There were four of us in our party, we arrived and were promptly seated. We ordered the Laab Tots, Pad See Ew, Southern Fried Chicken, the ribs and BBQ pork collar. There isn't anything I wouldn't order again and if asked to pick a favorite, I don't think I could have. Our servers were friendly and did a good job of explaining the menu. The atmosphere is relaxed and cozy. My only complaint would be how loud the music was playing making it difficult to talk with the people on the other side of the table. I am surprised at the number of negative reviews. I went with three other people and we all had a great experience and thoroughly enjoyed the food. I saw that other people commented about the price and the portion size. The chef is a James Beard award winner and the restaurant has won numerous awards, I didn't go with Thai Town expectations.

Since it's rated as one of the best restaurants in LA, I had to try it out. It definitely was very good. I would describe it as upscale Thai food in a casual family style setting. The place was adorned with a hodgepodge of their many awards, LA memorabilia, old pictures (including a nice wall picture of the owners family in front of the restaurant), which I think collectively captured the essence of this restaurant. It was quality upscale traditional Thai food served in a causal family style setting of a restaurant deeply rooted in the community. The service was very down to earth and friendly. We got a wide assortment of dishes to try. The staple dishes, pad siew and mango sticky rice were both perfection. The papaya salad was refreshing. The massaman beef was deliciously rich and flavorful. I also really liked the laab tot. The Southern Thai chicken wings were nice and crispy. The BBQ pork chop was just okay for me compared to the other amazing dishes. Overall, a great experience. There is a paid self parking lot adjacent to the building in the back. Or if you have some extra time, you could also find metered street parking.

I spend very little time in the San Fernando Valley, so when I had to come to Sherman Oaks for work, I successfully wrangled a reservation at this LA hot spot, very much loved by LA TImes food critics. It's a small place with indoor seating (better for hot Valley days) and outdoors on the sidewalk (portable tables and chairs) and in the adjacent alley (weekends only). My reservation was at the 4 pm opening time, and the place filled up fast, with lots of regular customers. They play their music at a pretty high volume. I ordered what was popular and what I had read about: 1) Crudo of Japanese Kampachi with palm sugar and lime. Had Thai chilies so was quite spicy for me, but very good 2) Southern-Thai Fried Chicken with 2 sauces. Ordered by pretty much every table. The fry was excellent, light, crispy and not too greasy or heavy. I preferred the sweet-spicy dipping sauce to the more tart one. There was a small dollop of sticky rice topped with fried shallots. 3) Grilled Cabbage with garlic chutney. My server said this would be medium spicy, but I thought it was mild, but quite robust in other aspects. The cabbage seemed to have been boiled, then grilled for a great char. 4) Dungeness Crab Fried Rice. Had a good amount of crab. There was a super-spicy sauce served alongside that I skipped. I would have ordered dessert, specifically the mango sticky rice I had heard about, but alas, "Mom", the dessert maker, was off this day, so there were none to be had. Overall a very good but pricey meal. The restaurant also has a popular Thai Taco Tuesday (no reservations) and an occasional omakase night. I'd definitely come here again if in the area, (and could get a reservation), but would not shlep here from more distant parts of LA.

So I cannot say that I was overly impressed with Anajak however I would go back because I acknowledge you cannot try 7 items and judge the whole restaurant. We tried: massaman curry, fried chicken, papaya salad, a noodle dish, crab fried rice. On the onset of this review I want to say I recently visited Thailand and I feel my experience has tainted my ability to eat Thailand in the states lol. The maasaman curry was my favorite of all the dishes. The meat was extra tender and the sauce was amazing, would have liked it more spicy. The crab fried rice was yummy and the rice was cooked perfectly. The fried chicken was fried to perfection and it was good but it wasn't flavorful. The noodle dish was good but I'm not a big noodle person. The papaya salad was cool but leave the cherries could have been left out. The service and ambience were nice! Loved the music selection!

