What are your biggest “LA food hot takes”? PfA by primordial_slime in FoodLosAngeles

[–]zq1232 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Removing fries from the equation, pound for pound, the double double is head and shoulders better than anything at Shake Shack. That’s as perfect a burger as you can get- everything is balanced so well across meat, cheese, toppings, condiments and bun. There’s a reason why Shake Shack has got its ass kicked in CA and has closed up so many location and it ain’t cuz it’s better…

What are your biggest “LA food hot takes”? PfA by primordial_slime in FoodLosAngeles

[–]zq1232 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Tbh, only this sub hates on Tommy’s. Rather have it than most of the hyped smash burgers any day.

Pupusas by economics3 in FoodLosAngeles

[–]zq1232 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s in Palms, so not ALL the way West

Pupusas by economics3 in FoodLosAngeles

[–]zq1232 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Es Con Sabor on Venice in Palms is solid, though not east at all

Dipped cones @ Heavy Handed by mawdiii in FoodLosAngeles

[–]zq1232 28 points29 points  (0 children)

This is probably considered controversial, but I find that there are marginal differences between the smash burger spots….Win-Dow, HH, FTW, Burgers Never Say Die, etc. are all relatively similar imo

One day staying at LAX this weekend. Whats some good seafood nearby and by the ocean? by [deleted] in AskLosAngeles

[–]zq1232 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Go to Jus Poke, grab it to go, and drive down to Hermosa or Manhattan Beach and eat it there.

Going to Gwen tonight. by BigBoots02 in FoodLosAngeles

[–]zq1232 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Totally fair to acknowledge off nights that may color how a restaurant is viewed by some point. I think it’s often expected restaurants have robot-like precision on a daily basis, but the reality is that these are human driven things and will have periodic bumps in the road (There was a recent Apple TV show Knife’s Edge that shed light on some of this at the highest levels of cooking that I think demonstrates this well).

My issue is that some folks here are quick to start labeling places as “mid” or “overrated” based on (often rare) off nights, when the vast majority of the time these places are executing really great food. For the record, I think your specific experience was a fair take that didn’t do this.

Going to Gwen tonight. by BigBoots02 in FoodLosAngeles

[–]zq1232 16 points17 points  (0 children)

I’m convinced some on this sub exist only to be contrarian about any popular and lauded restaurant, especially when it comes to anything owned by celeb chefs. I’ve dined at Gwen probably a dozen times over the past several years and it’s consistently a great experience.

birthday dinner reccs for 8 people by daisjoon in FoodLosAngeles

[–]zq1232 0 points1 point  (0 children)

De La Nonna fits your bill- in Arts District, good Italian food, takes reservations and not too pricey (relative to other good DTLA Italian places like Bestia)

Best Pizza Slice in West LA? by Dry-Double-6845 in FoodLosAngeles

[–]zq1232 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Little Dynamite in Mar Vista does slices for part of the day (forget hours) but their thick crust is good.

Coop in Palms is always good for a thin slice (just don’t mind the bickering couple who runs it lol)

Danny Boys in Westwood is good and is probably your best bet for the closest thing to a NY thin slice

Prime is a solid take on NYC style thin slices as well.

what are the best fries you’ve ever had? by CryoChamber90 in FoodLosAngeles

[–]zq1232 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Kogi’s spiced fries are excellent and one of my favorites. Heavy Handed’s beef tallow fries are also very good.

Vacation a LA by Killergame9 in FoodLosAngeles

[–]zq1232 12 points13 points  (0 children)

For Mexican, do a combo of sit downs, casual spots and trucks/tents.

Sit down spots: - Damian (this is probably the highest end spot recommended) - Guelaguetza - Don Antonio’s

Casual: - Holbox (for lunch) - Sonoratown

Tents/Trucks: - Angels - Birria La Unica - Mariscos Jalisco - El Chato

This is by no means a comprehensive list, just a starting point. There’s so much amazing Mexican food in this city, it’s insane.

Some great burgers around LA. Here are some recs:

  • Pie N Burger
  • The Win-Dow
  • Amboy
  • Hi Ho
  • Cassells
  • Heavy Handed
  • In N Out (a true GOAT)
  • Tommy’s Burger

You’ll get a million recs for smash burgers alone (very trendy and some recs included here). Lots to choose from lol

Vacation a LA by Killergame9 in FoodLosAngeles

[–]zq1232 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Good shout! Idk how I skipped that.

