Holy Basil

Alvin Chen

This has to be the best Thai dishes that we have ever tired hands down

Brent Cham

Stumbled across a review for this cute little Thai spot downtown. It’s in sort of a food hall with one or two other places. Plastic chairs and small tables. No waiter. You order at the window. Feels a bit hipster but also a bit true to Bangkok street fare. Our server/cashier/food runner wasn’t rude but was a bit over it (probably because he’s doing everything but the cooking) but we’ll forgive him because the food was fantastic. This is some of the best Thai food I’ve had in LA. Started off with this amazing light, sweet sake. For apps we got the chicken wings which were cooked to perfection, crispy, not at all greasy, and had this salty sweet flavor to them. One of the best Asian wings I’ve ever had. Next had the green curry which felt very fresh like it was made from scratch and not from a paste. It was bright, punchy, and there was a sweetness that brought it all together. The yellow curry rigatoni was different but grew on me. Had such a unique flavor. The Gra Pow was solid, love the fried egg on top. And the fried pork belly was absolutely divine. Crispy, not terribly fatty, tons of flavor, and came with a herby green sauce. Love this place will def come back. Portion sizes are small but 4 dishes and one app easily filled 4 of us up. Came out to about $40 each with tax and the sake. So pretty fair.

Masha Kaznachey

Holy Basil is instant comfort that teleports you home. The dishes are flawlessly executed and the flavors are consistently on point. The vibe of this hidden gem reminds you of your family’s kitchen and I feel like a kid again full of excitement from the escaping aromas. I lean heavy into firing the menu family style and always look forward to memorable meals shared. Their take out withstands LA traffic to the far away land of Santa Monica. Service is hands down the friendliest in town.

Lauren Donahoe

I grabbed pick up for me and a few friends and I really wish we ate at the dining hall. I love how there were lots of windows and tables so you pop in for a quick bite. The service was super fast and the staff were really friendly. Next time I plan to spend more time. I will say the spice level was mild so keep that in mind when you order.

kimmie yan

Okay, it's hectic here. Ordering at the window takes a while because they're slow to notice you. The place is loud, parking is weird and a little sketchy, and it's literally a block from Skid Row so lingering outside isn't always great. However. Everything we ate was delicious - exactly the right spice level to satisfy all of our palates, excellent balance of seasonings, fresh veggies and revelatory sauces, and addictive broth and fried pork. My green curry was wonderfully flavorful with tender chicken and fresh veggies, my friend's tom yum goong with noodles was gorgeously fragrant, her hubby's moo krob slab was crunchy perfection...but it was the eggplant & kabocha squash that blew us all away with its fiery sauce. I cannot stop thinking about it, and will crave it daily until I can have it again. Definitely trying the Atwater Village location next!

Jenae Lien

Bursting with flavors and tastes homemade, I’m a big fan of Holy Basil. They do not carry Thai tea but they do carry a fantastic selection of fine wine, sake, sparkling wine and beer. Their seating area is a whole vibe and makes you feel like you’re in Thailand with the red crates and red plastic stools. No modifications to orders, and honestly they know best! Favorite dishes are the Moo Krob Slab (takes 48 hours to prep before it’s baked then fried.) Their Grandma’s Fish Fried rice literally tastes like someone’s grandma cooked a dish that everyone raves about. Their egg rolls are long and thin, definitely a favorite too.

Rodrigo “funning”

I’ve only had their food via Uber eats and it’s been great. Most recently I had their Kang Kew Waan Kai green curry, garlic Chinese broccoli, & Gra Pow eggplant. The green curry is nice in spicy with excellent flavor and the right amount of chicken. The Chinese broccoli is delicious because of the amount of garlic they put in it and the Gra Pow eggplant is delicious. Overall it’s a delicious Thai place. My new favorite dish is their Kai Jeew(scrambled egg but fluffy). ***update*** I tried their pork egg rolls, pad see ew pork and shrimp, along with the beef tataki nam tok. The pork egg rolls were delicious, crispy and flavorful. The pad see ew was pretty good and it had a good amount of meat. Overall a solid noodle dish. The beef tataki was also delicious, the picture looks really messy because it was a delivery order. It was super tangy, flavorful but a lot of chili. Still a very delicious appetizer. Saw that the Kai Jeow is gone, which was my favorite dish.

