I am from Thailand and i always struggle to find good Thai food here. My friend recommended me this place and I decided to try it out. When I took a bite of the kra pao tofu, I was genuinely shocked and how good it was. My friends who don't like tofu also loved it. Everything we ordered was really flavorful and there was so many vegetarian options! Now anytime anyone comes from out of town, i definitely take them there. The service there is also amazing, theyre so nice and welcoming. And it is a very cute little place! Highly recommend!! read more

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Authentic Thai dishes esp. Combo papaya salad & Yum nam khao tod. Tasty crispy pork pad thai. Great service & clean bathroom. Well decorated. Have some housemade Thai items for sales as well. Overall, great value, varieties of selection. I'll be back there :) for more papaya salad! read more

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I should've ordered the larb and the papaya salad since 1) those are my go-to and the standard by which I compare Thai places and 2) they're some of the dishes theyre known for, but I was intrigued by the Lacha noodle soup and after taking a sip of my friend's broth, went for it. I likes the idea of the variety of meats, but the ground pork was difficult to eat in the soup. The few slices each of BBQ meat and duck were moist and flavorful. I wish there had been more veg/herbs to kick the flavor of the soup a bit more. Good sized portion -- I was full once I got to the bottom of the bowl! I ordered the mango sticky rice to go, and appreciated the authetic addition of the nutty mung beans (often omitted at other restaurants and makes a huge difference in texture and flavor!), but wish it had been packed separately since they got soft being wrapped on top of the hot rice. Service was attentive. I would come back to sample their larb and papaya salads! read more

Lacha Somtum - Mango sticky rice (with a bite already eaten ) - Thai Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Lacha Somtum is one of my husband and I's favorite Thai restaurants in Thai Town. As in the name, this place is known for their papaya salad (somtum in Thai), but they have an extensive menu and everything we have had here has tasted very authentic and delicious. The restaurant itself is quite an open space with multiple tables and armchairs, so it feels very cozy like you have entered someone's house. The service has always been good when we have gone (come over to check on us, refill water), and the staff remember us because we have visited a lot over the years. It's pretty fun to order multiple dishes and share family style, and the leftovers still taste really yummy the next day. Some of our favorites to get here include the crispy pork pad thai, crab pad thai, crispy grounded catfish salad, koong kroob, and all of their curries. My husband and I visited on Friday evening after work this time, and we ordered Thai papaya salad, crispy pork pad thai, and clams with chili paste. The food came out pretty quickly this time because the restaurant wasn't busy, but it usually takes about 15-20 minutes for the first dishes to come out when they have a lot of orders (because they cook it fresh). Everything was so flavorful as usual and a good amount of spice (we got mild). My husband really enjoyed the clams because of the addicting Thai basil and chili sauce (goes really well with rice), so they will probably become one of our regular orders as well. I've seen a good diverse mix of Thai and non-thai locals eating here, so it caters to everyone's palates. ***Do note that they make everything at authentic Thai spice level, so mild is already going to be pretty spicy! If you truly love spicy food, you can dare to order medium but I can't handle it very well (my husband enjoys the medium but it makes his nose runny). I hope you will all try out Lacha for some delicious Thai food in LA! read more

Lacha Somtum - Papaya salad, crispy pork pad thai, clams with chili paste (a la carte) and rice - Thai Near Me - Los Angeles, California

I love Thai food and have been to plenty of places. Lacha has one of my favorite versions of Pad Kee Mao. The noodles are excellently cooked in a dry wok and isn't overly soggy like at some other places. I like the green beans they add as a vegetable, and the flavor is very well balanced with the white pepper. I've also gotten the crab fried rice here, and it is similarly excellent with a great umami flavor from the crab. Service is excellent, and the ambiance is cozy. Only complaint is that the air conditioner can be weak, so the place can get a bit stuffy in the summer months. read more

Lacha Somtum - PN3. Pad Kee Mao Noodle with shrimp - Thai Near Me - Los Angeles, California

