Wedchayan "Deau" Arpapornnopparat and Tongkamal "Joy" Yuon met more than 20 years ago while working at the now closed Thai restaurant Chan Dara, in West Los Angeles. Over the pandemic, they began a pop-up project. Holy Basil focused on Bangkok-style street food, which they served out of a window in downtown LA.
After opening a permanent DTLA spot, the couple gravitated towards Atwater Village. In 2024, they set up shop in a narrow space between two buildings, where a neon sign beckons customers to their 38-seat dining room and open kitchen.
Chefs Tongkamal "Joy" Yuon (left) and Wedchayan "Deau" Arpapornnopparat (right) met while working at Chan Dara in West LA. Photo by Patcha Kitchaicharoen.
LA Times restaurant critic Bill Addison recommends the pad see ew which "huffs with smokiness" and the moo krab (pork belly) with its puffy, crackling skin. He also reflects on a dish centered around shrimp and soft shell crab with a sauce made from salted egg yolk. Try them with the canned Thai iced tea (made with oat milk) that Joy developed.
The menus at the downtown and Atwater Holy Basil locations are brief and they aren't identical. Deau uses the Atwater kitchen for experimentation, drawing on his upbringing in Thailand, his Chinese heritage, and some formative spent years in India.
Bill Addison recommends the moo krab, seen here at Holy Basil's Atwater Village location. Photo by Stan Lee.