Sticky Rice, Highland Park

I came here with a friend on a random Tuesday night. The local has two businesses in it: Sticky Rice (a Thai food place) and The Goldfish (which is more of a cocktail bar). They both serve in the same location (I know it sounds confusing but if you go, you'll understand), so if you get food, you're dealing with Sticky Rice, and if you decide to get some alcohol, it's The Goldfish. They each have their own menu and everything (I added pics of Sticky Rice menu here in this review). I went with The Sticky Rice Wings and also some Crispy Banana Spring Rolls, as I had already eaten dinner and just wanted something light. Both were fenomenal choices and they went way about what I was expecting in terms of quality and flavor. My friend had a Pad See Ew and he seemed to have enjoyed it too. There's an arcade in the back, some pool tables and overall a great vibe, even on a Tuesday afternoon. The service was good and fast too. 10/10 place. Highly recommended.

This place is amazing! Such a cool vibe and delicious food and cocktails. Service was incredible, though the wait for food was a bit long. They apparently have a very small kitchen, so be prepared to have a cocktail or two before you eat. But the staff was truly the best I’ve encountered in LA. Will definitely go back!

Ordered vegetarian meals; had to wait 45 minutes past listed time on receipt, received chicken wings and grilled chicken.

The indoor is mainly bar and super cosy. Has a pool table and cute decor. The food is ok but serving sizes and prices were not in my favor. The Curry was good but could be (a lot) spicier. The pad see ew was saucy and flavorful but not much really a family sharing portion. The white rice was fresh but not the sticky rice. It came in the holder and just felt like a gag when it wasn’t even fresh. This chain def caters to a certain client so take this food with a grain of salt and maybe ask for extra spice when ordering. Had tried 2 other locations previously and it’s very consistent so I do really appreciate the chefs on that. Sadly, the old man bartender with the glasses was really unprofessional and made us super uncomfortable, we will not be coming back to this location. Bar staff training should be taken again, like for real, legal wise

I am telling y’all this place really used to be good, but I have no idea what is going on. I really tried to stay loyal and tried to give this place grace when my orders in the last few months were poor quality but this last time was the last straw. We ordered SPICY steak drunken noodles and it came out dry… like no sauce nothing I do not understand how something that costs over $25 (over priced already) can be so bad. And how are you going to call yourselves sticky rice when you haven’t had mango sticky rice available for months? And the wings? Charred. CHARRED. I could taste the ashes. I am so incredibly disappointed in this place because it really was great, but do not bother it’s so expensive for what it is anyways.

My wife and I used to order here all the time and loved it. Recently the food gets worse every time we try it again. Poorly seasoned (or missing all seasoning/flavor completely). Poorly cooked meat. Items inconsistently on menu. It’s honestly disrespectful how little they seem to care about your order. Don’t do it.

I would give Sticky Rice five stars based on their amazing food alone, but I’m taking the time today to leave a five star review due to their exceptional customer service. I ordered a favorite dish last night but there was a slight mistake with my order. I emailed the restaurant through the website, assuming I’d never hear back, but they responded within a few minutes. They refunded my meal AND offered some information about the dish that will make it much easier for me to order it in the future. This level of good customer service is so rare these days, I was super impressed, very grateful, and even more inclined to support this wonderful restaurant in the future.

The manger Eric is SO AWESOME! This was our first time here and him and the other bartenders helped us understand the menus and gave some killer recommendations on food and drinks. We got a tour around the whole place and WOW! Can’t wait to come back for a music night! The happy hour is GREAT! $10 cocktails?! What else could you ask for in this economy?!

The food is delicious, probably the best Thai food in the broader area. That's the headline here, the food is very good. I'm not totally sure if the patio dining is meant to mimic a Thai street setting or if it's just happenstance, but your seating options are between plastic backless stools and wobbly table outside, or very dark inside seating in the bar area. This wasn't too bad but this dining environment doesn't really match the rest of it. The food is a step up in both quality and price, but the place is ultra-casual oriented. Like, the menu prices don't include the protein, adding protein will increase the cost by 25+%. This was a touch annoying/expectations-warping. Good service, cool crew.

I wanted to love Sticky Rice, But this place is ridiculously overpriced for how small their portions are. Food is just above average quality-- I've certainly had better. And if you order delivery, they don't include utensils. Kudos to them for saving the whales one plastic fork at a time...? Typical LA hipster behavior. "Now eat those $25 noodles with your hands like the filthy animal you are!!"