4 stars I've lived my entire life in LA without ever having stopped by Thai Town for Thai food for some reason. Well, today, I changed that by stopping at this restaurant. It's definitely got a casual homey vibe to it. I particularly like the comfy chaises and sofa chairs. I ended up getting my usual test dish - Pad Thai ($14). And added Crispy Pork (+$3). This was delicious. Unlike many of the Thai restaurants in SGV, the pad thai here also had dried shrimp incorporated in. It definitely gives the dish a chewier texture than I'm used to. The crispy pork was spectacular and went well with the pad thai sauce. Would definitely recommend this. Authentic is probably the best word to describe this restaurant. The menu had quite a few dishes that I haven't seen in a menu before. Service was alright. Unfortunately, parking is street and metered parking only. Where I parked, it was 1 hr parking only. read more

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My family and I stopped by Lacha Somtum for lunch on a Saturday around noon, and I was surprised to see we were the only party in the restaurant. Given how highly rated this place is on Yelp, I expected it to be more crowded during lunch hour. It's possible that many diners opt for takeout instead of dining in. Between the four of us, we ordered three appetizers and one main. For starters, we had the fried larb, Esaan sausage, and koong krob -- deep-fried tiny shrimp mixed with flour. It's hard not to rave about the fried food here: every bite was incredibly crunchy without being greasy. It's the kind of food that makes you feel just a little guilty, but it's absolutely worth the calories. Both the koong krob and crispy fried larb were dishes I've never seen at any other Thai restaurant. I honestly wish more places offered these because of how delicious they were. The crispy fried larb (ground pork mixed with dried chili, roasted rice, lime juice, cilantro, and green onion, then deep-fried) looks a bit like a falafel from afar and even has a similar texture on the outside. But once you bite in, you get all the bold, sour flavors of larb. The tanginess is prominent without being overwhelming, and the crunchy shell takes the texture of the ground meat to the next level. The uneven grooves of the koong krob pick up the sweet and sour dipping sauce beautifully. This dish is ASMR perfection -- every bite delivers a satisfyingly loud crunch. The Esaan sausage was another hit. On its own, it perhaps a little dry due to how lean it is, but the flavor is intense -- savory, slightly sour, and packed with herbs. The accompanying peanuts, ginger, and lettuce were great to pair with each bite. For our main, we shared a massaman curry, which had a deep coconut flavor and a rich, thick texture. Unlike some curries where oil pools on top, this one was fully blended and smooth throughout. If you're looking for delicious, less-common Thai dishes, Lacha Somtum is a must-visit. If your go-to Thai orders are pad thai, pineapple fried rice, or pad see ew, you'll definitely find those here -- but you'll also discover new favorites that you probably haven't tried before. read more

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Came here to try their hot pot. We ordered the Esaan Hot Pot, Mama Sue Noodle Hot Pot, and Duck Larb. Esaan Hot Pot - The broth of this was quite unique and pretty good. It came with pork, vegetables, glass noodles, and rice. Although, I wish they provided more toppings. They provided extra broth on the side. Mama Sue Noodle Hot Pot - This was a tom yum soup and contained many toppings inside. It was delicious and the taste reminded me of Laksa. Duck Larb - This was also pretty good and very flavorful. It was savory, a bit tangy, and the texture and taste reminded me of pork sisig. Overall, pretty solid Thai food. The dishes were kind of salty, but still flavorful. Excellent service as our waiter came by to check on us frequently. read more

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I came with about 6 friends and ordered a variety of things off the menu. The food was amazing!! we tried the pork jerky, one of the papaya salads, larb, and one of the fried rices from what i can remember and the quality of the meat was great. our server was also really nice. they have plenty of options for indoor seating! read more

Lacha Somtum - Thai Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Just be warned this place is authentic and if you cannot eat spicy, don't order from here. I ordered over $100 of dishes off of Uber Eats here and it's authentic for sure, but oh my god, they did not follow my directions asking for MILD. Every dish is burn my tongue off spicy! I can't barely eat any of it! I got the bamboo shoot and combination salad and there is some proper FUNK in here. The bamboo shoots, raw crab, and raw shrimp are STINKY! Smells like the wet market section of a dirty asian grocery store. IYKYK. I think this is the way it's supposed to be but hope I don't get sick. I got their chicken feet soup and even that is spicy. It also doesn't look very appetizing compared to their uber eats photo. It's just chicken feet floating in brown mushroom tom yum broth. I also go their banana triangle things. It's greasy and not so great. Overall the food is the most authentic I've seen in a while but the various dishes are hit or miss. read more

