I want to celebrate a minor win by getting myself a little sweet treat today.

Where would YOU personally get yourself a little sweet treat (within 5 miles of Elysian Valley)? Is there a place you like to go to celebrate or cheer yourself up or if you just have a sugar craving?

Does anyone remember Howard’s cafe on Alvarado. Maggie the owner . This was a childhood memory my older brother first took me and one day I hopped to take my kids but sadly closed for some time now. Chinese for breakfast. Big cop hangout

Shortly going to stay in LA for three days for an exhibition. I will be flying in on the evening and would like to have dinner somewhere near my hotel in Sepulvada pass. I'm not a fussy eater, and I'm looking for somewhere relatively affordable. Does anyone have recommendations for restaurants in West LA for a tired traveler after a long flight?

Where can I find these? When I’m looking at local markets, I am only seeing packages of dried “lo mein“ noodles that are wheat. I know I can hit 99 ranch in Westwood, but I’m first trying to see if somebody more local to Venice has this. I’m looking for refrigerated fresh Chinese egg noodles. Has anyone seen this?

Los Trompos Taqueria is a relatively new taco stand located at 421 W. Broadway in Downtown Long Beach. As the name suggests, one of their specialties is meat cooked on spits. Beyond al pastor, they offer picanha, arrachera, top sirloin, and ribeye alongside more standard options like asada, pollo, and carnitas.

Pricing is tiered depending on the protein. The standard meats run about $4 per taco, while the picanha, arrachera, and top sirloin are $5. The ribeye is the most expensive option at $6.50. Those are the cash prices since, like many places these days, Los Trompos uses a two-tier pricing system, with credit card prices running about 4% higher.

A friend and I stopped by for lunch and ordered identical plates: one picanha taco, one arrachera taco, and one top sirloin taco each.

The picanha was easily the star of the meal. Anyone who frequents Brazilian steakhouses is probably already familiar with the cut, but I haven't had it all that often. After this taco, I can see why it inspires so much enthusiasm. It had an intensely beefy flavor, great texture, and was just plain delicious.

The arrachera wasn't quite as immediately impressive on the first bite, but its qualities became more apparent as I worked my way through it. I thought it could have used a little more salt, though that's at least partially what the salsa bar is there for.

The top sirloin, meanwhile, was fine but forgettable. In hindsight, I'd either spend the extra $1.50 for the ribeye or save a dollar and go with the asada. I have a hard time imagining the sirloin being enough of an upgrade over the asada.

Overall, this was probably the best taco experience I've had in Long Beach since I started teaching there nearly 20 years ago. The city's Mexican food scene is less impressive than many outsiders assume, but Los Trompos stands out. Based on this visit alone, the picanha taco is absolutely worth coming back for.

Hi all! Looking for an AYCE restaurant in LA or surrounding areas for an anniversary dinner. Not from the area just visiting, so would appreciate suggestions thank you!

I had this AYCE Sushi place on my list to try for a while now. I am finally gonna be in koreatown and I had this on my top place to try but I notice recent reviews are not that great saying the quality and service is going down hill. Also I was shocked to see often with some reviews saying the got sick with food poisoning.

Anyone go here in the last few months want to chime in ? If this place is going down hill what my alternative? Im thinking about switch to Tokyo Haus in Japan town.

Thanks.

We hung out with Chef Marcell Hatten at Gwen LA (Chef Curtis Stones Place) while he cooked us a variety of dishes! It was pretty damn good!! Gwen Full Review. Has anyone been lately? I would love to hear your thoughts.

I don’t know if this is way of justifying it . Im heading to the dodger game . Im from washington state amd came down for the game . I was divided on making that expense but my first bite of yoshinoya earlier today made it worth it. I will say it’s been a few years since I’ve had it and it just tastes a bit different. Maybe Mandela affect? Lol

Visiting LA for a few days! What are your must try food spots?

I’ll be in LA for a few days and would love recommendations from locals! I’m looking for places that are genuinely worth visiting, whether they’re famous institutions or little neighborhood spots that deserve more love.

I love old school Italian restaurants, classic diners, historic eateries, and hole in the walls with a story behind them. I’m also interested in Asian food, especially any must try spots, and authentic Mexican food, particularly great tacos!

Are there any amazing taco trucks or street vendors set up on corners that I absolutely need to try? I’d love to find some local favorites!

Bonus points for places with vintage charm, Googie architecture, or a cool retro atmosphere.

What are your personal must visits? I’d love to hear about the places that make LA’s food scene special!

I went to order a pizza on a weekday night and it said it would be ready in 80 MINUTES?! Was the ordering app overestimating or is this just how it is?

Hey everyone! I’m planning to take my wife out for brunch for her birthday and looking for some great recommendations in West LA (Westwood, Brentwood, Santa Monica, or nearby).
Ideally, somewhere with great food, a nice atmosphere, and a little special for a birthday celebration.

Any recommendations? Thanks in advance!

Roasted Duck by Pa Ord is located at 5136 Hollywood Blvd. in Thai Town, just east of Western Avenue.

I've been going to Pa Ord for years for their soup noodles, but I didn't realize they had this roasted duck offshoot until a friend suggested it for lunch.

As you might imagine, duck is the specialty here. You can get it roasted or stewed, served over rice, in noodle soup, or with their jade noodles.

Being a sucker for Thai noodle soups, I ordered the roasted duck noodle soup. I should have remembered that even "Thai mild" is roughly equivalent to medium-hot at most other places. I can handle spice, but I probably would have preferred something a little less aggressive.

You get a choice of noodles, and I went with the wide rice noodles. In retrospect, I think I would have been happier with something thinner. Wide rice noodles just don't have the same appeal to me as their wheat-flour counterparts.

