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    White Elephant

    4.4 (273 reviews)
    ModerateThai
    Updated 2 months ago

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    WHITE ELEPHANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Trendy
    Moderate noise
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - White Elephant

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    Basil Chicken Wings
    Ronni T.

    Wow! I was impressed with this restaurant. After a visit to chinatown, my family and I were all craving some Thai food. White elephant was over at downtown, pretty close to where we were so we chose this place since the reviews are pretty good. Prices are also fair. $24 for the classic plates. We order the basil thai wings for the appetizer, pad Thai, pad see ew, drunken noodles, and yellow curry, all with chicken. Our favorite was the pad see ew. We liked the grilled taste for the chicken along with the savory and sweetness of the dish. The curry lacked a bit of flavor and could've used a bit more carrots. But portion size was good. For the 4 in our group, we finished everything. Each plate ranged from $24 to $32. Total for the 4 dishes and an appetizer came out to $170 with the 18% service fee that is included with the bill. I would definitely come back again when we are back in town.

    Whitel Fried Chicken.
    Steven M.

    Wanted some Thai food and since I live downtown, I figured it was finally time to give White Elephant a go. Located inside the Spring Arcade, this spot has a good amount of seating, had a friendly staff, and a menu with food that turned out to be pretty delicious. Even though I came here so I wouldn't eat fried chicken, guess what I ordered? DING DING DING, I ordered the Whitel Fried Chicken. The Description was Thai seasoning blend, cauliflower puree, and tangy sriracha butter sauce. Once placed in front of me, the portion was way bigger than I ever anticipated. The chicken itself was large and extremely juicy, while the breading had a lot of flavour as well. The salad and noodles on the side were solid as well, but who cares about those, the chicken was the only thing I actually cared about. Overall, I enjoyed the food at White Elephant but I will say, this place is on the pricey side and for some reason also feels the need to charge you for a tip on a party of two people. Here's the thing, you literally pick the wages for people and the prices of the food, so deciding to also pick the tip amount without giving the customer the option is both grimey and a bad business practice, minus one star for it. But hey, if you want some food, it's good.

    Yellow Curry
    Anton F.

    Looking for a Thai restaurant near by for a dinner meeting and found this place. Small and low key, so much that we passed it twice before we found it. Capacity of about 25 people, open floor plan, bright and clean. The food here is amazing. All the traditional dishes on the menu. We ordered the spring rolls, really good. The yellow curry and drunken noodles are very tasty. Be mindful of the spice level. I asked for 3 of 5 which I assumed was medium. Needed a couple glasses of water with my meals. It's cash only, accepting Zelle though. A new spot to add on my list for Thai food in the downtown area. Parking lot in next door.

    Patrick W.

    What a delightful Thai restaurant. It's located on a side street where all the amazing other shops are. We came here looking for some really really good Thai food. And let me tell you it did not disappoint. However, it is definitely on the more higher end and expensive side. That being said you can taste the quality. The ambiance seems very comfortable like you could sit here for hours. The inside is elegant and beautiful. The service was great and the server was amazing.

    Crying tiger Steak
    Ane V.

    I met my friends here for lunch on a weekday. We were early so we waited for the restaurant to open. There is a bench by the door to sit down. The place is compact and the tables are not spaced well. It is good for small groups. They have indoor and outdoor dining areas. We did enjoy our food. Delicious and tasty. They were served aesthetically and very well made. Generous portions or the plate is just small? Maybe. What I didn't like though is the 18% gratuity that is automatically added for a party of 1 or more. It doesn't matter if you got a good service or not. Bathrooms are located across the restaurant. Paid Public parking all around that ranges from $10 to $16.

    Menu
    Estela V.

