Anajak Thai Cuisine, Sherman Oaks CA

I waited a month to get a reservation and it was worth the wait. Place is small but still comfy, the host was welcoming and our server was awesome. We order the Laab tot, 4 pork meat balls kinda crispy but juicy inside, lemony and a hint of spicy flavor and those crispy mint (?) leaves WOW!
Then we had the grilled black Sea Bream that was simply marvelous, to finish we enjoyed the massaman Curry beef with Russian bananas and nantes Carrots, it was a small portion because we shared all of our dishes.
Downsides (for my hubby) they only serve wine and he is a cocktail/beer guy, but we enjoyed two glasses of rosé.
They didn't have any desserts last Sunday. They said it was due to delivery issues.
Still we are giving 5 stars because we really enjoyed the food and service and want to go back to try other dishes.like the bbq pork collar and the fried chicken.

As the patron next to me put it, “I’m so mad this place is so damn good. ”

After trying their usual dinner and festive taco tuesday, I finally got the chance to try out the Omakase and it did not disappoint. My boyfriend and I were greeted warmly by “Auntie” Pam and whisked away through 5 courses of Thai food history.

Despite planning to take photos of all the courses, we dug in too fast and forfeited that idea after the 2nd course. As a huge fan of northern Thai cuisine, I loved the laab, nam prik, and several of the curries. My boyfriend, a fan of southern Thai cuisine, was blown away by the seafood (that crab curry sheeesh) and marinated meats. We both savored the mango sticky rice until the very end.

Thank you to Auntie Pam for the loveliest experience we’ve had at Anajak yet!

Wonderful vibes in an alley. Very kind Staff! Had the pleasure of attending their Thai Taco Tuesday. Seating for 4 was much quicker than expected, considering the massive line.

Each dish held it's own, and could easily be consumed twice over for how delicious they were.

The only thing we wish we had was a larger stomach to taste more of the menu!

One of the best wine lists in LA, most notably their Riesling.

You must have the Laab tots. Thai style meatballs. Could eat 50 of them. Scrumptious.

Their fried chicken is too delicious. Comes with sticky rice.

Papaya Salad had just the right amount of spice.

Crab fried rice

Kampachi Tostada

Striped bass tacos were smashing. Order as many as you can.

Grilled Black Sea Bream had magic sauce on it.

Drunken noodles topped off the meal. Just the right amount for 4 people.

They listen to Hip-Hop at this restaurant. Another bonus!

Our good friend Skinny Pablo recommended this joint. We shall return!

Please avoid this restaurant. Very rude people. No service they charge $40 for just a bowl of soup. It is more trap than a respectful dining location. They keep customers lining up on the street to show off that they are popular. Don't throw your money away

Food was ok. Portions were ridiculous. Small as possible. Just not the hype. The description of items on menu are possible poor.
Place is like a tapas bar. The Salad was like a small side of coleslaw. Meatballs kind of funky. Nice sear.
Chicken in noodles was blah. Chicken wings were great but just 3 of them. And the beef with sweet peas and sauce. Was more like a creamstew of 4 small pieces of beef In a coconut cream sauce. For 29 dollars. Add rice cup for 4. For what.
Would only recommend to small eaters with endless funds and don't mind feeling like you are in some tiny alley bar like environment.

Oh and king crablegs fried rice for a sweet $120.
Place made Chipotle sound real good.
And I don't usually eat Chipotle.

My friend who took me was super dissatisfied, disappointed and over the place he was dying to try.

Felt like the restaurant cared more about slanging wine than giving us a proper experience

Great food - not drowning in sugar- Thai Haute cuisine at it's best. I felt like the portion sizes are a bit light for the prices being charged which makes sharing with more than one other a bit expensive. See the photo of the Special Noodles with Egg on Top as an example. The size of the plate makes the portion seem even smaller than it is. As a result, dinner becomes more of a tasting menu experience than a meal. I was here a few months ago with a friend and, while expensive, we both left satiated.

Oh, and an amazing wine list!

Arrived at the back end of the 15 minute grace period (due to our Uber being held up) to wait at the entrance for several minutes, only to find out that our table had been given away to a walk-in before the grace period had been exhausted. We had confirmed via text the day before that we would be coming and had not indicated otherwise at any point this had changed.

The general manager was very apologetic – which we greatly appreciate – but the experience with front-of-house was incredibly off-putting and sadly ruined what was a much anticipated evening (having pinpointed the venue as somewhere to go when traveling from London and so booked the reservation a month in advance!). Front-of-house was not at all apologetic and, in fact, we found her handling of the situation to be improper and frankly rude. Ultimately, we left as very dissatisfied customers (not a great start to our trip!) and went to have a meal elsewhere.

Lesson learned: the grace period isn't always upheld in LA.

Honestly some of the things were good but nothing was outstanding. The one thing that did surprise me was the amount of wine that this place carry’s and how well priced it was.

No wonder this place was packed despite the bad weather. The staff, the food and the wine were all top tier.

Good food but extremely overpriced for what it is. I enjoyed the meal but doubt I would go back. Spent 600$ for two people for some wine and curries.

First time visiting and decided to try the March omakase and what a wonderful meal it was and would recommend it to everyone to try and experience! Will definitely be back to try a regular dinner service.