This Thai restaurant is worth going out of my way for! It is authentic, flavorful, and such a good price. The service here is so great too, they are so friendly, attentive, and polite. I ordered the mama sue hotpot and it was delicious. The flavor was incredible, and the portions are pretty large. We also tried the papaya salad, which was bright and fresh. And my husband ordered pad see ew, with pork belly, and I know it sounds basic, but it was actually the most delicious thing we tried! I will definitely be back! read more

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Came here on a Friday night and wow I was impressed with the quality of their dishes! I ordered the classic pad see ew with crispy pork and this place truly has the best pad see ew I've ever had. The crispy pork is definitely worth the upgrade, it's tender and not dry despite being crispy pork. Service is friendly, attentive and consistently checking in and refilling your water. Parking can be a bit annoying around this area but I would come again since the food is just that good! read more

Came with a party of 7 on a busy afternoon and was seated quickly. The staff was very patient as we were getting situated and deciding what to order. The "mild" spicy papaya salad was quite spicy. The BBQ chicken was on the dry side. Everything else was seasoned and cooked well. It was a hot afternoon and didn't feel like the AC was on, our whole party was uncomfortable from the heat. Parking on the street with meter. Be vigilant when parking on the residential areas as there are a lot of transients/homeless read more

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Unique spot because they have abundant Thai hotpot items. I liked the Mama Sue Noodle Hot Pot due to the tasty creamy sour/spicy tom yum broth that paired well with the thin noodles. The Duck Larb was pretty good with a mixture of crispy textures and delicious sour touch to it. The Esaan Hot Pot, which I judge mainly on the broth, tasted okay. read more

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It's been years since I've been here so second time back because we were craving a solid spot for Thai Papaya Salad. What we ordered: -Combo Papaya Salad with shrimp and crab (we opted for the fish paste) -Nam Khao Tod (crispy rice salad) -BBQ Chicken The papaya salad (made a la Laos/Thai style) was legit! Pungent and stinky, but like a good kind of stinky. It was super delicious and flavorful. If you want an authentic experience of a papaya salad, Lacha Somtum mos def delivers. Nam Khao Tod was delicious too but the papaya salad stood out more on our mind and on our taste buds. BBQ chicken is as expected and served with condiments. We also got sticky rice, which is a must with the dishes we ordered. Service is attentive and courteous, as expected at most if not all Thai restaurants. Can't wait to come back when I'm craving papaya salad again! YUM! read more

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I love this place! The service is great and the food is always good. You can't go wrong with their papaya salad and the yellow curry is really special. It's like a hug in a bowl read more

**February 2025: Friday Night Visit** My friend and I usually eat at Ruen Pair when we visit Hollywood and decided to try a different thai spot on this occasion. We settled on Lacha Somtum as the reviews looked really promising and offerings looked quite comprehensive. The restaurant is located along the street and there's some meter parking around the area. When you enter it's a pretty low key casual and homey spot. My friend and I ordered three dishes to share: Papaya Salad, Pad See Ew, and Larb. Before we knew it our three dishes all came pretty quickly after we ordered. Flavorwise it tasted authentic; however, it was a little lighter than what I'm accustomed to for Thai dishes. The portion on the other hand is generous, and we had plenty of leftovers to enjoy the next day and the pricing is fair. I think if you have a big group this restaurant will feed everyone and has an affordable fare. read more

I now say "no spice" and they say "ok very very very mild" lol and it works. Still has quite the kick and I can see the spicy oil floating around but it's manageable and delicious. Definitely one of the top places in Thai town for authentic Thai food. Also chill atmosphere. read more

Delicious, funky Laotian style papaya salad that is filled with large pieces of crab. The dressing was super dank and savory with little sweetness. Perfect for sticky rice and fried, dried beef. read more