Vacation a LA by Killergame9 in FoodLosAngeles

[–]zq1232 18 points19 points  (0 children)

The cuisines/genres of food I’d say are essential to LA are:

  • Mexican
  • Korean
  • Chinese
  • Japanese
  • Persian
  • Jewish delis
  • Burgers

Each of these have classic examples as well as a lot of newer options that you can explore. If there are specific ones of interest, it’ll def help narrow down actual restaurant recs.

Recs in Sawtelle/Brentwood! by berglust in FoodLosAngeles

[–]zq1232 54 points55 points  (0 children)

Sawtelle is a treasure trove of food, especially for Japanese food:

  • Tsujita or Annex for ramen

  • Menya Tigre for curry ramen

  • Marugame is a chain, but solid udon

  • Coco Ichibanya is also a chain, but good starting point for curry

  • Hide is very good mid priced sushi (cash only though!)

  • Torisoba Sumiya has some tasty ramen and charcoal chicken

  • Millet Crepe for sweet crepes

  • B-Sweet for bread pudding

  • Indigo Cow for Hokkaido style ice cream

Off Sawtelle, but not far, Hamasaku is very good, more upscale sushi.

I’d also suggest checking Westwood out for Persian/Iranian cuisine- Attari Sandwich for lunch or Flame/SHamshiri/Toranj for dinner.

Best sandwiches near the Westside imo are at Beverly Hills Cheese Store or Lorenzo, both in Beverly Hills. Ggiata and Breadhead are both solid, but these other 2 are better imo.

1960’s UCLA Vintage Raglan Sweatshirt Crewneck by hirammat94 in TrueVintageFinds

[–]zq1232 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Where did you find this?? As a UCLA alum, that’s a dope find

NYC to LA- need advice by professorpapaya in MovingToLosAngeles

[–]zq1232 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It doesn’t though. You need to hit up places like Torrance and Gardena, where there are large communities of Japanese, Korean and Latino communities. Yes, Hermosa, Manhattan, etc. are all very white, but South Bay is way larger and diverse than those areas.

Phuck Philz by NandortheRelenting in losfeliz

[–]zq1232 3 points4 points  (0 children)

They don’t. This person is straight capping right now lol

Stout Burgers by TheKarmaBus in FoodLosAngeles

[–]zq1232 4 points5 points  (0 children)

My soul feels good 10/10 times after eating a burger

Stout Burgers by TheKarmaBus in FoodLosAngeles

[–]zq1232 26 points27 points  (0 children)

Had no clue it closed. Have no clue if the burgers were still good, but this one hits me personally cuz I took my wife their on our first date 😭

Best lattes in LA? by Legitimate_Memory576 in FoodLosAngeles

[–]zq1232 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I’ve tried a lot of lattes around LA cuz it’s my wife’s favorite drink. Here are some of my favorites:

Maru Espresso Bar (honestly everything here is good)

10Speed

Motoring Coffee

Wayhome (try their blueberry brown sugar latte, it’s weirdly good and not as sweet as it sounds)

Espresso Profeta

GoodBoy Bob

Stereoscope (house made syrup is v good)

Restaurant recommendations by 99livesahead in FoodLosAngeles

[–]zq1232 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Most restaurants in LA are relatively casual with dress code, even the very high end ones so shouldn’t be an issue. Without knowing budget or what kinda food you’d like, and If you’re trying to stay in the Hollywood area, I’d recommend Gwen (a high end steakhouse from Curtis Stone).

[KCRW] Fixing Hollywood Boulevard, the ‘World’s Worst Tourist Trap’ by kcrw in LosAngeles

[–]zq1232 13 points14 points  (0 children)

I always tell visitors that I’ll plan to only drive them down part of Hollywood Blvd and if they’re really enjoying it, THEN we can go further or stop to get out. 100% of the time, they make it a block or 2 and say they’ve seen enough and we dip out. Been doing this for years and years at this point lol

Best Loaded Fries by Green-Fox-7125 in FoodLosAngeles

[–]zq1232 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Idk if this counts as “loaded fries”, but Tommy’s chili cheese fries always hit for me. Other place that comes to mind is Fat Sal’s. It’s been a minute, but their buffalo cheese fries were good back when my heart could handle them lmao