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    Holy Basil

    4.3 (260 reviews)
    PriceyThai
    Closed 12:00 pm - 4:00 PM, 5:00 PM - 8:30 PM
    Updated 3 months ago

    Holy Basil Reservations

    Order Holy Basil Takeout or Delivery

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    HOLY BASIL ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Hipster
    Casual
    Trendy
    Moderate noise

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    Recommended Reviews - Holy Basil

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    menu Feb 2026
    Vicky N.

    If I could describe this place, it would be like an American who traveled to Thailand for 2 weeks and wants to make dishes based on what they tasted. One of the dishes was a Thai parmesan salad, which I saw someone eating on the way in. I thought we were next doors to an Italian restaurant. My partner took me here for our anniversary night. The restaurant is tucked away into an almost alley-like structure. We sat along the walls of the building. Service here was stellar! Our server was very patient and thorough in her explanations of the menu and recommendations. The vibes here were very calm and intimate. The menu was very bare and did not have pictures and some dishes only listed the ingredients, and not the way it was prepare (such as stir-fry or boiled or grilled, etc). I felt like it was so hard to make decisions especially as it was our first time. The food was pretty good. Also - please do not go here expecting traditional Thai food. We got the Nam pla (aguachile with bay scallops), the pad kee mao with moo krob (drunken noodles with crispy pork) and the Double R ranch new york steak with Thai basil chimichurri. The steak was alright, it was not the most tender. It's yummy to dip in the aguachile sauce. The aguachile was very tender and abundant in scallops! However, it was on the salty side due to the fish sauce and spices so we requested more lemon. The drunken noodle had great texture and had an addicting umami flavor. It was also a great portion. In total, it was about $110 for a dinner for three dishes, which is expensive in my opinion. I'm glad I gave this place a try.

    Grandmas fish and rice
    Emi G.

    Good lord. I am obsessed with Holy Basil! Came back because I wanted to eat the crispy salad rice again. Was so heartbroken when I found out their menu changes periodically. Heartbreak mended the second the Thai Caesar entered my mouth. Wow. And then the green mussel curry risotto......wow. The best thing I have eaten anywhere in months. The eggplant chicharrones dish I probably would not order again but the Caesar and risotto I would. I wish I could make food like this. Wow.

    Lindsey D.

    One of my favourite Thai restaurants when I'm in LA. I've had my good luck finding parking in the area and it's been good vibes every time I visit. Loved the cabbage salad, crab curry, crab 2 ways, eggplant and squash with holy basil are my regular go-to's. Sometimes it can get loud the restaurant, just adds to the overall ambiance.

    Andrew I.

    Was feeling Thai this night and stopped by Holy Basil. Kicked off the night with a white sangria and the house beer. For an appetizer we got the crudo, delicious the star of the night and highly recommend. A great blend of flavors and a good kick, but not overpowering. We got a beef curry, which was flavorful and I was a fan of the curry. The pork noddle dish was a mix, outside of the pork it was delicious. However, the pork itself could have been seasoned more. Our server informed us of the menu and gave great recommendations. Paring available in the back. A solid Thai joint that gives Thai tapas vibes.

    Patricia D.

    We enjoyed our dine-in experience after a long history of only doing take-outs! Chelsea was lovely and added to the fantastic experience! They gave great suggestions from each section of the menu and knew exactly when to check in on us. We started with their cabbage salad, which packed a punch! Second was the fresh tomato salad, my favorite! Can't beat the freshness and umami flavors. Grandma's fish and rice was my second favorite. The crispiness of the fish with the rice is a texture I always enjoy. I loved the shallots and cilantro. It was a tad more humid the day we dined in, but it didn't take away from the great experience! There was free parking available. The ambiance was relaxing with plenty of natural light coming through the alley. I love that they serve select dishes for dine-in only. That was a nice treat! Overall, what a fantastic restaurant! I'm eager for my family and friends to give this place a try!

