At this point, it feels like approximately 90% of new restaurants in LA are all-day cafes, and Padi technically falls into this category. The Hollywood spot—from the team behind Iki Nori, whose chef-owner grew up in Bali—is open from breakfast through dinner, does coffee and matcha in the morning, and pours wine at night. It’s located on the ground floor of an office building that looks like it hasn’t been touched since the early ’80s. But look past the styrofoam ceiling, rattan chairs, generic soft techno, and publicists ordering pandan lattes, and Padi stands out for something else—serving some of the best Indonesian food you’ll find anywhere in LA.
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
The menu at Padi features a handful of flowery small plates like gado-gado and scallop sashimi, various sate cooked over charcoal, and four big entrees meant to be shared, like Balinese-style fish collars the size of a boomerang, or a big bowl of slow-simmered oxtail soup. The best dishes here sing with fresh herbs, smoke, and chiles—if you see anything topped with one of the fiery sambals that Padi makes in-house, consider it a priority. The crispy beef ribs coated in garlicky green chili sambal, or the char-kissed octopus that prickles with vinegary sambal matah deserve a spot on your table, but there’s really no wrong order here.
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
During lunch, Padi sees waves of freelancers and Netflix workers show up for savory rice porridge bedazzled with rainbow prawn chips and turmeric-stained chicken, or bouny egg noodles with a side of beef ball broth for dunking. Once 5pm rolls around, the work crowd fades into a mix of families and friend dates, the lattes are swapped for wine and pandan shochu negronis, and the soft techno is turned up a smidge. And though you might not guess it from the outside, Padi is especially great for group dinners. Most dishes are under $20, and the owners will seamlessly curate a table-covering feast if you want to explore as much of the menu as possible (we’ve eaten here as a party of ten, and everyone in our crew left thrilled and well-fed). How many all-day cafes can claim that? Padi might have a slightly boring disguise, but the food here is the furthest thing from it.
Food Rundown
Drinks
Padi’s servers double as baristas, and they’re talented with a steamer wand. Frothy Indonesian coffees (kopi gula aren) are sweetened with caramel-y palm sugar, americanos pack a punch, and you can taste the quality green tea in the strawberry matcha latte made with housemade jam.
Scallop Asinan
If you’re an unapologetic pickle juice lover, this refreshing crudo delivers. Silky raw scallops are bathed in a vinegary-sweet marinade, with a light splatter of green chili sambal for heat.
Pork Jowl
Pork jowl is a famously fatty cut, but Padi sears the thin slices so they melt like Listerine strips, and the sharp sambal of raw shallots and chiles cuts through the richness like a razor.
Gado-Gado
Get this crunchy-fresh salad to complement your grilled meats. The not-too-sweet peanut sauce soaks nicely into every nook and cranny, from the ripe tomatoes to the fried tofu.
Bubur Ayam
If you’re at Padi before 3pm, ordering this loaded rice porridge should be a non-negotiable. It’s big enough to share and made with the kind of fat-specked chicken broth that’ll cure whatever ails you. As pretty as its bouquet of toppings looks, give it a good mix to spread the crispy-crunchy-chewy textures throughout.
Octopus Sambal Matah
Padi puts on a octopus-cooking masterclass. Each tentacle is impossibly tender but with nice charred edges, and the raw sambal matah delivers an serious jolt from lime and chiles (you’ll want to consume as much of it as your tongue will tolerate).
Sate Wagyu Rendang
The sate are the least exciting section of Padi’s menu, with the exception of this wagyu skewer smothered in sweet, spicy, and nutty rendang curry. You’ll want at least one person—it’s just two bites, but the beef is butter-soft and picks up lots of charcoal flavor. Padi’s straightforward chicken sate is a good pick, too—the marinated meat caramelizes nicely on the grill.
Beef Ribs
The dish that made us fall in love with this place. The braised short rib peels off the bone with a gentle tug, and though its perfectly on its own, the punchy green chili sambal loaded with raw garlic gives these ribs an edge.
Grilled Yellowtail Collar
A must-order main dish. We’ve seen half chickens smaller than these yellowtail collars. The glaze of soy and ginger forms a gorgeous crust and the fish underneath is moist and flaky but, again, it’s the sambal that steals the show. This one (sambal bawang) tastes like a delicious tangy-sweet mashup of barbecue sauce and grilled onions.
Roti Panggang
Chocolate and cheese on toast. You’ll either love this traditional Indonesian combo or you won’t (we’re on the fence), but you also won’t find many examples of this dish in LA. For a less polarazing dessert, Padi’s mildly sweet pandan tiramisu is a good bet.
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