Sanam Luang Cafe

(323) 660-8006

5176 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90027 34.1017 -118.3028

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Neighborhoods: Hollywood, Central LA

Price:

$

Last updated 9.05.09

Category:

Restaurants

Payment Methods:

Cash

Restaurant Special Features:

Lunch Spot, Late Night Dining, Group Dining, Cheap Eats, Outdoor Dining

Cuisine:

Thai, Noodle Shop

What People Are Saying About Sanam Luang Cafe

Featured Review

Martha Burr

Contributor

The Scene – Sanamluang is comfy and casual, with Formica tables, bare white walls and a patio in the parking lot that's perfect for cooling off on a summer day with a tall Thai iced tea. Thai Town locals and dressed-down hipsters pack the tables, observing the last frontier of seedy Hollywood Boulevard. – – The Food – Big bowls of Thai noodles are what make Sanamluang a must on every local chowhound's list. Sure, pad thai has a spot on the menu, but strike out boldly and order the unheard-of noodles like #37, spicy beef noodle soup with succulent beef tendon. Indian…

ambiance
42.85999774932861% positive
  1. The ambience is terrible and dirty and the food is less than average.
  2. For better food, a more authentic (and cleaner) ambience, and "The Green Room" (karaoke room), try Krua Thai in Van Nuys.
  3. Mediocre food, offensive service, parking valet from hell
  4. It may not be a very "pretty" restaurant, and the parking may bit a bit complicated.
  5. love everything about this place, except for the parking.
  6. Great place--strange yet oddly transfixing neon-metallic decor, a huge and diverse menu (with things you won't see in most other Thai restau.
  7. My only complaints are that parking is horrible (an inept valet man and VERY limited street parking) and service can be really slow.
dessert
100.0% positive
  1. can't say there are all bad, the fried dishes, such as fried tofu, shrimp cake, are pretty good.
  2. Their Thai iced tea, soups, shrimp cakes and noodle dishes are the best in LA--hands down--especially for the price.
  3. love that shrimp cake!
drinks
80.0% positive
  1. They're open super late, so it's a great spot to go for any occasion -- to get a drink, after a night out at the bar, for an afternoon snack, or for a huge and cheap dinner with friends.
  2. had a great meal, the servers were nice, good tea, mixed ethnic crowd.
  3. The servers did not care and served us cold food, spilled drink and gave us dirty look as it was our fault.
  4. Their Thai iced tea with boba (tapioca pearls) is the most delicious of all the Thai teas that I've tried in Los Angeles.
  5. Their Thai iced tea, soups, shrimp cakes and noodle dishes are the best in LA--hands down--especially for the price.
food quality
89.14999961853027% positive
  1. love the mint noodles in particular.
  2. can't say there are all bad, the fried dishes, such as fried tofu, shrimp cake, are pretty good.
  3. Great Variety of food, good price, late night
  4. Don't dress up, it feels a lot more like a cafeteria than a restaurant, but I promise you, the food is quality and the value amazing.
  5. This is a great place to get excellent Thai noodle dishes that are inexpensive an fresh.
  6. best thai food in LA
  7. Spring Rolls are delicious; Pad Thai is so good and flavorful.
  8. The servers did not care and served us cold food, spilled drink and gave us dirty look as it was our fault.
  9. All their noodles are good.
  10. Many curry's so there's a great mixture of food.
  11. The food is nice.
  12. absolutely the best thai food in town.
  13. had been going to this place for more then 10 years now, and the food are always good.
  14. There are a million other Thai restaurants in the city you should try if you think what they serve here is good food.
  15. I've asked several Thai acquaintances where to go for the best thai food in L.A., and they all mentioned Sanamluang.
  16. If you want the best thai food, the way it is supposed to be made, than this is the place to go.
  17. Good food, low prices.
  18. I've been going here since 94 and the food has been great since day one.
  19. Service is fast and courteous, the area and building are old but was just renovated about 2 years ago, but the food is worth it.
  20. pile on the chili sauce for the full flavor of this dish.
  21. LA has the best Thai food outside of Thailand, and this joint clearly does not contribute to this fact.
  22. The food is consistenly good, fresh and hot.
  23. love that we could roll in after hours with a group of 8+ and we could all sit together even if on eachothers laps, and get such flavorful food, for little $.
  24. love their papaya salad!
  25. always order the chicken over rice.
  26. like the General noodles with flat rice noodles.
  27. But I did manage to redeem my afternoon by a nice plate of chicken panang and some rice noodles.
  28. The garlic pepper beef over rice is superb.
  29. Their Thai iced tea with boba (tapioca pearls) is the most delicious of all the Thai teas that I've tried in Los Angeles.
  30. interesting, but the food is amazing.
  31. Mediocre food, offensive service, parking valet from hell
  32. am a big fan of pad thai, and Sanamluang cafe knows how to make flavorful and tasty pad thai.
  33. This is not, by any standards, great Thai food.
  34. And the garlic beef over rice is awesome too.
  35. The best thai food in Los Angeles!
  36. Finally found a place in LA with excellent Thai food.
  37. It wasn't bad food, but they only use dark meat chicken (it's not clear on the menu).
  38. When I ate meat, I really liked the duck with noodles.
  39. When you order spicy here, it certainly lives up to its potential.
  40. The food is good, and very inexpensive.
  41. love that shrimp cake!
  42. This is more like bad Chinese food
  43. great place to eat Thai food.
  44. Their Thai iced tea, soups, shrimp cakes and noodle dishes are the best in LA--hands down--especially for the price.
  45. No doubt, Sanam Luang is terrific for late-night Thai food.
