Mesa Thai Cuisine

The Best Thai Boat Noodles in Los Angeles | Eater LA

"The broth reads almost opaque and unctuous, its surface dotted with bubbles of chile oil; it has a velvety texture that’s "impossible to stop sipping" and balances salty, spicy, sour, and sweet notes. The generous $15.95 portion includes the writer’s preferred small, thin noodles, two meatballs, plenty of sliced meat and liver, and is easily split into two bowls. Diners choose pork or beef (both rendered tender), but the bowl is held back slightly by a relative lack of crunchy texture—pork cracklings are present but minimal compared with the writer’s top choice—so the cracklings-to-broth ratio feels smaller. Still, the bowl delivers heat and chewy noodles and may represent the best boat noodle broth in Los Angeles; the rest of the menu is worth exploring too, especially Isaan classics like spicy sparerib soup and mango salad with pickled crab. The restaurant also carries "Lisa’s stamp of approval," signaling wider endorsement." - Kat Thompson