LA, Anaheim food reqs

Skye

So my brother and his family (small child included), and my parents, are currently in LA visiting Disneyland, am wondering if you have any good eating places to recommend them while they're int he area. I think so far they've been stuck at a bunch of tourist traps and the food isn't very good.

You get bonus points if you manage to recommend a Chinese food place for my dad who has this chronic problem of going to western/european countries and looking for Chinese restaurants.

Krypton

Shake Shack.

Anze

Hi,

Some places a bit closer to them than LA County:

• In-N-Out is very iconic fast food and they should have it if they've never been to California. These are everywhere.
• Garden Grove is close to Disneyland and a very Vietnamese area with lots of restaurants. Brodard Restaurant is a place I've been to and liked a lot.
• Mitsuwa is a Japanese market -- I believe there's one in Costa Mesa -- and they have a "food court" type of deal with all different kinds of Japanese food.
• Seabirds Kitchen is a cool vegan place also in Costa Mesa. Pretty diverse food options and a number of different teas/kombuchas.
• The Scratch Room is a very tasty breakfast/brunch place in Anaheim with diverse portions. They have this giant breakfast thing that's served on a big cutting board.

And some places in/around Los Angeles:

• Grand Central Market in LA has like 10+ different restaurants and you can walk around and get a beer from a (used to be) local brewery while you're there.
• Tender Greens has a bunch of locations around LA. The food comes out fast but it's not fast food at all. Great if they're short on time.
• If they're interested in vegan food there's Real Food Daily, Cafe Gratitude, Sage...all of which have a creative menu and are very tasty.
• For Chinese Food, Monterey Park is near LA and has some great spots. I'm a big fan of Mama Lu's Dumpling House and Delicious Food Corner.
• Most of the "authentic" Mexican food comes from little holes in the wall and taco trucks. Can't give any specific recommendations that won't be super far away from them, but I would avoid anything that looks fancy or expensive.

If there's anything other specific cuisine interests I can probably help some more.

Nazihk

Anze said:

Hi,

Some places a bit closer to them than LA County:

• In-N-Out is very iconic fast food and they should have it if they've never been to California. These are everywhere.

This is probably the iconic California food. I work with some ex-Californians and this is universally the #1 thing they miss about California. #2 is pizza.

Anze said:

• Most of the "authentic" Mexican food comes from little holes in the wall and taco trucks. Can't give any specific recommendations that won't be super far away from them, but I would avoid anything that looks fancy or expensive

Texan here, but I assume this advice should be universal across most of the border states: If it looks like the building used to be a gas station, none of the chairs inside match each other, and it has a name like "Taqueria Huenitan/Jalisco #413", then it's probably the exact kind of hole in the wall you are looking for. 

Anze

Nazihk said:

Anze said:

Hi,

Some places a bit closer to them than LA County:

• In-N-Out is very iconic fast food and they should have it if they've never been to California. These are everywhere.

This is probably the iconic California food. I work with some ex-Californians and this is universally the #1 thing they miss about California. #2 is pizza.

Anze said:

• Most of the "authentic" Mexican food comes from little holes in the wall and taco trucks. Can't give any specific recommendations that won't be super far away from them, but I would avoid anything that looks fancy or expensive

Texan here, but I assume this advice should be universal across most of the border states: If it looks like the building used to be a gas station, none of the chairs inside match each other, and it has a name like "Taqueria Huenitan/Jalisco #413", then it's probably the exact kind of hole in the wall you are looking for. 

The pizza must be abysmal in Texas, then. I'm from Buffalo NY originally and the pizza in California is not very good.

Skye

Thanks for the reqs! They were staying in Monterey Park when they arrived, before shifting hotels closer to Disneyland, and apparently ate something that was 'terrible'. Different expectations maybe. But they keep sending me pictures, the portions are massive @_@

Exelethril

I was in LA 2 weeks ago, there's an asian restaurant called Wokcano which was pretty good, around Microsoft Square. Other than that, I know the traffic jams aren't remotely worth any traveling

Rispok

Chinatown in downtown la has some bomb dumpling houses. In n out is just a burger shack but it's decent. Benito's in west la is a hole Mexican joint open late.

Zenii

Nazihk said:

Texan here, but I assume this advice should be universal across most of the border states: If it looks like the building used to be a gas station, none of the chairs inside match each other, and it has a name like "Taqueria Huenitan/Jalisco #413", then it's probably the exact kind of hole in the wall you are looking for. 

