Suggestions for San Diego and Los Angeles

Our family will be in San Diego (hotel is in the downtown area on Pacific Highway) and Los Angeles (hotel is in Manhattan Beach on Sepulveda) this summer. I have never been to Southern California.

We would love some restaurant suggestions. Since we will be out sightseeing all day, some options do not have to be near the areas where we are staying.

We have three girls (15, 13, and 10), so we don't need fine dining. BYO is preferred. Thai, Vietnamese, Middle Eastern, Indian, Mexican, Italian and pizza would be great.

Anything (or areas) cool to see which isn't a major tourist attraction?

Thanks for the help,
Al

Well, obviously, see here. The last time I was in LA, I stayed in the same area as you. I was on Sepulvada too, just a bit north (El Segundo). The immediate area is pretty vacant, but you have excellent access to many freeways. There is Woody's Smorgesburger on Sepulvada, more interesting for name than delight...

I stand by my recs in the tread linked, especially Falafal King/Stan's. The outdoor mall and the nearby mall are fun for kidz. There's a Fatburger in the mall, especially tasty! Also in that area is Border Grill. It has menus and items to appeal to the parents and the kidz.

Mentioned elsewhere on this board, and a lot of fun for the family is Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles. I like to combine the version in Hollywood with the Sunday Hollywood farmer's market.

I'll add a bit more but I gotta run.

From San Diego, by all means, go up to La Jolla.There's a great outdoor patio overlooking the bay at the historic Hotel Valencia, where my grandfather would have lunch in the 1920's and '30s. Food is good, not great, but you can't beat the setting and the history.

George's, just a block or two away, gets rave reviews, but I was unimpressed ... it's about as good as any of the typical Chicago downtown expense-account places.

The resort at Torrey Pines, a little further north, is also worth a visit, if just for the architecture (especially the brickwork at the entrance).

For a real adventure, take the trolley down to the border and walk across into Tijuana (much faster/easier than driving). The cabs to downtown there are pretty cheap.

A great place for a casual lunch or dinner in Manhattan Beach is Sloopy's. It's been there a long time, my first visit was in 1978. They have all kinds of sandwiches, a good burger, and great fries. My favorite sandwich is the Mother Earth.
The place has a very beachy feel and not touristy. You order and pick up your food at the counter. The tables are old wagon wheels covered with plexiglass. There are a ton of plants everywhere.
It's a great place to go before or after the beach, it's just down the hill.
Sloopy's is a few blocks south of Rosecrans.
3416 Highland Ave.
Manhattan Beach, CA
310-545-1373

If you do go to the La Valencia, send the women to the ladies room in the lobby. It has a fabulous view of the Pacific Ocean.

Another thing to do in La Jolla is to go to La Jolla Cove. It's just north of Scripps Park, and a great place to sit on the rocks and you may see some seals too.

A good restaurant not too far from the beach is The Cottage. I had breakfast there and it was pretty good. Great location.
The Cottage
7702 Fay Ave.
La Jolla, CA
858-454-8409

As this is your first visit to Southern California...you know you have to go to In and Out.....

I have no doubt that your kids will like Hodad's.

The burgers are great.

Hodad's
5010 Newport Avenue
San Diego, CA 92107
619.224.4623

(Michael Stern's review of Hodad's @ Roadfood)

E.M.

My pick for Mexican is Mama Testa's Taqueria in Hillcrest. Most Mexican places in San Diego (at least in downtown and north) serve your basic, boring Mexican-American fare, but Mama Testa's focuses on regional versions of tacos. The tacos come in a number of forms - soft, fried, steamed, and stewed. All are delicious - you really can't go wrong.

Mama Testa Taqueria
1417 A University Ave.
San Diego, CA 92103
(619)298-8226

Perhaps unsurprisingly, there are a good number of restaurants in San Diego where you can get very healthy food. (Before I moved here, I wasn't one for going out for healthy food, but when in California . . . ) One of my favorites is Rimel's Rotisserie in La Jolla. They often run specials on local fish. I like to get the rotisserie chicken with sides of jasmine rice, black beans, and green chili garlic sauce. It all sounds simple, but the chicken is juicy with delicious, crisp skin, and the beans have a nice (chipotle?) flavor. It's also a relative bargain for La Jolla - the chicken combo plates are under $10. Another inexpensive option for La Jolla is El Pescador, which is a combination fish market and cafe. The grilled fish sandwiches are especially good.