The duck itself was nicely done. The bowl included both chopped roasted duck and a couple of stewed duck wings. Most of the roasted duck had been trimmed from the bone, though not entirely, so it's worth paying attention as you eat.

Overall, I thought the soup was solid, if otherwise unremarkable. At $20, it seemed fairly priced for a duck noodle soup.

My friend ordered the half roasted duck, which comes with rice and jade noodles. Since we were sharing, I got to sample a few extra pieces after finishing my soup. Like the noodle soup, the roasted duck was good, but I don't know that I'd come away thinking it was the best version of the dish I've had. At $40, it was also a much larger order, with enough leftovers for another meal.

All in all, I thought this was a decent lunch, but not somewhere I'd be making a point of returning to.

Hi there!

We recently moved to Marina del Rey and my boyfriend's birthday is coming up. He hates cakes but loves pie, so was thinking of getting him a "birthday pie" this year!

His favorites are apple and banana cream, and generally 1) likes a flaky crust, and 2) likes pies that aren't too sweet.

I saw this thread, but it's been a year since it was posted, and most of the recs seem to be in LA proper. The two Westside spots mentioned didn’t sound quite right for his preferences.

Any recommendations for a great whole pie on the Westside? I’m happy to drive a bit but that weekend should be pretty busy with birthday things so I can't go too far. Thanks in advance!

Sichuan Impression in Alhambra shouldn't be a secret to anyone around here. Along with Chengdu Taste, it has anchored the SGV's modern Sichuan dining scene for more than a decade.

I've written about them before, so I'm not going to rehash all the background.

Recently, though, my wife and I have been reminded of just how much we enjoy eating there, even when it's just the two of us. The portion sizes are really geared toward larger groups, but the last few times we've gone, we've simply ordered three dishes and called it a night.

Our dinner the other night came to about $60, which isn't exactly cheap for two people. But because we got two meals out of it thanks to the leftovers, it really worked out to about $15 a person, which seems extremely reasonable.

What we've landed on is that one of the three dishes should definitely be a vegetable. In the past we've gone with the a choy, but the other night we tried their dry-pot cauliflower cooked with lard. I'm more accustomed to seeing versions of this dish at Hunan restaurants, but regardless, the cauliflower was cooked well and was a lot less greasy than other versions I've had. That said, I thought it could have used more salt, and I think it would have benefited from some salted smoked pork belly stir-fried in with the cauliflower. It's not that the dish needed a protein. It just needed a little more richness and seasoning.

The second dish is usually one of our favorites, whether that's the toothpick lamb or the fish fillet with mala peppers and wood ear mushrooms. This time, however, we decided to try something new: the fish in pickled soup with vermicelli. It doesn't have the same mala punch or level of heat as the other fish dish, but I thought it was really solid. The sourness and spiciness played well together, the vermicelli added body, and the fish was firm while still flaky.

One small warning: the chili in this dish intensified dramatically overnight. It didn't seem particularly spicy the night we ate it, but by the next day it had kicked things up several notches.

The third dish is usually a starch. My wife likes the "impressive jelly noodles," which I believe are made from mung bean. I tend to prefer the shredded potato with vinegar. This time, though, we went with the fried rice. It wasn't extraordinary, but it was tasty enough.

Sichuan Impression is still best enjoyed with a larger group so you can sample more of the menu. But if the two of us are in the mood for Chinese food, we're definitely not mad at this particular trio of dishes.

Lunch special $11.50
Pepperoni sourdough slice
Side salad
Soda

It was agreeable and inexpensive, though not something I’ll go out of my way to get. It scratched the itch for a slice of pizza that was neither negligible nor gigantic. The crust was good and bready. But there are just too many other options in this area alone. The artisanal cola (Swell) was decent.

Canter’s Deli, a Los Angeles restaurant that has been operating for nearly 100 years, is facing mounting financial pressure after its monthly electric bill soared to well over $34,000, up nearly $10,000 from just four months ago.

Third-generation owner Mark Canter said the business has cut back on air conditioning and equipment use to conserve energy, while the Los Angeles city controller’s office investigates complaints about rising utility bills.

Canter warned that if costs keep climbing, the 24-hour deli may have to make difficult decisions, including laying off employees who have worked there for decades.

Credit: CBS

Restaurants with comfortable booths and excellent food

Something shareable for like four people, ideally close to Silverlake/DTLA/Hollywood area but willing to drive up to a half hour each way for it

Xiang Ji is a Taiwanese-style beef noodle soup restaurant at 411 E. Huntington Dr. in Arcadia, right next to the Lanzhou-style spot Lan Noodle that most people are probably more familiar with.

As a regular at Lan Noodle, I've walked past Xiang Ji countless times. Today, I finally decided to give the neighbor a shot.
They offer their niu rou mian with different meat combinations depending on whether you want shank, tendon, tripe, or some combination thereof. I opted for the standard braised beef noodles ($15).

This wasn't an extraordinary bowl of beef noodle soup, but it was a solid one. The broth had a deep, savory flavor and, unlike some versions, wasn't built around vinegar or chili oil. Normally I'd miss at least one of those elements, but here the broth had enough character to stand on its own.

The noodles didn't seem homemade, but they still had a pleasant chew. The braised beef was mostly tender and properly seasoned. With the weather turning a bit cooler, it made for a particularly comforting meal.

Would I recommend making a special trip for it? Probably not. But if I lived closer to this part of the SGV, Xiang Ji would definitely be in the rotation. That said, I've become more partial to Lanzhou-style beef noodle soup these days, so the lure of Lan Noodle right next door might be hard to resist.

Which Din Tai Fung location would you recommend for a first date? Glendale, Century City, or Santa Monica? Ideally would be able to walk around afterwards.