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Jeremy E.Oakland, CA131817Apr 15, 2024One of my FAVORITE Thai restaurants in LA that's serving up dank Northern Thai cuisine. Great portions, fair prices and a great range of flavors...never had a bad dish yet. Also, if you're ever in a chatting mood the story of how this place came to be is heartwarming so be sure to ask for an added humanity bonus.
Had the Mixed Salad and WOW I was surprised by the array of sweet, salt and spice and it was gone in seconds; twas so nice I'll order it twice. Get over there and enjoy!
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Oh no 0- Jan 15, 2024Updated review
I am saddened to report this, but they have changed owners, or cooks, or management.
If you love this place as much as I did, you can tell immediately things are different when you walk in. I asked them if they changed owners immediately and they denied it. However the same lady who was behind the counter for over 10 years is gone, the staff was different, they now accept cards, the infamous cash only sign and ATM are gone, and most importantly the food is different.
The Tom Kha soup is very watery, the food is not very flavorful, the bbq pork is dry (though the sauce is still good), and the pad kra pow (spelling?) was too saucy.
Overall, I'm so sad of the changes. If they didn't change owners they definitely changed something and hopefully they'll figure it out but it's definitely not as good as before.
Helpful 2Thanks 0Love this 1Oh no 0Nov 15, 2011Previous reviewSo I came here on a trip to LA for an interview and my mom and I were starving! I wanted thai food so I found this on yelp and went because of the good reviews. Upon arrival my mom was not happy. The place was in the ghetto and looked small and old. I could tell she didn't want to eat here but she was hungry so we just went with it. She got the BBQ pork dinner special and I got drunken noodles. THEY WERE FABULOUS. The pork came with this special sauce that I cannot put words to. It's sweet/spicy/sour/salty all in one. I LOVE it! The pork was tender and soft, which is really hard to do, if you've ever tried cooking pork. The drunken noodles were pretty good too! I am an instant fan!
I have came back twice since then and love the place. I make sure to stop by every time I'm in LA - Feb 8, 2024
Years ago a good article written by legendary Food writer and Pulitzer winner Jonathan Gold inspired me to come here and try their Khao Soi Northern Thai egg noodles and I've been coming back ever since. You will too!
Helpful 0Thanks 0Love this 0Oh no 0 - Feb 21, 2023Updated review
So this was the best Thai food I've had when I found this place in 2009... it remains the best Thai food I've had in 2023. I've been all over the USA, all over Asia, hell I've even had Thai food in Europe. Nothing compares.
Kay and Noong bring their A-game every time... though I will steer you towards the Northern Thai dishes, specifically. In fact, just tell them that (really tall) Sean sent you and let them serve you whatever they like. It will be the best you've had. Trust. I've been searching for better Thai food for 15 years, and thus far I've found a few distant second-place restaurants... and they were in Bangkok.
Save yourself the plane fare, this place is on the corner of Santa Monica Blvd. and Normandie, which is likely closer for you...Helpful 2Thanks 1Love this 3Oh no 0Aug 31, 2010Previous reviewIn the last month, I've been to Spicy BBQ four times. I took my mother and my niece there, when they visited from rural Pennsylvania... and they LOVED it. I took my guests from San Francisco there when they were in town for the weekend, and they LOVED it. I took my foodie buddy there, and he couldn't stop thanking me for introducing him to the place. Last week I took out-of-town guests there, and as we were walking in, people were walking out and raving about the place... we ate and my friends were in awe. My (other) niece, who's not generally adventurous, loved 4/5 dishes, my best friend loved 5/5 and said "This isn't only the best Thai food I've ever had, this might be one of the best meals of any kind I've ever had". As we left, the people at the table behind us, never having been there, were talking about how much they loved everything. My nephew is visiting next month, and having heard so much about it, is insisting we go.
Can't really say any more than that. This place rocks.Dec 27, 2009Previous reviewYou know, you gotta give points for consistency. One of my best Bay Area friends was in town with a new beau, and we were looking for a place to eat at noon on a Sunday. The places near me sounded like a plan, except that D-Town Burger Bar was too casual, The Must didn't open until 5:00pm, and Bottega Louie had a long wait (I called). So since they were headed back north afterwards, I thought that the 6 mile trek to Spicy BBQ made sense.
Anyway... back to the consistency. EVERY time I go here and order, if I make a misstep, the waitress (there's really only one) corrects me. I'll order the first dish, she'll nod and smile. I'll order the second. She'll not and smile, write it down. I order a third. She scowls. She clearly disapproves. The grabs the menu from my hands and shows me a better option, something similar. It's cracking me up. This happens almost every time. But every time I've followed her advice and every time we've all been very happy.
Are any other restaurants this honest? "No, that's not good. Order this instead". LOVE it!
I'll be back over and over again...Oct 29, 2009Previous reviewI went back two nights ago with a friend to see if lightning would strike twice. Unfortunately, he was hell-bent on trying to tom khar gai soup (which I already had) and the spicy jackfruit was so good that I wanted that again (which I already had)... so only got to try one new dish.
