For me, the best part about Los Angeles is undoubtedly the food. The local fast-casual restaurants are great, the fancy food is fabulous, and the desserts are unmatched.
I have been quarantining in Bellevue, WA with my parents and as expected, the food options are much less impressive in suburbia. Because my office is closed and I am working remotely for the foreseeable future, I decided to fly down to LA, pack up my apartment, and move my stuff into storage. I gave myself 10 days in Southern California and tried as many different restaurants as my stomach could handle. Of course, everything was takeout, but at this point I’m used to it and have tips for saving money while still eating out.
My roommate Maddy and I went to several new restaurants and cafes, and then when my mom came, we mainly went to places we had seen on The Chef Show and Ugly Delicious on Netflix. I didn’t really want to drive that far, so I mostly chose restaurants that were within 15 minutes of my apartment.
1. Bear Flag Fish Co (5 stars)
Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, Crystal Cove
Bear Flag is in Orange County, but it was too good not to include in this blog post. I flew from Seattle to John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana because I needed to pick up my car from my friend’s house. I’ve had plenty of raw fish in my life, but it’s always been a part of sushi or a poke rice bowl. It makes zero sense, but I feel like all the rice and other foods will somehow prevent me from getting sick from consuming raw food. Getting just the poke at Bear Flag always scared me a little bit, so I’ve always stuck to the burritos and tacos. Since it was my last time in Los Angeles, I decided to conquer my fear and get a 1/2 pound of poke with a little bag of chips. YOU MUST TRY!! It was so good and flavorful, and extra delicious with some Tommy sauce! Also I didn’t get sick!!
2. Tacos 1986 (5 stars)
Westwood, Fairfax, Downtown LA, Burbank, Pasadena
I didn’t know anything about Tacos 1986, but it was on Maddy’s list, and I figured I needed to get some Mexican food while I was in California. We found $5 parking in downtown LA and went inside to order takeout. I got one carne asada taco and one chicken taco. I love carne asada, but I actually liked the chicken taco better! Order them with all the toppings: guacamole, onions, cilantro, and salsa. These aren’t like the little tacos I get from my neighborhood taco truck, and I was actually pretty satisfied after eating just two tacos for lunch.
3. Sonoratown (4 stars)
Downtown LA
Since we were already in downtown LA, Maddy figured we could also go to Sonoratown and pick up a burrito for dinner (I like the way she thinks). I also didn’t know anything about Sonoratown, but apparently they make their tortillas with lard which makes them better than normal tortillas. I got a Burrito 2.0 with steak and it was really good! It comes with guacamole, monterey jack cheese, pinto beans, and chiltepin salsa. I don’t know if I’ve ever had chiltepin salsa but there was definitely a kick! I’m okay with spice, but I was drinking water in between bites!
4. Burrata House (4 stars)
Palms, Hollywood
I had heard of Burrata House a while ago when it opened, but it was never at the top of my list. I wasn’t planning on going to Burrata House this week, but I was craving a salad and wanted to try somewhere new besides my favorite place Greenleaf Chopshop. Burrata House is known for their Crudo Sandwich, but I was needing some greens, so I got the Crudo Bowl, which was pretty tasty, but definitely could’ve used some extra dressing. I also ordered the Pesto Pasta for lunch the next day. It was a fairly large portion and I saved a third of it for later. It was kind of expensive, but I love burrata! Definitely would go back to get a sandwich or more pasta.
5. California Chicken Cafe (5 stars)
Santa Monica, Venice, Westwood, West Hollywood, Downtown LA
I had eaten leftovers from CCC because vendors brought it into the office for lunch meetings, but I had never been to the restaurant before. I went to the West Hollywood location and ordered the Chinese Chicken Salad. It was really big so I even saved half for the next night’s dinner. It was very flavorful and tasted very fresh. I love how they give you pita bread that’s sliced so you can fill it with the salad! I definitely would want to try their other salads and wraps!
6. Green Table Cafe (4 stars)
Pico-Robertson
I really wanted a smoothie bowl because, you know, it’s LA, so I went to this super cute vegan Italian cafe in my neighborhood for the first time. I made a mistake and ordered the Fields of Flowers Superfood Bowl that unfortunately just had too many bananas in it. However, it was pretty and I liked the crunchy granola at the bottom of it. Overall, I didn’t love it, but everything else on the menu looked bomb, I would definitely go back!!
7. Undergrind Cafe (5 stars)
Pico-Robertson
This Black-owned cafe was within walking distance from my apartment. I had gone once before for a breakfast burrito and I liked it. Everything is very reasonably priced for LA standards and everything on the menu sounded good. This time, I tried the shrimp and grits for lunch, and it was delightful! Was it 78 degrees outside? Yes, I was sweating. Do I know what a grit is? Nope, but these were cheesy and yummy!