Another Texan here, I second this for Mexican food. Also, if there are cops/firemen eating there but it looks shady it's probably super awesome/delicious and cheap.

Achilles

Savoy in monterey park for hainan chicken
Din tai fung in costa mesa or or dumplings and noodles
Newport seafood for lobster and crab
Lawrys in beverly hills (best one in the chain)
Chengdu taste for sichuan food
Quarters in koreatown for kbbq
Pretty much any thai restaurant in thaitown/weho
Max's in glendale for filipino foos
Yojie for shabu shabu
Gen Kbbq for ayce kbbq
Daikoyouda for ramen in little tokyo, hakata ramen is nearby as well
Zafran Pot in culver city for indian
Bludsos for good american bbq
Trejos for tacos (owned by actor danny trejo)

Tons of places for shabu sbabu, chinese hot pot, dim sum, niu rou mian, dan dan mian, xlb

There is 626 night market event in orange county

Morthif

Relevant

Trey

Morthif said:

Relevant

@Morthif New York pizza is basic bitch compared to Detroit style. I begrudgingly put Chicago above us, however.

Morthif

Delusional 

Achilles

Only the pizza in NYC is special, not sure how the whole state gets a pass.  I've been to Di Fara, Joe's and a bunch of different Ray's.

There's some amazing NY pizza outside of NY.  I'm not 18 anymore so I can't just eat pizza without feeling guilty (or fat af) anymore but I can't resist a good slice (Secret Pizza at the Cosmopolitan hotel in Vegas is really good)

Never been a fan of chicago deep dish, I had BJ's a month ago and almost fell into a coma after a slice or whatever tf you call one of those things.

Trey

Achilles said:

 almost fell into a coma after a slice or whatever tf you call one of those things.

Antidas

Achilles said:

Only the pizza in NYC is special, not sure how the whole state gets a pass.  I've been to Di Fara, Joe's and a bunch of different Ray's.

There's some amazing NY pizza outside of NY.  I'm not 18 anymore so I can't just eat pizza without feeling guilty (or fat af) anymore but I can't resist a good slice (Secret Pizza at the Cosmopolitan hotel in Vegas is really good)

Never been a fan of chicago deep dish, I had BJ's a month ago and almost fell into a coma after a slice or whatever tf you call one of those things.

Chicago deep dish pizza is best pizza. SHUN THE NON-BELIEVER!

Trey

SHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNnnnnnnnnuh

Aegoth

deep dish is trash. You have to have severe mental illness to even consider eating it

Trey

Aegoth said:

deep dish is trash. You have to have severe mental illness to even consider eating it

You eat your steaks well done, you have no room to talk about mental illness when it comes to food.

Ahmet

Trey said:

Aegoth said:

deep dish is trash. You have to have severe mental illness to even consider eating it

You eat your steaks well done, you have no room to talk about mental illness when it comes to food.

He doesn't prefer them that way, he just holocausts the kitchen whenever anything's even slightly wrong with his food, so everything ends up with the texture of old leather.

Xaden

In and out burger disappointed me. That is all I can add to this conversation.

Aegoth

Trey said:

Aegoth said:

deep dish is trash. You have to have severe mental illness to even consider eating it

You eat your steaks well done, you have no room to talk about mental illness when it comes to food.

You like to pretend I eat my steaks well done you mean. Project much?

Trey

Aegoth said:

Trey said:

Aegoth said:

deep dish is trash. You have to have severe mental illness to even consider eating it

You eat your steaks well done, you have no room to talk about mental illness when it comes to food.

You like to pretend I eat my steaks well done you mean. Project much?

The last steak you posted looked like boot leather. Prove me wrong.

Aegoth

you talking about this nice, red, bloody masterpiece? Need to get your eyes checked, broski

Aralaya

that looks good

Ahmet

Damn Aegoth now I'm hungry.

Skye

...I guess I'm having steak for lunch

Klendathu

Skye said:

...I guess I'm having steak for lunch

Trey

Aegoth said:

you talking about this not-at-all red/way-closer-to-medium-well-if-we're-being-generous steak? Need to get your eyes checked, broski

FTFY

Aegoth

Heh, you friggin wish. The lighting isn't the best, but you can easily tell it's red simply from the pool of myoglobin surrounding it

Trey

Aegoth said:

Heh, you friggin wish. The lighting isn't the best, but you can easily tell it's red simply from the pool of myoglobin surrounding it

I dunno man. Color blindness is actually a potential symptom of Lyme disease, like 100% no bullshit.