    Vinh D.

    They changed my perception of fusion- which I am not so much of a fan. They break the traditional authentic Thai dish, and rebuild into a different dish that still speaks Thai but also speak international! Also, be prepared to be attacked by the serves, they come around every 3'. Jk, very attentive and informative team here, they make sure you got all the attention you need! Cute little restaurants inside the alley and they are dog friendly!!!

    Waygu - AH-mazingly tasty chimichurri
    Jon N.

    We had some pretty amazing flavors in the dishes we tried at this super tiny little spot. We had to grab a couple of seats at the little bar area and had great service from the charming Maegan. She made some excellent suggestions and was super patient with us. The pacing was a problem, especially sitting at the bar. After our first bites, we suddenly had ALL of our dishes, two water glasses, two sake glasses, a bottle of water, a carafe of Sake... it was was too crowded and, as much as we loved the flavors, it was annoying. If we come back, I'd only order maybe 2 plates at a time. Decent Sake menu, and some wines offered.

    Cabbage salad
    Jarenn N.

    Holy Basil in Atwater Village is a gem that absolutely delighted my tastebuds and earned 5 stars for amazing food and great service! Came in on a Sunday for an early dinner with no reservation and our party of 2 was seated within 5 minutes--already a win as we were starving! The staff was incredibly welcoming and offered thoughtful recommendations, which we happily followed... and wow, did they deliver. We started with their seafood sampler platter, a vibrant spread of crab claws, shrimp, ceviche, and beef tartare that felt like a celebration of bold flavors and fresh ingredients. The tang and spice of each small dish was different but equally yummy! The spicy cabbage salad was a crunchy, mildly fiery dream, and the pad khee mao with duck? Rich, savory, and perfectly balanced with heat and umami. This is my go-to order at Thai restaurants and so far my favorite place to get it! One standout bite I can't stop thinking about was a delicate crab and uni creation--light, briny, and luxurious (wish I remembered the name!). The vibe here is playful and transportive, with decor that channels the energy of Bangkok's street food scene. Loved the thoughtful touch of outdoor sinks near the single-stall restrooms--practical and considerate as a lot of the food I tended to eat hands on! Parking was free and a breeze in the neighborhood, which made the whole experience even smoother. There is paid street parking too but it can be so busy in Atwater. Holy Basil is the kind of place that makes you want to come back with friends, order everything again, and relive the magic. Already planning my next visit!

    Andreas K.

    Yes, the awards are justified!!! This is an absolute gem but be prepared: your mouth will burn. Cute little place, tight seating with some chairs, often times stools only - but cute. The menu is not excessively long (and great: nothing can be changed bc it should not be changed). The staff guided us through with welcome recommendations. 1 1/2 items per person appears to be enough even though they suggest 2 items per person. The food was a (hot) dream: beautifully presented, phantastic breadth, combinations and variations of flavors, perfectly sync'ed with various textures. Only the lobster was dissatisfying to dissect without appropriate tools. It would be nice if there was a sweet bouquet possible at the end, but there is room for evolution. Will come back even without that ...

    Lobster Tostada
    Elise B.

    We came in for lunch, it was very busy. Everything we shared- it comes out family style. My two favorite dishes were the moo krob and wild shrimp curry. The moo krob is juicy with a super crisp outside- I could eat multiple dishes of this. I love shrimp and curry, so the wild shrimp curry was an immediate hit with me. It has great flavor, big shrimp and a bit of heat. The lobster tostada had good size chunks of lobster and refreshing flavor. The por pia tod are long skinny pork egg rolls. The pad see eww is made with the super thin noodles and pork loin pieces. The Bangkok fried rice is made with jasmine rice and crab. All of the dishes were absolutely delicious and I would order all of them again! Parking- parking lot behind the building or street parking

    Steak
    Bianca T.

    If I could give this a 4.5 I would - everything was incredible and packed with so much flavor. We had the beef tataki, steak, and crab fried rice. The steak was very spicy but had great flavor and each dish was so fresh. I'll definitely be back!