Rimel's Rotisserie
1030 Torrey Pines Road, Suite E
La Jolla, CA 92037
(858) 454-6045

El Pescador Fish Market
627 Pearl St
La Jolla, CA 92037
(858) 456-2526

San Diego does great breakfasts. There is a "chain" of restaurants called The Mission that describes its cuisine as Chino-Latino. The Chino part of that equation comes out more at dinner time. For breakfast, the cuisine is heavily Mexican with some American fare thrown in. I like the platas tortillas - scrambled eggs with black beans, scallions, sour cream, salsa, and fresh tortillas. I typically go to the Mission Coffee Cup in La Jolla. If you want an extremely fancy brunch with an incredible view, try the Marine Room, also in La Jolla.

Mission Coffee Cup Cafe
1109 Wall St
La Jolla, CA 92037
(858) 454-2819

The Marine Room
2000 Spindrift Dr
La Jolla, CA 92037
(858) 459-7222

You didn't mention Japanese or sushi as cuisines of interest, but I have to note that San Diego has some pretty good sushi. The uni is especially good - much of the uni served throughout the U.S. is caught in San Diego. My current sushi bar of choice is attached to a Korean restaurant called Buga. (If you like Korean barbecue, Buga does a good job of that too.) The fish is as fresh as any other place in town (we especially love the hamachi. My husband eats a lot of sushi, but we typically are able to get out of there for $60 pre-tip, even when we order uni, giant clam, or other more expensive items.

Buga
5580 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117
(858) 560-1010

An excellent resource for San Diego dining is the mmm-yoso blog. Kirk has great taste.

http://mmm-yoso.typepad.com

You have to go to at least one beach while you are in San Diego. A really beautiful one is Torrey Pines State Beach, which is between Del Mar and La Jolla on Torrey Pines Road. Another popular beach is La Jolla Shores, which is in, you guessed it, La Jolla off of La Jolla Shores Drive. Coronado Beach is also popular and is on Coronado Island. It is a bit closer to where you will be staying than La Jolla, though.

if you're on Sepulveda in Manhattan Beach, PLEASE stay away from all the shenanigans (think Il Fornaio, Johnny Rocket) on Rosecrans east of Sepulveda.

for the immediate vicinity near your hotel try:
Mama D's Italian
1125 Manhattan Ave
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266-5329
(310) 546-1492
http://www.chowhound.com/california/boa ... 32980.html
home made meat balls, olive oil, garlic bread, etc. used to be crowded, loud, friendly and fun. family style taken to the Nth degree. Afterwards, hit the boardwalk for the perfect LA sunset.

otherwise, you're a skip and a hop away from Torrance, possibly biggest community of Japanese immigrants in the country... think Japanese food beyond sushi. also think fun as heck non-alcoholic karaoke clubs (don't forget to turn on the echo, and 'rent' the $1 tambourine - great for "Dancing Queen"). Also in Torrance is

King's Hawaiian original restaurant
2808 Sepulveda Blvd
Torrance CA
(310) 530-0050

you can completely SKIP the s Hawaiian rolls... we like to share the huge luau platter. the food isn't gourmet, or haute anything, but w/ the family, it's fun and near exotic.

further down in Long Beach (ie. lil Phnom Phenh) there's a relatively large Cambodians population. try:

Hak Heang Restaurant
2041 East Anaheim Street
* ask waitress to help you decipher Khmer vs. Chinese dishes
** disclaimer - I used to work w/ the daughter

If you end up anywhere near Rowland Heights/Hacienda Heights w/ the kids, I highly recommend:
Class 302
(99 Ranch Market center)
1015 S. Nogales St.
Rowland Heights, CA

302's schtick: a restaurant modeled after a Taiwanese elementary school (Class 302 = Room 302). The small dishes offered will hopefully be completely new to you. Try the stinky tofu, skip pork chops of any kind.

for the rest of LA, here's a quick (and NOT thorough) compilation from last year...

g'luck and enjoy.