    My girlfriend and I decided to dine here since we were in the mood for Thai food. I've seen great reviews about this restaurant and I wanted to see if the hype was real. Parking is limited but, you can pay to park in a structure across the street. The ambiance had a modern touch and the restaurant is really clean. Our waitress served our water while we explored the menu. My first thought was it's a little pricey but, I don't mind if the food and service are exceptional. I ordered the Orange Chicken and you can choose your choice of salad and choice of carbs. I chose the Arugula Bae salad with Jasmine steamed rice. The chicken I was lightly battered and super fresh. The flavor was great and the salad was extremely tasty. The dressing was my favorite part. My girlfriend ordered the Steak with Rice noodles and the Arugula Bae salad. We both agreed the salad was a 10/10. She liked the steak but, it wasn't her favorite item. We also ordered two Thai teas and they serve it a little different. They froth the cream and it's not overly sweet which we both loved. My ONLY issue aside from the prices is they add gratuity regardless of whether or not you want to leave a tip and it was only 2 of us. I believe tipping should be optional if there isn't a large party. I always tip but, it's the principle. I recommend dining here if you want a modern twist to Thai food.

    Pad Thai with shrimp
    Mary S.

    Went with co-workers and shard appetizers. The wings tasted great - a little sweet, a little spicy, outside was crunchy. The truffle fries were huge- not too salty and perfectly soft on the inside too. I had pad Thai with the biggest shrimp I've ever had but you do have to peel the shell off If you get a plate with shrimp, be ready for some giant shrimp!

    Pad See Ew with beef HIGHLY RECOMMEND BEEF
    Claudia C.

    Came after DTLA Art Night and it's right on the route (Spring St Arcade). Amazing basil chicken wings and pad see ew, beef was cooked perfectly! Only gripe is that chicken wings were a little too salty and rich for me but I had a great time here and would come back. I like that tip is included. Wish they were open later. The restroom is across the street and not in the restaurant.

    WHITEL Fried Rice
    Rosie P.

    This place was everything I wanted and more! From incredible drinks and eats to amazing customer service, I cannot wait to come back to White Elephant. The pad Thai was really tasty but the Chinese broccoli was definitely my favorite! The fried rice wasn't bad but it wasn't a standout choice and I probably would opt to try something different next time. The place was also really cute and the service was quick and friendly. The only downside is that there is no restroom in the restaurant and you have to exit to the main corridor and show your receipt to a security guard who will let you into the locked area where the restrooms are.

    Pad See Ew
    Joe S.

    It's a trifecta! Nice space! Great service! Excellent Thai food! It doesn't get any better than that. We stumbled upon this space one night before heading to Clifton's Seven Seas. While we were a bit hesitant seeing that there weren't many customers, we still decided to give them a chance. Since we were in a hurry, we ordered the Tom Kha soup with chicken and the Pad Thai with pork belly. The soup was outstanding, bursting with every flavor you'd expect from a traditional Tom Kha soup. And the Pad Thai was quite good, though I'd prefer a different protein next time. About 2 weeks later, we decided to come back. On this visit, we ordered the Tom Kha soup again (because it was SO good the last time), Enoki Mushroom Crisps, Papaya Salad with Tiger Prawns and Pad See Ew with chicken. Once again, the soup was incredible. I could eat that every day. And the Enoki Crisps was also quite special with a spicy mayo for dipping. The Papaya Salad was everything you'd hope for, a little sweet, a little sour, a little spicy, a little funky, and those prawns were cooked to perfection. Rounding out the meal was their Pad See Ew, which had a fantastic char flavor and just enough sauce to lightly cling to the noodles. We were so pleased with both our meals that we can't recommend this place enough. We also can't wait to come back!!

    Mango sticky rice
    Lupita M.

    The food was delicious, very elegant and tasty. The tai tea was algo good and I tried their mango sticky rice, let me tell you it's the best one I've ever had! I was pretty happy. The service was also nice, I would definitely come back again. The only bad thing is that there's not restrooms, so there's nowhere to wash your hands first, you have to go across the hall outside of the restaurant to a public one.

    Drunken Noodle with shrimp
    Maritza S.