My mama liked it. If you knew my mom, you'd know that's one heck of a compliment. I wanted to treat moms and auntie for dinner and decided to order takeout, it's a local neighborhood spot. No clue what took me so long to try this place, but glad I came when I did. I walked up to the window and asked for recommendations and the staff did not disappoint. The pad see yew, pad thai, and fish sauce wings were OUTSTANDING. Along with the mango sticky rice. I really enjoyed that as well. If you have yet to try these on the menu, you're missing out. As far as price, it's not cheap. But OUTSTANDING usually isn't. I highly recommend splurging. I ordered shrimp and chicken for protein. However, steak is recommended. 5 stars.

The food came out quickly. There are pool tables and options to sit in or outside. Got the pad se ew and that was delicious. Eliza was super nice and patient with our group. Would come back for either food or drinks

I really tried to not publicly post this however after multiple failed attempts to contact the restaurant directly and left a private message, I hope that management sees this message: Last Friday May 10th my husband had lunch at this location (like he has in the past and we've had a positive experience the last time however they seem to not have all the ingredients in stock and some items aren't always available) but I digress -- the purpose of this review is to urge management to review safe food handling practices with their staff, cooks and all the employees. My husband ultimately had a very acute bout of food poisoning that rendered him bedridden for two full days and this is with urgent and quick medical intervention. We can confidently say that we will not be returning even if we've had other positive experiences, but once there is concern for health, that restaurant is no longer a place I will visit again.

I paid a visit to try their mango and sticky rice. I approached the window outside that had a sign "order here" at which an associate asked if I was picking up. I let him know I wanted to place an order to go and he told me to go inside the goldfish to order. When I got to the bar I asked another employee where can I place an order for takeout as I was directed from the other employee to order in here. He then said "I'm not sure why he told you to come in here when he has the same QR code you are scanning in here to order." I was a bit confused but also made this less of an experience as it felt impersonal like they should just have a kiosk or iPad for guests to order. How informed me with this information but still told me to order via QR code. I proceeded to order through the code and I ordered just one mango and sticky rice. I placed my order at about 7:53pm and then waited outside at the "order here" window. During my wait a witnessed 1 door dash order, 2-3 pick up orders, and 3-4 tables get their food. I was a bit confused as 2 out of the 4 dine in orders came and ordered after me but got their food order before mine and each party was 3-4 people. As I waited I also noticed on there screen the associate bagging the orders was completing orders not in the order they came in and prioritized the dine in tickets over takeout or delivery. He also was completing orders on the screen before he even had the order complete in its container and bagged. When the door dasher came and asked about the said complete order he was told that they were finishing up. He did wait a little over 7 minutes but since the order was marked complete by the business I'm sure to the person expecting their dinner it could seem like the dasher is taking his time which could affect his tip. Throughout my wait both the order bagger and server were both on their phones various times while the kitchen staff was slammed with orders. Many guests kept lining up at the window to try to order and the employee was bothered to let each guest know that they needed to order inside. Maybe changing the signage or better team communication to better direct customers on where or how to order. After waiting 15 minutes I informed the associate that he told me to order inside and then I was told to order through the QR code but I noticed he was prioritizing dine in orders. So I was curious to know which would've been faster as I didn't order something that was cooked. He looked confused and then proceeded to tell me that they had many orders. In total I waited 20 minutes for a mango sticky rice. I saw an employee scoop the sticky rice from the rice cooker and then it was topped off with half a sliced mango. I ate it in my car and the mango was very tart and bitter and the sticky rice was doused with coconut cream which was so sweet it hurt your teeth. This business seems like it has a high demand and if it continues to be busy I think the other employees other than the cooks need to look busy or help where needed. A bit more teamwork and would make the kitchen run smoother.