In San Diego towards the convention center, across the road from the Hyatt is Kansas City BBQ, which for CA is pretty good Q. It is equally famous as the film location for the Top Gun bar scenes. Don't go if you are offended by bras hanging from the ceiling.
At the other end of SD in Mission Bay at the end of Thomas at the beach is the Green Flash Restaurant with food much better than it has to be for its location. It may be the quintessential place to look for a green flash or to see beach California walk, jog, run, or glide by.

I was just in San Diego and LA during spring break.

San Diego:
If you like sushi, I love Umi Sushi, 2806 Shelter Island Dr, San Diego, CA
Old Town San Diego is kind of lame, but go over for breakfast (I liked the Coyote Cafe) where they make tortillas right next to your table.
The Gaslamp District is also fun - we had tapas at a place called Ole Madrid, 755 5th Ave, San Diego, CA

I second the mention of the Cottage in La Jolla. Beautiful town, WONDERFUL breakfast!

L.A:
You MUST go to Farmer's Market. It's a pretty touristy outdoor mall, but it has an amazing market with every kind of ethnic food imaginable. So fun!
We also enjoyed the craziness of Venice Beach, but if you want something more low key, Marina Del Rey has a little strip of outdoor places. We enjoyed the simple Terrace Restaurant, 7 Washington Blvd
Marina del Rey, CA

(I must put a mention in for the Nomadic Museum's exhibit "Ashes and Snow" in Santa Monica - simply beautiful!)

DH and I were in San Diego last month. For an unforgettable and exquisite lunch, try the Hotel Del Coronado on Coronado Island. You can have burgers and other grilled sandwiches (sausage, dogs) in an informal atmosphere on the deck right on the water. Or, have a more formal, sitdown lunch in the restaurant just adjacent to the deck (ask to sit outside). Lovely views, beach, sun, flowers and really good food. The shrimp cocktail is served in a margarita glass rimmed in salt; the shrimp is sprinkled with chili powder, and the sauce is flavored with tequila. The house champagne was lovely. I had a delightful salad of mixed greens with blue cheese, walnuts and mango vinaigrette, and lobster bisque; DH had a reuben the size of his head.

www.hoteldel.com

When you're in the Old Town, try the Old Town Mexican Cafe for cheap, decent Mexican food with a laidback, family atmosphere. Tortillas are handmade by ladies in the front of the restaurant as you come in the door. This place was recommended by local foodies, and we weren't disappointed. The margaritas are good; portion sizes and service excellent. If you order fish tacos, get them grilled, not fried. That was my only disappointment. But I"d order the chicken tamales again in a heartbeat, and more of them:

www.oldtownmexcafe.com
Old Town Mexican Cafe
2489 San Diego Ave
San Diego, CA 92110
Tel: (619) 297-4330
Fax: (619) 297-8002
Email: oldtownmexicancafe@yahoo.com
Daily 7:00am- 2:00am
American Express, Cash, Check, Diners Club, Discover, Gift Certificates, MasterCard, Travelers Checks, Visa

Take a walk down India St. in Little Italy for great markets, delis, pizza and gelato. No dearth of family restaurants there. www.littleitalysd.com

Have a great time.

Who doesn't love an Oki Dog?



Oki Dog review

I mean two hot dogs, chili, cheese, and pastrami wrapped in a tortilla? I will confess that I stop there whenever I'm in town. The Original Farmers Market is just a couple blocks south on 3rd & Fairfax where you can pick up a pie at Du-Par's.

Oki Dog
860 N Fairfax Ave
Los Angeles, CA

The Original Farmers Market
6333 West Third Street (3rd and Fairfax Ave)
Los Angeles, CA

I had some great grilled fish tacos at South Beach, which is actually in Ocean Beach at the end of Newport Ave, with a nice ocean view.

This review suggests consistency issues, and since I've only been the once, I can't say, but the locale was great at sunset (and with good friends) and I liked the fact that the fish tacos were grilled. Also, they have a nice variety of types of fish.

