The Original Hoy-Ka Thai Noodle — Restaurant in Los Angeles

Hollywood may not offer up many perks to its residents but the large Thai community that lives in the area (parts of Hollywood are known as Thai town) does offer up a few great perks. I have some wonderful Thai friends and there are many really good Thai restaurants in the area. The Original Hoy Ka Hollywood is easily one of the very best Thai restaurants in the area. This is Thai food that is like the Thai food you can get in Thailand. Many of their menu offerings are quite unique and not toned down for for sensitive American palettes. Even those menu items that are more along the lines of what you would traditionally find at the majority of Thai restaurants in the United States such Pad Thai or curry dishes seem to have more flavor and quality than similar competing dishes at other Thai restaurants. When you walk into this restaurant you are greeted with an array of wonderful aromas wafting from the kitchen such as coconut milk and red curry dishes. They leave no doubt that you and your taste buds are in for a treat here. They specialize in noodle dishes here and you cannot go wrong with the delicious Boat Noodles with your choice of protein (chicken, beef, pork or seafood) and your vice of noodles as well. I had flat noodles with mine and they were so delicious. As good as their noodle dishes are, their Tom Kha soup is easily the best I have ever had.

The restaurant itself is nestled between a paintball goods store and a smoke shop that has gone out of business. It does not look like much from the outside but it has a Hollywood hipster/eclectic look and feel to it on the inside. They have much more dining space than it would appear that have from looking a the restaurant from out on the sidewalk. They have quite a few large tables that can accommodate large groups and even though they do get quite busy around the dinner time hours, you shouldn't have to wait very long to be seated. There is only a small parking lot in the back so finding parking is going to be an adventure but the amazing Thai food makes it...

Cheap & good..what more can u ask for?? =)

Crispy pork ka prao: stir fried crispy pork with chili, basil and house special sauce. I ordered both over rice and as a side order. I liked the side order plus an order of rice. Add extra egg because it's great with crispy fried egg but runny in the middle. I made sure to ask for extra crispy pork when ordering. The sauce was simply amazing. Spicy, garlicky and bursting with basil flavor. Best crispy pork for me.

Boat noodle: $3 for a small bowl and $5 for regular bowl. This dish was a steal!! Noodle with beef, liver and tripe in flavored broth. The broth was perfectly sour and spicy. I asked for extra liver and it melted in my mouth. The only boat noodle I like ever.

Fried rice with crispy pork: It wasn't on the menu but we asked the waitress if we could get fried rice with crispy pork. Great seasoning of the fried rice combined with crunchy crispy pork on top. I added extra fried runny egg too.

Pad see ew: we all enjoyed this. It was pretty good.

Hoyka noodle: spicy and sour, it was good but not as good as its boat noodle. This is their best seller for noodle. Pork noodle with ground pork, bbq pork, pork meatballs, pork loaf and liver.

Roast duck: not bad Roast duck combined with salt and spicy brown broth.

Rad na chicken: stir fried chicken with chinese broccoli and gravy over flat noodle. Not my favorite but my niece liked it.

Garlic rice with pork: stir fried pork with garlic and pepper over rice. I didn't really care for it.

$1.50 for either Thai iced tea or Thai iced coffee. I liked its thai tea because it...

Don't let the lack of parking in the lot discourage you. Don't park in assigned spaces or you'll get towed. Leave the lot and find street parking. 3 pm seems like a good time to visit when they're not busy.

My Thai friend recommended this place to me whose family owns Thai restaurants in the LA so just that set the bar really high. She eats here every week!

I ordered the signature Hoy Ka ("dangling legs") Noodles which the owner told me he bought the secret recipe from the original place in Pitsanuloke, Thailand along Naan River.

The owner told me that they tweaked the recipe a bit and made it better. I also ordered the papaya salad with sticky rice as he suggested to me.

One sip of the soup and I was in love! My high expectations were met and more!

The soup was perfectly flavored and packed a punch. Remember to state the level of heat you want... you can also state if you want American spicy or Thai spicy.

I can easily tell you that this is the best soup in Los Angeles or the top 5 soups I've ever had!

The owners and staff are super friendly which is A++++ in my book. They really know how to endear their customers to their restaurant.

Not sure what took me so long to try this place. Maybe the name of the restaurant sounded a bit strange to me as "hoy" "ka" are funny words in Tagalog.

They recently moved to these new much larger digs. Same staff. Same owners. The owner has an eye for interior design and managed the hip and trendy design of the furnishings of the restaurant.

Star sighting: John Legend and Thai model wife have eaten here for John Legend fans!

Don't sleep and eat...