Watdongmoonlek Noodle — Restaurant in Los Angeles

Visited this place for the first time. Not a CA native so I was excited to check it out. I will say the restaurant is designed methodically . The food was simply alright. However, when we received our bill, we noticed an 18% service fee, with the final tab totaling $110. There was also gratuity suggestions starting at an additional 18% percent on top of the service fee. We proceeded to ask the waiter what the service fee was since we were unsure of the regulations in CA. The waiter told us that when a party was 5 or more the computer automatically added the fee. The issue was there was only 4 adults and my 1 year old daughter. The waiter then promptly offered to refund the tip we had given in cash. We were going to pay approximately 33% in tip and service charge if we hadn’t taken the time to question their fee. It’s unfortunate to see this business try to take advantage of their customers. If this is common practice in CA I apologize for not knowing the customs but for a visitor it came off as a business trying to be sneaky and charge an unjust fee. I’ll add a picture of the receipt. I will say that we didn’t have an issue getting our money back but the 18% service charge was...

Outstanding . This shop is out of the main drag of Thai Town so I'd missed it for years, even eating at the mediocre Indian place nearby without noticing this noodle temple, maybe because the sign is the same color scheme as its neighbor, Smileywood. I love the beef noodle soup and it's what Wat Dong Moon Lek is known for, and for good reason --the beef they use is quality and it's marinated with a savory and delicate balance of spices beyond lemon grass. Sometimes I taste cinnamon, sometimes I swear I can taste something floral. It's amazing , I get it with rice noodles. Now that Noodle Harmony closed, this is my favorite noodle repast. Nonetheless most recent I stretched and had the Soi Wan noodles, which is a red curry broth that I think is from Isan. It tastes like food I've had on Lao, so same difference. My server Jay suggested I have the chicken with it , I did and it was delicious and very different that the beef soup. So now I have a quality dilemma for future visits. The service is great here, both Sky and Jay are super friendly and attentive and it feels like the family place I believe it is. ...

The difference is and can be staggering. This once favorite nearby stop has really missed its mark several times in recent months in this 2023 start.

The inconsistency of food quality has led me to believe they may have lost their chef or something. A dine-in experience was fine, and yet several take-away experiences have been horrible.

Dishes were under seasoned and even completely wrong at times. Given the benefit of the doubt for errors, I continued to be a patron, but there are many other restaurants in Thai Town that can be so much better.

The single dish I need to point out was how disgusting the Pineapple Fried Rice is. With little seasoning and no hint of any curry, the rice was a blob of soft-colored rice sweetened by the canned pineapple juice and raisins. This had little resemblance that it was a properly wok-tossed fried rice.

Thai food is supposed to be aromatic and with punchy flavors. This place has really gone by the wayside and offers zero value along with...