South Beach Bar and Grill
5059 Newport Ave.,
Ocean Beach, San Diego
(619) 226-4577

Solid seafood and wonderful views can be had from Peohe's on Coronado Island. Plus, if you kids will love it if you take the ferry over from San Diego. The Marine Room in La Jolla also does a wonderful and romantic dinner with the Pacific waves breaking up against th windows

http://www.peohe.com/

Vital Information wrote:I'll add a bit more but I gotta run.

Well, I never did get around to that bit more...

I really like LA. We took the kidz for 6 days a few years ago, and that was not enough really. There is a lot to do/see. Note, when we went, my kidz were 7 and 9.

We gave them one kidz centered attraction, and while I pined for Knott's Berry Farm for kitsch reasons, we ended up at Universal Studio's. I've been before and its a fun day. I've been to Disneyland years (and years) ago, but I'm sure it's still, well Disney.

Other family things we did: Huntington Library and the Getty. We spent a day wandering Venice Beach up to Santa Monica and it's pier and then the 3rd Street Mall. The Farmer's Market is great for a few hours (and there is other good shopping nearby) and there are great neighborhood markets. The ones I know best are Hollywood and Santa Monica--check for dates. The old LA Mexican area by downtown is actually pretty fun. Just driving around, Pacific Coast Highway, Mulholland, Sunset, can be surprisingly interesting.

Downtown LA is filled with great old buildings. Clifton's cafeteria might fill a need, if not Phillippes is outstanding in many ways.

There are so many interesting pockets, communities, neighborhoods. In my trips, I have scratched at the surface of a few, Japantown, the Israeli/Persian markets on Pico, the Armenian stuff in North Hollywood, but there are huge swathes of stuff I cannot wait to explore: all of the Chinese places in San Gabrial, Koreatown (it's huge), East LA, the Indian area around Artesia, Little Saigon in Santa Ana. Etc., etc., etc.

Rob

germuska wrote:I had some great grilled fish tacos at South Beach, which is actually in Ocean Beach at the end of Newport Ave, with a nice ocean view.

This review suggests consistency issues, and since I've only been the once, I can't say, but the locale was great at sunset (and with good friends) and I liked the fact that the fish tacos were grilled. Also, they have a nice variety of types of fish.

South Beach Bar and Grill
5059 Newport Ave.,
Ocean Beach, San Diego
(619) 226-4577

The review doesn't seem to be linked? Anyway, if that's the place I think it is, I've been there a few times, and love it. Don't expect much in way of atmosphere, just yummy fish tacos, good view, and beer.

leek wrote:The review doesn't seem to be linked?

That's annoying; they must have taken it down. Here's a google cached version of the review:
http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:x4kQMfrizA0J:www.insidebayarea.com/ci_3825817%3Fsource%3Drss+site:insidebayarea.com+south+beach+bar+and+grill&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=2

i've spent the last 3 months going to/fro San Diego--Oceanside and forgot about these 2:

Cafe Chloe
721 9th Ave #1
San Diego, CA
(Gaslamp)
http://www.cafechloe.com/

it's a wine bar, it's a french bistro, it's a tea house. whatever. it's on a artsy corner in the Gaslamp district. they serve a killer brunch with fine ingredients. big plates on tiny bistro tables, warm sunlit room with big open french doors, in DECEMBER no less. not sure where to find this casual sophistication in Chicago.

"greek yogurt with fig & pistachio granola":


"fines herbes, epoisses omelette with chicken sausage"


would you like some ennui with the whatever?:


==============================

Plaza del Pasado
2754 Calhoun St.
San Diego, CA 92110
(Oldtown)

Yah, the Bazaar del Mundo was replaced by the Plaza del Pasado in '05. Gone in '05 were the H.U.G.E. litre-sized margaritas. This was the place to hang out for UCSD students who just turned 21. It's still a fun place to eat fresh tortilla chips and chug margaritas 15 years after graduation. Skip the food. All of the food.

Alfresco drinking (did I mention it's December?)


that margarita glass used to be 2x as big:

MLS wrote:At the other end of SD in Mission Bay at the end of Thomas at the beach is the Green Flash Restaurant with food much better than it has to be for its location. It may be the quintessential place to look for a green flash or to see beach California walk, jog, run, or glide by.