  46. For better food, a more authentic (and cleaner) ambience, and "The Green Room" (karaoke room), try Krua Thai in Van Nuys.
  47. Good food, cheap, fast, and open late.
  48. recommend the "combination fried rice" or their "pad thai" even the "cha-po" is good.
  49. Open late :) great food , specially for those who loves spicy
  50. Don't go expecting a white table cloth experience, just know you'll be getting an excellent meal for not a lot of money.
  51. had a great meal, the servers were nice, good tea, mixed ethnic crowd.
  52. The Thai friend states that the food there is really authentic.
  53. The ambience is terrible and dirty and the food is less than average.
  54. so service will be slow, but hey can't beat a late nite cafe that serves good food at great prices.
  55. This is great Thai food?
  56. If you happened to be looking for a late night good food, its here.
  57. think the best way to find out the best foods are to ask people who are experts in that particular food for advice.
  58. The variety of noodles is excellent.
  59. would recomend the #64 beef with eggs its awesome and the combination fried rice as a dish is never a dissapointment, Pad-see-ewe, and phad thia are excellent too.
  60. The Spicy Beef noodles are very good.
  61. They're open late and the food is great to get that late night hunger out of the way.
  62. This hidden treasure on Hollywood Blvd serves up some really good Thai food.
  63. The selection is better, the people are more attentive, and they give you more food!
menu variety
100.0% positive
  1. The variety of noodles is excellent.
  2. Great place--strange yet oddly transfixing neon-metallic decor, a huge and diverse menu (with things you won't see in most other Thai restau.
  3. This unique eatery boasts a menu better than that offered by most Thai restaurants.
  4. The menu is huge and two people can eat for 10 bucks, and be completely full.
  5. It wasn't bad food, but they only use dark meat chicken (it's not clear on the menu).
  6. The selection is better, the people are more attentive, and they give you more food!
overall
100.0% positive
  1. This is a great place to get excellent Thai noodle dishes that are inexpensive an fresh.
  2. It's a great place to grab a bite after the clubs close but you might be fighting a late-night crowd.
  3. But if you want great thai, regardless of the price, and this place is soooo cheap, then come here.
  4. This is a great Thai place, our favorite.
  5. The only good thing about this hunting place that they open late, and they got a best spot, so you all hungers may think it's good.
  6. This is a great place to eat if you have been out all night in hollywood.
  7. If you want the best thai food, the way it is supposed to be made, than this is the place to go.
  8. great place to eat Thai food.
service
57.779998779296875% positive
  1. rude servers
  2. The servers did not care and served us cold food, spilled drink and gave us dirty look as it was our fault.
  3. so service will be slow, but hey can't beat a late nite cafe that serves good food at great prices.
  4. think the best way to find out the best foods are to ask people who are experts in that particular food for advice.
  5. The service is actually quite good for such a busy casual restaurant.
  6. You do have have to get the waiters attention so if you like undevided weighting attention you won't like it.
  7. needed to give a feedback about this restaurant somehow because of the rude servers they have.
  8. The selection is better, the people are more attentive, and they give you more food!
  9. had a great meal, the servers were nice, good tea, mixed ethnic crowd.
  10. My only complaints are that parking is horrible (an inept valet man and VERY limited street parking) and service can be really slow.
  11. Too bad owner does not care about how the servers ruin reputation of his restaurant.
  12. The service has always been friendly and attentive.
  13. the waitresses are great too.
  14. The menu is huge and two people can eat for 10 bucks, and be completely full.
  15. Mediocre food, offensive service, parking valet from hell
value
88.24000358581543% positive
  1. Food is great, and portions are big.
  2. Their Thai iced tea, soups, shrimp cakes and noodle dishes are the best in LA--hands down--especially for the price.
  3. Service is fast and courteous, the area and building are old but was just renovated about 2 years ago, but the food is worth it.
  4. so service will be slow, but hey can't beat a late nite cafe that serves good food at great prices.
  5. Dishes come in nice portions, are full of flavor and VERY reasonable!
  6. The menu is huge and two people can eat for 10 bucks, and be completely full.
  7. They're not that expensive) alone.
  8. Don't dress up, it feels a lot more like a cafeteria than a restaurant, but I promise you, the food is quality and the value amazing.
  9. They're open super late, so it's a great spot to go for any occasion -- to get a drink, after a night out at the bar, for an afternoon snack, or for a huge and cheap dinner with friends.
  10. But if you want great thai, regardless of the price, and this place is soooo cheap, then come here.
  11. Good food, low prices.
  12. Great place--strange yet oddly transfixing neon-metallic decor, a huge and diverse menu (with things you won't see in most other Thai restau.
  13. Good food, cheap, fast, and open late.
  14. Great Variety of food, good price, late night
  15. The food is good, and very inexpensive.
  16. This is a great place to get excellent Thai noodle dishes that are inexpensive an fresh.
  17. Don't go expecting a white table cloth experience, just know you'll be getting an excellent meal for not a lot of money.
wait time
33.3299994468689% positive
  1. so service will be slow, but hey can't beat a late nite cafe that serves good food at great prices.
  2. My only complaints are that parking is horrible (an inept valet man and VERY limited street parking) and service can be really slow.
4 Star Rating: Recommended