Sticky Rice has been around since 2013. Originally in Grand Central Market then opened their bigger location in Echo Park (The biggest and most popular) It is a bit pricey but overall good. Each location has their special dish and I believe that Highland Park takes the cake of best location only dishes! I am always on the lookout for fish sauce wings and these probably are in my top 3 now! Large Crispy wings that are covered in a generous amount of fish sauce. The Panang fries and Sticky Rice Burger are both option that are only available at Highland Park too and both are amazing. The Sticky Rice bun is an awesome combination. The creativity reminds me of the ramen burger you would get from the 626 night market but you don't feel like your intestines are getting clogged up! The kitchen of Goldfish bar is Sticky Rice, so if you want to have some drinks and some fun - I recommend you come here! Parking can also be challenging as it is street parking and near many of the other popular Highland Park Restaurants. If you go down to York and Avenue 51, you can make a left and there is a paid parking lot or if lucky street parking!

I had sticky rice for the first time and I have to say I'm definitely coming back! I walked into Gold Fish bar just looking to have a quick drink and when I found out they were serving food I had to give it a try. We ordered: Drunken noodles, medium spicy w/tofu. I liked it, the right amount of spice and the noodles were cooked well. The tofu was a nice choice of protein to balance the dish out. We were going to get chicken or beef but we had that in our other choices so we decided to go with tofu and it was a great choice 9/10 Laab w/ground pork: We enjoyed this one as well. Had a great lemony taste to it and it paired well with the cabbage pieces they serve it with. You can also get it with ground chicken or ground beef. Not too spicy (but I like spicy) so if you don't like it spicy make sure to let them know. 8.5/10 Fish sauce chicken wings: This one was our favorite! And turns out they only serve it at the Highland Park location. The wings were cooked perfectly, it came out nice and piping hot. We couldn't bite in right away because it was that fresh and hot. The sauce they served with it was a nice touch. My suggestion if you order this dish is to make sure to sauce gets all over the wings because it tends to pool on the bottom of the bowl/container so make sure to give it a nice mix to really coat the wings. 10/10 Overall, good food and I was pleased with all my choices. I will definitely come back to try the other items on the menu.

I found Sticky Rice just by yelp-ing while in the area. loved how flavorful the dishes were - we got the Pad See Ew and Green Curry. I also enjoyed that they actually had heat to their dishes and weren't shy with it. I really enjoyed the dishes here and would definitely come back to fill my Thai food craving.

We went for dnb night. They have pool tables. The parking on the street is scarce. We split some pad see eu. It was ok. Too much soy sauce. And not that much. A lil expensive for the serving. 17.99. There was no paper towels in bathroom. I would maybe go back. The drink I got was a lime cider. It was refreshing. Service is slow. Cashless bar.

Best Thai food around, solid just like the DTLA location. You order inside at the bar (The Goldfish), and there are some indoor tables to eat at. As long as you're chill with having dinner in a club/bar. Great service!

This was my first time here- a window with a few tables outside with stools. I got the pad see ew with beef and Panang curry with chicken. I ordered and I was asked about a protein so I chose from the options quoted. What I wasn't told that was not mentioned on the menu was that any protein was an extra charge, I found out when something didn't add up and my bill was over $51. The tip auto defaults on the pay mechanism to 20% I was not being served just picking up so I only left $2. The beef on the pad see ew was a $6 charge, the chicken I believe was $5 on the curry. Frankly without the chicken it would have been cream with a few green been pieces. So the flavor on the curry was nice but I've never had a Panang that was like a bowl of cream. That was unexpected. The pad see ew was over soy sauced and I only had broccoli stems not one bush. It was a dark pad see ew. The meal could've been much better but not bad. What I didn't appreciate was not being told either verbally or on the menu that the protein was an additional charge, i may have paid the $23 for a pad see ew but not being told didn't sit well. I also didn't appreciate that had I not been paying attention I would have signed off on a &10 tip for a pickup order. Also this order took a really long time. See pics below makeup your own mind.

Ordered a vegetarian yellow curry and they just gave us tofu with sauce. Ignored calls, emails.

I ordered Sticky Rice for takeout a few days ago - shrimp pad thai - and after my 4th or 5th bite I saw a massive clunk of noodles in the center of the dish. I was honestly kind of excited - a unique addition to my dish! When I brought the bite up to my mouth, I could see something was not quite right. I decided to take a small bite anyway, and it turned out to be a fried plastic bag. The bag was cooked INTO my meal... I'm certain I ingested a few toxic plastic toxins in my first couple bites. I obviously threw the whole thing away immediately after realizing what happened. It took me over an hour to get a refund from DoorDash (they are a trash company) - they just kept copying and pasting the same note "this order is not eligible for a refund." What's more concerning to me is that after emailing with Sticky Rice, they've made no effort to offer any sort of compensation past a refund that DoorDash has already given me. I would expect at least a free pad thai to try and smooth things over, but after 2 days, still nothing. I liked this place a lot - good neighborhood spot. Shame that I likely will not be going back. This experience was absolutely miserable.