8. Gigi Hadid’s Spicy Vodka Pasta (4 stars)
I heard about Gigi Hadid’s pasta from Instagram, but I think it originated on TikTok? I just Googled it and found this recipe from Grazia Magazine. My roommate is a really good cook, so she made some adjustments to the recipe like using a yellow onion instead of a green onion. If I made it again, I think I’d use more than a tablespoon of vodka. Make sure to season it with A LOT salt and pepper, and use plenty of parmesan cheese!
9. Yeastie Boy Bagels (5 stars)
West Hollywood, Silverlake
I’m from Seattle and bagels just aren’t a big thing. I am no way a connoisseur, but I thought these bagels were delicious! This was another Maddy choice and we found the Yeastie Boys food truck on Melrose Place right next to Alfred Coffee. I got the Game Over, which I was a little uncertain about since it has jalapeno cream cheese, but it ended up being just the right amount of spice. It really builds and had quite a kick by the end, but I enjoyed it! My roommate got the Reubenstein which was also very good. It was interesting because the bagel was flipped so the bready inside part of the bagel was facing the outside. It got pretty soggy pretty quickly, but it was very tasty and crisped back up in the toaster oven for lunch!
10. The Bigg Chill (4 stars)
Westwood
I’ve been to The Bigg Chill before and it’s always a good little treat. I got the vanilla froyo and the chocolate chip vegan cookie dough. The small froyo and cookie dough is $7 and if you just want the cookie dough, it’s $2. Remember to bring cash!
11. Lodge Bread (5 stars)
Culver City
I had never heard of Lodge Bread, but Maddy really wanted their massive cinnamon roll. We drove deep into Culver City to Lodge Bread and got there around 9:45am on a Saturday. Apparently they run out, so it’s best to go in the morning. The cinnamon roll was huge! The bread was light and airy and we popped it in the toaster oven when we got home. The whipped “frosting” was more like a citrusy floral whipped cream and it was a nice surprise. If you’re really hungry, I think two people could finish it, but would recommend splitting it between 3-4 people for a more reasonable amount. It cost $7 so I’d say that’s pretty decent in LA!
12. Cuterie Girls (5 stars)
delivers around Los Angeles
So I don’t know where I first saw Cuterie Girls on Instagram, but by our mutual followers, it was obvious that someone from Chapman was involved. During my one week in LA, I definitely wanted to check them out and support a small/female-owned business! They only deliver orders on weekends and require 48 hours’ notice, so I ordered a box for lunch on a Saturday. They gave me a 2-hour delivery window and delivered it on time. If you order on a hot day, I recommend putting your box in the fridge for 10mins to cool down. It was a perfect amount of food for two people or one person if you’re really hungry. They give you a separate pack of crackers (not pictured). There wasn’t one thing in the box that I didn’t like, and I’d definitely order from them again for a picnic or movie night!
13. Pizzana (4 stars)
Brentwood, West Hollywood
I have been to Pizzana once before, but wanted to try it with my mom since it was featured in The Chef Show. This is restaurant owned by the founder of Sprinkles, Candace Nelson. Neither location has a great parking situation, so it’s probably best to do takeout even in non-quarantine times. We got the Cacio e Pepe pizza and the Carnivoro pizza. They are thin crust Italian pizzas, so you could easily eat several pieces. I really liked them both and they were extremely photogenic, but everything on the menu was pretty expensive.
14. Undergrind (again, 5 stars)
Pico-Robertson
I went to Undergrind with my mom for Sunday breakfast. She got a croissant and an espresso. I tried the lavender vanilla tea latte and I was a fan! It was also pretty popping for 8am on a Sunday.
15. Versailles (5 stars)
Venice, Pico-Robertson
I wish I had known about Versailles earlier!! Cuban food is *chef’s kiss*. We saw it on Chef the movie and The Chef Show, and I’ve been wanting to get a Cubano sandwich ever since. It came with fries, and it’s definitely one of my favorite sandwiches! My roommate highly recommended the garlic chicken, so we got that too. It came with rice, beans, and plantains, and it could definitely feed two or three people!
16. Jitlada (2 stars)
Thai Town
I hyped myself up for this place SO HARD. It’s one of those iconic LA restaurants and Anthony Bourdain and Jonathan Gold raved about it. We saw it on The Chef Show and I was excited to get some Thai food. I didn’t have a problem with the chicken pad thai, but my mom and Maddy said it was too sweet. The Crying Tiger beef was good, but again small portion. The green curry was so spicy that it was basically inedible to me and my mom. Everything was just so expensive, small portions, and just alright. The food in the picture below cost over $60 including tax and tip and the wait time was an hour. Honestly unimpressed and disappointed, and I wouldn’t go back.
17. Urth Caffe (5 stars)
Santa Monica, LAX, Melrose Ave, Beverly Hills, Downtown LA, Pasadena
My mom and I just wanted something light for dinner. Urth Caffe was only ten minutes away and I always just like the simple Urth Salad, so we shared that and a slice of carrot cake. Also, there was free bread that I forgot to take a photo of, but we always love that!
There are still so many more restaurants that I want to try, but I feel like I got my fix of LA food for now! Stay tuned for my LA food bucket list for when I return!
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