Yai Restaurant

Omg, this Thai place is the best ever!!! Highly recommend whether you are seeking traditional Thai food or just hangry and looking for some good food. Our first time here was a pit stop on a road trip a couple years ago. It was a dark and rainy evening and we were so annoyed with each other, let me tell you we were in a mood. But once the steaming hot soup and delicious dinner came out, our mood totally changed! It was a miracle dinner, one that we never forgot. So much so that when we moved to LA, we get Thai food from here as much as possible. Their Yai special is amazingly delicious and their fried rice that comes with it is so delightfully umami. Seriously, every dish here is just a sensory delight. Enough said, I am just salivating while typing now. Come and support your local mom and pop and treat yourself to some traditional Thai food today!

Of course the food was delicious and oh so satisfying! The parking is limited but thankfully we got a spot without waiting too long. Dined here with mom on our way home and bought to-go for the rest of the family. We ordered: 2x pad kee mao, lard nah, beef tendon soup, pad thai khon kan, nuah namtok, beef saded, thai (esarn) sausage, and bamboo shoot salad. Service was friendly and decor is simple. Come for the food.

Super scrummy. In a 7-11 mini mall in Hollywood, Yai's food has not changed. It's a small mom-pop restaurant so if you're expecting very nice and trendy Hollywood I would not come here. Been coming here since college and I love it every time I visit. Same owners, same quality of food, same genius authenticity and home style flavors. Most Thai restaurants in Los Angeles load up with the sugar, chili and oil. Not here. Pi Yai's dishes are on point, savory, only a hint of sugar if the dish calls for it and definitely not oily. I've tried over 100 Thai restaurants in our city and Pi Yai and another restaurant in Northridge gives me soul food, like eating in Bangkok soul food ..... and you're in Hollywood, Cali!! End of YelpTip: Cash only. Their branch on Vermont takes cards.

Get the seafood curry it's amazing and full of seafood.Add some fried rice to balance the flavors and you have the perfect meal

I've been coming to Yai for over 25 years and is my favorite Thai restaurant. I had them cater a party I was having. While they don't have a catering menu - you can order off their menu and have them put it in catering tray - 10 orders for a full tray and 5 for half.Always recommend the snow crab fried rice, ground chicken with garlic and holy basil, pad thai and pad se-ew.

Oh wow this place is exactly the same as I remembered it in my youth! Like a time capsule. I actually teared up remembering that this was my late father's favorite Thai restaurant, well at least one of them that he would frequently visit. The restaurant now is second generation ran by uncle Yai's daughter and family. Nice people. A second location is on Vermont but the OG location here on Hollywood Blvd is better by a mile! Yai restaurant is old school establishment and has some of the best Thai food in Thai town specializing in central Thai food. You know the food is good when other Thai restaurant owners gather here and meet up with friends for food!! Yai is known for : Anything Crispy Pork Belly (a must order), Raad Na Noodles, Spicy Chili Paste Catfish, Yentafo Noodles, Seafood Curry... Really everything is GOOD here. If you been to Thailand's Yaowarat district in Bangkok, the food here mimics that and comes close. Yaowarat is like the Chinatown of Bangkok. Well known for Chinese Thai fusion. The only downside of the restaurant which they have no control over is the area strip mall is sketchy and parking sux! Definitely a dive! The decor of the restaurant is typical hole-in-the-wall. You order, eat, and pay then GTFO ASAP! CASH ONLY, CASH ONLY, CASH ONLY!

Overall, 4.5. But I will round up to a 5 on Yelp. Loved everything here except for the Pad Thai. I am always on the hunt for the best Pad Thai. However, the other items made me love this place.Crab fried rice was amazing. Savory and sweet. Very comfortable flavors. Great texture. So good. One of the best I ever had. Amazing panang curry. Super good flavor. Savory. Tender chicken. Chicken Satay was super good. Lighter flavor. The ones I usually eat are way heavier in the seasoning. This place was to my liking. It was also meaty and tender. Not dry at all.Really good Tom Yum soup. Awesome flavors. The roast pork Chinese broccoli was super good. One of my favorite things I ever ate. Super good flavor. Exciting. Crispy skin. Great dish. The Chinese broccoli was salty in a good way.Not a fan of the pad Thai. I was able to eat it. However, it tasted super stenchy and fishy. You ever eat dried dehydrated squid? Smells like that. Very fermented like almost.

Long time ago when I moved to LA, I asked the fellow Thai students for which restaurants they recommended. Since then this is the best Thai restaurant and they have never failed me for more than 15 years. My favorite dishes are; fried rice, BBQ beef, and Tom kha gai (Thai coconut soup). I know sounds so original right? Just try them, you know what I mean. Only problem I have is that they don't have Khao Mun Gai (Hainanese Chicken Rice). If they do, I give them 10 stars!

Yummy as always. I really enjoyed the fried shrimp and veggies. It's worth the drive and the traffic lol. The parking is a bit difficult but what else can you expect from Hollywood?

Food is amazing. Service is quick and friendly. It gets packed however service is still great. Inside is a bit run down but I'll continue to come here. Just make sure you check your receipt at the end of the meal!