Original Pancake House

Best pancakes in the South !

This place has super long lines, so go early (before 10). Also Original Pancake House closes early (3pm), so don't expect to come here for dinner.

All of the buttermilk pancakes are good, but if you are looking for something exotic, try the dutch baby or the apple pancake. At around $10, they are a bit pricey, but the oven baked pancakes are truly something else. Its almost like eating a funnel cake, but even better.

This place won't disappoint!

1756 S Pacific Coast Hwy
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
(310) 543-9875

LA chicken

Japanese Tacos and burritos down by Little Tokyo

LA Chicken is a great place to go if you are in a hurry, and are hungry. There is hardly any seating, and most people pretty much take to go Instead of having korean style tacos and burritos like Kogi or Bool, LA chicken has Japanese versions of the same thing .

The food here is good and cheap. The chicken burrito combo is under $7, and most items are around the same range or even cheaper. The meat is sweet and tender,  and in my opinion, a little better than the ones in the food truck. You don't get that greasy taste, that the trucks usually have.

Cool quaint spot if you are just breezing though Little Tokyo. Would stop by here again!

228 E 1st St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Neighborhoods: Downtown, Little Tokyo

Zencu Sushi & Grill

Awesome happy hour specials!

If you are walking in Little Tokyo in the afternoon (4pm-6pm), and want an afternoon "snack", Zencu is a pretty cool place to go.

$1.99 for a glass of beer, and cheapo sushi, for less than $5 (California rolls and spicy tuna rolls). If you are looking for "authentic" Japanese food, this may not be the place to go.  Lunch and dinner look average....but for happy hour..this place rules!

319 E 2nd St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 687-7780

Phoenix Inn Chinese Cuisine

About the only thing that is open late in LA chinatown..

Having worked in downtown LA at night time, Phoenix Inn is the go to place for late night. Many Yelpers have complained that this place has lost its humble roots. Sadly this is true. Phoenix inn Chinese Cuisine is just like other Phoenix Bakeries in San Gabriel and Rowland Heights. If you are looking for family Chinese food this is not the place to go.

On other hand this place is great for late nights munchies. The mixed fruit tapioca $3.25 with honey walnut shrimp $ 8, is an unbeatable combo.

Got the late night muchines in downtown LA?...This is the place to go!

301 Ord St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 629-2812

Extraordinary Desserts

f you are into desserts...this place is extraordinary!!

Great desert place! It is a little pricey, generally more of a date place..but if you're not from San Diego, this is a pretty cool place to check out. I enjoy chocolate, and very sweet things.For those who don't have a sweet tooth, or don't like desserts super sweet, this may not be the best place to check out.

A small cake, which are very esthetically pleasing are around $10-$15. Anything bigger cost a lot more, you probably would want to take home.

Extraordinary Desserts is only for the chocolate brave!

1430 Union St
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 294-7001

Karl Strauss Brewery & Restaurants

Brewery/ Restaurant with craft brews and filling food.

Karl Strauss offers several different types of craft beers, along with American cuisine. I tried the beer burger and several types of mac and cheese. Most of the items were around $10-$15 dollars, but at least the food was filling.

The beer selection consisted  of Red Ales, IPAs, and other typcial styles. If you like beer paring this is a decent place to go. The menu has suggestions of what type of beer to get with what type of food. The pairings that I had went hand and hand. If you are not a beer person, then this place might not be the best place to go.

1157 Columbia St
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 234-2739

Tom's Jr's Burgers

Denny's fast food style in Downtown LA

Tom's Jr's Burgers servers breakfast, lunch and dinner all long. There are steaks, burgers, sandwiches and almost any other American cuisine food one can think of.

The problem here is the price. It is a bit more expensive than subway, little caeser's, and other places around the area ($6.50 for a steak sandwich). For being in downtown LA, the food here is very average.

Too much competition from the Taco shops that surround this place.

1883 Daly St
Los Angeles, CA 90031
(323) 227-0048

Takoyaki Tanota Truck

Octopus balls galore!

Takoyaki Tanota truck (I go to it when it is at the Torrance Maruki) offers 8 pieces of octopus balls for 5$. There are three flavors: original, ponzu and jalapeno.

The balls taste like octopus goo with a thin batter on the outside. The sauce goes really well with the Takoyaki though.

Not for everyone, but its worth a try!


(Sometimes located in front of Torrance Maruki)
Los Angeles, CA 90031
(310) 497-2829

Kushiage Dining Horon

Japanese place that is so chill for lunch..

Although Kushiage Dining Horon seems more like an izakaya at night( a Japanese bar/restaurant that has skewers and other Japanese food), during lunch time, it turns into a cafe. You pay first at the counter (they only accept cash), and then they bring the meal to you.

The lunch combos are a very good value. For around $8 you get a bowl of ramen, and a side order ( The chicken bowl is the best value in my opinion).

The ramen was a bit oily for my taste, but never the less it was still very good. Don't add any spicy sauce to your ramen. I am a chile head, but the spiciness here doesn't really go along with the ramen in this case.

This is an awesome place, and it is very good value. Would come back here any time.

2143 W 182nd St
Torrance, CA 90504
(310) 515-6147

85C Bakery Cafe

Yes they have fresh and hot bread and but...

1)The lines are stupid long (like 30 minutes)

2)You have to fight for the fresh bread..because there are moms who just take the whole trey of bread when it comes out.

3)There are other places with sea salt coffee now.

I have to admit the bread is good despite all the criticism.
The Taro Bread (purple marble covering on top) has to be the most popular item.
This place has a lot of hype.., but it's a great gift for someone not from LA or to show off to someone.

17170 Colima Rd
Hacienda Heights, CA 91745
(626) 839-7889

Mitsuru Cafe

Mitsuru Cafe has two parts. There is a restaurant, and a counter in the front which sells snacks and finger food. The most famous of these snacks, are the imagawayaki which is a pastry the size of a hockey puck. On the outside it has the consistency of a pancake and in the middle has a gooey red bean paste. When it is hot, it is very good.

From the window you can see the process of cooking the imagawayaki. For $1.25 for one, I think it is well worth the experience.

117 Japanese Village Plz Mall
Los Angeles, CA 90012

(213) 613-1028

Sushi & Teri

Fast Japanese food located in the middle of Little Tokyo

Sushi and Teri is located right in the middle of the main Little Tokyo Plaza. Sushi and Teri serves mainly sushi, bento boxes and very typical type of Japanese food. The food is average and not that bad, however being in Little Tokyo there are plenty of other options to choose from.

This place is a budget restaurant and doesn't get too crowed (which may or may not be a good thing), so if you are in a rush and and do not have too much cash this place would be ideal.

All in all, if you are in Little Tokyo,unless you are very lazy, there are other places to explore.

116 Japanese Village Plz Mall
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 687-8368