Love love love love this place!! I lived in los Feliz for 3 years and this place was always the spot to eat because of the great service! Truly the best service!! But the best part is the food! You can't go wrong with what you order bc I've had a taste of 7 Ross's here and it's been amazing! The ambiance is alway so warm and cozy and comfortable to enjoy a nice lunch or dinner. I will miss them now that I have moved away from LA but I will definitely come back to eat here on my visits. read more

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Great food and service! Really quick and the food seems pretty fresh with the ingredients. read more

Lacha Somtum - Pad Thai crab - Thai Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Best pad see ew hands down. Stunning panang and yellow curry. Service is fantastic. Feels like home dining. Can't ask for anything more to be honest. I can't wait to keep coming back here! read more

Food, service, ambience and cleanliness of the place are what we normally look for a new place and this restaurant have them all. We ordered six items for a family of four. We ate everything and no leftovers. Prices are very reasonable. Don't mind coming back in the days to come. read more

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Staff was friendly and pad Thai was delicious. The prices are also so reasonable and the general vibes in the store were great. read more

Lacha Somtum - PN2. Pad Thai Noodle - Thai Near Me - Los Angeles, California

This is my favorite Thai food in LA. I don't understand all the 4-5 star rated spots around West Hollywood, Beverly Grove, etc, that are super disappointing - people must have weird standards for Thai food in this part of town? Lacha Somtum has absolutely the best and brightest flavors. I have tried other well-recommended Thai spots in Thai Town (like Ruen Pair) and was disappointed next to Lacha Somtum. Favorites are the papaya salad, the larb, the yellow curry, the crab fried rice. I liked the massaman curry - very richly spiced (not hot, just "spices") but my companions found it too sweet. As others comment, be warned that they make things spicy. And they actually (gently) make fun when you order mild, which I don't appreciate. Also, the seats are not really commercial seats, they're for a domestic dining room, so they're a bit worn and uncomfortable. Amusingly, I guess it used to be a coffee shop? There are appliques of coffee mugs and cupcakes on the walls. I find this endearingly eccentric. The food is incredible, and it's my Thai spot in LA - had to kiss a lot of frogs first! read more

Stopped in for a quick lunch. The space is inviting and can seat almost any group size. Menu is extensive and offers salads, soups, rice dishes, curries, noodle specialities, and much more. I ordered the papaya salad and a jerky of some sort (can't remember the name of it) for protein -- both had good flavors and were a bit different in spices of what one would get from other Thai restaurants. Wouldn't mind returning to try other menu items! read more

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This place was highly recommended to me & I am so glad I gave them a try. Employees are accommodating and friendly, & the food is authentic. I've came here multiple times & have tried different dishes each time but the one dish I always have to get is the papaya salad platter with crispy pork. I crave this ALL the time & get excited when I have leftovers because the noodles soak up all of the juices. read more

Lacha Somtum - Papaya salad platter with crispy pork - Thai Near Me - Los Angeles, California

I went to this place on a whim and I'm glad I did. The atmosphere is great, the chairs are comfortable and the servers are on it and friendly. I ordered boat noodle soup and Thai ice coffee and both were wonderful. The flavor was perfect and the egg noodles I ordered with it were great. read more

My Thai friend recommended this and I found the restaurant and the service decent but the food was a bit disappointing. The taste was okay to good but I extremely crave water after finishing the meal so I guess the deliciousness comes from putting too much of the delicious powder itself. The shrimp starter and the Pad See Ew was similar to what I had back in Thailand. Tom yum was a bit too sour. The chicken satay was so dry and plain, even the sauce was dull too. No parking lot, only metered street parking or park in the resident area. read more

Lacha Somtum - Thai Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Their yellow curry is incredible, best I've had. Really like the brown/black rice as well.

