I like Ayara, especially those chicken wings, and wouldn’t hesitate to send someone there if they were looking for someplace good near LAX. But I’ve noticed the food media attention you mention, as well as the crowding @bulavinaka describes, and been a little mystified myself.
A friend even told me he thinks it’s the best Thai in LA. I almost choked on my drink when he said that. Then I politely urged him to check out Thai Town lol.
Ayara Luk is pretty good - Westside prices though.
fwiw, i like their prik king.
imho, ayara is the best thai near westchester.
all the others in that area suck, imho
I don’t know. We all keep trying different places, but go back to Natalie Thai. Even if they can be annoying, the food is properly cooked and spiced. I’ve never had dry meat or undercooked vegetables there.
Ayara Luk is really fantastic. Prices are higher but damn the space is pretty cool, like a restaurant in a fancy Bangkok mall.
I liked most of the dishes, but stay away from their fusiony flatbreads. One of our group wanted it - the duck - and it was a fail.
Nice writeup on Ayara Luk on Eater:
No reservations…do do you think bringing a party of 5 there on Sat night is gonna turn into a serious waiting issue?
We need 8 PM but can go at 7-7:30 to wait for a table
don’t know about ayara luk,
but if you arrive at Ayara Thai Cuisine on a saturday night, you will definitely be looking at waiting time.
also, there is no comfortable place to spend the waiting time either–you will most likely be standing on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant.
Thanks - I think I will do Sat somewhere else.
It got written about on Eater recently and likely will be swamped.
This might not work for @CiaoBob but we sometimes beat the crowds by getting takeout from Ayara and heading over to Three Weavers. It’s a great way to nosh before a show at the Forum.
Had lunch at Ayara Luk yesterday and really enjoyed it. The Muay Thai wings were delicious as ever and the spicy basil pork belly was excellent too. Not Thai Town good perhaps, but still a fine choice in the area. Also, the Swiss Chalet decor cracks me up lol.
certainly the price to quantity ratio at natalee thai is FAR better,
but, imho, the flavor profile of the prik king (my favorite thai dish) at ayara thai is superior.
at natalee thai, the dish had a “one note” flavor quality while ayara had more complex seasoning.
nevertheless, i’ll happily return to natalee every time i have tickets to the kirk douglas or culver studios or actors’ gang because it’s plenty good enough, it has a great location, easy parking, and the amount of food they serve for the buck is a great deal.
Hit Ayara Luk for lunch and really enjoyed my Chicken Khao Soi. I would have preferred it (much) spicier but it was still very flavorful and a great choice for a rainy day like today.
never heard this hype… Araya beverly/crescent? totally hypeless
I think there is some confusion between two different restaurants. AYara thai is based in the westchester area and has two restaurants one being “luk” that does more hip and some less americanized dishes. Whereas AraYa is a vegan? (at least vegetarian) thai restaurant that had its first branch in Seattle and the daughters moved to LA to open the branch off beverly and crescent.
I actually really enjoy araya if I have veggie friends hanging around since I live nearby. Otherwise, Thaitown has way better options but Ayara is probably as good as it gets on the westside for thai food.
oh jeez… i’m not actually dyslexic. just busy . thanks
It’s transposed in the title of the thread, so your confusion is understandable. To clarify, Ayara/Ayara Luk are great for a solid meal near LAX, but not on the level of Thai Town.
