Jitlada Is Now on Resy: One of LA's Hardest Tables Just Got Easier

File this under news that changes weekend plans: Jitlada, the East Hollywood Southern Thai institution whose waits are as famous as its crispy morning glory salad, is now taking reservations. The restaurant is live on Resy, and its current listings confirm bookings are open, which for anyone who has stood in that Sunset Boulevard strip mall parking lot on a Friday night is nothing short of a lifestyle upgrade.

For the uninitiated: Jitlada has anchored Thai Town since the late 1970s, and since 2006 it has been run by chef Sarintip "Jazz" Singsanong and her family, cooking the fierce, funky flavors of Thailand's Nakhon Si Thammarat region, per the restaurant's own history. The credentials are stacked: Michelin Bib Gourmand honors in 2019, 2022, and 2023, and back to back James Beard nominations for Jazz as Best Chef: California.

The gargantuan menu rewards the adventurous, and the Southern specialties are the reason to book: the crispy catfish and green papaya salad, the coco lotus stem curry, and the spicy dipped dishes that built the legend. Bring friends, order wide, and respect the spice warnings, they are not decorative.

Jitlada is at 5233 W Sunset Blvd in East Hollywood, closed Mondays.

And if this puts you in a Thai state of mind, FJM's coverage runs deep: our features on Michelin recognized Ayara Thai and Emporium Thai in Westwood round out a very good week of eating.

I hope you're hungry. - Matthew Tropp | FJM.