Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States California Los Angeles Kim Thai Food
Gastro Obscura

Kim Thai Food

Find regional specialties from the Thai-Laotian border inside in a North Hollywood swap meet's food court.

Los Angeles, California

Added By
Sam O'Brien
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
The duck larb.   chowwithtsao
  whenitraines
The papaya salad, with a side of sausage.   LWYang
  jofrethe3rd
  LWYang
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

A swap meet in a strip mall may not seem like the best place for stellar cuisine, but fans of Kim Thai Food would beg to differ. Located inside the warehouse’s food court, this small stand serves up what many deem to be Los Angeles' finest papaya salad.

The salad is a particular variation known as som tum Lao that's popular in Isaan, a region in northeastern Thailand. This is the home of the eatery's founder, Khanhthong “Kim” Siharath, who grew up in a town on the border with Laos. As such, the menu offers a unique blend of Thai and Laotian flavors. The star salad, for example, is served Laotian-style, which essentially means that the spicy-tangy mountain of shredded green papaya, chilies, lime juice, palm sugar, and peanuts gets coated in an especially pungent, dark fermented fish sauce.

Kim's other signature dish, duck larb, is also an Isaan specialty with Laotian influences. The giant pile of ground meat consists of various duck parts (ranging from liver to kidney to gizzards) sautéed in lemongrass, garlic, and other herbs, then topped with duck skin cracklings and chilies. Those still hungry after their salad and entree can tack on another Isaan favorite: garlic-flavored sausages with a kick of sourness courtesy of a few days of fermentation. 

Some reviewers have said that Kim Thai Food's quality has been a little inconsistent since it came under new management, but the swap meet stand is still a favorite spot for anyone seeking the flavors of northeastern Thailand while shopping for a discounted t-shirt or two.

Related Tags

Hidden Thailand Food Unique Restaurants & Bars Fusion Foods Fermented Food

Know Before You Go

The stand is also known as Song Fung Khong.

Community Contributors

Added By

Sam OBrien

Published

October 24, 2019

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://laist.com/2019/04/10/beyond_pad_thai_finding_las_best_regional_thai_food.php
  • https://la.eater.com/2017/4/19/15359102/isaan-thai-song-fung-khong-north-hollywood-dining-on-a-dime-review
  • http://lathaifood.com/kim-thai-food/
  • https://www.foodrepublic.com/2016/06/09/5-delicious-thai-sausages-to-seek-out/
Kim Thai Food
12727 Sherman Way
Los Angeles, California, 91605
United States
34.202497, -118.410651
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Cilantro Mexican Grill

Los Angeles, California

miles away

Norton Sales Inc.

Los Angeles, California

miles away

The Tonga Hut

Los Angeles, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Los Angeles

Los Angeles

California

Places 237
Stories 62

Nearby Places

Cilantro Mexican Grill

Los Angeles, California

miles away

Norton Sales Inc.

Los Angeles, California

miles away

The Tonga Hut

Los Angeles, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Los Angeles

Los Angeles

California

Places 237
Stories 62

Related Places

  • With fat chunks of crab meat swimming in a lush coconut milk curry, it’s no wonder this dish is so popular.

    Phuket Town, Thailand

    Raya

    Feast on coconut crab curry at one of Thailand’s only outposts of Baba cuisine.

  • Order the dry curry with pork spareribs and green banana.

    Chumphon, Thailand

    Yay Puad

    Dine on southern Thai “fusion” cuisine in a home-based, second-generation restaurant.

  • A dish of frango à cafreal, a Goan-Mozambican-Portuguese dish that’s the precursor of Nando’s peri-peri chicken, is the specialty here.

    Trafaria, Portugal

    Piri Piri

    Taste the precursor of peri-peri chicken at this restaurant just outside of Lisbon.

  • Dinners are only available in the winter, when the yurt must be accessed by ski or snowshoe.

    Crested Butte, Colorado

    Magic Meadows Yurt

    Ski or snowshoe your way to a feast in the mountains.

  • These meat substitutes come close to the real thing.

    Queens, New York

    Bodhi Village

    Get to know the plant-based fare of Chinese Buddhist monks.

  • Kurdish cuisine shares some dishes, like meat kebabs, with other Middle Eastern cuisines.

    Tokyo, Japan

    Mesopotamia

    The only Kurdish restaurant in Japan invites you to learn and feast.

  • Fried, meat-filled khuushuur pastries with two kinds of chilled salad.

    Morton Grove, Illinois

    Mazalae Mongolian Restaurant

    Just outside Chicago, one of the few traditional Mongolian restaurants in the U.S. serves a misunderstood cuisine.

  • Fuel up on a slice for a fraction of what most restaurants here cost.

    Las Vegas, Nevada

    Secret Pizza

    A tiny slice shop hides down an unmarked hallway in a Las Vegas casino.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.