As the world start to open up again we take a look at some of our favourite places to grab a filling hearty meal in Los Angeles, it might not all be fine dining, hell it might not even be dining in, but it beats getting take out delivered at home in front of the TV any day.
Coni’Seafood
3544 West Imperial Highway, Inglewood, CA 90303
In our opinion it is probably one of the best restaurants in town if you are looking for a whole grilled fish and other Mexican seafood specialties. Not only is it just a few miles from LAX Airport, but it’s also one of the hangouts of restaurant critic Jonathan Gold, aka the stomach of Los Angeles.
Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles
5006 West Pico Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90019
Don’t let all the energy drink ads scare you off. This eatery serves great food! Maybe you can get chicken and waffles-flavoured chips in some liquor stores these days, but no snack horror show can match the original. The line at this Hollywood address may put you off, but be patient.
Every Taco Truck
Basically Everywhere
You can criticize our pizza. Come on, take it easy. If you’re wondering where to get a slice of salami pizza in Los Angeles, then you’ve completely missed the point of your trip. The simple street taco is the real star of our snack heaven. Carefree with superfluous toppings, he lets the taco meat come into its own as the real king of street food. El Pastor, Carnitas, Pollo and more adventurous variants like Lengua and Cabeza really need nothing more than a little help from salsa, a pinch of coriander and a little onion. Anyone who goes even further is committing a gastronomic crime.
Hawkin’s House of Burgers
11603 Slater Street, Watts, CA 90059
There are cheeseburgers and then there are the meaty, wicked things from Hawkin’s House of Burgers that you almost never get in your mouth. These burgers à la Watts are definitely not for the faint-hearted, which the “Whipper Burger” demonstrates most clearly.
Doomie’s Home Cookin ‘
1253 Vine Street, Hollywood, CA 90038
Doomie’s is a vegan restaurant that has been around for a number of years in a Hollywood strip mall that serves up unbelievably good imitation meat versions of Buffalo Wings and Big Macs and all the other junk food dishes that most people who avoid meat would avoid. In some respects, however, they could work on themselves a little. In addition, as far as I can tell, there are a few things on the menu that actually don’t exist (the French onion soup was “unfortunately off” every time I visit). But that’s okay, because the ham and cheese -Croissants so addictive that it equally well with heroin breaded Breaking Bad could be DVD sets.
Cactus Taqueria
Multiple Stores
11401 Moorpark Street, Studio City, CA 91602
The Cactus is modest and inconspicuous, but if someone takes you there for lunch, the meal will change your life and plunge you into an existential crisis because you wonder what other outwardly boring places that are just to die for you actually still miss it. Maybe this bar next to your apartment is the coolest ever. Maybe the thrift store next to your work is full of Rick Owens things. Maybe Leo from accounting is actually kind of handsome. The Cactus Taqueria will make you question everything. You have to try the burritos, failing that, the tacos. And if you’ve never eaten lengua, this is your great chance to see yourself like a grown-up to behave and try something new.
Donut Friend
5107 York Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90065
The aesthetics of the location and the shop itself might come across as a little too cute, and the punk band puns at their special donuts make your eyes roll by themselves, but damn it, these donut lovers make good donuts. If you are just looking for a place to have a bear claw or maple bar, there are a million other places in LA. Donut Friend has more upscale ingredients such as vegan cream cheese, strawberry jam and donuts with basil filling and vanilla balsamic glaze. You can also create your own donut if you’re the type of person who likes to tell experts how to do their job. But just as you mean.
Dan Tana’s
9071 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA 90069
This Italian restaurant is bathed in red light, beneath which weather-beaten men in tuxedos serve you the best selection of pasta and alcoholic beverages available. Yes, some might say it’s expensive, but you can’t you put a price tag on a bit of contemporary history. And if so, who says that price tag can’t say $32 for a serving of lasagna?
The Oinkster
2005 Colorado Boulevard, Eagle Rock, CA 90041
776 Vine Street, Los Angeles, CA 90038
Before this place opened a rather another establishment took its place in the food court, but things change. Then the firmament tore open and God gave us these delicious hamburgers. The Oinkster is a modern variant of the classic Southern California burger snack and also serves homemade ketchup, which you want to drink straight away. The relaxed attitude of the stuff is what makes 50% of this place worth visiting.
Langer’s
704 South Alvarado Street, MacArthur Park, CA 90057
This is where you should stop if you want waiters and waitresses who are quick-witted originals and who have probably worked there since MacArthur Park couldn’t be entered after 10 p.m. without fearing for your life. Langer’s doesn’t stay open late and is even closed on Sundays, but they have the best pastrami sandwich in town (number 19). That’s worth something, isn’t it?
BCD Tofu House
Multiple Stores
3575 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90010
Even if the name suggests, it’s not just tofu on the menu. There’s even meat, I promise. Foodies will tell you this isn’t the best Korean food in K-Town, and they are absolutely right. But the world needs places like the BCD that happily rest on their four Yelp stars. The Tofu House is open all day, has its own parking lot and you can get full for around 10 dollars. What more do you want?
Daikokuya
327 East 1st Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
In case you haven’t noticed, Asian food is as much a part of typical Angeleno cuisine as tacos, brunch and cannabis edibles. It’s impossible to pick just one ramen shed from such a variety, so just take our Daikokuya recommendation. The place is in Little Tokyo and the bowls are filled to the brim with fresh, hearty ingredients and delicious broth. But you can always wait up to an hour and accept a little sweat on your face after eating.
Stuff I Eat
114 North Market Street, Inglewood, CA 90301
Thankfully the offering for vegans has improved massively over the past decade, and this is one of the places that has does it with gusto. At this point we should note that the owner, Babette, really opened the store to bring healthy food to her community, and there are some dishes made with kale as well. If you like things like that, have the nacho salad – at least it has the word “nacho” in it.
Grand Central Market
317 South Broadway, Downtown, CA 90013
The Grand Central Market, a large public food market in a market hall, has been an integral part of Los Angeles since the late 19th century. Here you will find all the fresh fruit and vegetables, meats, seafoods and ready-made meals that your heart desires. For many years the clientele has been mostly Spanish-speaking, but like anything downtown, the rest of town has Market discovered in the last five years and now trendy chefs hire to serve gourmet food under names like Eggslut, but don’t let that put you off, the Grand Central Market is definitely worth a visit.
San Pedro Fish Market
1190 Nagoya Way, San Pedro, CA 90731
The best way to experience the CO2-burping reality of gigantic globalized trade: Head to the San Pedro Fish Market for a good helping of flavourful seafood and bread as you watch the giant container ships pull their cargo in bring or pick up the Port of Los Angeles. The fish markets are all somehow squeezed into an area that is far too small, but the same dishes are everywhere in the same large portions and all the bars serve the same equally stately micheladas (beer with tomato juice and spices). Which drink is better when you watch the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement in action?