"Find the best pad thai in Los Angeles at Chao Krung, which opened in 1969 and has remained a cornerstone of the Thai community in its 55-year history. With decades of experience, the restaurant has pinned down all the dish’s multilayered flavors. The scorch marks on the rice noodles signal that a high-heat and well-seasoned wok is used in the kitchen, while the dried shrimp are so finely incorporated that they completely melt into the sauce and noodles. The shrimp’s subtle brininess is bolstered by the tang of tamarind and the results feel like a minuet of tangy and salty notes. There’s also the addition of sweet preserved radishes, an old-school touch that not every Thai restaurant provides, which further coaxes the caramelized notes of palm sugar. The pad thai comes with the choice of chicken, shrimp, crispy pork belly, tofu, or sirloin steak. While shrimp is the most traditional, it’s hard to deny the allure of blistered pork belly." - Kat Thompson
