It's here, it's here! In what might be one of the most anticipated openings of the year, Andy Ricker's Pok Pok has finally opened its doors in Chinatown for a soft opening. The Portland phenomenon first made its way to Los Angeles in December 2014 in the form of Pok Pok Phat Thai, but everyone seemed to be holding their breath for the original Pok Pok. Now that it has arrived, it comes with a reservation system that only a couple restaurants in Los Angeles have adopted: online ticketing.
Tickets for lunch and dinner can be purchased through the website Tock, at $15 and $20, respectively—a system that will continue even after the restaurant's soft opening period ends. Each ticket price is per person, and will be deducted from your bill at the end of the meal. As of right now, Trois Mec and Maude are the only restaurants in the city that use Tock. There are a few differences—Pok Pok customers will still be able to walk in without a ticket, though on busy nights, reserving online may be the only way to get a table; and whereas Trois Mec and Maude diners pay for their entire meal upfront, Pok Pok ticket holders will still be able to order à la carte.
And you'll definitely want to get a table. I stopped by the restaurant for lunch yesterday afternoon and had a fantastic meal, sitting outside on the patio on a warm afternoon. Unlike Pok Pok Phat Thai, there is liquor—a full list of cocktails (all $12), including the Vietnamese Coffee, Grown Up Style (Vietnamese coffee spiked with brandy) and the Heat Ray (tequila, Som celery drinking vinegar, fresh lime and Thai chili). Ricker has also added a "Drinking Food" category on the menu at this location, with dishes like Laap Thawt Isaan (deep-fried spicy pork laap with lime leaf, $8) and Plaa Mauk King (char grilled dried Thai cuttlefish, $7). For larger dishes, the Da Chom's Laap Meuang ($17) is a solid pick, a plate of spicy hand-minced pork "salad" that comes piled high with aromatics, spices, herbs, cracklings and crispy fried shallots. For dessert, the Pok Pok Affogato ($8) is a fun alternative to the usual version, made with condensed milk ice cream drowned in a shot of Vietnamese coffee, with fluffy house made Thai-style crullers on the side.
Drooling yet? Lunch and dinner tickets for meals through November 25 are currently on sale; during its soft opening phase, Pok Pok will be open Wed-Sun, though there are plans to eventually be open for lunch and dinner every day of the week.
Pok Pok is located at 978 N Broadway in Chinatown. Visit their website for more information.