barbecued to perfection. Almost tastes like something out of a American barbecue restaurant, but of course it has a little bit more of that Asian flavor to it. Very nice. Okay, I wasn't expecting this. This was actually a chef's recommendation and I like it. All right, home run for the ribs. And I think this one is their biggest attraction here, the Southern Thai fried chicken. Yeah, so that's the fried chicken itself. And that is the sticky rice, very signature Thai food, as well as two dipping sauces. Perfectly crispy. You see all that meat in the leg? They give you about, let me see, one, two, three, four, five pieces. This thing could definitely be a complete meal. And of course, you've got to try some of that rice, right? Unless you really don't like fried chicken, this is the dish that you should be getting here at this restaurant. Because like I said, almost everybody comes here to get this fried chicken dish. It's really a knockout. One of the best you're gonna find in LA. All right, even more food. So we got some crab fried rice. This is the first time that I'm trying it today. Okay, and it has that fish sauce with looks like very spicy chili inside. Now this one is definitely a house specialty. It's called the hamak, which is a steamed fish curry custard. This one, you will not find it in too many Thai restaurants. I'll tell you that. The sauce is kind of strong. So I'm just gonna add a little bit onto it. I think it should make it taste really much better, right? How do I describe a crab fried rice? It's not exactly like eating a Chinese fried rice, which is very good, by the way. I really like crab fried rice. The flavor is really, I can tell you, it's like my favorite fried rice dish. So the way they make it here, this is like a very classic tasting crab fried rice. Put this lime juice because that sourness is really gonna make the flavor of this thing pop. This is my first time trying this here. It's a really good crab fried rice. Just dig right into that custard. Ooh, there's even fish in there. All right, so you got some proteins as well, right? Uh-huh. So that custard has like a curry flavor. I mean, it is a curry custard, right? Just a little bit spicy. And I think the addition of that fish is so good because it really adds like a really feel-good, savory taste to this whole thing. I think it's a good idea you try some rice with this, you know, just so that you can get more of a complete experience. It is a little bit rich, so that's why after a few bites, you might be good. Or if you wanna eat it by yourself, power to you, finish this whole thing, right? All right, guys, so this is my last one, the drunken noodles. This is a very popular traditional Thai food. So it's kind of like pad see ew in the sense that there are those rice noodles, but it's stir fried with other stuff like onions, looks like there are basil leaves, tomatoes in there, and you get a choice of protein. And I got the shrimp because I think that's like the best thing to get in here. You see, it's not just all about inventive dishes. They do have some very familiar dishes here as well. Mm, those rice noodles always hit the spot. Whether it's drunken noodles in a Thai restaurant or it's a beef chow fun in a Chinese restaurant, it's like, how could he go wrong with it? And the rice noodles are perfect. Like the chewiness is on point, very fresh. And like I said, you have your choice of protein. I think the shrimp is the way to go. Oh, that shrimp, I think it's been barbecued or grilled. That is awesome. It's kind of a little bit of a sweeter version of a drunken noodles that I've tried in the past, but nevertheless, it's very tasty. I know a lot of people get it here. So if you're into drunken noodles, you should be happy because they have it here at this restaurant. I have to try this too. This is the mango sticky rice. I don't care if I've tried it more than one time today, I'm going to try it again. See, I was on my way out, but then I had to try this because mama is in the house and she makes these awesome mango sticky rice. That is as perfect as mango sticky rice can get. Mango is melting your mouth off. Rice, sticky, glutinous, not too sweet too. Okay, if you get it here too, you're going to really like it. I mean, this is really like one of the best Thai restaurants you can find in LA. Very chef-driven, very delicious recipes. Yeah, definitely get that fried chicken, get the hamak, which is really good. I mean, even their traditionals like drunken noodles, you can't go wrong with it. Yeah. So before I leave Anajak, this is Justin. He is the awesome chef here. Chef and owner at Anajak. So come to this restaurant. You're not going to regret it. Say hi to him. He's going to take really good care of you, right? Yeah, thank you. Thank you so much. All right. See you guys soon. You know where it's at, Sherman Oaks. Thank you so much for watching this episode, guys. You know what to do. Give me a like, give me a subscribe, and I'll see you all in the next food adventure.