Order Thai breakfast favorites at Holy Basil’s Atwater restaurant, such as kai jiew, or Thai omelet, and shrimp curry with rice.
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
The best Thai breakfast spots in L.A., for any time of day
The category of breakfast in Thailand is loosely defined because, for the most part, Thais will eat just about anything for breakfast — fish curries, sticky rice loaded with custard, salted beef jerky and pork skewers are all fair game.
Even the foods that are coded as breakfast can be eaten at any time of day, including past midnight to sop up a night of drinking. These dishes are generally on the plainer side: rice porridge with peppery meatballs, omelets filled with softened sliced onions, Chinese doughnuts dipped in condensed milk. Eggs are a main component and rice is a necessity in a standard Thai breakfast.
In Los Angeles, where the diversity of Thai food is limitless, you can find these classics executed in true Thai fashion. Beyond that, there’s also Thai breakfast influenced by American diner culture that arrives in the form of Thai tea pancakes and shrimp paste crepes. Whatever style of breakfast you choose, here are nine places to get a taste of mornings in Thailand.
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(Kat Thompson)
Bea Bea's
Burbank American $$
The definition of Thai breakfast is stretched a bit at Bea Bea’s, which definitely reads more like an American diner than a Thai breakfast joint. But upon closer inspection of the menu — and with a few tips — there are definitely options that lean Thai. Start with the lengthy pancake menu, which includes flavors like Thai tea, green tea and black sesame. Occasionally, pandan coconut pancakes make it to the specials board too — a classic Thai dessert flavor that is delicate and floral. The most Thai-adjacent thing to get (a trick learned from a Thai server) is the loco moco, a Hawaiian-inspired dish that begins with a bed of rice, burger patties and fried eggs smothered in gravy. Instead of the patties, ask for corned beef hash and a side of Thai chile sauce prepared with fish sauce, garlic and chiles. The sauce paired with the hash, rice and gravy is spicy, bright and hearty, almost like a classic Thai stewed pork leg dish called khao ka moo.
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(Kat Thompson)
Bhan Kanom Thai
Los Feliz Thai Desserts $
Although Bhan Kanom Thai is technically a dessert shop, Thais don’t mind something sweet in the morning and the treats here can easily double for breakfast. In fact, the banana-leaf-wrapped sticky rice that comes stuffed with either bananas or taro is a standard Thai breakfast for commuters due to its neat, eco-friendly parcel. You also can pick up pandan custard-stuffed buns, coconut pudding pancakes topped with green onion, and crispy Thai crepes folded with sweet egg yolk strands.
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(Kat Thompson)
Hollywood Thai
Los Feliz Thai $$
The English name of this strip-mall joint is Hollywood Thai, but underneath it the sign reads in Thai: “rice porridge of Hollywood.” Among Thai Angelenos, Hollywood Thai is known as the go-to spot to get simple rice porridge with all the traditional fixings: sweet radish omelets, salted egg and pickled mustard greens salad, and stir-fried morning glory, to name a few. Because the restaurant is open so late, it also serves as the place to sober up after a night of too many Singhas. Instead of plain congee, there’s kao thom — boiled rice porridge — with add-ins such as pork, fish, shrimp and chicken.
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(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Holy Basil
Atwater Village Thai $$
Breakfast might not initially come to mind at Holy Basil‘s new Atwater location, what with its electrifying beef tataki and aromatic shrimp curry that should not be skipped. But the menu — which is still in its soft-opening phase — has one of the most nostalgic dishes that is commonly eaten for breakfast in Thailand. Grandma’s fish and rice (even the name is evocative of a past time) is composed of fried and mashed barramundi tossed with smoky fish sauce, thinly sliced garlic, shaved shallots and plenty of Thai chiles. It’s a humble dish that every Thai family has had, using leftover fish and rice either for breakfast, as an afterschool snack or for dinner. And if that doesn’t feel enough like breakfast, be sure to also opt for the kai jiew, or Thai omelet, which is served with a fish sauce loaded with sliced Thai chiles.
