Under red lights, a man in a cowboy hat swings his partner across a packed dance floor. House and disco music from an improvised DJ booth. A tattooed woman with long red nails holds a Buddha-shaped beer bottle. A stylish couple takes selfies in matching red trucker caps emblazoned with the words “Thai Angel.” They are two of the many customers proud to show their loyalty to the bar and restaurant that houses this lively atmosphere. It's late on a Saturday night in February and just hours before, there was no DJ or dancing. Just regulars eating drunken noodles and fried rice at this unassuming Koreatown spot.
But when Thai Angel's small kitchen closes, the party begins. Through a community of devoted regulars and an embracing owner, it has quietly become a drama-free place where everyone is welcome to dance from 9pm until last call just before 2am. confirmation of attendance, no coverage, no line outside.
Bartenders Maddox and Isabella serve drinks behind the bar.
A woman enjoys a slice of pizza.
At the back of the L-shaped room, the bathroom line is packed with strangers bonding over how they found Thai Angel and explaining how many times they've visited. It's the kind of conversation you'd expect at somewhere like Spotlight, a dress-to-impress nightclub she recently opened in Hollywood or an underground. warehouse party in East Los Angeles or downtown. But some young Los Angeles partygoers are tired of corporate-feeling clubs and exclusive or ticketed events. They've gone back to basics: favoring informal bar environments. Generation Z's recent discovery of a 100-year-old age Barney's Bean has made it as difficult to get to the late-night bar as it is to the places the new crowd was apparently trying to avoid. Thai Angel doesn't have a glamorous Hollywood history or viral TikTok posts, but the dance floor is still packed.
Jamie Eich, 58, opened the first version of Thai Angel, named after his daughter, in 1995 as a karaoke bar in Hollywood. Eight years ago, on her daughter Salanya “Angel” Inm’s 21st birthday, Jamie asked him what he wanted. “A bar,” she replied. Thai Angel's current location on Western Avenue was her birthday present. Thai Angel is co-owned by Jamie, Angel and her 36-year-old brother Boss Inm. After college, Angel, now 29, began working as a waitress and bartender. Boss and Jamie are behind the bar at Thai Angel every day. Angel, who also works as a reiki practitioner and model, is preparing to open an alcohol-free tea room upstairs.
The family never set out to make Thai Angel a nightlife hotspot. Sure, it served strong drinks and stayed open late, but the first DJs to throw parties in the space were simply regulars slurping pad see ew at the bar.
From left to right: Angel, Jamie and Boss, the family team that runs Thai Angel.
A pulsating crowd vibrates to the rhythm of the DJ.
Most of the people who were inside tonight found the space through a party called SOUP. In 2020, eight music industry friends, including Swedish pop star Tove Lo, were looking for a place to host a casual DJ night. They looked for a place in Los Angeles, but couldn't find the right one and finally gave up and decided to have dinner late at night. They ended up at Thai Angel.
The first SOPA was days before the city's pandemic stay-at-home orders in March 2020. Since then, the friends have hosted 13 events at the restaurant. Hosting dance parties at Thai Angel requires promoters to bring in their own DJ and speakers, but the atmosphere is worth it.
“People have really responded to Thai Angel's unique feel and the fun concept of SOUP's fast DJ rotation. The setting has a lot to do with it. Los Angeles nightlife is full of things worth avoiding… lots of idiotic clubs, trendy bars, and pretentious, overpriced mixology. There are also fun places where the owners have put care and vision into creating a fun and unique atmosphere. Thai Angel is one of those places,” says SOUP member Samuel Luria. On party nights, the eight friends arrive early to enjoy an off-menu vegan tom kha soup prepared by Jamie, with plenty of leftovers for the rest of the week.
Tonight, the crowd at Thai Angel is courtesy of DJ collective Friends of Friends of Friends. Previously, they hosted house parties and DJed at occasional weddings, but the trio was inspired by SOUP and started hosting events at Thai Angel last September. “Jamie immediately welcomed us like his family,” said co-founder Collin Sommers, “for a city known for its glitz and glamour, there is a lot of authenticity in the spaces beneath the surface. Thai Angel is just one story, among many in Los Angeles, of a woman-owned family business that truly fosters community.”
Jamie, who is a single mother, enjoys her role as the welcoming committee and secondary parent to Thai Angel's clients. Some regulars don't know her name and refer to her only as “Mom.” She encourages him. A handwritten note taped to the bar shows her username for digital payments as “Thai-Mom.” The nickname was popularized by DJ and actor Ian Alexander Jr. who committed suicide at the age of 26. Jamie credits him for hosting weekly DJ nights starting in 2018 that laid the foundation for Thai Angel to become an “if you know it, you know it” nightlife venue. “He loved doing it. He would greet me with 'Hello mom, how are you?' He made this place stand out. I think she is still here with us,” he said.
A red light shines dramatically on the brim of a man's cowboy hat.
A vibrant crowd energizes the dance floor.
Angel believes that family dynamics are responsible for the warm and welcoming environment. “It is a very small and narrow space. It's cozy. In my opinion, it really feels like a living room, house party. People come here and feel at home,” he says. In addition to this place, Jamie owns two bars in Bangkok, also called Thai Angel. “Here we set goals. Like Nike said, just do it,” says Jamie.
At midnight, a man swings his way through the crowd holding a stack of giant pizza boxes. Jamie immediately motions for him to go to the last stall, where he begins handing out free portions. Scotty Chappell, co-owner of rotating pizza, an East Hollywood pop-up, has been coming to Thai Angel for seven years. She initially walked in by chance while working at a restaurant down the street. Before opening Swizzle, Chappell and his business partners experimented with serving Thai pizzas from the Thai Angel oven.
“Thai Angel has always been there for us. It's a chosen family in a city where it seems so hard to find. We are also there for them, whether it's helping them close up on busy nights, taking out the trash, washing dishes, or bringing a ton of pizza to feed to a party so they can take a break from cooking their delicious Thai food. ” he says.
At one in the morning, the dance floor shows no signs of slowing down. Jamie has put on a t-shirt that says “I <3 Thai Angel." Angel is handing out homemade lemon bars, courtesy of a regular customer who calls the bar "Cheers." All over Los Angeles, the Saturday night crowd is lining up for a hot bar or racking up an Uber bill while searching for the next best party. If only they knew what was hiding in plain sight.
Follow Thai Angel on Instagram @thaiangelbar for information on upcoming events.