We finally tried Anajak this Friday! It has been on our list for awhile. There was a lot of hype around this place which makes me a little nervous in case it doesn’t live up to what I’ve heard. Happy to announce it is a hype and a must try while around LA. Get your hands on this tasty Thai food. We tried: Papaya salad, short ribs, Fried chicken, Whole fish, Massaman and greens.
Maybe one little negative thing: the whole is a little pricey for the quantity we had but the cilantro garnish was delicious.

Good quality food, but not worth the hype. The Thai-southern fried chicken was fried perfectly, but then the batter was bland. Penang curry was a little on the sweet side for my taste, but still pretty delicious. Drunken noodles were the best dish by far. It was well seasoned, and the shrimp was delicious.

Overall 3/5 stars because it’s not at all worth the hype of LA times best restaurant of the year and it’s far too pricey for what it is. The reservation was difficult to get and overall wasn’t worth the effort. The flavors overall were too Americanized, there was no spice to be found anywhere. It was good food (good, not great), but I’ve had better Thai food from casual sit down and takeout Thai restaurants in the valley.

The omakase experience at Anajak cannot be missed. I love Anajak. We dine in the restaurant or call for take out almost weekly, but there is something so magical about their omakase. The portion sizes were perfect. Each bite was absolutely delicious. My favorite dishes in order: dry aged bluefin toro nigiri over a green papaya salad (as the rice), the SRF wagyu tartare, the beautiful crudités plate, the uni, the transparent sea soft shell prawn over the green curry, the thick pan fried noodles with pork, the raw clam and the fresh exotic fruit plate with tea. Nothing was too heavy or out of proportion. We really enjoyed the wine paring and recommend adding the desert wine paring.

Yes, the restaurant is very loud (playing the music I grew up on, so I was happy). Yes it is a bit chaotic in the restaurant, but that’s the truth about restaurants - not everything goes perfectly…to all the folks leaving 1 star reviews because their wine glasses weren’t filled up exactly on time, I’m referring to you. I can absolutely see why Justin and his team have received the accolades they have. This omakase experience is one I’d like to book each month.

A big shout out to our server Elliott who was new but handled the night like a boss. Keep going Elliott. We thank you.

For a “taco Tuesday, ” this vibe was NOT what we were expecting. But I’m all for the white tablecloth + wine experience. And man, those fry-aged fish tacos were something else. I might just order a ton of those next time I come. For a group of 5, I recommend ordering at least 6-7 dishes. This is what we did: 3 orders of dry aged fish tacos, 1 laab tot, 1 fried chicken wings, 1 bbq pork collar (my fave), 1 Tom yum, and 1 pad siew. Parking is not too bad with the residential area + street.

First-a BIG shout out to Elliot (I will explain later). I have to start with a little history. My sister has lived around the corner from Anajak since it opened. She has been coming here forever, and I have dined a few times when I am in town alone or with my wife. I have not been here in years-what a difference! The last time I dined, it was a small restaurant with a few plain tables -and I believe-the mother and father working the entire restaurant. It was a great/inexpensive local place to eat. This visit I was only in the area for a few hours and suggested "that Thai place around the corner". My sister informed me it was now the #1 restaurant in LA-uh oh. We took a chance-with no reservations. Rather than turn us away, Elliot (from our conversation knowing I was only in town for hours to see my sister) was able to provide us a table from a no-show reservation.

On to the food. The only change I noticed was we were now paying best restaurant prices; not little restaurant around the corner prices. The food was excellent. We decided to split a few items and ordered pork ribs, Pad Thai, and Prik King green beans. The ribs were tasty, with a flavorful sauce and a good amount of meat. Hopefully they did not mind us eating them with our hands: O -they did provide a wet nap. The Pad Thai had a perfect mix of flavors with a nice peanut taste. I was able to take most of the ground peanuts for my portion as my sister only likes a hint of peanut. Finally the Prik King green beans-I THINK were my favorite. They were prepared perfectly, with a sauce which provided a consistent spicy taste that did not overwhelm. As a nice final touch, my sister talked to our server who she thought she recognized. The server stated she has been there for years, and thought my sister looked familiar and said she remembered my sister and her daughter.

Anajak has an amazing energy from the moment you arrive. A bright neon sign adorns the small restaurant. As I queued for taco Tuesday I peered in to see the cozy set up of about 10 tables surrounded wall to wall by bottles of wine. The staff warmly welcomed me and I was sat down. The sommelier was available for patrons to choose a bottle from their well-organized, but dizzyingly long wine list. My waiter’s excitement about the food made me even happier I made the trip. I ordered a few items off of the menu special menu, including the bluefin chuturo with Santa Barbara uni tostada, BBQ pork collar, fried chicken and off menu drunken noodles. As the food arrived, it was clear each plate was prepared with care. If I had to pick, my favorite bite was definitely the bluefin chuturo. The uni and fish were fresh and the greens they were paired with refreshing. I can’t say enough good things about my experience and meal from start to finish. I will definitely return on future trips.

As a Thai native living in LA, this joint is very easy to rate.
Simply overpriced for the mediocre Thai fusion food.
Every signature dish is a pure disappointment
Much much overhyped!