LU SW

Bodega Real thai street foods. Very local I think they are really picky about ingredients they use. Big prawns, pork and veggies etc. I ordered and eat outside. There are seats outside sharing with other restaurants. Must try - Padthai prawns - holy basil beef/ crispy pork - salmon lime spice salad Drink I had canned thai tea. Not too sweet, don’t need ice. It’s ready to drink. They are professional drink maker so they know what they are doing. ! Recommend!

Anton S.

Located in a cool food hall. Deserves a higher rating IMO Great flavors and very quick service! Can recommend the Pad See Ew

OMG one of the best Thai places ever! Had the crispy rice salad. Just the right amount of spicy. Wish

Wow! The Gra Pow Moo Krob w/ a fried egg on top is delicious. The food comes with chilies, but I recommend you ask for it without the chiles, because it can get so spicy. Even for me who is used to spicy food. This place is highly reviewed and I concur. Location is meh, in the middle of downtown, but hey! It's worth the visit.

Jose Colmenares

Wow! The Gra Pow Moo Krob w/ a fried egg on top is delicious. The food comes with chilies, but I recommend you ask for it without the chiles, because it can get so spicy. Even for me who is used to spicy food. This place is highly reviewed and I concur. Location is meh, in the middle of downtown, but hey! It's worth the visit.

As a huge Thai food lover, I make it a point to try local Thai spots wherever I go — and this place definitely stands out! We ordered the Pad Kee Mao and Pad See Ew, and both were extremely delicious. The ingredients tasted fresh, and I really appreciated the depth of flavor from the Thai spices they use. The Pad See Ew had a nice touch with sliced garlic mixed in — such a great detail that elevated the dish. What really impressed me was how flavorful everything was compared to other Thai spots in town. You can tell they take pride in their recipes and use authentic ingredients. The only downside for me was the portion size for the price — it felt a little on the small side. For the cost, I don’t think one dish is quite enough to leave you full. That said, the quality is high, and I’d still come back for the flavors alone!

Very tasty food. I had the spicy ground beef plate with an egg and it is very good. I wish it was 50% bigger for the price ($23 after tax and tip). You will probably be hungry after you eat here if you’re looking for a full meal. They made it quickly during the lunch hour, took about 5-10 mins. Ambiance is OK - it’s a food hall. Bathrooms are gross but otherwise the seating and eating areas are clean. I think for this high price point to work on an fast casual Asian concept, the owners need to throw in another side to fill up customers, something they can break even at for an extra $1 (a paratha maybe?)

J

As a huge Thai food lover, I make it a point to try local Thai spots wherever I go — and this place definitely stands out! We ordered the Pad Kee Mao and Pad See Ew, and both were extremely delicious. The ingredients tasted fresh, and I really appreciated the depth of flavor from the Thai spices they use. The Pad See Ew had a nice touch with sliced garlic mixed in — such a great detail that elevated the dish. What really impressed me was how flavorful everything was compared to other Thai spots in town. You can tell they take pride in their recipes and use authentic ingredients. The only downside for me was the portion size for the price — it felt a little on the small side. For the cost, I don’t think one dish is quite enough to leave you full. That said, the quality is high, and I’d still come back for the flavors alone!

Michael Liu

Very tasty food. I had the spicy ground beef plate with an egg and it is very good. I wish it was 50% bigger for the price ($23 after tax and tip). You will probably be hungry after you eat here if you’re looking for a full meal. They made it quickly during the lunch hour, took about 5-10 mins. Ambiance is OK - it’s a food hall. Bathrooms are gross but otherwise the seating and eating areas are clean. I think for this high price point to work on an fast casual Asian concept, the owners need to throw in another side to fill up customers, something they can break even at for an extra $1 (a paratha maybe?)

What I ordered was not at all like the description. Wagyu beef? You mean hamburger? No veggies either when there was supposed to be. Just rice, hamburger, and chili spice. Tasted good but not nearly worth $16.50! This gave me an upset stomach the rest of the day. So greasy… “Wagyu” is such a scam. Lean is way more healthy.

Not sure what happened to my Uber Eats order, but straight dry chili flakes on top of allegedly authentic Thai food is simply not acceptable, especially when Thai chili is not even that expensive. I selected "add extra chili on top" everytime but only this time I got chili flakes, assuming it's supposed to be extra Thai chili like any other serious Thai food place? Both dishes were ruined by the terrible punching spicy taste from chili flakes, making them not edible. The veggies are also missing in both dishes. I dealt with the reduced portion since there aren't many good Thai place in DTLA, just sad to see the flavor also goes downhill.

