Night + Market Song

I’ve been a handful of times and liked to take out of towners for a while, but honestly I feel like even tho it’s good and weird it’s heavy af, like salt and grease wise, and I just never want to eat it and take the body hit. Also the ppl who work here are pretty insufferable afaicr I don’t think I’ve ever liked my waiter at this spot

I have sort of mixed feelings about Song. The khao soi was underwhelming but the startled pork, uni fried rice, and veggie larb were pretty solid. The khao soi just wasn’t that flavorful and sadly didn’t come with the crispy noodles as well, something that’s always a real treat.
They didn’t have thai sausage and I went with my veg friends so I couldn’t try some of the other things I might have so maybe I’ll go back another time, but given the hype it was a bit of a letdown.

Everything we ordered was superb. The Chicken Sandwich was sublime. The Panang Hangar steak is a must. Wings are sizable and bursting with flavor. Great funky little hipster vibe.

Came here for my first time with a group of 6 people. We ordered a bunch of dishes and shared everything. (Best way to try as many dishes as possible) My favorites were the startled pig, the pad Thai, pad see ew and the toro pork. Everything was so delicious. The curries were good too but on the small side if you’re sharing with more than one person. Also the chicken sandwich was amazing! This is our new favorite Thai place in silverlake.

With hype, comes expectation.
And Night+Market Song is just another disappointment in Los Angeles’s sea of restaurants.
Most likely catered to its surrounding patrons or individuals attempting to get an «authentic» experience, this is just the «cool place» to go when you want to eat Thai. There was no essence of the balance of flavors (spicy, salty, sweet, bitter or sour). The food is just extremely salty and overpriced. The food filled up the dishes but those plates were so small. I don’t know if I came in on an off-​night but the food was definitely forgettable. The panang, larb lanna, Bangkok mall pasta were all subpar. To top it off, they were out of their gaeng hanglay moo when we tried to order it. It was 7 pm on a Thursday night.
I understand that they’re trying to emulate the crammed venues of Thailand but when your restaurant staff cannot handle the inflow of customers then something needs to change. Tables lay un-​bussed, customers were looking around for their server, customers waiting in the front looking for a host/​hostess, empty tables not being filled.
In combination with the tough parking situation that plagues Silver Lake, this place is just overwhelmingly a huge letdown.
The authenticity of Thai cuisine is lost with the continual expansion of the restaurant and I don’t see it coming back any time soon. Drive a couple miles northwest to Thai Town where good Thai food is plenty and prices are reasonable. Trust me.

I want to see a fried chicken sandwich throwdown between chef Kris from Night Market and Johnny Zone from Howlin Ray’s. Dude I would pay hard earned dollars to see that.
I love this place for lunch when I can walk right in and get seated. Smaller menu at lunch but oh man that chicken sandwich. I’ve had 3 this week because I’m leaving LA and imma miss it so much.
Dinner menu is deeper and pretty kickass– everything we’ve tried has been stellar. Someone needs to tell Andy over at Pok Pok that these are what his prices should look like, too. Most expensive thing is about $ 15.
Get several larbs. Get the one with the blood– don’t be a wuss. Get the pork toro, in fact get several pork dishes– I liked the «startled pig» too!
The Burmese curry dish is like thin caramel baking spice soup with melty pork chunks. If that description didn’t stir something in your soul you don’t have one. If he blended it and chilled it I’d drink it like a pig smoothie.
The chicken wit waterbug relish was delicious but my wife couldn’t stop thinking she was eating waterbugs so she had a dream about them chasing her through a restaurant that night– can’t really blame them for that. Shoulda turned around in the dream and ate the waterbugs. That’d teach ‘em.
Also, I’m in the wine biz and can say that his wine list is legit. Years ago we wanted to do wine pop-​ups in Thaitown and this list kills it so much so that I gave up on the idea. Just pissed I didn’t get any of that Mendall Macabeu before it sold out. You probably won’t know any of the choices unless you’re a giant nerd but just trust that they are solid and funky and right for the food. Ugh, I just wine hipster’d myself. Though dude just saying I’d pay a bit more than your average bottle price for like a Knoll Smaragd Gruner or some such… or maybe a Maximin Grunhaus Kabinett or Spatlese… anyway.
Kris needs to see if he can annex that empty coffeeshop next door just for dinners and then this place would be perfection due to more seating!

