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Mon-Sun. 10:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
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This is one of those places I really don't want to yelp about, the angel of sharing and the devil of selfishness are at war with one another. This yelp review has been drafted for weeks. Just sitting here, waiting. Pestering, festering, staring me down. Not that Mae Ploy is the best Thai in world but, for cheap, fast, tantalizing food this little jewel has never let me down...and the curries, god bless the curries.
It also doesn't help that I am seriously in love with the wait staff, my man, Sid, and, that gorgeous beauty, Bee- the superstar servers, so cheerful and sweet you wonder if it's a cover-up for a gruesome crime committed in 1950. Luckily, there is no cover up, they are always spooky nice every single gosh darn time!
So, the angel of sharing won.. this t i m e. But, don't think I don't have a few more trumps in my pocket.
People thought this was:
Picture it... Sicily... 1922... Okay, maybe not. How about... Dodger Stadium... 2009... and the ticket booths didn't open for another hour. What are three fat people to do for an hour. Hmmmm...
We start driving down Sunset and run into a festival and turn around. On our way back we see this little Thai place that is open. At 10:30 in the morning! SWEET! And truly aren't some of the best restaurants those that you stumble across?
I bust out my iPhone, open the Yelp app and look for Mae Ploy. 4 stars, 80+ reviews. We're in!
We park and go in and my husband and best friend, who have coined themselves, The Fat Boys of America (FBA), just smile and say, "We're here!" *LOL* No seriously! They did. And our waitress came out and greeted us with a laugh and then sat us at a table mentioning, "I hope you're comfortable over here." Now some people may have taken it as an insult to be walked to the back and given a table as opposed to the closer booths. I looked at it as she was being the most intuitive waitress I've ever had. She saw big people and realized that these circles were not going to fit into the square peg.
With so many good dishes to choose from we decided on: Pineapple Paradise Rice, Pork Satay, Kung Pao Chicken, Chicken Pad Thai, and Pan Fried Noodles w/Shrimp. Yum, yum, and YUM!
Of course, we ended up with lots of containers to take home. But the food was great, the service most excellent, and the price was pretty darn good. Definitely a place to try when in that part of town!
People thought this was:
I went here last night, for the first time, with a neighborhood friend. We ordered yellow curry chicken, spicy catfish and brown rice.
The meal was delicious, the service was friendly and very attentive and the bill was remarkably cheap: $20.
I would definitely come back. Atmosphere is home made Thai decor, with the usual cheesy flowers, statues, posters, etc. but it is obvious that this place wants to be liked and makes great effort to be accommodating and sincere.
People thought this was:
I have not found a better Thai restaurant in L.A. for the value, service and comfort that I get at Mae Ploy. I should not even be writing a review on Yelp for fear of losing this little gem to the hungry masses.
The food is good. I have had better, but I am not sure I have had anything with a better value. The service is always excellent (except the crazy lady that I think is the owner) and the staff is super friendly.
Get the Curry, Tom Yom Soup, the spicy mint and chicken satay. Yum.
Been here a couple times. First time was okay, I think I ordered something sort of boring like spicy flat noodles. Did the trick, but wasn't anything special. The next time I went I split the spicy catfish and pineapple fried rice. God damn. Definitely the best Thai meal I've had in the Silver Lake / Echo Park / Los Feliz area. Didn't even mind picking the bones out of the catfish. The wine is very probably Franzia or something of comparable quality but is at least cheap.
My favorite Thai place on the east side!
Every dish I've had at this place has been really good and everything is so affordable which is great in these kind of times. The staff there is super friendly and if you go there frequently they'll remember you. I always get a very comforting homely feel whenever I go there.
Following are my favorites:
Papaya Salad: My vegan friends who introduced me to this place order it vegetarian style and i like it that way. It doesn't come with the dried shrimp or fish sauce. I'm weak so I get it mild, its still has some heat to it though.
Stuffed Chicken Wings: This was surprisingly really good. chicken stuffed with chicken who knew?
Tom Yum Goong: So good for those cold days, large enough to share with 4 people and then some
Green Curry: Yum!
Yellow Curry: Double yum!
