Holy Basil
In LA, come for whatever street foods the Thai chef is serving, not for a typical Thai meal
Restaurant hype can be fleeting, and as kitchen personnel changes are common, hanging any expectation of greatness on one person or team in the kitchen tends to be unwise. A major exception to this rule is the chef-owned restaurant, where a talented cook’s only option is to keep cooking or lose the business. When the right chef has enough funding and the talent to execute a bold vision, magic can happen – and keep on happening as long as customers are satisfied.
That’s what’s happening at Holy Basil in Los Angeles. Over four years, this upstart Thai restaurant evolved from a takeout window to two sit-down dining spaces roughly 15 minutes away from each other (in good traffic). Their menu is decidedly unconventional in the sense that it’s both short and missing countless items one might expect from most Thai menus. You’re coming here not for any specific appetizer or entree, but rather to try whatever “street food” dishes the Thai chef thinks are worthy of his and your attention, whether they are thoroughly Thai or Thai-inspired. And in any case, they are going to be delicious.
Leveraging social media and LA’s hip customer base, Holy Basil offers a modestly changing lunch menu plus a special-fueled dinner menu. If you should see a Holy Basil post on Instagram touting some delicious seafood or poultry option, and expect to find it available for lunch, you’re out of luck. The specials are for dinner only, and then only until they run out, which apparently is enough to generate lineups in the evenings.
We visited the Atwater Village location at lunchtime, found free parking pretty easily behind the building, and arrived early enough to have no wait for a table. The other DTLA location in the Fashion District was unreachably traffic-jammed with sketchy nearby parking when we first tried to visit separately. (This wasn’t a huge surprise; parking is commonly a challenge at great LA Thai restaurants.) Expect to pay $8-10 for lot parking nearby.
On our first visit, we ordered the wild shrimp aguachile, Holy wings, Grandma’s fish and rice, wild shrimp curry, gra pow wagyu beef, a crispy rice salad, and (tasty, nicely mugged) peach passion drinks – enough to sample nearly half the 14-item menu in a single sitting. Additional choices included pork or eggplant versions of the ground meat gra pow, a beef tataki salad, green curry chicken, and fried rice dishes. On our second visit, we tried the moo krob crispy pork, better-than-competent Pad Thai with wild shrimp, and garlic vermicelli noodles with an ice-cold Leo beer.
As expected, virtually every dish popped: raw wild shrimp burst with sweet-and-sour tang thanks to the Thai-influenced aguachile, and the “yellow curry” in a fried shrimp dish was decidedly superior to the often runny yellow base of typical Thai dishes. Combined spicy, sour, and salty flavors came through powerfully in the soy-heavy beef gra pow, while both the crispy rice salad and Grandma’s fish dishes were brighter in herbal and sour touches, but no less filling thanks to their substantial rice content. The crispy moo krob pork – aged and rendered like chicharrones – was superb. Only the dry dusted wings, served with padron peppers, were a little less than their “holy” billing.
Our Atwater Village visit was great overall: The endearingly personal table service felt more like being cared for by a cousin than a server, and though the location’s patio-style seating and plating aren’t fine dining-level, they’re unmistakably authentic to street food experiences we’ve enjoyed in Thailand. The Fashion District location is less charming in all regards, but the food’s still good. We would revisit Holy Basil without question, though next time, we’ll want to experience the dinner specials, as well.
Stats
Price: $$
Service: Table
Open Since: 2020
Addresses
718 S. Los Angeles St. Unit A
Los Angeles, CA 90014
213.603.9587
3170 Glendale Blvd. Unit C
Los Angeles, CA 90039
323.283.9883
Instagram: @holybasil_la