Yo this was maybe/​probably the best Thai food I’ve ever had. Straight up.
Location: Silverlake. So it was super hipster but I mean I’m down. Lot’s of pink and neon and lit up portaits of I am assuming different people in Chef Kris’ family? I’m not really sure. It’s a small restaurant, kind of cramped but that adds to the flavor of the ambiance.
Came in on a Saturday night, crowded, but surprisingly the wait was fast. ~20 min.
Started with a Thai Ice Tea during the wait, $ 4.50, milky sweet and that Thai Ice Tea flavor you’re looking for.
The menu can be a bit daunting since you’re not having conversations with your waiter/​waitress, because there wasn’t really space where I was sat. (Well we didn’t, I’m assuming you’re on your own here unless you really ask)
Food wise we went with the Larb Lanna, a soup dish, Tom Khar Gai Hot Pot, and two coconut sticky rices. BRUH. Perfection.
The soup was really nice and fresh, had the coconut milk flavor with a lemon grass flavor. Fresh shrooms and skin on chicken giving you meaty bites. Nice cilantro and citrus flavor. Served in a classic thai soup receptacle with fire shooting through the middle.
Larb Lanna. Man. As you walk in to the restaurant there is a bright neon sign that says «Larb King,» assorted hats and shirts, «Larb King,» something told me… GET THE LARB. Oh, and get the Larb I did. Nice, meaty, salty, kind of spicy, amazing flavor-​larb. Recommend eating this with your sticky rice choice and use the cabbage/​cucumber/​green beans as a palate cleanser.
Total we spent about $ 50 for two people and I was totally satisfied. I was really stoked I got to meet Chef Kris and told him the food was great. 100% coming back, I really want to try the appetizers and other dishes, recommend you make a trip and check the hype.

The flavors are great on northern specialty dishes. Our party ordered from the appetizer section and larb section. Everything in those sections tasted great. The Khao Soi (the main item I was looking for) tasted bland, as if they were running out of the soup and added water. So that was disappointing. The fried rice and noodle dishes lacked ingredients and was bland, mostly just grains in it. That’s a double disappointment.
The other downside is the prices. I am not sure how they priced it, but you get Thailand portion sized (if you have ever been, otherwise try to imagine small dishes), but American prices.
At the end of the meal we got the roti. This was delicious. Not too sweet and crispy all the way through, definitely a great way to end a meal. Would I return here? No.

I came here by myself after seeing it on Jonathan Gold’s top 101 restaurants in LA. I love spicy Thai food so I was pretty excited to finally try this place after hearing all about it.
This place is packed with people and not in a good way. It’s a little chaotic in there and you feel cramped so instead of sitting at a table or the bar I ordered my food to-​go (had nothing to do with me being by myself) and ate it while walking around the beautiful streets of Silverlake and enjoying the fresh air (joke). Figured it would bring me back to the days I would walk around eating Street food in Bangkok. Anyways, I’m not factoring any of this into my 2 star rating; my rating is all about the food.
Got the Startled Pig and Crispy Rice Salad since they seem to be the two most popular dishes. Feels a little weird writing a review of a Thai place without getting any curry or noodle dish, but it is what it is.
Thoughts on the food…
Both were small for the price. Fresh basil and cilantro was awesome. A little bit of a kick but nowhere near what i was expecting. Don’t really understand the crispy rice. Seems like a little bit of a gimmick to be honest. Thought both dishes were way to salty. Ended up not eating the last few bites of both dishes just cause I didn’t really want them anymore. That rarely happens. Pretty surprising and really disappointing.
Really wanted to like this place but I just can’t. Very surprised that I didn’t like either of their top 2 items. There are many way better Thai places around. This place is all hype.