    The food and service were extraordinary. I was in LA for a comedy show and I totally forgot about it for a moment. It felt like I was just there to enjoy this delicious meal. Everything we tried made me happy. We had a Panang curry and it was the best one I've ever tried. I am not a salad person but the Bluefin & Khao Tod might've converted me. I could eat that salad every day. The dressing was amazing, and the addition of tart apples, crispy rice, and tuna was unexpected. Located inside an unassuming building in which you can also find other restaurants. I don't recall there being a big sign so you may miss it if you're not paying attention. Walking through downtown LA will break your heart. It's hard to ignore all the suffering of the homeless and mentally ill people who are everywhere. Be safe, and most of all be kind.

    Pad See Ew & Spicy Basil Fried Rice
    Darrel K.

    As far as Thai food goes, they're IMO the best in DTLA, and I hope they maintain the high level of cleanliness and tidiness there since a lot of places seem to be slipping in quality lately. I have eaten here once and ordered take-out a couple of times, and the taste and texture have always been the same as long as it hasn't been left over for several days. There are two dishes that I enjoy the most: spicy basil fried rice and the pad see ew with chicken. There is no doubt that if you enjoy Thai food then this is one of the top restaurants in the area to go to!

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    Thank you Lupita for taking the time to express your kind words.

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    3 months ago

    The taste is good, but the price and portion size aren't really in proportion - not great value for money

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    Page 1 of 7

    Ask the Community - White Elephant

    Do they take reservations for a party of 10?

    Yes I would think so since they have enough room to accommodate such small group.

    Are there vegan options?

    I recall there being several Vegetarian options but the only Vegan offering I remember is their Mango Sticky Rice dessert.

    Are the peachy sunset and other drink's alcoholic?

    Check their website.

    Best place to park?

    It's tough, but I somehow usually get a street parking spot. There is paid underground parking across the street and nearby

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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    Thai Food Express - Pad Thai

    Thai Food Express

    4.1(166 reviews)
    1.1 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)
    5.2 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.

    Photos
    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!!!!

    Au Lac - Lemongrass Fish

    Au Lac

    4.3(1.3k reviews)
    0.7 miDowntown
    $$
    Locally owned & operated
    10 years in business

    Came here to celebrate my friends birthday Really nice…read moreatmosphere for that it's a very spacious beautiful place and the service was excellent Wonderful variety of unique vegan food It was so hard to decide what to get I had the pho beef ball soup and my friend had a flavorful tempeh dish Really enjoyed the choconut x-tasy The gluten free baklava is more nutty than traditional baklava yet still very nice There's parking underneath I wish I knew that cause I circled around the downtown area for a bit Would go there again for the dessert for sure

    I have been at this restaurant a few times before, having performed here with my sketch group and…read morealso coming for dinner before seeing shows at Center Theatre Group. Each time I've come the waitstaff has been super friendly, and the food amazing. So, when planning a little birthday lunch for my mom's 81st birthday, this was one of the first places I thought of. My mom lives in south LA and we live in the valley, so after picking her up, we wouldn't have to travel far to eat. Although we planned to arrive to the restaurant at 2, traffic was horrible and we arrived at 230pm. After looking for parking, I dropped the fam off at 2:40 so they could sit and look at the menu while I found parking. I get a text from my husband saying they closed at 3 so hurry. This was news to me, as I thought they closed at 5. I found parking and rushed in at 2:48, to see my family outside the restaurant. Perplexed, I went in to ask if we could still eat, as it wasn't yet 3pm. No wait staff came to the front to greet me, so I walked in a bit and asked the waiter if it was okay to eat. The waiter said we close in ten. I said I thought the website said you closed at 5. I must have read it wrong. I understand, but it's not 3 and we came a bit of a distance and it's my mom's 81st birthday. The waiter, whose name is Jack, offered to ask the kitchen if they would still make food. I said yes please would you ask? While Jack was asking, another waiter asked me if I had been helped. I told him yes, that Jack was asking the kitchen if we could still have lunch. This waiter says, we're closing in 10. I'd like to have lunch too. And walks away. Yes, with shade. Jack returns and says it's fine as long as we can order within a few minutes of getting the menu. I say great and we all come in. The 2nd waiter takes our order with the least amount of personality he possibly can, and the whole lunch is slightly awkward and we're not able to truly enjoy ourselves with the feeling of "we better hurry up and eat" lingering. By the time we ordered and received our food (which was delicious as usual) , there were still 4 other groups of customers there, and we actually left the restaurant within a minute or two after the last customers before us. Also, no one came around to ask how our food was and if we needed anything. I'm giving 3 stars because this experience didn't quite sit right with me. Yes, it was near closing, but your doors weren't closed and there was no sign saying last call/order at 2:45 or anything like that. I feel like once the kitchen approved making our lunch, customer service should have been at its peak for paying customers, who gave no attitude and tried to be as polite with the ask as possible. It was not. I still tipped 25%, because Jack (waiter 1) was polite and my 81 old mama who I was celebrating raised me that way, but I'm not sure I'll patronize them again.

