It’s easy to wonder if the highest-rated restaurant on our site—and a place that’s been the subject of national awards, heady think pieces, and reservation waitlists that stretch on for months—is actually worth the hassle of getting in. We’re here to tell you our answer is still an unequivocal yes. Dinner here is an all-out experience highlighted by deep family heritage, dedication to sourcing and sustainability, and dining in the only alleyway in the Valley you’d want to be seen in after 10pm.

When people ask about the best Thai restaurant in LA for any occasion, it’s our natural reflex to blurt out Luv2Eat. This well-rounded Southern Thai spot in Hollywood simply does not miss. Everything about Luv2Eat looks and feels like any other strip mall restaurant in the city, but the food and the warm service stand out. Its greatness lies in the "Chef’s Special" section of the menu, a collection of dishes that showcases the two chefs’ family recipes.

If you’re looking for a quick noodle or curry fix in DTLA, Holy Basil is one of the most dependable spots in the neighborhood—but that’s not why this tiny takeout window landed on this guide. The most exciting thing going on at Holy Basil at the moment is their weekend dinner series, Yum, which series features Bangkok-style street food, natural wines, and sake, and an atmosphere reminiscent of a late-night food market.

This comically small East Hollywood spot (there are five tiny tables at most) is home to some of the most herbaceous, sinus-clearing food you'll ever have from a steam table—and despite the name, you don't even have to pay for a membership. Sure, you might have to eat your food pressed up against a window next to a stack of newspapers, but that’s just part of the fun at this Northern Thai gem. The sweet, vibrantly orange khao soi is among our favorites in LA.

Jitlada isn’t just the heart and soul of LA’s Thai food scene, it’s one of this city’s essential dining experiences, full stop. With over 400 items, the menu is objectively overwhelming, so our tip is to steer away from dishes you can find at any other Thai restaurant, and go all-in on the ones that make Jitlada an LA icon: the crispy catfish salad, coco mango salad, Dungeness crab with garlic, taepo curry, and the secret off-menu Jazz Burger.

Don’t be misled by the name: although Sapp Coffee Shop does serve caffeinated drinks, you’re here for the boat noodles. This magical soup is the stuff of legend, on par with the Loch Ness Monster or finding the perfect work/life balance. The broth is at once funky, sour, spicy, and sweet, bobbing with silky noodles, herbs, chiles, and various beef parts. We also adore their brothless, emerald-colored jade noodles and the sen chan pad pu, tamarind-spiked, stir-fried ride noodles.

Greetings from the most important Thai restaurant you might never have heard of. Located on the outer fringes of North Hollywood, Sri Siam has been around for more than 30 years and is considered royalty among many of the city's veteran Thai cooks. That crispy rice salad that blew your mind over at Night + Market? Sri Siam’s been doing their version since the ’80s. Also, don’t be surprised if your server (i.e., the owner) pulls up a chair next to you and starts chatting.

Long Beach has tons of great Thai spots, from the bare-bones Tasty Food To Go to the more upscale Thai District, but none of them are quite like Chiang Rai, a neon-hued Eastside restaurant that specializes in Northern Thai dishes. Make a beeline for anything in the “Chiang Rai Local Food” section of the menu, including fragrant sai oua sausage with a fiery green chile dip, dry-style khao soi noodles, and a sweet-salty yellow curry that comes with fried chicken and flaky roti bread for dipping.

Though it's been open for over two decades on Melrose, Prael doesn't have quite the same recognition as big-name spots in adjacent Thai Town. But that just makes us love this under-the-radar gem even more. Similar to Jitlada, Prael has a large menu that includes both Thai dishes you'll find everywhere and a bunch of Southern Thai dishes you won't. Among that latter group, go for the gang pah, an herbaceous, clear broth curry packed with bamboo and eggplant, and the kanom jeen num ya.

Now with three locations across the city, Night + Market has grown over the past decade from a scrappy make-shift house party of a restaurant to a household name in LA Thai food. Our favorite things here tend to be the slightly unusual twists, like drunken noodles with thick-cut pastrami or the fried chicken sandwiches topped with papaya salad and ranch. But we’d be just as happy with the fatty grilled pork toro and crispy rice salad, too.