Came in with my friends a bit before the rush! I had to ride in the trunk cuz they had to put their backpacks in the back seat :/​Seated ~6pm. It was packed by the time we left. My friends let me sit with them :)
This place is real hot right now so I got the Hot Pot (Tom Khar Gai) and threw the sticky rice into it. The serving of hot pot is gigantic, probably could’ve been enough for all three of us amigos, but dammit if I didn’t try to finish it. It was a good ol’ fashioned put a bunch of ingredients in a bowl and have your mind blown kind of meal. It may have been the décor of the place but I swear I was tasting colors, baby! Pretty spicy, so beware, nerds. At least, that’s what my friends said when I told them it was spicy, that it was spicy cuz I’m a nerd (they used a meaner word :/​)
My friends got the Pad See Ew and the Fried Chicken Sandwich. I’m no expert on Thai food but the Pad See Ew had so much more flavor than other Thai places I’ve been to. My other friend didn’t let me try the Fried Chicken Sandwich, and said I shouldn’t ask him questions he didn’t tell me to ask him :/​
Get something Thai, it’s flavorful and interesting. idk about the chicken sandwich though :/

Finally got to try this place after hearing so many people talking about their sticky rice.
First thing I noticed is that this place is ULTRA HIPSTER. You’ll know when you see it :). We got there at 8pm on a Friday night and it was packed with a 20 minute wait for 2 people.
Most people start getting drinks to start the night (mostly beer and wine). Once we got sat down, we ordered fried octopus, pad thai, and pad see ew.
1) Fried octopus ($ 12): very crunchy with a taste of spice
2) Pad See Ew ($ 10): pretty decent size, tasty, but nothing wow! Still good.
3) Pad Thai ($ 9): it was alright, nothing outstanding.
I do feel like after reading so many reviews, I was expecting more, but overall pretty good customer service and food.

I remember the first time I had khao soi. I was in India, I wasn’t yet vegan but I was just starting to avoid dairy, and my (then future) mother-​in-​law realized I’d probably be really, really into curried coconut noodle soup. She gets me, and I was head over heels for the dish, that I adorned with fried garlic and ate like I wasn’t going to eat again in another 4 hours. It was just sooooo good, and I’ve been searching for it ever since. Because you see, I’m vegan now, and khao soi noodles are traditionally made with egg. The dish hasn’t yet caught fire in the states like ramen and phở, so it’s rare to come across a vegan interpretation. Night + Market Song is one of the few places I’ve found it.
I’d been too nervous to try Night + Market, because they had developed a reputation of not being friendly to vegans, but after Night + Market Song opened up, it all started to change, and now their menu is very vegan-​friendly! I actually had trouble choosing what I wanted to eat at first, but when I saw khao soi jay, I knew I had to have it.
It was definitely different from my memory. Instead of firm noodles, they were rice noodles, and they were falling apart. That was disappointing, but it’s not actually inauthentic to use rice noodles, it’s just a different variation more common in north east Thailand. The flavor of the broth was wonderful, and I loved the oyster mushrooms studding the dish throughout.
My friend got a side of coconut rice which she shared with me. It was amazing!!! I’d come back just for that, honestly.
So while the khao soi didn’t match my memory and the search continues, I’m delighted Night + Market Song has so many vegan options that are clearly marked on the menu. I can’t wait to go back and try the curry!

I’ve read reviews and articles singing praises of this restaurant, so it’s been on my list of places to try out. It’s a small Thai restaurant that’s a little pricier than other Thai restaurants. The kuay tiew khua gia is a noodle dish, whose seasoning reminds me of pad see ew. However, it comes with a side of sambal chile, which I felt added to the taste of the dish. The dish also comes with chicken and wild Thai baby octopus! Overall, a decent dish!
The star of this experience, however, was the fried chicken sandwich. At first, I thought, «Fried chicken? Sandwich? At a Thai restaurant?» But when I took a bite into it, I was taken back by how flavorful and tender the fried chicken was. It was a huge piece of chicken. Night + Market did not go skimpy with me. The slaw it came with added a tang to each bite. One of my favorite sandwiches, hands down.
So while I was not a huge fan of the kuay tiew khua gia, the fried chicken sandwich sold me. I would love to come back and order it again.