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    Au Lac - Octopus

    Octopus

    Au Lac - Laab Salad

    Laab Salad

    Au Lac - Salt & Peppered Shrimp

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    Salt & Peppered Shrimp

    Ruen Pair

    Ruen Pair

    4.0(2.3k reviews)
    4.9 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.

    Photos
    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 - Soft shell crab with shrimp, salted egg, compound brown butter.

    Holy Basil

    4.2(261 reviews)
    4.9 miAtwater Village
    $$$

    We also visited the Atwater Village location, and somehow it just keeps getting better the more you…read moreorder. The staff is incredibly friendly and knowledgeable, and you can taste how fresh everything is. They were out of their homemade curry paste, so a few dishes weren't initially available--but we ended up staying, chatting, and before we knew it, more ingredients arrived and they happily made everything we wanted. That kind of experience says a lot. Not. One. Thing. Has ever disappointed here. The fresh scallops on the half shell were unbelievably sweet and tender, with a sauce that hits you with the perfect punch. The crispy rice salad is unlike anything else--beautifully balanced, like a tightrope walk of flavors on your tongue. They also sell their proprietary fish sauce--get it. We ordered the Gra Pow Moo, Dungeness crab fried rice, Pad See Ew, Gra Pow Wagyu beef, and Koi Soi--every single dish was outstanding. Great sake, beer, and wine selection too. Absolutely delicious.

    My husband and I were really hoping to like this place. Unfortunately, we both left quite…read moredisappointed by the food and the service. The Good: - The scallop aguachile appetizer was delicious. It was the first dish brought out, and there was a generous amount of scallops and a nice balance of sweet, citrus, salty, and umami flavors. - The pork belly had a nice crust, and it paired well with the house green sauce. - The mussel green curry risotto had a powerful flavor. The Bad: - Our server ignored us after we put in our order and seemed very cold. - The wagyu pad kee mao (drunken noodles) was terrible. Not exaggerating when I say it was the worst drunken noodles I've ever had in my life. Instead of the customary flat wide rice noodles, this dish came out with pad thai noodles, which were clumpy, too starchy, and slightly undercooked. - When we asked our server about the noodles, she said the kitchen ran out of flat wide noodles, which are usually served with the dish. She said "when they run out, they'll throw whatever in there, these noodles or sometimes even vermicelli." What?! Girl, no. We asked her why the lack of the key ingredient wasn't mentioned to us when we ordered and she said because she didn't know either. - The restaurant took 20%, or roughly $5 off of this $30 pad kee mao dish that we didn't even eat. The meat wasn't good quality either. Sadly, we won't be back.

    Photos
    Holy Basil - Open kitchen - friendly cooks

    Open kitchen - friendly cooks

    Holy Basil - Grandma's fish and rice

    Grandma's fish and rice

    Holy Basil - (Leo) Thai Premium Lager

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    White Elephant - thai - Updated May 2026

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