As a New Yorker, who lurks on r/FoodNYC I normally roll my eyes at posts like these, but this was a fun trip!
We stayed in Hollywood for a few days, then stayed in Long Beach for a wedding, but we drove around a lot.
Would have taken some better pictures but I did not think I was going to post about it. In order.
Honey's Kettle – 2 pc Chicken. Fries. Biscuit. Cornbread.
Saw this on Eater. Never quite had fried chicken like it. Very good! I would describe it as a cross between Asian fried chicken wings with the taste of Southern Fried chicken. Will try to replicate at home. Kind of expensive. Fries needed more seasoning. Biscuit was good. Cornbread was good but nothing special. 8/10Original Tommy's – Chiliburger and Fries. This was mid. Sorry if this is upsetting. For those of you who like George Motz and Alvin Cailan, First We Feast, Burger Show, etc. I have tried over a dozen of burger places across the country they have suggested. They miss way more than they hit. I would say 1 in 3 of the places they mentioned are legit good. The other 2/3 are whatever. This is whatever. 5/10
In-N-Out. Had to go here after being upset by Original Tommy's. Love it. But I have had it before. NYers love to say it is mid and the fries are bad. They're psychos. Love In-N-Out, always have. Ate at In-N-Out twice. 8/10
Leo's Tacos Truck. Tacos Al Pastor. Might have been the best thing we ate all trip. We live in Jackson Heights, NY. We like our tacos. These did not disappoint. 10/10
Breakfast by Salt's Cure. All Star. Griddlecakes, Sausage, Bacon, Eggs. Very good! Griddlecakes are different but tasty. Excellent Bacon manages to be crispy and chewy at the same time (I do not like crispy bacon, I LOVE chewy bacon). Really good eggs. 8.5/10
Michelina. Kouign Amann. I love Kouign Amann. My favorite pastry. I was incredibly happy to see that it is common in LA Bakeries. This was quite good. Traditional. Also BIG. Actually pretty tough to find good ones in NYC. Definitely going to make a Kouign Amann LA trip in the future.
*Not Pictured, https://www.descroissantsparis.com/, picked this up at a Farmer's Market in Culver City and forgot to take a picture. Really excellent. Brighter, lighter, sweeter than Michelina, both good, would eat both again. Support your small bakeries!
Michelina: 8.5/10
Des Croissants Paris: 9/10
- Nonna Mercato Bakery. Kouign Amann. Chocolate Chip Cookie. Brown Butter Cookie. THIS might be the best Kouign Amann I have ever had in my life. Better than Dominique Ansel and Lysee in NYC. It is very difficult to make a Kouign Amann that is both sweet, caramelized, AND has distinct layers. The sugar often makes the layers collapse on themselves. All three Kouign Amann I had this trip were excellent. This was the best. We stumbled on this place because it was near our Airbnb in Long Beach. We ate here three times. Chocolate Chip Cookie was good. Brown Butter Cookie was interesting, chewy and candy like. Both similar to the cookies made at Radio Bakery in NYC.
Kouign Amann: 10/10
Cookies: 8.5/10
Nonna Mercato Cafe. Short Rib Broccolini Macheroni. Very Delicious. Seasonal. Well executed, luxurious, fresh pasta. 8.5/10
Apple Pan. Hickory Burger and Fries. THIS was awesome. Been wanting to go here for years, after Tommy's was nervous I was going to get burned by The Burger Show again. Nope. This is one of their hits. Listen. I HATE cheddar on burgers. I HATE lettuce. I HATE BBQ sauce on burgers. This was different. This was perfect. I have no clue why, but the wedge of lettuce on this was literally my favorite part. Might have been the best lettuce I have ever eaten. The hickory sauce is tuned to be a good burger sauce. I know the cheddar is Tillamook but did not even notice or care that it wasn't American. Steakburger equally as good as the Hickoryburger, it's just a question of if you want light and bright relish or savory hickory sauce. 11/10
Holbox. Kanpachi Tostada. Baja Fish Taco. Shrimp Taco. Scallop Taco. We planned around this one. We arrived, 15 minutes before it opened on Saturday. We waited a total of 30 minutes before we sat down and our food was pretty quick. The Kanpachi Tostada was excellent. Balanced. Spicy. Sweet. Salty. Crispy. Fatty. I could not get the Smoked Kanpachi Taco because I have a peanut allergy. The tacos were…good…if we were in the 60-90 minute line behind us, they would have been disappointing. Scallop was too delicate. The fried shrimp and fish were too strong. I have seen a lot of hype over this place and it is good but it was not something I would wait in a long line for and it looks like they're going to have a long line for awhile. I liked Leo's better over all. This did feel more Bib Gourmand than Michelin. I think Michelin gave it a star more for the tasting menu than the a la carte. 8.5/10
Yama Sushi Marketplace. California Roll.Probably the best a supermarket California roll can possibly be which is pretty good 7.5/10
Portillo's. Dipped Beef Sandwich and Fries. I CANNOT BELIEVE THERE ARE PORTILLO'S IN LA! WAHOO! I love Portillo's 8/10
Top 3
1. Apple Pan
2. Leo's Taco Truck
3. Nonna Mercato Kouign Amann.
Overall, unbelievably impressed with the breadth and depth of the food selection in California.
Definitely worth coming back just for a food trip. Howlin' Rays was the big one we did not get to try. Line was too long. Schedule was too tight.