    Best seat in the house kitchen side wok
    Dave H.

    Great Thai restaurant - smaller seasonal menu that the staff does a great job explaining of all the delicious items on it. Everything has that great wok char and is delicious! Reminds me of a new hip stall in Thailand. Open kitchen so you can see everything being cooked fresh. Small but super efficient - tables turn quickly. Highly recommend if you are in the area. Not cheap but worth the quality of the food, the unique dishes and the super friendly service.

    Fanny S.

    Wow, this is the best restaurant I've been to lately! The service is great, and the staff explain each Thai dish really well. Everything we ordered was delicious. The crab curry is a must-try, the flavor is amazing. Just remember to book ahead since it's a small, busy place. Definitely worth a visit! The food I ordered is listed below: * Lhon * Kari Puff * Kao Kapi * Crab 2 Ways * Kanom Jeen * Crispy Rice Salad

    Gra Pow Crispy Pork w/ Thai Basal & Egg

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    Page 1 of 7

    Holy Basil Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Holy Basil

    How much is the corkage policy?

    $25 for regular 750 ml bottles. $50 for a magnum

    Didn't I read that the Atwater spot offered unusual breakfast items as well?

    They currently don't open until 11am so I'm not aware of a breakfast menu at this time.

    Can you BYOB?

    Wine yes w/ a corkage fee. No other outside drinks

    Is there seating outside for 4 people? The tables look small....

    No. Currently there are only 3-4 two-top tables outside. And those are only temporary, made of stacked crates with a piece of wood and a tablecloth on top.

    Is there parking?

    Yes! Lot in the back.

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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    White Elephant

    4.4(273 reviews)
    4.9 miDowntown
    $$

    Service was fantastic - thank you Plernpit for taking such great care of us…read more The restaurant is very clean and beautifully decorated. Steak Pad See Ew Level 3 Spice, spice level was accurate. Broccoli was fantastic, soft exterior but super crunchy Noodles were very flavorful, but broke apart fairly easily. Not a problem if you dont mind spooning up the bits like me. Shrimp Wonton off Happy Hour Menu Super crunchy, the sweet and spicy sauce was delicious

    Came for a weekday group lunch. When we sat down they only offered us the regular menu. We had to…read moreask for the lunch menu. SMH. The regular menu is quite expensive with the cheapest at $17 for appetizer and salad options and most expensive at a whooping $80. The lunch menu was more affordable but still on the pricey side $21-$32 with add on options. The waitress was taking our orders and what surprised me was with my co-worker ordered the pad see ew and the waitress asked her how spicy she wants it. I was aw shocked. I'm not a Thai food expert but I do know pad see ew is a noodles dish that's offers a sweet soy sauce flavor. Never served spicy. I didn't get to try the dish but when I asked my co worker how it taste she said it was spicy and not sweet at all. I'm not sure that was an authentic pad see ew. I ordered from the lunch menu and got the tumeric chicken, with steamed vegetables and paid extra $7 to substitute for a papaya salad. I asked for #2 spice level but it was not spicy at all. Other co workers said they asked for medium but it was way too spicy. So it looks like their spicy levels are inconsistent. I'm not sure how this restaurant can justify the prices with the quality they are serving. Probably won't be back. Service was mediocre. Didn't offer to refill our waters. Parking is metered parking or paid lot.