Kai Kua: My favorite noodle dish and always part of our order
Orange Chicken: Usually I'm not big on orange chicken but this was i must say is really really good. Super crispy outside, moist inside. A must try.
Oh and we always wash all the good food with some Chang beer, its only $3!
So the interior isnt the best...EVERY wall is painted a different color. And it smells like a fish aquarium, but the food is awesome!!!
I had the yellow curry which was wonderful. Perfect size serving! The stuffed chicken wings are great too!
I wish they would deliver!
You don't go here for the service...it's the fooood! It's cheap and oh so good!
Their Tom Yung Goon is my favorite: no it doesn't have fancy mushrooms but it's good ole home cook'n. The Spicy Beef Salad is a nice, light choice.
You can't really go wrong here for the price. But whatever you order you've got to have it SPICY!
People thought this was:
Not good. We got 2 different dishes and they both sucked. If a Thai place fucks up Pad Thai you know it's pretty bad.
The food was totally bland. I've had Thai food from the mall that was a hundred times better than this place. I won't order from this place again.
People thought this was:
Basically they're my back up/second choice. Their delivery time takes a long time and although their food is good, I'm not sure the wait time is apt. (Usually about an hour.) But they do take credit cards whereas my preferred thai place (Leela Thai who delivers faster) takes cash only.
So the dude and I were sitting home, watching Bobby Flay throwdown on the Food Network. He went up against some old lady for a Pad thai challenge. That was all we needed to jump-start our noodle craving. I looked up something cheap and close by and Mae Ploy was the result. I figured since Jonathan Gold had written about it in his book, it would be a safe bet.
We were promptly seated and ordered the green papaya salad. It had lots of dressing, I mean lots. It was very good, but I think the papaya could have been spared the bath. The salad also came with a quarter of a cabbage. Maybe if it had been shredded we might be tempted to also eat it, but seeing as we couldn't tell if it was garnish or part of the dish, we left it alone.
I went ahead and ordered myself a pad see ew. The only thing "ew"y about it was the extra sweetness I tasted. It did not have as much of the smoky charred flavor I typically look for in this dish. The crunchy Chinese broccoli had a great texture against the slippery wide noodles.
We also ordered, of course, some pad thai. The abundant supply was way more than we anticipated. The shrimp were delicious and cooked just right (I was dreading biting into a rubbery pink thing). The dish had lots of flavor, but it lacked heat. I don't know if it was because I was drinking a cold Singha, but my taste buds were really craving some fire in these dishes, which they sadly did not deliver. Of course, this is all my own doing because I didn't ask for any of them with extra heat.
I'd definitely come back to this place again, it's easy to get to, there's tons of parking on the stretch of Sunset where the restaurant is located and it's cheap!
EW!
sat down, they served us water. and there it was.. a long strand of hair in my glass. that should've been my clue to get the hell out! instead, I ask for a new glass of water.
we order our food. we get the pad thai. and guess what was also in our pad thai?! YES! Another freakin' strand of hair!!!
This time, we walk out.
never to return again!
People thought this was:
Mae Ploy has great tasting Thai food and excellent service. The prices are actually slightly cheaper than most Thai joints and the portions are large. I ordered the crab noodles and they don't skimp out on the REAL crab. I might pass on the Thai tea. It's only 1.50 but it was too sweet. No big deal though.
If you get the waiter that looks and sounds a bit like Jackie Chan....he's really funny.
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I have been to Mae Ploy for 10 years.
I love the sweet Thai waiter so much! He always makes me smile!
Because of his cordial service, I give 4 stars!
My favorite dishes are
Wonton Soup
BBQ Beef Salad( Spicy!)
Panang with chicken
Crispy Pork Mint Leaves
Pad See Lew
People thought this was:
I've been going to Mae Ploy from time to time for a few years now, and I've never had a terrible experience, so I'm kind of surprised by all of the negative reviews.
Yeah, it's kind of pared down and simple and I guess you could call it "unclean" if you were used to like super minimalist high end designerey decor Brooklyn or WeHo Thai food places or something, but I've never thought of it as "unclean" in the gross way. I actually find the interior to be kind of quaint and cute, although it looks like right now they are in process of re-decorating. They used to have these awesome cheesy lamp poster things that you get on Alvarado st. in the mini-mall/indoor swap meet place up on the wall. Thankfully, they still have one of the 3-d kitten sculpture/paintings up. That'll keep me coming back.
