There are many great vegan options in Korea Town, but what about Thai Town?
In 1999, Los Angeles created the first and only Thai Town in the United States. It was an economic strategy to bring attention to the neglected East Hollywood area. After October 27th, 1999, the area became the historic port of entry for new Thai immigrants. The site housed those businesses for the last 50 years, but in 1999, it officially became Thai Town. Thai Town has 60+ Thai enterprises, all of which are different, confusing, and exciting for those that aren’t Thai speakers.
Despite being an exciting and fun experience, exploring Thai Town can be a little intimidating if you don’t know anything about Thai food. But instead of going the safe route by eating only Pad Thai, there are so much more. At Thai Town, you are faced with various curries, curried fried rice, noodle dishes, mango sticky rice, pastries, and Elvis singers. It is an eccentric and unique area that is a gift if you truly embrace it. However, even though these foods look exciting and unforgettable, some dishes have tricky fish sauce or eggs. These dishes aren’t vegan, so there are some tricks to bypass them to make them vegan. It is easy to tell a waiter that you are vegan or to not cook the dish with any meat or fish product, but if you want to detour that or not have to panic about changing the meal, here’s some advice.
The first and easiest thing would be to order Mango Sticky Rice. Sticky rice is coconut milk, rice, and sugar; mangos are mangos. It is considered a dessert, but it is a delicious sweet dish. You don’t have to change anything, so ordering that is the easiest thing to order vegan.
Now these are the meals you should try that need a bit of altering. These dishes should be asked with no fish sauce or egg.
1. Pad Thai- This noodle dish is an excellent intro to Thai Food and is always encouraged for first-timers. However, generally, this dish has fish oil and eggs in it. So, all you really have to do is ask for those ingredients to be omitted. Pad Thai is a rice noodle stir-fried dish made with vegetables and protein (it can be made with tofu) mixed with a sweet and savory sauce. However, if the waiter says there is no way of omitting fish sauce, that’s ok! There are more options!
2. Pad See Ew- My favorite dish to order is Pad See Ew. It is a Thai dish with wide rice noodles, soy sauce, vegetables, and protein (tofu). It is cooked with Chinese broccoli and leafy vegetables, which makes the dish slightly bitter but is balanced by the sweet and savory sauce. Ask for no fish oil and eggs.
3. Papaya Salad- Papaya salad is made with green papaya, tomatoes, and chili peppers. It is spicy but also really refreshing. However, I have noticed some restaurants add shrimp and fish sauce, so I have found it harder to make it vegan. So don’t forget to ask for those to be omitted.
4. Curries- I have found curries are easy to make vegan-friendly, and Thai curries are top-tier for me. Green curry, for example, is a creamy and spicy dish made with coconut milk, green chili, and veggies. It is generally served with rice and is typically easy to make vegan if you request they omit the fish sauce.
Now when you come to Los Angeles, these are the restaurants I suggest with the dishes I recommend ordering.
1. Sanamluang Cafe Hollywood- 5176 Hollywood Blvd.- Sanamluang Cafe is one of my favorite Thai places in LA. It is a corner restaurant in a gritty mini-mall. Still, it is more like your quintessential Friends’ cafe than anywhere else. Parking has been a hit or a miss, but that’s not the restaurant’s fault. Just remember that you’ll have to be understanding of that difficulty. The place has vinyl booths on plastic tables that give it a charm and a feeling of “we don’t care if this place isn’t everything. We just make good food”. It is frequented by old Thai regulars, giving it a comfortable feel. Sanamluang Cafe is accommodating toward the vegan diet/lifestyle. They generally understand the “no eggs” and “no fish” requests and will work with them accordingly. Some of the dishes I would suggest getting are the Pad See Ewe and the Pad Kee Mao. Their noodles are big and chewy, and the flavors are complex and rich. Also, the Pad Kee Mao is the perfect kind of spicy. One of the best appetizers you can order is the Fried Soy Bean Cake. Sanamluang Cafe is not a fancy restaurant, but it is a place that would introduce anyone to Los Angeles Thai Town. The food is good, the ambiance is one of a kind, and, best of all, it is vegan-friendly.
2. Palms Thai Restaurant- 5900 Hollywood Blvd.- Palms was an eatery staple for me in my late 20s. I love Palms, and I wasn’t one of those people that fell under the controversy that most native Angelinos fell under. Palms Thai Restaurant has always been a famous eatery because of a Thai Elvis singer that performed every now and then. People would flock to see the Thai Elvis perform. However, they changed locations, and because of that, many native Angelinos believed it got much worse. People claimed the food wasn’t as good or that Elvis wasn’t as charismatic. It’s a strange reason to not like a restaurant, but people don’t like change, so I can’t fault them for it. However, I have to disagree that this place isn’t good. It is. It has flavorful meals that are delicious and complex. Like I wrote before, this is the second location for the eatery, and I find it bigger and easier to park at. It is connected to a storage office (which doesn’t get much business), so parking at the lot is accessible. I love getting fried tofu as an appetizer, and while they serve staples like Pad Thai and Pad See Ewe, their Kee Mao is top-notch. Getting it in medium spicy makes the dish challenging but delicious. The oils and spices pair off nicely with the heated sauce, and the plate becomes a journey trying to get through. You appreciate the meal. You don’t eat it in one go.
3. Bhan Kanom Thai- 5271 Hollywood Blvd.- This is a Thai bakery, and it should be a staple for Los Angeles hotspots. There is something special about going to a place, not knowing ANYTHING about it, and exploring new and exciting flavors. It might seem intimidating initially, but you need to put on your explorer pants way up and bravely conquer it. This place has a fusion of Thai desserts and snacks; if you ask patiently, you’ll find plenty of vegan options. First and foremost, try the Pang Chi. It is a cookie-sized dessert that seems to be more of a cake, and it is made with coconut, taro, coconut milk, rice flour, palm sugar, and corn. The corn pieces make the dish pop because the kernels sit comfortably in the cake and aren’t mixed in the batter. The cake is moist and slightly spongey. The flavor carries a subtle taro taste, but the coconut gives it a creamy taste. Don’t be afraid to be adventurous. Don’t be afraid to try. There is a parking lot, but I don’t think it’s easy to get into. Instead, utilize the side streets.
4. Thai Patio- 5273 Hollywood Blvd.- Thai Patio is where Palms Thai Restaurant used to be. It is also in the exact location of Bhan Kanom, so both places can be explored in a perfect Thai vegan adventure. I have found the people that work here super accommodating to assist in creating the perfect vegan meal. They have made curries for me as well as excellent Pad See Ewe. When I used to come here during the day, it was generally relatively silent, so it can be a great spot to relax and have a meal by yourself. This is a cozy place. It is a safe haven for a rainy day. All you have is yourself, a great meal, and a moment to be alone and be in peace.
Even though it seems like Southeast Asian food might be great vegan food, there is a need to bypass certain traditional ingredients. However, being vegan should never be why you can’t experience new and excellent food. Los Angeles’ Thai Town is a great place to share and explore vegan food simply and easily. Sometimes it can be a bit intimidating, but if you follow these tips, you’ll become more adventurous. So don’t be afraid to try. This area is exciting for you to see and experience something new.