Finally got to snag a reservation for Anajak on a weeknight. Just know that your whole party must be present before they seat you! You also only have 15 minutes after your res time before they'll cancel your reservation. Even though the members in my party were late, they were nice enough to seat me but let me know that I had to be out at a certain time. It was a little stressful, but I understand that they are super busy. Started the evening with a glass of wine. They have a great wine list! Sommeliers were informative and friendly. It felt like they really took the time at our table which felt more like a personal experience which was nice. Menu highlights: brisket massaman curry, tom yum fish soup and drunken noodles with shrimp. Curry was delicious! Loved the japanese sweet potato and the tender brisket. Tom Yum soup was really good and great for sharing. Shrimp in the drunken noodles was cooked to perfection and the noodles had a great little spicy kick. Radish and cucumber salad was very refreshing, but would probably skip it next time.I felt like the fried chicken and spring rolls lacked a little flavor. Also they only had one type of hot sauce and I wish it was a little more spicy. One of the downsides of the experience was the lack of knowledge our server had of the menu. We asked what some of the more popular dishes were and he struggled to give us an answer at first. We also asked if any dishes were vegetarian and he recommended two fish dishes, not realizing they were fish. We had to inform him scallops and kampachi were fish which was a little awkward. He did help accommodate by removing fish sauce from a couple dishes so our veg friend could have something to eat. Our server did also forget to bring one dish to our table and unfortunately it arrived cold. We got overcharged, but they remedied the issue right away which was much appreciated. However they asked us to leave our table before it was resolved because the next reservation had arrived. I understand they they have stacked reservations, but just know going in that you'll have a hard out time. Overall, I would come back and give Anajak another try If I can get another reservation.

Craving authentic Thai flavors and a vibrant atmosphere? Look no further than Anajak Thai in Sherman Oaks! This hidden gem impressed me on all fronts, making it a deserving recipient of a perfect 5-star rating. The menu features a wide variety of classic Thai dishes, all prepared with fresh ingredients and traditional techniques. From fragrant curries to fiery stir-fries, every bite is an explosion of authentic Thai flavors. These were what we ordered: - Papaya Salad with Thai chilies, peanuts, dried shrimp - Laab Tot, northern-style pork meatballs - Panang curry with chicken and shrimp - Noodles supreme, stir fried flat noodles with onion and egg Everything was so tasty and delicious. The four items were perfect for a party of two. We wanted the mango sticky rice for dessert but mango was out of season. We decided to skip dessert cuz our minds were set on it. The staff at Anajak Thai is friendly, attentive, and happy to answer any questions you might have about the menu or spice levels. They make you feel genuinely welcome.

Gotta say I'm surprised by the negative reviews! We went here on a double date last week, curious about the "best restaurant in LA", made a reservation about a week in advance at 8:45 on a Sunday. We ended up waiting 45 minutes for our reservation but they made it right. Service was top tier from their host, to sommelier and waitress. We enjoyed everything we ordered, but particularly the ribs, pad thai, and bok choy dish. Heard mixed reviews about the fried chicken but everything else was so good I'll have to go back and try it, I dipped the rice in the bok choy sauce what a combo. They won me over ! Can't wait to go back!

I couldn't be more pleased with our dinner this evening. What a fun experience with true DELICIOUSNESS in every bite. Mei our server and the sommelier Michael aka "Conan O'Brien" really added to our meal. Their suggestions were phenomenal. Of course champagne pairs with fried chicken and caviar! The vermentino with spicy meatballs, shrimp curry, crab fried rice, and traditional pad Grapeao and Thai dishes was spot on! Cabbage and mango sticky rice should be mandatory additions to anyone's dinner. It was refreshing to have an unpretentious but energetic atmosphere to compliment the meal. The vibe inside was "fun" and all agree we couldn't have picked a better place to spend my mother's birthday. Anajak feels like your neighborhood Thai restaurant on steroids. My singular complaint is that it's pretty standard knowledge that caviar should not be served with stainless utensils - bone, pearl, or ivory are standard - but even a plastic spoon would suffice if you want to keep with the casual and unpretentious energy. Cheers to our hosts! Thank you for a wonderful evening and memory that will last for quite some time. I hope to be back soon!!!

So excited to finally eat at this Valley family institution. My husband surprised me for my birthday with a dinner reso and it was amazing. This is a cozy enough restaurant, packed with wine crates and fridges like they're part of the decor. White table cloths were on every table. One chef was preparing certain dishes at a counter for all to see. Pics of celebs who've been patrons are hung at the entrance. My fave detail was the shelf holding pictures of family at the entrance to the kitchen. We were seated inside right away thanks to our reso and greeted immediately by our server, Wassi. He was kind and attentive our whole time there, even with the restaurant being packed. He had great recommendations for us as first timers. The wine director, Ian, personally came to pour our wine and gave us some insight into how hands on/carefully curated the wine list is at the restaurant. The chilled red on the list that night was great. We ordered the Laab Tot (Pork Meatballs; spicy but tasty!); Panang Curry; Pad Thai with chicken; and the Chinese Sausage Fried Rice. Everything was DELICIOUS. The Panang sauce was to die for. Don't sniff at the Pad Thai being a basic choice - it hot, fresh, and perfectly savory/sweet. We had the mango on sticky rice for dessert (made by the chef's mom!) and it brought back amazing childhood memories - absolutely delicious. The only bummer was we had our leftovers boxed up to take home, but never got them at the end of the meal. A Valley MUST. Make a reso. Street parking only.