As an avid consumer of Thai food (specifically curry) I have eaten a lot of Thai food in LA. I ordered the Green curry with tofu here. The portions were generous and the flavor was quite good with a nice amount of spice. Definitely one of the better green curries I've had! That being said, the prices are a bit steep for Thai food even with the big portions. While the food was good, I'm not sure the price is quite justified. As for service, the food came out very quickly. It was a bit counter intuitive walking up to the bar to order, but to each their own! The ambiance inside were a bit confusing - it definitely was more a bar situation than a restaurant, particularly when loud 2000s music was playing (on a Thursday at 6:00 pm, no less). Very much a casual institution. Overall, this place was solid. Not my absolute favorite Thai in LA, but definitely a good spot to visit for some tasty food if you're in the highland park area.

Cool spot to hang with the boys. Food and vibes were great!! Thank you for making it amazing

Alex what can I say, if you come here he may dance battle you but when it comes ro service he's the best. He remembers you is always friendly and takes care of you!!

I sometimes feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone. The ratings for this restaurant are great on DoorDash, so I figured I would give it a try as I LOVE Thai food, especially fat noodles. I need to start off by saying - I can eat spicy food. I have no issue with heat. My order of Pad Siew & Drunken Noodle was terrible. Absolutely no depth of flavor, just all hot spice. Without a doubt, this was the worst Thai food I've had. It's a sad day when after wasting $65 on "restaurant food" we end up frying up a $3.50 Trader Joe's frozen meal and it's 1000 times more delicious. I want to support restaurants, I really do but come on. Is it too much to ask for some actual flavor? I spend at a restaurant because I want the expertise a having the flavors and spice mix just right. If I'd wanted a tasteless inedible meal, I could've saved my $65 and boiled up some 2-minute noodles and added a teaspoon of chilly.

The singha beer here is so good and so is the food and so is the stuff that makes me happy forever

Best neighborhood hang out! Ella is a fantastic barmaid! Reluctantly sharing this because once the word is out, fear losing the best neighborhood bar in the Highland Park area. Sticky Rice menu - fantastic Thai food!

Great beer and the best service from Tara! 10/10 PULL UP! the arcade games are a plus. PULL UP

Tara was super nice 10/10 and great selection of wines and beers! :) selection from games are amazing! pull up

I was scared at first, because when I looked at the menu, all the items seemed vegetarian, but I found a beef option. I ordered the boat noodles which was a noodle soup with beef, meatballs and beef pieces with rice noodles. They asked me how spicy I wanted it, I said "very". The soup is ready after 15 minutes, and it was very delicious and full of flavor. The soup was hot, and the spice level was eight out of 10 which was perfect for me. It's a nice funky place. Actually, it looks like a performance area/game room/bar, you order inside at the bar and then you grab your food at the window outside. There's ample seating inside and outside which was nice because my sister ordered food from a different restaurant and we were still able to sit together outside and eat our food. Definitely coming back

Ya'll this might have been the best pad thai I've ever had in my life. With that said, it's also the most expensive pad thai I've ever had in my life at $19. Hence the 4 star review. Ingredients were fresh and cooked to perfection. Food took a while to come out but not the end of the world. This review is based upon one visit so I can't speak to their level of consistency. The price point is kind of outrageous considering it's a walk up stand with tables outside. I'll definitely be back but not as often as I would like to given the price point.

The drunken noodles was very tasty, I love the rich, dark soy sauce. The pad thai was a little salty, but not as salty as the panang curry fries! The fries are floating in the curry, there is too much curry almost like a soup. It wouldn't have bothered me too much but it the curry was so salty.

Oh wow this hit the spot! Drunken Noodles (SPICY) + Pad Thai did the job. Plus they threw in a beer! Whoa!

Alyza and Alex should run the country. They run this place great... Geeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat.