Ordered the glass noodle dish. Again, the server said "No, you no want, this better..." and pointed to something else. I found this again to be charming and hysterical. Who am I to argue? So I said "Sure, that looks good too", even though I was craving a noodle dish for real.
The beef curry dish was so... ridiculously... good. Totally different flavors in northern curry than southern Thai curry, than Indian curry, than anything else. Lots of ginger, which totally changed up the game. Just delicious with a capital D.
Only been twice; plan on being a regular. Was tempted to give it one star and make up a story about a 3 lb. rat so nobody else would come here and I get to keep it to myself, it's THAT good...Oct 20, 2009Previous reviewMan, I had no idea what this place was about from a cursory glance at the ratings before I left (I was hungry and in a hurry). Just saw it was well-ranked and thought "Sure, sounds good". Hopped in the Mini and headed that way.
First off; exotic location, it's not. It's a little strip mall with mostly Mexican shops and businesses. I heard Mexican karaoke upstairs. It was pretty awful. Not because it was Mexican, because it was tone-deaf. Where I parked there were people waiting for the bus. I thought they were eyeing my car, possibly glancing for locking lugs on the wheels. Made me a bit antsy.
Got inside and was shocked. It's TINY. I mean, about fifteen feet by twenty feet. Room for 16 patrons, maybe. There were three tables of four people each, and it was pretty full. I was seated and got handed some fairly beaten-up plastic laminated menus. The prices were obviously stickered-over several times, and the laminate peeling off. I was hesitant but decided to make the most of it.
I ordered a staple; the tom kha ga soup, and waited for my dining companion to join me. The soup arrived just before she did, in a large clay pot. Nice presentation. Soup was standard fare, in a good way. I love tom kha ga, and this was a very respectable version. Also got the fried tofu to tie me over until the entrees arrived. Told you I was hungry.
The entrees made the night for me. I ordered the larb na salad and the waitress/owner smiled, said "This Northern Thai..." and grabbed the menu from me... "You want this one". She smiled. I found it cute and charming, so acquiesced. Also ordered the oft-mentioned jackfruit dish. She nodded in approval.
The entrees were spectacular. Served on regular dishes, presentation was respectable but nothing exquisite... but man... flavors, textures were just a bullseye. Portion sizes were large. Prices were VERY reasonable. I fell in love.
The waitress/owner checked in on us, and we were too happy and had full mouths to give her an articulate answer, but we were both VERY happy. As we left, she said "Please come back" and gave us a really big smile an a wave.
Count on it... :-) 
Callista T.Sonoma, CA12672Mar 3, 2024prices great. nam tok and seafood tom ka great! I can't wait to bring my mom here. The thai tea was nice and earth and not cloyingly sweet.
Helpful 1Thanks 1Love this 2Oh no 0- Stephanie A.La Puente, CA12612Apr 14, 2024
The best Thai food besides Thailand. Spicy barbecue is the best my favorite the beef barbecue. I love the oad kee mao . Have you ever had northern Thai food? Come here now spicy barbecue is the best!
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Shay L.Inglewood, CA1168Jul 9, 2023We absolutely love this place. Been coming for about 3 years now after a friend recommended it. Truly a hidden gem - IYKYK
We always order the Khao Soi - best we've ever had!
The service is great and the owner is super welcoming and kind.
We've come with a group of 6 without having to wait on a Saturday night, but it definitely gets full by the end of the night!
Helpful 2Thanks 0Love this 0Oh no 0- Jun 4, 2023
Great price ! Very generous portions ! Both times I've ordered the spicy pork and pad see ew the portions were super filling. Cream cheese wontons also have a generous portion of filling and is very creamy! Enough for two people easily if you share an appetizer. Utensils, sauce and napkins received just as requested. Will defiantly be ordering more food from here.
Helpful 0Thanks 1Love this 0Oh no 0 - Oct 10, 2022
Asian comfort food: grilled meat, rice, and veg. Spicy BBQ checked off all of these boxes and more!
The portions are HUGE and it is so tasty. A big plus is that the lady working at the front is so kind :) Here's what I got:
1. Spicy BBQ Pork Dinner Special: A huge pile of shrimp fried rice, topped with grilled pork that reminds me of Vietnamese thit heo nuong. It's not as spicy as I expected, but I just eat it with prik nam blah (thai chilis in fish sauce). The sauce that comes with the meal is so good, but beware, they charge $1 if you'd like any extra! The portions for this were huge, it lasted me 3 different meals.
2. Pad See Ew: I had low expectations for this when it came out, mainly because I like a good char on the noodles and chinese broccoli. However, I would definitely get this again!! There is so much flavor in the noodles and it's the perfect amount of sweetness and soy.
It's going to be hard to branch out and get something else next time, but I will definitely need to try some of their Northern Thai specialties!
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Pakorn W.PLAYA DEL REY, CA2129Feb 20, 2024Im a big fan of Nam-Prik-Num here. Came by and order togo all the time. But lately, they try to up-sale by adding the steamed Veg to the chili paste. Then you now have to pay $3 extra for the unnecessary things. Whilst you have your own choice to have Nam-Prik-Num with your side as rice or boiled egg or something else. Furthermore, the Veg they made a set for you seemed like the left over from the night before. Disgusting!
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