I usually stick to the vegetarian versions of everything here, just because that's how I prefer my thai food.
Tom Kha and Tom Yum are both good.
Pad See Ew is fantastic.
Vegetarian Curry Noodles are great.
Papaya Salad is yum...
I think I may have been underwhelemed one out of about 15+ times I've been there by a catfish dish. Also, last time I was there the waitress was kind of rude---they might be going through a management change cause the guy who used to always say hi to me is never around anymore.
I still like Mae Ploy.
People thought this was:
Mae Ploy serves exactly what you'd get in a street-level Bangkok restaurant, the kind of place you find on every corner there. Genuine, tasty, well-prepared everyday Thai made with fresh ingredients. With its quirky decor, it kind of looks like a street-level Bangkok place, too.
Menu is great. Some unusual dishes you won't find in every Thai place, like the fried catfish salad. Your vegetarian girlfriend will love it, as there's a whole meatless section. Mostly, though, I come here (or order delivery) for basic, delicious Thai sustenance: pineapple paradise rice, spicy noodles, som tam (papaya salad) and barbequed chicken, sweet and sour vegetables, catfish in red curry.
I'd give Mae Ploy four stars for their excellent food, but it's the warm and lovable staff that take it to highest level. If you eat here often you will become friends with the staff, who are so welcoming that you feel like family.
Mmmm, Mae Ploy. I haven't actually been into the restaurant, but it's my go-to place for takeout. I don't know what the dude below was talking about with 1 hour wait time - it just isn't so. I order from here ALL THE TIME and I've never had to wait more than 40 minutes. Case-in-point - tonight, it took 25. Eat the satay, the green or yellow curries, the spicy noodles, the pad see ew, and my god, the papaya salad. Yep - eat that stuff. This place is good.
Most of the time, whether I order from this place or from Nad Pob down the street all depends on what time my hangover wears off. If the booze Gods went easy on me and my hangover wears off by morning or mid afternoon (AND my boyfriend and I clean up the post-party mess early enough), we will order from Mae Ploy.
Be careful, because they're spotty on the spice factor. We order it medium heat - sometimes it comes to us medium, and sometimes it is not even remotely spicy. Their noodles are good - we like pad kee mow or pad see ew.
BUT... if you order from here, you absolutely must get the crispy pork and the wonton soup. These two dishes are what keep us consistently coming back. Their wonton soup is the best around - clear, filling, warming, and they bring it to you with the dumplings, barbeque pork, and bok choy in a separate container, so you get a LOT. And the crispy pork is crunchy and fried, swimming in a spicy sauce with basil and peppers, and perfect over rice (it's almost kind of like chicharrones.)
Mae Ploy's open during the day, and they'll deliver in the early noon/afternoon hours.
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Nota bene: I have only had delivery. Then again, isn't that the ultimate test?
Good stuff: nice on the phone, had NO problem finding my place (see Agra Cafe review), delivery fast, delivery guy nice.
Bad stuff: Spicy beef salad with vegetables- not spicy at all (ordered medium), really yucky meat (school cafeteria level), "vegetables" means lettuce and cucumbers. Red curry with shrimp- below average. Brought white rice after an explicit (ok, not EXPLICIT but you know what I mean) discussion about brown rice.
Interesting stuff: Asked for curry "spicy". Am aware that this can mean trouble. Have massive tolerance for spice, i.e., can drink sriracha from the bottle. This was too hot for me and it looked like a chile farm in the dish. This has NEVER happened. I should freeze it for next time I have a cold or hangover.
Conclusion: call Leela next time.
People thought this was:
This place is pretty good. It's not as good as some of my favs in Chicago but it's decent. The Pad Kee Mao is pretty tasty but the Pad See Ew smells a little like wet dog.
People thought this was:
Decent good Thai food. Ok priced. Good sized portions
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Let me tell you about the dark side of Mae Ploy. I love the food. It's fantastic. But there's this one delivery guy.
I just had food delivered an hour and a half after ordering it. Usually it's 45 minutes. I didn't give the guy a tip.
