Thai Deli — Restaurant in Los Angeles

I heard about this place from a friend who posted about it on Facebook. I read a couple of reviews prior to ordering and one of the reviews said that this place is always busy and that you should call in your order to avoid the wait. I though, any place that always has a line has got to be okay. I called in my order, a number 4 with double mac. As I arrived just a little after 6pm,(expecting a line) there was plenty of parking right in front of the place. Only 2 customers looking at the menu, the place was empty. This is not a sit down type restaurant. The atmosphere is reminiscent of the Soup Nazi but Asian style. The place looks institutional with a huge, very high counter. Not greeted at all, just a stern look from a bitter looking older Asian lady. I told them I called in my order and I gave them my name, my plate was ready, they gave me the total and said thank you. No smile from them, and no thank you either. The food was very disappointing. The dry overcooked meat is drenched in MSG or cornstarch. The macaroni salad again, drenched in mayo. The taste is not horrible, but if you have had authentic quality Asian food, you will be very disappointed. B-mans has the same dish but is much much better. I think this place does well because it's in a primarily low income immigrant community where many of the people don't really know what quality teriyaki is supposed to taste like and they have very little in terms of options. Definitely not worth a drive to that area, I...

Not sure how it's possible I've never reviewed Motto. Blasphemy! TL;DR: best milk tea I've ever had in my life, and I've had a lot. The only one possibly topping Motto is an obscure boba stall with No. 18 black tea specialty in Itathao, Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan ;) Otherwise, this is it. You get my point.

The first time I went to Motto was about 2 years ago, and not knowing what to get, I asked one of the workers to recommend me an item. He said all items were great, and that "we use really good tea to make our drinks, and I'm really proud of that". I was impressed by his genuine enthusiasm while speaking about their products. That one time, I got the Cheese Mousse Motto No 5 and was hooked ever since. They truly use really good ingredients, and that's the most important thing - their teas are fragrant, their milk is real milk not powder, their taro is real taro not powder. Other drinks I've had include the Uji Matcha drinks, Mango in Kyoto (yes it's also real mango, so they don't have it outside mango season ;) ), and their other green teas milk. My favorites are the Motto No 5 - the black tea's bold, mildly bitter flavor balances out the richness of the milk, and the Uji Matcha milk tea - refreshing on a hot day. I ALWAYS get cheese mousse added on top, which brings me to my...

I've been coming to Thai Deli for many years and have always had a great experience. This place was a Godsend during those challenging pandemic years when cooking at home seemed like the best option. Sadly, I can not even come close to preparing anything as tasty as the dishes from Thai Deli.

More recently, I was helping to plan a party for my mother's 95th birthday party. When I asked mom, what food she wanted she asked for, "The same food you brought me," for one of her previous parties. It took me a moment to narrow it down but it became clear she wanted Thai Deli again.

We ordered several trays of food, including Drunken noodles, Pad Thai, Fried rice, and Pad see ew. The food was so delicious, packed with great care and arrived at the part still very hot! The fresh sides were packed separately, also with care and they stay nice and cool. I was so happy to see Mom enjoy the food and have a wonderful time with all her guests. The food was a hit, again!

This restaurant, does a great job of bringing delicious food to you at a very reasonable price. Glad I can support the businesses that serve the community with courteous hospitality, tasty food, and the best prices possible. I will keep...