We used to go to Palms all the time and we decided to look for other Thai restaurant as Palms raised price too much and charging delivery and service fees for less than 1 mile delivery and take out service... This restaurant was referred by one of our good friends and she was right!! Delicious! Reasonable price, good portion and no fees for take out! read more

We had the cashew nut chicken and the shrimp fresh rolls. The cashew nut chicken was some of the best I've ever had, I used to go to Chandara and since they have closed I had not had cashew nut chicken that came close. This is it. Great flavor and I will definitely be back again!! read more

Lacha Somtum is a relaxed, modern authentic Thai restaurant offering a wide range of soups, noodle dishes, stir-fries & curries. They're located at the heart of LA's Thai Town. L.Somtum's flavor and northeastern styled food make them stand out compared to other nearby thai restaurant. I came here as a first time customer to grab a quick lunch. I was warmly greeted by a female staff. And I was seated fairly quickly. They have a plethora of food and drinks to choose from. After 5 mins or so of perusing their menu, I ended up ordering a Pad Woon Sen + Shrimps and Thai Iced Tea. Food was delightful, flavorful and fresh. Drink was well sweet. Indoor vibe was quite relaxing and plenty of natural light. Service was swift and on point. Staff were cordial and professional. Prices were fair and competitive. Street and metered parking available. Overall, I had a good dine-in experience and enjoyed their thai food. I recommend this restaurant. read more

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I got severely food poisoned!!!!! Cross contamination I only had a vegetarian dish and got violently ill after eating there!

I ordered from this restaurant through Postmates and included a clear note about a food allergy in the order instructions. Unfortunately, the dish still arrived containing the ingredient I had flagged as unsafe. After eating a small amount, I had a severe physical reaction that could have been prevented if the allergy note had been followed. When I contacted the restaurant, the staff confirmed that the ingredient had been included by mistake. I later followed up in writing but never received a response. People with allergies trust restaurants to take these notes seriously because it's a safety issue not a preference or substitution. I hope management revisits their allergen-handling and communication procedures to prevent this from happening to anyone else. So if you have an allergybe extra cautious. read more

I'm sorry to say but this was the worst Thai food I've had in all of LA. We ordered several items: chicken satay, crab curry with vermicelli, spinach noodles with roast duck, long bean salad with shrimp, and combination fried rice. The fried rice was fine. The chicken satay was extremely dry but the peanut dipping sauce was tasty. The long bean salad was actually not bad. But the spinach noodles with duck were awful. As in, the duck tasted old, almost as if the meat had turned. And the crab curry-- the dish I was most looking forward to-- was practically inedible. It tasted almost as if there was some kind of dish cleaner or some other chemical in it. In a city full of excellent Thai food, I am sorry I wasted my time and money on this place. First time will also be my last. The service was friendly but they messed up our order, though they corrected their mistake quickly. read more

This is currently my favorite Thai place in LA. It just hits every time and I've tried like a dozen dish here (papaya salad, sausage, raw crab, raw shrimp, tom yum, curries, rad na) in Lao and Thai styles and it's been great. I think this place offers a wide range of things and does it all very well. It's my favorite rad na place which I think is hard to get right in terms of velveting, sauce consistency, and flavor. If you love aguachiles, the raw shrimp is a must try here. Spicy is spicy here but it's pretty consistent in terms of medium spicy is medium spicy most of the time. Service was great. One time I was in a time crunch and they had my food ready when I arrived as I asked. I like the ambiance, the space is pretty big so it feels roomy. I don't feel people know this place and it's not usually crowded. It's two blocks from the famous Thai dessert place. read more

I hosted 6 colleagues here from work and we all thoroughly enjoyed our food. The service was awesome. The food was hot and super fresh. We had calamari, papaya salad and spring rolls for appetizers and all were scrumptious. I ordered crab fried rice and pork larb... both delicious. My colleagues ordered everything from veggie dishes to dry soup bowls (for traveling) to pad Thai. We were ooooooing and ahhhhhhing through the whole meal. Thank you! read more

10/10 for their food, service, and staffs. Homey interior makes you feel super welcomed. Plenty of seatings and large tables for big parties. We had a hard time deciding what to order because everything looked so good! Finally went with the Tum Yum Noodles and Larb Tod. Flavors were spot on. Spices, tanginess, freshness were great. The Larb Tod was surprisingly tender inside. Can't rave about the food here enough! read more

Lacha Somtum - Larb Tod - Thai Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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My favorite Thai restaurant in all of LA. Never crowded. AMAZING papaya salad. Absolutely heavenly pad Thai. And the service is just as great as the food. Don't hesitate, go, laugh, enjoy!! read more