The food is good with nice spicy flavors. However this food hall leaves much to be desired. It’s cold and dark and dirty. Women’s restroom has a code, but there was still feces on the wall. Male restroom requires asking security to let you in, but they don’t even have hand soap.

Andrew Lee

The food is good with nice spicy flavors. However this food hall leaves much to be desired. It’s cold and dark and dirty. Women’s restroom has a code, but there was still feces on the wall. Male restroom requires asking security to let you in, but they don’t even have hand soap.

Luo Ling

Not sure what happened to my Uber Eats order, but straight dry chili flakes on top of allegedly authentic Thai food is simply not acceptable, especially when Thai chili is not even that expensive. I selected "add extra chili on top" everytime but only this time I got chili flakes, assuming it's supposed to be extra Thai chili like any other serious Thai food place? Both dishes were ruined by the terrible punching spicy taste from chili flakes, making them not edible. The veggies are also missing in both dishes. I dealt with the reduced portion since there aren't many good Thai place in DTLA, just sad to see the flavor also goes downhill.

Not sure what happened to customer service. But I ordered at the counter and specifically asked how long it would take since I was short on time and the guy at the counter said 10-15 min. Ended up waiting more than 30 min which would have been ok if he would have made it up somehow or at the very least apologize for the wait. On top of it all this is the sad looking food you get for $40+

Jonathan Stein

Not sure what happened to customer service. But I ordered at the counter and specifically asked how long it would take since I was short on time and the guy at the counter said 10-15 min. Ended up waiting more than 30 min which would have been ok if he would have made it up somehow or at the very least apologize for the wait. On top of it all this is the sad looking food you get for $40+

The kind of restaurant you come home from and eat a snack after. Staff was nice but food was very disappointing particularly the totally dried out egg rolls. Price to serving ratio is just not it, especially when you’re sitting in an empty room that feels like some tech company’s cafeteria.

I was so looking forward to their Pad Thai. I asked for spicy and just got crushed red pepper on the top. It sadly tasted more like pasta then Pad Thai sweet with a sweet tomato or pepper base but not the depth of flavors I am accustomed to a Pad Thai. Next time I will try White Elephant when I this area.

Marco Moliterni

The kind of restaurant you come home from and eat a snack after. Staff was nice but food was very disappointing particularly the totally dried out egg rolls. Price to serving ratio is just not it, especially when you’re sitting in an empty room that feels like some tech company’s cafeteria.

Kristin Huntoon

I was so looking forward to their Pad Thai. I asked for spicy and just got crushed red pepper on the top. It sadly tasted more like pasta then Pad Thai sweet with a sweet tomato or pepper base but not the depth of flavors I am accustomed to a Pad Thai. Next time I will try White Elephant when I this area.

Ordered the green chicken curry. The curry was watery and the chicken was pink in the center. A big no no no. See pic. Good thing our hotel room had a microwave. Used it to finish cooking the chicken.

Samantha Jackson

Ordered the green chicken curry. The curry was watery and the chicken was pink in the center. A big no no no. See pic. Good thing our hotel room had a microwave. Used it to finish cooking the chicken.

I work in DTLA, so we went to try it out, the first time we ate there it was fabulous, the rice was fresh, the curry was amazing and the chicken looked clean. So yes, the food was great, the wait was reasonable, and I couldn't wait to go back. Then we ordered delivery, it arrived we're super excited to dig in! Well the rice was not fresh, the curry sauce was good! BUT the chicken was beyond disgusting! dark gooey meat, more skin than meat and let's just say I couldn't eat it. My coworker decided that we should try it again and give Holy Basil the benefit of the doubt. Well we did, we ordered, each one of us paid $28 that's for the bowl of curry plus delivery. Once again the rice was soggy, and sticky at the same time, but, not really hot. The curry SAUCE is good, then you see a few pieces of zuchini and the worst looking pieces of chicken I have ever seen! It was as if they decided to dump all of the left over BUMPY SKIN into the curry. I can't ever do this again and I recommend that if you really want to give the Holy Basil a try then go in early enough, that they don't tell you it'll take over 45 minutes to be served. BUT, please do yourself a favor and DON'T order delivery. I was beyond disgusted and disappointed especially because the first time I tried it, at the location, I went back to my office and raved about the place. It's sad to see that you start out with a great place, great food and as time goes by the quality goes from good to the worse. This is my honest 100% review.