Once before, this guy told me when I gave him a $1 tip that it wasn't enough.
This time, he told me that if I wouldn't give him a tip, my house was too far to deliver to. My food takes an hour and a half to get to my house, and he says this.
There's the other delivery guy - he's awesome. No problems ever. Friendly, nice, cool.
This delivery guy, food takes twice as long to get there as they tell you it will, twice as long as it normally does, and he tells you the restaurant will never deliver again if you don't tip him.
Edit: reading the other reviews I see the warnings about delivery taking a long time on busy nights, and fair enough, this was a Friday, but still. That kid isn't exactly dedicated to customer service. I seriously thought he was trying to start a fight with me over a $1/$2 tip.
Great food, but skip delivery.
Update: so my bank shows that they charged me exactly $3 more than the bill. I'm pretty sure this guy just made up a $3 tip that he felt he deserved. So I called them up and they told me it was the bank's fault. They said the bank adds 20%. Except that's never happened in my life with any other restaurant, and 20% of my order wouldn't have been $3 on the nose.
So I'm going in there tomorrow to talk to the owner.
Update: so I totally forgot all about this and they just called me insisting that they hadn't over-charged me. My bank still says they did. I think their logic is very skewed but to their credit they're very very concerned about it all, which is pretty cool when you consider that this is about a $3 overage. They asked if they could call back next week, giving the bank time to reverse its error. I'm pretty sure in a week they're still going to owe me $3, but they're being pretty cool about it.
People thought this was:
I love Mae Ploy. Its not just because I live two blocks from the place.. because I have tried many thai places in LA. Everything on the menu is 5 or 6 dollars.. and if you going during lunch time it doesnt take very long for your food to come if you place an order to go. I just discovered the thai beef jerky that is really delicious and comes with a spicy dipping sauce. I also love the yellow coconut curry soup with egg noodles. it also comes with crunchy noodle, fresh onions, spicy chill paste, and lime for garnishing. YUM! The orange chicken is battered heavily yet delightful. I havent had anything here yet that I dislike.
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Los Angeles is The City of Angles. Sure, that's true. But it's also The City of A Million Kickbutt Thai Restaurants. Both titles wonderful. And it means an above average Thai joint like Mae Ploy seems average. I would eat here again but I wouldn't want to put much effort into doing so. I'd walk a block. Maybe a block and a half. If I were to walk two blocks I'd probably encounter a better Thai joint. Or I'd find a taco. I like tacos.
_C$
I was craving some Thai food today and wanted to have something pretty tasty and decided to drive down the street. After reading some of the reviews I have to agree that the food here is pretty cheap. I decided to order the Pineapple paradise (prototypical Pineapple fried rice with chicken, cashews, shrimp, raisins and of course pineapples mixed with yellow curry). I wasn't too excited with the dish as it seemed to lack some salt and tasted a little on the bland side. I also ordered the fried tofu appetizer, which comes with a sweet and sour dipping sauce. I have to admit that the fried tofu was pretty tasty. Overall the meal was satisfying, but nothing too extraordinary.
People thought this was:
I've been going to this restaurant for years. The food is really good and decently priced. Also if there's a Thai dish that's not on the menu, you can still order it. Service is okay but fast.
I went here for the first time the other day, though my boy 's been going here for yeaaaaaars, and I must say that...
The chicken with Mint leaves and the Pad See Eww was delicious! I tend to be boring and usually hit up brocolli, fried tofu, and rice, but they didn't seem to know what that was, which was a-okay with me in the end seeing how the dish is pretty plain to begin with.
Still, it was pretty damn cheap for the portions we got. I've been to LA thai places where it's far more expensive for a smaller plate of grub, so I was happy with the restaurant as a whole, and as a plus, the ladies there are so friendly and easy-going! It's an unpretentious, low-key place, which is my favorite kind of place to frequent.
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Best Thai in LA! Great joint for vegi or vegans and everyone else.
I just read Ryan's review of Mae Ploy and had to become a yelp member just to clear a few things up. But I just noticed that Ryan also gave Panda Express a better rating, nuff said.