Came here for dinner tonight because pine and crane was closed, and boy, was I disappointed!
First of all, was not feeling the atmosphere-​super small, crowded, and extremely loud. Second, parking is really tough around here.
And lastly and most importantly, I did not like the food. Overpriced for very small plates, and the food did not taste fresh. They didnt even ask us how spicy we wanted anything-​I think they have everything cooked in mass production in the kitchen, because the chicken in the larb was dry and the beef in the panang en neua was kinda tough. Noodles in the pad thai were soggy and overcoooked. $ 14 panang en neua comes with a small bowl of watery curry with 4 small pieces of roti. Spent about $ 40, and left unsatisfied.
I know this place is super popular, and from the looks of the crowd, it does look like the cool/​trendy place to go, but in my opinion, there are much better/​less expensive Thai restaurants, especially in Thai town.

Pricier than the other Thai restaurants I’ve been to but it was delicious.
When we arrived on a weeknight after 9:30pm, there was a 20 – 30 min wait for a party of two.
The place is a bit noisy so if you want to have a long conversation then you might have to talk louder.
Service was great. Our server gave us some great recommendation such as ordering coconut rice to balance out the spiciness with our dish.
Food:
1. Fried chicken sandwich is off the menu but they have it if you ask. It was amazing. Chicken was flavorful with a little bit of sweetness. The sandwich had some veggies you would get from bahn mi.
2. Startled Pig, the popular dish, did not disappoint! Sucks it’s smaller than expected though. The pork was amazing and the chili’s were spicy.
3. Uni and fish roe fried rice, was my least favorite. Pricey and salty for me.
Parking:
Street parking

Alright… did we just walk into a college party? This place seemed to be filled with young adults last night, and the vibe was rather unique. Well, we were greeted immediately and informed that we may have to wait 45 minutes to be seated. No worries, as my friend has been requesting to dine here for months, so I figured we can sacrifice the wait to get this restaurant off the list of places to dine. Much to our surprise, the wait was less than 20 minutes.
Surprisingly, this place isn’t that big, but it was packed with customers. Another surprise was that I didn’t see any employee of Thai descent, but this is a Thai restaurant. No worries, as the main concern is the food and service. In terms of the food, the menu seems to be very limited, in my opinion, and I was shocked when our server told me they can’t make any food substitutions. The only fried rice on the menu was Garlic Fried Rice ($ 9) and Crab Fried Rice ($ 14). Ahem, really? I’ve never been to a Thai restaurant that doesn’t offer any fried rice with meat. Anyway, I decided to try the Garlic Fried Rice, and my friend opted for the Pad Thai Noodles, along with a side of party wings as an appetizer. Speaking of appetizers, my fried rice looked like an appetizer when it arrived to the table. Also, I’m never fond of any restaurant placing a small container of condiments on top of my food so, immediately, I asked our server to take the condiments that was on my food. He seemed to have gotten offended, but I could care less, as I was already upset with the small plate of food, along with the view of his dirty fingernails. Long story short, I didn’t eat all of the rice, as it was lacking flavor and meat. My friend seemed to enjoy the party wings, but thought the Pad Thai Noodles were okay.
All in all, I was not impressed with this restaurant. I applaud the staff on greeting customers as they come in, but the servers can be a little more attentive, presentable, and practice a level of patience in dealing with customers. We witnessed a little snafu at the next table, as it seems the same server did something to upset those patrons. Nevertheless, this place was packed with customers, so there must be something here that people like. Unfortunately, I didn’t find that «something», and have no desire to ever find that «something» at this restaurant. All the best to this restaurant.

Ridiculously, overwhelmingly, incredibly good. It’s natural to worry that the fabled Night + Market might lose some of its authenticity by opening a location in Silverlake of all places, yet Night + Market Song is somehow even better.
The crispy rice salad remains the absolutely essential starter dish that it’s always been (yes, even moreso than those wonderful party wings, but just barely). The Startled Pig entrée is absolutely wonderful, flavorful and vibrant and something I’d eat on a weekly basis if I could. And that off-​menu fried chicken sandwich is enough to feed a small village.
Just spectacular. Great for groups as it’s a very talkative and boisterous space.

