Sapp Coffee Shop Thai Restaurant

"Don’t be misled by the name: although Sapp Coffee Shop does serve caffeinated drinks, you’re here for the boat noodles. This magical soup is the stuff of legend, on par with the Loch Ness Monster or finding the perfect work/life balance. The broth is at once funky, sour, spicy, and sweet, bobbing with silky noodles, herbs, chiles, and various beef parts. We also adore their brothless, emerald-colored jade noodles (mostly because there’s a mound of duck, pork, and crab on top) and the sen chan pad pu, tamarind-spiked, stir-fried ride noodles that taste like a more pungent and flavorful cousin of pad thai. And yes, might as well get one of the creamy Thai coffees while you're here—it goes with everything." - brant cox, arden shore, garrett snyder, sylvio martins

"Sapp is famous for its spinach-tinted jade noodles topped with a medley of barbecue pork, roast duck, and crab meat, but one would be hard-pressed to find a dud on the menu. Though original owner Jin has retired and moved back to Bangkok, her family members continue to run this classic all-day Thai restaurant. From pad kra pao to an intensely fragrant boat noodle, everything is fair game at this Hollywood staple that won the hearts of Jonathan Gold and Anthony Bourdain over the years. If it’s really hot out, ask for an order of iced longan juice, something Jin used to give her regulars back in the day." - Kat Thompson

"Noodle Whore blogger Dylan Ho introduced intrepid traveler Anthony Bourdain to the pleasures of Sapp’s boat noodle soup for a Thai Town segment of No Reservations in 2006." - Cathy Chaplin

"Dish: Boat Noodle Soup We don’t need to tell you about the boat noodle soup at Sapp, mainly because we’ve told you about it so many times already. (Seriously). This soup from our favorite Thai Town cafe is a remarkably complex bowl of noodles, with an endless list of ingredients combining for super-interesting combinations of flavors and textures: it’s funky, spicy, sour, and sweet, with tender slices of beef filet and firm rice noodles bathing in a cinnamon, galangal, and anise broth. Just before serving, it’s topped with crunchy bean sprouts and fried pork skin. If this soup’s not appealing to you, frankly, we don’t know why you’re reading this." - brant cox, kat hong, nikko duren, sylvio martins

"Sapp Coffee Shop in Thai Town offers a diverse menu of over 90 items, including roast duck over rice, pad see ew, deep-fried soft shell crab, and boat noodle soups. The beef with meatballs boat noodle soup is particularly excellent, served with rice noodles, sliced beef meatballs, bean sprouts, cilantro, and crispy pork rinds." - Eater Staff