02/02/10

Good food, low prices.

by ja416

This is a great place to eat if you have been out all night in hollywood. They're open late and the food is great to get that late night hunger out of the way. It gets really busy there on the weekends cause everybody knows that Sinam is the place to end their night after partying in Hollywood. The only bad thing I can say is that they only accept cash so plastic does not work there. Just remember to bring green in your pockets or else you will have to go to the nearest ATM and who knows where the nearest one will be.

  • Pros: Tasty food and made fast.
  • Cons: They only accept cash.
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

01/19/09

Great! Cheap!

by lucas80

My friend introduced me to this place and it was amazing!

We ordered a few entrees and they were all great! I tried things I never would have ordered on my own. We had radish cakes (amazing!), squid salad (spicy and amazing!), wonton soup with pork (I LOVED IT) and a noodle dish with shrimp pork and chicken...pad see ew maybe? It too was wonderful. Everything was quick and tasted delicious. Itis a small place always alot of people there but weve never waited more than 5 minutes for a table. It's cash only don't forget!

  • Pros: Fast, tasty and cheap
  • Cons: Cash only
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

03/19/08

CHEAP GREAT EATS!!!!

by divine01

This place is the best!! The food is good, and very inexpensive. Greasy spoon kinda place. I love their papaya salad!! Curries, pad thai, ALL GOOD!!

  • Pros: CHE
2 Star Rating: Below Average

02/04/08

Can't believe this place gets so few bad reviews

by aly209

I'm still looking for a comparable place to Thai Nakorn in Stanton on Beach/Chapman. I really thought this would be the one. It's really just more like Thai fast-food. It wasn't bad food, but they only use dark meat chicken (it's not clear on the menu). We also ordered pad thai and it came with a lovely strip of completely raw chicken mixed in the noodles. Good thing we mixed it before we ate or we'd be quite ill today. The waitress didnt' seem suprised, but took it back and gave us a new entree. Very low prices, but I'd rather pay a little more...unless I'm drunk at 2am and hungry for some quick Thai.

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

12/16/07

Best Thai Noodles

by bearbear2002

Our friend from Thailand took my husband to this cafe when they were in college. The Thai friend states that the food there is really authentic. My husband likes it and has been eating there since college. The variety of noodles is excellent. I like the General noodles with flat rice noodles. The Spicy Beef noodles are very good. Try the raw shrimp with spices and lemon. It's yummy and really spicy.

  • Pros: Tasty food
  • Cons: Small parking lot

The Details on Sanam Luang Cafe

Place Categories:

  • most delicious thai iced tea
  • love shrimp cake
  • awesome garlic beef
  • best thai food
  • great thai place
  • best pad thai
  • courteous service
  • terrible service
  • great price
  • bad chinese food
  • huge menu
  • flavorful soup
  • dirty ambience
  • nice portions
  • full flavor
  • great meal
  • great spot
  • unhappy customer
  • huge dinner
  • love mint noodles
  • rude servers
  • nice mixed ethnic crowd
  • unique eatery
  • full dishes
  • excellent thai noodle dishes
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