First of all you need to go in, grab yourself a seat and a singha to truly enjoy this gem. Their delivery service is pretty good, takes 30-40 minutes but at least the food is hot and fresh when you get it. But you have to go in your first time.
Second of all the place is fantastic if you know what to get. They have the best coconut soup - Tum Ka Gai (or in my case Tum Ka Tofu) - I have tasted ever. And I have had this soup in many a thai joint. In fact when ever I go to Germany I have to bring a couple togo containers of it a friend who lives there. He is addicted to that shit, and when he is visiting here in LA it is a must stop for him.
The soup truly is the bomb. Not too creamy and not too watery. The perfect amount of lime leaf and lemongrass. It's good to get it medium spicy at first and work your way up to "thai-spicy". Great combo of sweet and spicy.
Anyway I'm vegan so what I get is limited but everything looks pretty darn good here. We used to go here 3-4 times a week but am trying to scale it back. But it's hard, so good it's addictive.
And it's cheap! Most dishes are around $5 and good prices on beer and wine.
Service can be tricky when they are super busy. The waitstaff have a very straightforward additude but warm up upon frequent visits. My favorite waitress is Bee, she is super nice and already knows what I want before I even sit down.
Things to order: Larb tofu is so good even your tofu-phobic friends will sing it's prasies. The papaya salad is one of the best. The spicy noodles are fantastic with tofu or meat. Try the greenbeans and tofu in spicy red sauce. And don't forget the soup, make sure to say no fish sauce if you are vegi.
People thought this was:
I love this place. I live in the neighborhood and feel lucky to be able to walk to a great unpretentious Thai restaurant. The service can be great or just ok. Make friends with the servers if you want better service, they can be very sweet. The vegetarian dishes are excellent. I usually do not love tofu and I love their tofu. The garlic tofu is my favorite. The food is much better picked up or at the restaurant, than delivered. Get it to go if you want to eat at home. If you have been to Thailand, you will appreciate Mae Ploys simplicity.
this place is inexpensive and delicious.
The papaya salad makes me soooo happy.
It is so fresh and i have been known to drink the dressing.
um...i also love the grilled fish.
Sid, who is always there when I go, is the best, kindest most wonderful waiter in the world.
I think it is some of the best thai i have ever had.
People thought this was:
Thai restaurants are so ubiquitous that I think Thai food has become the "new Chinese." Mae Ploy is good and reasonably priced. The green beans were not overcooked in the Prik King which is my usual complaint of other Thai places. The server was pleasant. I was not particularly wowed but would return since it's close. There are alot of vegetarian options which is a plus.
Thai Elvis isn't here but there's enough hipness exuded by the patrons and the bric-a-brac decor to keep you entertained or at least midly amused. I think the night we went it was a prerequisite for the men to have tattoos on their arms and to bring their API girlfriends/partners. We had the later covered.
People thought this was:
For the ease it puts on my wallet, this place sure does deliver. The portions aren't gargantuan, but they're definitely enough to satisfy.
I took my very finicky parents here for dinner. While they were not impressed by the tom young seafood soup (not sure if that's the exact name) because the soup tends to be very sour, they did like the chicken teriyaki dish and the string beans (and those two were cheaper than the soup).
All in all, our meal came out to be around $24 for three people! *woohoo!!! Now, that's a deal! Oh, and service was great. When it comes to family time, we can be a hard group because my parents were tend to lean towards indecision, but their staff was patient and even when I inadvertently dropped my $5 into the leftover sauce at the end of the meal, the waiter who saw it was kind enough to help wipe it for me.
So taking everything into consideration, I'd say this place is a HIT!
Oh, and parking? NO worries, there's a small lot behind the restaurant just in case street parking isn't kind to you.
People thought this was:
The food is perfectly tasty, I'll start with that. We ordered green beans with tofu, garlic chicken sautee, chicken fried rice and tom kah kai soup. The food came quickly, delivered by the morose server. The chicken had a wrong texture, rather mealy, and nothing was overly hot. The food cooled quickly.
The neighborhood is only so-so, the other patrons were dreary and spookily silent, and the floor of the eating area is frighteningly uneven. I'm not kidding - drop a marble in the middle of that room and you'll be unable to predict where it goes.