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    Dumplings

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    Basil Chicken Wings

    White Elephant - Inside

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    Inside

    Thai Food Express - Pad Thai

    Thai Food Express

    4.1(166 reviews)
    4.2 miWestlake
    $

    Ambience: I came a Friday after work and it was not busy at all. I enjoyed it. The elderly woman…read morerunning the front (Tang) was sweet, inviting and welcoming in a genuine way. I felt like I came to eat and my mom's house. They take Debit Card and Apple Pay WITH a pin only. I forgot my wallet and paid with Apple Pay. It did not have a place for tip which made me feel awful. At the end I apologized and she was like "it's ok, next time." And she was genuinely fine with it. She reassured me not to worry about it. So I'm determined to come back to tip her because if anybody deserved a tip it was her. I ordered Pad Thai with tofu- I like to order peanut sauce on the side and the woman found it interesting and struck a non judgmental conversion about it. I could really tell she was genuinely curious. This was my favorite dish. It was good. I also ordered spicy fried rice with tofu and spicy panang curry with vegetables. I chose 4 out of a 6 for spicy and it was not spicy at all for me. The rice was fine, nothing extraordinary and nothing bad. The panang curry was yummy. I don't know if it's regional but it was very light in taste and light in thickness. BUT I enjoyed it for what it was. Felt like I had gotten home made chicken soup or something like that comforting and not overly processed. Maybe it's because I ordered it with no protein and just vegetables. I ordered a lot of food so I explained to her that I was going to eat some and take the rest to go. When she brought the food she brought it nicely packed without a bag. She also brought me a real plate and utensils to eat here. She let me know that when I was ready she'd bring a bag which I thought was thoughtful. She also made sure to say "take your time, no need to rush. We close at 8" and it was 5pm. Again, it felt genuinely nurturing, she wanted to make sure I felt taken care of and welcomed. It meant a lot because I was frazzled from forgetting my wallet and from having a hard day at work. This was my first time here and it won't be my last. There is a small lot on site. Prices were very reasonable.

    We love this place. Pad Seeuw, Pad Thai and Orange Shrimp with Steamed Rice will definitely keep…read moreyou going back ag as in and again. 100,000 stars!

    Photos
    Thai Food Express - The view from my seat. The kitchen and counter for ordering and paying are in front of me.

    The view from my seat. The kitchen and counter for ordering and paying are in front of me.

    Thai Food Express - Pad Thai with tofu. It was yummy. I ordered it without egg.

    Pad Thai with tofu. It was yummy. I ordered it without egg.

    Thai Food Express - Inside on a Saturday evening

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    Inside on a Saturday evening

    Hoy-Ka Thai Restaurant - Traditional Tom Yam River Prawns has arrived!

    Hoy-Ka Thai Restaurant

    4.3(2.5k reviews)
    3.5 miHollywood
    $$

    Service was great! Eating early on a Saturday night with my kid made the experience smoother-- easy…read moreseating, quieter, easy free street parking. Moo ping (sweet pork skewers street style) was good but not the best in LA (I like the one at Rosemead/Pas President Thai). Khao soi with chicken drumstick is delicious and filling. Hoy Ka noodles (dry, pork) is nice and a sweet balance to the spicier options I got. Cat fish with chili paste also good but note it is spicy. I love that it comes with generous portion of flash fried basil. You have to order a side of white rice since it only comes à la carte and I wouldn't recommend eating it alone!

    This place is by far my favorite Thai restaurant and that's why it's so disheartening to write this…read morereview. I have written at least 2 glowing reviews of the restaurant in the past and wish this could be one of them, but it's not. Over the last 4-5 days I have tried no less than 2 dozen times to call the restaurant during proper business hours to order food for pick-up as I often do. The phone rang and rang to no avail. I live too far from the restaurant to just pop up and place an order so I rely on calling ahead. I have been a customer of this restaurant for at least the last 9 years and have almost never had the aforementioned experience. Though I do recall not being able to get a call through several times on one or two occasions in the relatively distant past. Today I was finally able to get a call through and began placing my order which includes shrimp. I ALWAYS request the tail (with shells) to be removed from the shrimp as I find it quite difficult to enjoy my meal if I'm constantly having to pick off shells with my hands. It's unsanitary and messy. Removing the tails from 15-20 shrimp prior to adding to an entree or soup should take no more than 60 seconds and that's if one is moving at a glacial pace. However, today I was told that the kitchen was too busy to honor my request. I assured the lady taking my order than I was a loyal customer and make this request will every order I place and it is always honored. She repeated her claim that the kitchen was too busy and refused to do it. I cancelled my order and ended the call. Now I usually order food from the restaurant 4-5 times a month and usually spend about $65 each time not including tip. That is approximately $325 per month of my hard earned money that I give to this restaurant in exchange for great food and service. I am appalled and quite upset that having been a loyal customer for almost a decade and spending as much money there as I do per month that they could at least honor my patronage by simply taking an additional 60 seconds in the kitchen to make my meal more enjoyable. Her refusal to do such a minuscule task has deeply soured my experience with Hoy-Ka not to mention the fact that I could not reach the restaurant for almost a week by phone for no apparent reason. I will not be going back to this restaurant until they rectify this situation.

