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Wat Thai Food Court
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If you love Thai food, you'll enjoy a weekend trip to Wat Thai. This 50-year-old Buddhist temple in Sun Valley has been hosting its very own street food market for decades. Every Saturday and Sunday, about fifteen different vendors pop-up outside the stunning building and serve some of the best food we’ve ever eaten out of styrofoam containers.
A quick turn into the temple parking lot and you’ll easily find the food stalls. Each one is lined up around a sea of communal tables, with a unique menu of Thai specialties. If you’re in the mood for BBQ skewers, just follow the smell of grilled meats to the vendor handing out charred pork on a stick. Craving some khao soi? Step right up to the booth that’s stewing vats of fragrant coconut curry. You could eat here three times in the same month, and have three completely different meals without feeling like you’ve done it all before.
Wat Thai’s food court is cash-only. But you’ll need to exchange your money for $1 tokens first, then use those tokens to buy as much Thai street food as you can handle. Most dishes cost between $7-$12, which makes this the perfect occasion to use that emergency $20 bill sitting in your glove box. And a portion of every dollar you spend goes toward the upkeep of this massive Thai Buddhist temple, which happens to be the oldest in the country. The only catch is that this outdoor market gets crowded on weekend afternoons, so get here before 12pm when vendors start selling out of more popular dishes.
It's best to come here planning to share everything, starting with snacks—like spicy papaya salad, taro-stuffed coconut pancakes, or crispy, fried banana fritters. From there, choose your own adventure. Most of the vendors offer the kinds of entrees you’d find at any neighborhood Thai restaurant, just turned up several notches. The boat noodles soak in a rich, dark brown broth with glistening bits of stewed beef and meatballs that float to the top of the bowl. There’s a fermented pork salad full of sour sausage chunks tossed in a bowl of crispy rice that smells like lime peel. And the glossy pad thai with plump shrimp makes other versions we've had taste like they’re missing something.
Whatever you choose, you’ll spend a majority of your time hanging out at picnic tables covered in some of the very best Thai food in LA. So instead of driving to three restaurants to hunt down great mango sticky rice, Thai BBQ, or som tum, just head straight to Wat Thai and order a bit of everything.