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(Kat Thompson)
Morning Kitchen
Hollywood Thai Breakfast $
Order at the counter of this casual breakfast spot, which offers crispy Thai-style crepes that can be filled with savory items like roasted chili jam, imitation crab and pork floss, or fresh fruit and chocolate spread. The rainbow crepe, stuffed with sweet egg strands known as foi thong and sliced strawberries and bananas, is a colorful and unabashedly Thai option. There’s also corn and coconut waffles, egg sandwiches and honeyed brick toast. Finish it all with a hot Thai tea latte or syrupy pink milk.
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(Kat Thompson)
Otus Thai Kitchen
West Hollywood Thai Coffee $$
For Thai breakfast and an excellent selection of freshly crafted coffee choices, head to Otus Thai Kitchen. Try the kai kata breakfast combination that comes with O.J. or Vietnamese coffee slowly dripped through a phin over a puddle of condensed milk, plus a skillet dish boasting two runny eggs, sliced Chinese sausage, seasoned ground chicken and a dusting of white pepper. A griddled baguette comes on the side, perfect for mopping up the inevitable pool of yolk. The vegetarian-friendly jok, or rice congee, is threaded with slivers of ginger and bouncy bites of shiitake mushrooms. To add a Thai-Chinese flair to the morning, get the kanom jeeb: succulent steamed siu mai dumplings overflowing with ground pork and chunks of shrimp.
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(Kat Thompson)
Siam Sunset
East Hollywood Thai $
It is impossible to discuss Thai breakfast in Los Angeles without mentioning the cultural institution that is Siam Sunset. Here, you’ll always find Thai grandfathers sipping their morning coffee and reading the Thai paper right when the place opens at 6 a.m. The TV is tuned to a Thai newscast or popular drama series and the smell of fry oil from Chinese doughnuts hangs in the air. The go-to breakfast is jok, a porridge made with broken rice that’s slightly lumpy and tastes like a warm embrace. Get the jok with white-pepper-spiced meatballs and a soft-boiled egg; the richness of the pork and runny yolk works to balance out strands of biting fresh ginger. Round out the meal with an order of Chinese doughnuts that you can dunk in condensed milk or a serving of gui chai, gooey and crispy rice cakes stuffed with sauteed chives that are steamed and then fried. Arriving early is recommended, as the Chinese doughnuts tend to sell out.
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(Kat Thompson )
Sweet Rice
Gardena Thai Breakfast Desserts $$
Marked by a glowing neon sign that reads “Thai Breakfast & Desserts” in a corner of a Gardena plaza sits Sweet Rice, which serves classic Thai favorites. There’s both jok and khao thom, two styles of rice porridge that differ in consistency (jok is a much thicker viscosity, like oatmeal, while khao thom is a watery rice soup). Khao tom is the star here, with a peppery and comforting broth and plenty of toppings that include plump slices of shiitake mushroom, Chinese celery and fried garlic. Both porridges come with a side of Chinese doughnuts. If eggs and rice are more your speed, the crab omelet — which arrives layered with plenty of sweet onion slices — is satisfyingly fluffy atop a hot bed of jasmine rice. And for noodle enthusiasts, try the yen-ta-fo, a rare and alluring pink noodle soup made with fermented beans and loaded with fish cakes.
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(Kat Thompson)
Wat Thai
Sun Valley Thai $
It’s easy to spot Wat Thai in North Hollywood with its golden spires. This Thai temple opened in the early 1970s and has since served as a religious site, as well as Thai school, for decades (I attended school at this temple growing up). Each weekend, Wat Thai hosts a market full of food vendors that’s open to the public beginning at 8 a.m. The breakfast options here are unabashedly Thai: There’s fish maw soup streaked with bamboo shoots and mushrooms, marinated pork skewers paired with sticky rice, and fried bananas coated in a nutty sesame batter. Make sure to bring cash, which needs to be exchanged for tokens at a marked booth.
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