Anajak Thai

Anajak Thai:LA Times #1 restaurant in Los Angeles - No, not even close!That's a silly supposition.#1Thai Restaurant in Los Angeles - still No!Hardest reservation to get in Los Angeles - Absolutely No!Hardest Thai food reservation to get - (finally) a Yes!Anajak Thai is very good; I get it. Is it better than Love2Eat Bistro or Jitlada or Night + Market - hardly.Four of us had:* Carabinero Prawns in shrimp oil, makrut, garlic confit - very good* Pork Ribs - pineapple-glaze better than most* Southern-Thai Fried Chicken - tasty with good crisp* Grilled Cabbage - with garlic chutney - excellent * Panang Curry, Chinese eggplant cook with nardellos with maitake - liked it*. Pad Thai - a regular and we loved every dish above.Anajak is certainly in Los Angeles's top five Thai Restaurants. But #1 in LA - no way.In this day and age, when an influencer or an A-One celebrity frequents a place and paparazzi pop in and social media takes over it tends to blur the backdrop that a restaurant is about the food, not the scene. I believe this is the case with Anajak Thai.I've eaten here at Anajak many times, years ago when it just an OK Mom & Pap Thai restaurant. I've always liked it. It was close to where I lived and it was small and comfortable. Did I ever think it would make the Los Angeles Times #1 restaurant in LA - not even.Did I like it then - YesDo I like it now - YesWould I come back here again - Maybe?

Totally worth the hype!! Wow, I was so impressed! I managed to get a last minute reservation for 6 PM. We got there 15 mins early and they were able to seat us right away. We got the crudo, laab tot, fried chicken, braised beef with a side of jasmine rice, and the grilled cabbage. For dessert, we got the mango sticky rice. Every dish was so flavorful! I would go back and reorder every single dish we had.Service was great! Probably one of the best LA restaurants where service was top notch. Also, the playlist was amazing! My millennial self was jamming out to every song being played. Overall, it was a wonderful dining experience from start to finish.

The food here is absolutely delicious The service is stellar. Every time I'm here I feel taken care of. I came for TTT this past time- they recently changed it to reservations only, it used to be only walk ins- the manager was able to accommodate us. The restaurant is small and cozy, the ally is clean and intentional. All the food I've had here has consistently been an amazing experience. I regularly recommend this restaurant to my clients and they come back raving. The sauce the scallops live in.. is something that I literally think about at least once a day. The mango sticky rice is literal perfection. I've never had food that brings me so much joy. Anajak Thai is top tier food, some of the best food I've ever had- it's literal art in my mouth and in my plate.

Not easy to get a reservation but absolutely delicious. I truly loved the service and the food. I didn't need to park but it seems like there is plenty of parking on Ventura blvd. The place is small but clean and the restroom smelled good. We had the Crudo it was so good we ordered it again. I also loved the fried chicken and cabbage my husband had the fish it was so good. I didnt get a picture of everything but man it was a ten out of ten.

I've been waiting to go to this restaurant for a longggg time especially with all the great reviews it gets. It's changed over the years as they used to do take out and now they don't. I believe they used to also do walk ins but now it's rare. I was driving by on a Friday night and stopped to see if they had in walk ins. They said they were fully booked and typically booked a month or two out. The guy at the front offered us a reservation for the next night tho so thank you!! We came back the next night at 8:15 pm. Parked in a public lot down the street. Parking is tough in this area but not impossible. It was pretty cold out and the front stand didn't have its heater on but we were sat within maybe 10 mins or so. We were a little early. Sooo glad the tables outside had a blanket. Although it was only one lol. I was hoping for inside but didn't specifically ask for it. The alleyway has plastic foldable chairs and is narrow but not unpleasant. The heater and blankets helped a bit but I was still cold. I knew this place was known for their wine menu but WOWWWW it was soooo extensive. Decently pricey and most are sold by the bottle. My bf and I got two wines by the glass. The wine guy or sommelier didn't come to our table which was unfortunate (I saw him go to most of the other ones). We weren't crazy hungry but I will come much hungrier next time and with a group. We got the Southern Thai Fried Chicken and Pad Gaprao Beef & Fried Egg. Both were DELICIOUS! so good that I'm committed to learning how to make the pad gaprao at home. The sauces that came with the fried chicken were soooo yummy and the chicken was so perfectly crispy. I will be back to order many many things. (and hopefully order a bottle of wine with a good recommendation)

I've read countless articles about this Thai restaurant, so I decided to make the trip and see what all the hype was about.We started with the Kratong Tong, a pastry filled with tuna and corn. The crunchy texture made for a nice first bite.Next, we tried the Laah Tot, pork meatballs served with a mildly spicy yet flavorful sauce.Of course, we had to try their signature Southern-style Fried Chicken. It was perfectly crispy and juicy, living up to its reputation.We also ordered the Massaman Braised Beef, but it leaned much sweeter than we would have liked.Finally, we ended the meal with Drunken Noodles with shrimp. While the flavors were good, the noodles were overcooked, and the dish disappointingly came with only three shrimp.Overall, the food was enjoyable, but we felt it was overpriced. I wouldn't make the drive again, as there are plenty of Thai restaurants closer to home that are better and more reasonably priced.

The hamachi crudo sauce is one of the best spicy flavor profiles I've ever had. Like your classic Thai chili oil mixed with a jalapeño sashimi from a traditional sushi restaurant, elevated heavily. The fried chicken doesn't disappoint. Scallops are also awesome with the ginger. I wouldn't come here expecting your typical pad Thai. Spicy drunken noodles are apparently the move instead. No bad bites all night.

So glad I found this place! Food is amazing and the atmosphere was dim and intimate. Went for dinner and wasn't disappointed. Got the grilled Black Sea bream and the crudo along with the massaman. We were also offered the grilled cabbage with garlic chutney and it was the hidden highlight I didn't know I'd love. So tender and extremely garlicky. The grilled fish came off the bone, the crisp was bright and fresh. Their sauces was well balanced with savory bright and sweet. I wanted to drink them. Food: 9/10Service: 9/10Ambience: 9/10

I'm no stranger to upscale and fine dining, but this place has some nerve charging $20+ for a single SMALL taco. The menu was uninspired and very mediocre,It's a shame because Thai Mexican fusion can be so innovative and unique. I just wish there was more going on here.

The service was extremely rushed. I was meeting a friend for dinner and she happened to be running 10min late from our reserved time. I was told we would only have 1.5hrs, which i was fine with. However, the 1,5hrs felt so rushed. The food is delicious but the waiter or another staff member kept coming by to check on us and while that may seemnice, it felt like they were checking on how much more we would be staying. At the end when we paid, the waiter took our card at the table and we watched him walk to the host and gesture that we had paid. Another small gesture that makes the guest feel like they need to leave. The entire thing took less than 1.5hrs. They got us out of there in an hour and 15min. We stuck around slightly to finish the glass of wine we still had left. So even the hour and half they had told us we would have was rushed. Great food, but that alone is not enough to take me back to this place. I don't want to drop 170$ and feel like i'm being kicked to the curb so they can fit another reservation in.