New Capital Seafood Restaurant

Best Dim Sum in Southern California !!!!!!...but come early (like before 9:30) or else face the wrath of an endless wait.

I've been to many dim sum places in Southern California, but New Capital is still the best one I have been to. It is a bit more pricey than some (around $2 per item), but the quality and quantity of the dishes is unmatched.

The only bad thing about this place is the wait. Come early (like before 10), and even earlier on weekends (like 9 to 9:30) or else expect a 1 to 2 hour wait, no kidding. This place is a Cantonese restaurant, so the atmosphere and service might be a shock to those not used to it already. Basically, you have to know what you want right away.

If you are looking for service and quick service this place might not be for you, but if you are looking for great food this is the place to go!

140 W Valley Blvd
San Gabriel, CA 91776

(626) 288-1899

Malibu Fish Grill

Great food, decent prices- this place is a great local spot to eat some fish!

Although the parking lot is a bit small, Malibu Fish Grill is a great place to go for a meal if you are craving fish.

They have a decent selection of fish and you can get the fish either grilled or fried. The deep fry is fish and chips style, while the grill is cooked medium rare to medium so it is still tender.The prices for the combos are from around ($8-$12) dollars.

Very causal dining, with very good food. Would come here again!

725 N Pacific Coast Hwy
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
(310) 798-2800

Wakasaya

A great place for people who like Japanese food other than Ramen and Sushi

Wakasaya is a place to try another side of Japanese food: The Donburi Bowl. A donbrui bowl is a rice bowl that is covered by toppings of your choice, This can include tuna, shredded tuna, unagi, uni etc...

The bowl is a bit small, like the size of a cereal bowl, and the prices are a bit pricey for what it is: $14 -20 dollars. The fish and uni were fresh, but I thought the serving size was a bit too small.

Of course there is the "challenge", but that seems almost impossible given the amount of food ( a cereal bowl size) X 6, and a large bowl of miso soup.

This place was a nice place to try, but the concept didn't really impress me. Others might disagree.

2123 Sawtelle Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 235-2121

Brodard Restaurant

Vietnamese Food that will BLOW your mind away!

When most people think of Vietnamese food, one would think of either pho or baguette sandwiches. Brodard offers this and much, much more. With a very extensive menu, there is much to choose from; however there were some very notable things to get:

Spring Rolls- offered with a "special sauce" that is a house secret
Vermicelli- Has a lot more things than average places.

I've been to many Vietnamese places, and I must say this one is probably one the best Vietnamese restaurants that I've been to.

9892 Westminster Ave
Garden Grove, CA 92844
(714) 530-1744

The Outdoor Grill

BBQ tacos are pretty good here!

I really like these little BBQ shacks. I often times find some of the best BBQ there.

Although I only got tacos, the meat was very good. You could tell that they charred the beef really well, and it was priced reasonably well. I have had a lot of tacos at a lot of places, but grilling the meat makes it really good.

The atmosphere here is really relaxed. You can chill on the roof and enjoy some really good BBQ!

12630 Washington Pl
Los Angeles, CA 90066
(310) 636-4745

 

House of Hayden

Strange Bar..can get kind of trippy at times

We were pub crawling through downtown Long Beach when we stumbled upon this place. The decorations were pretty weird, and like most people have said...it is very Tim Burtonish. The most trippy thing though was the flying mini-me at the top of the bar. (please see pictures). There is a DJ and a pool table, so it isn't too bad of a place.

Anyways this place is a decent place, with an okay selection of drinks. There are no draft beers of the sort, but the bartender can whip up different types of drinks.

Besides having no draft beer, this is a decent place to go and check out.

421 E 1st St
Long Beach, CA 90802
(562) 435-5699

Congregation Ale House

Time to start drinking some beers at church!

Found this place while walking around downtown Long Beach. I must say this is one of the most interesting bars I have ever been to.

This place has a church theme where the waitresses have naughty school girl outfits and the waiters have priest outfits. The tip jars, are "offerings" and the entire atmosphere is kind of surreal. It looks like you're in a Quentin Tarintino movie.

As for the beers, they have a decent selection of Belguim beers priced decently from ($5-$10). Although the waitresses weren't exactly hot, and the beer selection is average, I have to say the entire theme is worth the drive out. Its not everyday you can get drunk at "church"!!!!

201 E Broadway Ave
Long Beach, CA 90802
(562) 432-2337

 

George's Greek Cafe

This place has some excellent lamb!

Granted this place is in the middle of downtown Long Beach (hence a tourist place), the quality of food is quite superb. The Keleftico (slow roasted lamb, only served on Friday Nights $14.95) was really good, and worth the drive out.

The lamb is somewhat tender. I would compare it to pulled pork BBQ, only lamb style. Served with salad and pita bread however, this dish has an array of flavors and can satisfy most. Pairing this with a glass of wine is magnificent, and well worth the extra money (around $4-$7).

This place is a really great date place, or a great place to try lamb. Authentic Greek restaurant with SMASHING PLATES!

135 Pine Ave
Long Beach, CA 90802

(562) 437-1184

www.georgesgreekcafe.com

 

 

Chin-Ma-Ya of Tokyo

There really is only one type of ramen here: Tan-Tan men...so either you're going to like it or hate it.

The tan-tan men has a peanut butter taste to it, and you can adjust how spicy you want it. I personally like it, but I like heavier ramens. Chin-Ma Ya isn't the heaviest ramen I have tasted, but it definitely has a lot of flavor. People who don't like heavy ramen are not going to like this place that much.

There is also Chin-Ma Han (which is mapo tofu with rice). This dish is pretty good too, but you have to ask yourself why would you get a rice dish at a ramen place?

Anyways I thought it was okay for what it was, but it definitely takes an acquired taste.

18537 Western Blvd
Gardena, CA 90248
(310) 532-0999

Carnitas Michoacan

24-7 place to get tacos and orange bang!!!

This place is awesome simply put. The tacos and burritos are as good as you're going to get from any taco truck or restaurant. This place is a plus because it is open 24 hours and also carries orange bang! There are not that many places in LA that has that.

Aside from the tacos and burritos, the papa fritos nachos (fries that are treated as nachos) are awesome and can feed a late night craving. Great place, this is a regular spot for me!

1901 N Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90031
(323) 224-9044

The Yummy One

This place has some very good Korean/Asian fusion food. Although I'm not a big fan of this type of food, but the offering was fairly decent

The spring rolls were decently big, and reasonably priced. There was enough meat to make it taste really good, while still retaining the spring roll feeling. The peanut sauce that came with the spring rolls was very savory too. The servers were pretty friendly, and made me want to come back for more!

Los Angeles, CA 90020
(213) 446-1419