LAReview
photo credit: Jakob Layman
Sri Siam Cafe
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There’s an insane amount of great Thai food in LA. So when you hear about a new spot, your first question probably isn’t whether they have good food. Your question is whether the food’s better than your favorite spot around the corner from your apartment. And when it comes to Sri Siam, a family-run joint in a strip mall off the highway in North Hollywood, that answer is, unequivocally, yes. And it’s time to get in your car and go try it right now.
Sri Siam has operated in the same space since 1984. That crispy rice salad you love so much at Night+Market? Sri Siam has been doing it for decades. Papaya salad, crispy trout, boat noodles, and even Khao Soi, weren’t yet celebrity dishes in this city when Sri Siam starting cooking them. Of course, all of this would be merely fun facts if the food wasn’t as phenomenal as it is.
photo credit: Jakob Layman
Any meal at Sri Siam starts with the crispy rice salad - it’s a non-negotiable. If that massive plate of rice hits the table and isn’t gone within five minutes, you clearly have a level of restraint we’ve never known. Crunchy, salty, spicy, sort of sweet, with accompanying leaves of lettuce to scoop it all into your mouth - it’s pretty much perfect. There’s also the khao soi, the panang curry, the spicy chicken wings, and that crispy trout. All are tremendous and should be ordered. However, the best thing here isn’t even on the menu. Ask the waitstaff for the radish cakes and out will come a beautiful heap of fried radishes mixed with scrambled eggs and crispy bean sprouts and all will be right in the world.
Not to have to worry about snagging a reservation or dressing to impress to have some of the best Thai food in the city is a sweet relief. This is a restaurant you go to simply because you love great Thai food - and you’re willing to drive past that spot around the corner from your apartment to get it.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Jakob Layman
Crispy Rice Salad
photo credit: Jakob Layman
Radish Cakes
photo credit: Jakob Layman
Panang Curry
photo credit: Jakob Layman
Pad Prik King Chicken Wings
photo credit: Jakob Layman
Khao Soi
photo credit: Jakob Layman