Partners and chefs Wedchayan “Deau” Arpapornnopparat and Tongkamal “Joy” Yuon have expanded Holy Basil with a new Santa Monica location. Staying true to their Bangkok and Central Thai street-food roots, the menu will feature dishes like beef tataki, bangkok crab fried rice, pad kee mao moo krob, and rad na mee krob. Joy’s signature non-alcoholic program will feature beverages such as the Hibiscus Agave Oolong and the Dragonfruit Rosemary.
Holy Basil’s first Westside location builds on the restaurant’s design philosophy of blurring the line between front and back of house. Working with designer Dutra Brown, the space features custom tiles designed by Deau himself and produced in collaboration with Reed’s Los Angeles studio. These tiles weave together Holy Basil’s graphic icons, photographs of the team, childhood images from Deau’s upbringing, and subtle references to key moments in the restaurant’s history-including a hidden nod to the infamous broken window at the original Downtown location. By integrating these personal elements throughout both the dining room and the open kitchen, the space places family, community, and storytelling at the heart of the experience.
Both Joy and Deau are originally from Thailand, but first met in Los Angeles at Chan Dara Thai restaurant in West LA. Over the years, the two have garnered a broad spectrum of experience at a variety of restaurants around Los Angeles, but craved Thai street food. While Los Angeles is a hot bed for Thai food, the two wanted to focus on their favorite dishes they missed, while utilizing the great produce found at various farmers markets, as well as quality meat and fish purveyors.
Their first foray into food was their YUM pop up, which featured a menu of ‘yum’ dishes, meaning dishes dressed/tossed in a sauce primarily made with fish sauce and citrus (usually lime). The menu was a hit, so they decided to do a series of these. When a space became available in Santee Alley in Downtown Los Angeles, the duo decided to open an actual walk-up window. This would become Holy Basil, where fragrant Thai soups, curries and stir fries come out piping hot and full of heat – available for takeout and delivery. Since the beginning, Holy Basil has been a popular new outpost for Thai food in LA, including for media such as multiple features from The Infatuation and the Los Angeles Times. Now, both Holy Basil Downtown and Atwater menus will continue to expand, as does Joy and Deau’s creativity.