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    Hoy-Ka Thai Restaurant - Free Valet parking in rush hour between 5PM - 9PM. Valet will be in the front of restaurant on Sunset Blvd.

    Free Valet parking in rush hour between 5PM - 9PM. Valet will be in the front of restaurant on Sunset Blvd.

    Hoy-Ka Thai Restaurant - Spicy seafood noodle.

    Spicy seafood noodle.

    Hoy-Ka Thai Restaurant - Salmon Panang curry, healthy yummy!!!!

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    Salmon Panang curry, healthy yummy!!!!

    Ruen Pair

    Ruen Pair

    4.0(2.3k reviews)
    2.7 miLos Feliz
    $$
    Established in 1996
    Family-owned & operated

    After one meal, this is already one of the best Thai spots I've tried in LA!…read more Came with friends and ordered a bunch of dishes, and every single plate was ridiculously delicious. The Pad Thai was the best I've had outside of Thailand. Extremely well balanced, not too sweet, not too tangy, not drowning in sauce, just perfectly done with great noodle texture and loaded with shrimp. The Pad Kee Mao was so flavorful. Smoky, spicy, full of flavor, and had that proper "wok hei" char that makes noodles addictive. The Pad See Ew was equally rich and savory, and deeply satisfying. We also got the turnip omelette (Kai Jeow with preserved radish) and it blew my mind, honestly. It is so simple, but packed with flavor. Somehow one of the best egg dishes I've ever had. The morning glory with pork was another standout, super fresh, garlicky, and cooked perfectly. Everything came out hot, portions were generous, and the whole table went silent because the food is too good to talk through lol. On top of that, the servers were super nice, friendly, attentive, and made the whole experience even better despite how busy it was :) Packed restaurant, amazing energy, AMAZING food. This place just ruined average Thai food for me. Already thinking about when I'm going back!!!

    I really wish I can love this place but it's really disappointing. What once was known as the best…read moreThai food in LA, is no longer the case. We got the raw shrimp salad, spicy catfish and bbq pork over rice. The raw shrimp "salad" is probably the best thing we've ate, but the chili sauce was over powering and couldn't really taste the freshness of the shrimp. And I feel like there could've been saw garlic to go along with it, but nope, just decorative cabbages that is not edible. As for the bbq pork over rice, the sausage was good and the crispy pork too. But the BBQ pork itself was HORRIBLE I literally spit it out. It tasted like old refrigerated dry meat, barely edible. And then the spicy catfish, the portion was so small, it looked like someone ate half of it. The pieces very tiny and it was so dry it tasted like it was refried. The spicy sauce didn't help much. And I overheard the table next to us waited around 30 mins for their dishes. Overall, I'll not be coming back here. There are much better Thai spots than this. Not to mention the parking is horrible as it was valet only on a Saturday.

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    Ruen Pair - Pad Thai and papaya salad - excellent!

    Pad Thai and papaya salad - excellent!

    Ruen Pair
    Ruen Pair - Papaya Salad with Crab

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    Papaya Salad with Crab

    Holy Basil - thai - Updated May 2026

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