Dear god was the driving awful though.
by Embarrassed_Cod8120
26 Comments
Better than me and I live here!
And of course, there’s plenty more to be found here.
Yes, driving sucks. Despite what’s commonly known about LA, though, there is functional public transportation here. It’s not up to par with the NYC subway system, but it can be preferable to sitting in traffic.
We clearly have different tastes in burgers because I do not like Apple Pan at all, and will eat Tommy’s at the drop of a hat but that also might just be nostalgia and also there are no chili burgers in China (which is where I had been living for much of the last two decades)
I maintain that LA’s two most outstanding food categories are Korean, which you didn’t hit, and street level Mexican, which you got to Leo’s. I like Leo’s, especially since I can walk to two different trucks, but it’s not my favorite.
For your next trip I would suggest prioritizing Korean (one KBBQ spot and one stew/soup spot) and there’s a giant list of taco trucks that I would hit – Angel’s Tijuana, Taqueira Frontera, Ave 19 Tacos, Villa Corona, Mariscos Jalisco*, Mariscos 4 Vientos, Tacos Guelaguetza, Brothers Cousins and a much longer list that someone is much more of an expert than me could put together.
*I think the tacos dorados de cameron (crispy shrimp taco) is the best bite of food in Los Angeles, and I’ve eaten at Hayato, Providence, n/naka etc etc
Wow! You went to so many different areas of town. What was your favorite?
You did good. Honey’s Kettle for the win.
The first time I went to Holbox I did the tasting menu and it blew me away. A majority of what was on the tasting menu is not on the normal menu and I have to agree that the normal menu just does not stack up. That being said, you definitely missed out by not getting the scallop aguachile.
Also, wheres the Asian food? Next time you come, def spend some time in Ktown and also visit grand central market.
Did well, but I wanted to see some doughnuts! LA is the donut capital of the world.
Could never go back to regular pancakes after having griddlecakes, they are so damn good.
My favorite thing at Holbox by far is the ceviche – if I’d just gotten the tacos, I’d think it was overhyped, but that fresh fish is delicious.
Nice work! I would consider this a hugely successful food trip to LA. You got a little of both old and new.
Honestly really good work
Since you’re from NYC, I can keep it real with you. You did fine for a lurker. I get In-and-Out, but I’m not so sure about Tommy’s or Yama’s premium supermarket sushi. You should explore more Asian spots since we’ve got the best Asian cuisine in the Western Hemisphere, after all. Thanks for stopping by!
LA is a burger town. So many great burger spots nowadays. LOVE that you made it to Portillo’s. My Chicago heart always approves of that. But you did great! You hit up a ton of spots. LA is a great food city when you can find the right spots. So much variety. Howlin Rays is definitely a must next time.
Absolutely love it. I’ve lived here almost 30 years and not hit a few of these places. Great job, I’m inspired!
Shout out to Nonna Mercato! One of the best places in LB!
Not getting Asian food in LA is wild
next time you come to LA, if you’re able to i’d definitely recommend coming down to Long Beach’s Cambodia Town and eating there. largest population of Cambodians outside of Cambodia, there’s a lot of food there you can’t get many other places in the country. Phnom Penh Noodle Shack is the oldest Cambodian restaurant in Long Beach (and might be in the country, i’m not 100% positive) and has amazing food, but Monorom Cambodian and Sophy’s Cambodia Town Food are also great options.
not too far from Long Beach, in Carson, there’s another restaurant offering a unique experience to the LA area called Poly Grill & Bakery that offers amazing Samoan and Tongan food. the owner, staff, and even customers there are always extremely friendly and welcoming, it’s very much a family experience there. i even met The Rock’s mom up there once before, she was buying enough food to feed an army😂
amazing choices, well done. is this the portillo’s in buena park? otherwise, where the hell am i missing one in LA??
Come back, I’ll take you on a food tour if you help me yell at representatives about expanding public transportation and housing first policies! Long Beach alone is a GEM… there’s so much to experience in California. I’m so glad you had fun!!!
So glad you loved Leo’s! That place is an institution and always hits. Yama is so much better than a simple California roll can explain though. The pro move there is to look at the fish in the counter and pick one for them to slice up into sashimi or sushi for you on the spot. I also am awestruck that Portillo’s is in LA (although people would argue Long Beach isn’t technically LA, but semantics lol). Nice list and well done!
Should have saved the beef for your Chicago trip. And you could have done better by adding some Korean. Otherwise not bad.
Whoever is recommending Tommy’s for an LA visit without saying it’s bad but a good kinda bad is setting you up for failure. I grew up on Tommy’s and have had many a night regretting my decision only to come back again to shoot the shit with the homies. Shout out to Jack In The Box tacos for holding me down during college
Even as an Asian the food in the sgv hits different than flushing and queens. Way more regional diversity plus Vietnamese and southeast Asian.
Basically LA understood as a sort of giant fast food factory
I too love a kouign amann and appreciate the recommendations! One of my favorite pastries.
Holbox is still the best meal I’ve ever eaten.
I guess you really like burgers. I just could not stomach that much heavy food in a month, let alone a week. L.A.’s strong suit is its cosmopolitan variety but what you got is awfully like stuff you could have gotten in any city in the US. There’s so much else here: Thai, multiple varieties of Middle Eastern, Chinese, Korean, better Japanese, Ethiopian, all sorts of Mexican, Central American, South American …