A fine enough choice if you're looking for cheap, decent Thai food. But this is not a place to start a family tradition. There is better food out there, at the same price. I'm a little mystified by all the great reviews.
If anyone drives more than three blocks to get to this place, you have to have your head examined. This place serves bland, uninteresting, mediocre Thai food. And I'm eating their Tom Kha Kai soup right now, so I can tell you it's pretty damn bad.
People thought this was:
i didn't know what to expect with this place. the reviews have been so mixed... with people really either loving or hating it.
but after we experienced a full dinner... some spicy mint leaves with tofu (add cashews)... vegetarian red curry... veggie egg rolls... and white rice, we were pleased! the spicy mint leaves with tofu stole the show for me. my wife didn't really take to the veggie curry... and i must say... once you've had the veggie curry at toi, you're spoiled for life... but it wasn't terrible. the egg rolls were crispy and tasty. yum!
i ordered take-out and when i went to pick up our food, the gentleman who helped me was very friendly and the place looked very clean.
i was a bit scared after reading someone's review that it was dirty inside their restaurant... but honestly, it was very clean.
i would definitely order from mae ploy again!
People thought this was:
I dated the owner's son for the last 5 years and by far these are one of my favorite people in the world. Prior to this, I did not eat Thai food at all and now I've been converted. Some of you refer this place as a cheap hole in the wall joint but I assue you it is not. Of the 15+ plus years they have been in business, never have they ever received a grade lower than an A from the health dept. The owners work 7 days a week, 12 hours a day and you what the parents do with their hard earnings? They go back to village in Thailand, throw this huge town party and provide free food,entertainment, gifts, raffles, and HEALTHCARE for literally hundreds of people. Talk about extremely HUGE hearts. So next time, go to the restaurant and order lots and tip well and support their cause!
next time you go be sure to tell them you were introduced by Jamie
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The wifey and I went here for dinner on a rainy Friday night. After being seated and my wife had gone to the restroom BAM! The lights went out. The lights on the street for as far as I could see had gone out. The power came back on shortly, but I couldn't imagine how freaky it would have been to be in that bathroom when all the lights had gone out.
Anyways, can't really blame the power outage on the restaurant so I'll give them 4 stars. I think the food was just ok, but the wifey loves this place. She really likes the bamboo shoot salad. I don't go for it. In fact, the people that take our order always ask us if we are sure when we order it. But the wifey loves it.
So, a place that I find ok, but the wifey loves, get's 4 stars.
Oh, and their delivery is pretty reliable too. Although, I do think charging 1.50 for rice is a rip. Luckily, I can make my own rice.
People thought this was:
It seems like there are three tiers of Thai food in the city - shishi gourmet fare (think Chandara), healthy vegan or veggie focused establishments, and cheap hole-in-the-walls. I prefer the last option, though it is often the case that quality (and I'm talking taste here, healthiness is not even in the equation) can be unpredictable.
Rest assured that Mae Ploy is one of those HITW's that'll do you right. Great prices, great food, great service. An added bonus is that they deliver! This has become the default go-to place when my girlfriend and I are too lazy to cook. I highly recommend the pineapple fried rice and the duck noodle soup.
People thought this was:
Basic dependable Thai when you need it in Echo Park. Best dishes are Pad See Yew, Papaya Salad, Red Curries. Tofu larb is the best you can get it anywhere, and well worth it for the vegetarian tofu addicts. Get extra cabbage to make little cabbage burritos with it. Low carb too for you Beverly Hills set. Staff is lovely, friendly, and will remember you.
I LOVE this place. The food is great and the prices are really great too! The staff is always very nice and very quick! Parking is always easy as well. I am a Curry fiend and all of their curry dishes are top notch. They never flinch when I order no mushrooms either :)
I live in Echo Park and it's a neighborhood standout!
You really can't go wrong for the price.
"Free Delivery!"
Neighborhood: Hollywood
Drink 6 Get 4 Free!
Neighborhood: Hollywood
Neighborhood: Silver Lake
Category: Chinese
Neighborhood: Echo Park
Category: Thai
Neighborhood: Silver Lake
Category: Thai
Neighborhood: Silver Lake
Category: Thai
Neighborhood: Silver Lake
Category: Thai
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