Night + Market Song really gets two separate reviews; 5 stars for the food and 3 or less for everything else. The food was amazing, but the wait and service were much less so.
Waiting a long time usually isn’t a major issue. As long as you know what to expect, you can choose whether to wait or not. They also have a bar so you can drink while you wait, which makes things a lot easier. The issue is that they gave us an estimate of 50 minutes, but the wait ended up being over 1.5 hours, which is seriously pretty bad.
In addition, once we did get seated, my friend’s glass of water had a recently used lipstick residue on it. That was super gross, and really shouldn’t be happening in any restaurant.
That said, the food was awesome:
Papaya Salad — Very spicy and refreshing, an awesome palate cleanser between other dishes.
Pork Toro — This pork belly has melt-​in-​your-​mouth fattiness and great bold taste. Perfect with the sticky rice.
Whole Sea Bream — The fish was lightly battered with a flavorful but light sauce. The outside was crispy and absorbed all the flavor from the sauce, while the inside was delicate, flaky, and incredibly fresh tasting. A really outstanding dish.
Chicken Sandwich — The chicken is insanely tender and juicy; I can definitely see why this sandwich is so popular. The papaya salad and raw jalapenos add a really nice heat to it.
Khao Soi — We got the khao soi with beef. This curry noodle dish has an excellent mix of different flavors and textures that adds a lot of complexity to the dish. The tender meat goes great with the firmness of the noodles. Possibly my favorite dish, though it’s hard to choose.
The food here isn’t watered down at all; every dish is memorable, authentic, and very high quality. If only the service were better or more consistent, this would be a 5 star restaurant for sure.

I. Don’t. Get. The. Hype.
We came for dinner on a Thursday night at around 7pm. There was a slight line, but overall the wait time was not very long. (Although the weird thing about the waiting was that there were at least 3 open tables, but the waiters were not seating anyone at the tables. I know this place doesn’t take reservations, so I don’t know why they left it open?)
We ordered the startled pig, curry with roti, fried rice with uni (special), and the chicken wings. The startled pig was good, and it is really spicy (spoken by someone loooves spicy). The flavors were unique – I would recommend ordering this one.
The curry with roti was okay. It started off promising because the meat in the curry was so tender and basically just melted in your mouth. However, the curry was kind of watering and not the best dipping sauce for the roti. The roti was very oily.
The fried rice with uni and salmon roe was okay. I kind of wished we ordered the crab fried rice instead. There was nothing in the fried rice other than uni on top. Fried rice should at least have scrambled eggs in it, and I think i saw it in the pictures of crab fried rice I saw on Unilocal.But for the fried rice with uni and salmon roe, it was just rice on the bottom and uni and roe on top.
The chicken wings were okay. I personally like my sauce on the side so that the breading on the chicken doesn’t get soggy, but I know other people like sauce on their wings, so I can’t really judge how people would like these wings.
I think what I can’t get over is how crazy busy this restaurant got around 730−8pm. It got insane. I just couldn’t believe people were willing to wait in that kinda crowd for the food we were eating. Other Thai places are so much better. Price wise, this place is really pricey too. Almost every item on the menu is well over $ 10, and the portions are small, and the food quality didn’t seem better than other Thai restaurants. My advice is save yourself the wait and get some better Thai. But if you insist on coming, I hope you come before 7:30 pm or else you’ll be waiting a longgggg time.

This review is solely for the fried chicken sandwich.
To quote the recently departed David Bowie, that thing packs one hell of a wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am bite.
Succulent fried chicken thigh, check.
Spicy-​as-​fuck papaya jalapeño slaw, check.
Cilantro and ranch, check.
Good god, almighty. This sandwich is juicy, salty, fiery (all without falling apart) and just damn delicious. If you’re looking for a quick and easy lunch that costs less than $ 10, this is the perfect thing. Just don’t bother cutting it in half. I did today and made a mess. Don’t worry about it, just shove it in your mouth, you’ll be fine.