Holy Basil

Tucked into the ground floor of a Santa Monica condo complex, Holy Basil’s Westside outpost brings the same buzzing, wonderfully chaotic energy that made the Atwater Village original a hit. This isn’t a polished, white-tablecloth Thai restaurant—it’s a place where you might feel heat from the wok station if you’re lucky enough to snag a counter seat. The utilitarian space lets the cooking take center stage, and that’s exactly how it should be.

The menu here ventures into exciting territory with bold seafood dishes that set it apart from the original location. The salted egg yolk calamari is an absolute standout, arriving golden and crispy with a coating that delivers irresistible savory depth. Equally impressive is the beef poached in intensely flavored boat noodle broth—velvety slices swimming in a soup so concentrated it packs a punch with every spoonful. The crispy noodles topped with gravy, egg tofu, and chewy squid jerky showcase the kitchen’s knack for playing with textures.

Whether you’re popping in for takeout pad kee mao or settling into a two-top to share a strip steak with Thai basil chimichurri followed by sticky rice panna cotta, the staff handles it all with seamless efficiency. Drinks are kept simple—Thai tea and hibiscus spritzes for now—but the reasonable prices and lively atmosphere more than compensate. This is the kind of spot that makes you want to become a regular.

For anyone on the Westside craving inventive Thai cooking without pretense, Holy Basil delivers exactly what you need. It’s perfect for casual dinners, impressing visitors from out of town, or simply walking in when the craving strikes. If this expansion is any indication of what’s to come, the Holy Basil empire is heading in all the right directions.