Great pool tables and selection of beers it's a vibe during Friday and Saturday nights, highly recommend to check it out! Bartenders are friendly and helpful to accommodate any customer

Very cool fun vibe and amazing food. We love it here! The fish tank is on point! The grapow from sticky rice was so yum!

This place is great. Went to the location in Grand Central Market and was excited to try their Highland Park location. Delicious food!

Food is always super yummy, I love the pad thai with tofu!! Vibes inside are very cute and staff is friendly :)

TLDR: The food has good flavor, I just wished they had lids that actually fit the bowls to take our left overs to go. I ordered some soups and was really paranoid that everything would spill in my car, really doesn't help that they only offer paper bags. Shoutout to my waitress for letting me take her plastic bag to wrap my soup bowl up. Fish sauce chicken wings - the wings were juicy, nice thin layer of crisp, loved the flavor. Only downside was that we ordered this as appetizer but it came out 30 minutes later than the rest of the food. Penang curry - creamy and flavorful, the beef are soft Tom yum - just the right sourness to the soup, probably my favorite dish here! Pad see ew - this dish is a classic, can't go wrong with this one Mango sticky rice - a nice dessert to wrap up the meal, I like that it's not too sweet

Food was missing ,no way to call them and reach when something missing or wrong. When i went back to pick up window they told me they were out sorry. Np replacement offered Then in order to get refund i had to go to uber eats and report it and hope for refund. Wont be ordering here again or through u er eats

absolutely phenomenal takeout ~ the wings are a must, panang curry was delicious and super flavorful, and the pad see ew is always perfect.

Tony and Miranda are so great! We love this place. Perfect for a post work easy meal.

I hit this place up after a concert at the Echoplex and it hit all the right spots for me! Got their Tofu Drunken Noodles and Tofu Spring Rolls and they were super delicious. Lots of flavor and freshly cooked! Perfect serving size too and friendly service. It's a pretty happening place at night! Also, be sure to check out Spirt Bar located here too! Great cocktails!!

I love this place, I live around the corner, Lawrence is great. I visit here almost every week.

Impeccable vibes for happy hour. staff was so kind. will be back tomorrow and hopefully the next day too. oh and sticky rice, stuck me in all my feels. cheers

Listen, the vibes of The Goldfish are immaculate and I'm so glad I'm able to enjoy Sticky Rice in this ambiance. I ordered the Drunken Noodles and they were actually spicy-- I search for a decent spice level wherever I go. No to mention, the bartenders are really awesome here!

Love this place! Vibes are on point, my favorite is the Panang Curry Fries!!! Have returned multiple times just for that. Alex, who's always there to help when I visit, is very friendly and chill. Overall a nice spot to grab some good food with friends in the area.

Awesome atmosphere and excellent service from Aliza!! We stayed at the goldfish for a drink while we waited for food- the venue had a very cool vibe and friendly waitstaff.

Wanted to try the food at this location but was disappointed with the lack of flavor the food had here compared to the location in Echo park (5 stars) . The lady behind the bar was also not very nice.

Great place and great vibes! The food is great and complementary of the drinks. Must visit if you're around the area!

Tara was incredible at The Goldfish. She took care of all our needs all night and I will definitely recommend this place to all my friends. They had a thrift shop going which was fun and different, and we've also been here for platonic juke comedy night, which is always a hit!!

I'm here to agree with a lot of other Yelpers: The food is great! The price, not so much. I don't know if the prices are hiked up because of the location, but it's an order window, not a full service restaurant. Why is everything so expensive?!

Love this place. Wonderful to have an authentic Thai place (travelled to Thailand a few times, and yes, they deliver!) in the neighborhood. Really enjoy the casualness and outdoor seating, people watching, and general vibe. Food is really good, and yes, pricey, because... good. If you are looking for cheap and mediocre there is plenty down the road.

Always a go to spot when I'm working here on York! Aria is always super helpful and always a joy to see. Love the fresh rolls, crispy tofu and papaya salad!

Hi! This update is WAY overdue but true to their word I contacted Sticky Rice after my review they comped me an entire meal more than my original purchase and were SO NICE. The food which was terrific the first time, remained delicious. Sticky Rice is the tastiest. Thank you!!!

My favorite spot in the neighborhood. Great food, great staff, overall great vibes. Alyza, Tara, Delia, Christian, Alex and Lawrence always bring their A game and show up for their customers. Love this place, 10/10 would recommend.