I'd posted on this place once before on another SD thread, but this looked like the right place to give it another shout out. I had perfect restaurant karma this evening: the last free parking spot just around the corner, and the last outdoor table given to a "for one" party, right next to the beachfront walk.

Special of the night was Red Snapper at $16.95 -- two nice-sized filets, ordered "lightly breaded and grilled."
I can't remember the last time I had a piece of fish so perfectly cooked. Just at the flaking point, perfectly moist. It's served with drawn lemon butter and tartar sauce, mixed veggies that are fresh-cooked, not a food service prep, and a baked potato that was actually baked (no foil) with loads of sour cream and chives. More butterfat than I ought to eat (predicted epitaph: "'Twas the butterfat did him in"), but perfect.

The only down note was the bread which was microwaved (although tasty: a sweet wheat and a sourdough) -- nearly a deal-killer, but I wouldn't pass this place up just for that. Overall, great food, great view, great weather. No, I didn't see the green flash, as clouds were coming in. I'll try again, though.

The Green Flash
701 Thomas Avenue
San Diego, CA 92109
858-270-7715
http://www.greenflashrestaurant.com/

More San Diego:
Last night ate at Cafe Coyote. Thoroughly unremarkable, only remarking here to help you find something worth remarking about.

Tonight, much better, kitty-corner from the above: Zocalo.
It's labeled as "South American, Caribbean, Central American" -- we'd call it Nuevo Latino. Outstanding.

My dining companions didn't quite get that it wasn't your ordinary Mex place, and ordered a starter of nachos (which were quite good, but I'm sure are on the menu only because people asked about them until they put them there), I balanced it with artichoke fritters: two nicely spiced sauces and big crispy chunks of battered artichoke hearts.

Lots of things on the menu sounded good, so I ordered the "New World Sampler: honey-porter carnitas, barbacoa beef boneless short ribs and lamb lollipops, served with saffron papas and nuevo latino salsas"

The lamb was a little overcooked, but delicious. The "carnitas" were also very tasty, but should really have some crispy to be called carnitas. The barbacoa short ribs were amazing though. Deep beefy flavor. Accompanied by tiny corn tortillas for taco-izing the pork and beef; a pile of cilantro, onion and jalapeno; three sauces (chile colorado, chimichurri and a plantain "salsa"), it was a great meal.

I was so focused on my food, I really don't know what the others thought of theirs, but it all was beautiful to look at, and all were happy.

I'd go back again in a flash (but there's plenty of other places to try)

Zocalo
2444 San Diego Avenue
San Diego, CA 92110
619-298-9840
http://www.brigantine.com/locations_zocalo.html

JoelF wrote:Tonight, much better, kitty-corner from the above: Zocalo.
It's labeled as "South American, Caribbean, Central American" -- we'd call it Nuevo Latino. Outstanding.

I second this. I ate at Zocalo a couple of weeks ago and had a great meal. We'd had tacos for lunch that day and wanted something a little different. I had a piece of swordfish that was perfectly seasoned and cooked on a beautiful evening on an outdoor patio.

On a separate trip out to San Diego, I ate at the Old Town Mexican cafe, which is just down the street from Zocalo. Freshly made tortillas wrapped around some of the best carnitas I've ever had. You can order them regular or crispy - I went with crispy, which was the right decision. They were very juicy. The margaritas were nothing to wrote home about, but those carnitas... yum.

On the third corner where Zocalo and Cafe Coyote are (the fourth is a store of some sort, IIRC), is Fred's. Much better Mex food than CC-- refried beans are black and delicious, a decent table salsa (and a spicier chipotle version on request). Rolled chicken taquitos with guac and a carne asada taco were pretty darn good. Not legendary, but very enjoyable. Prices similar to Cafe Coyote (reasonable), although not as big a menu. Lots of varieties of Margaritas, but I didn't have one tonight.

Erik M. wrote:I have no doubt that your kids will like Hodad's.

The burgers are great.

Hodad's
5010 Newport Avenue
San Diego, CA 92107
619.224.4623

(Michael Stern's review of Hodad's @ Roadfood)

E.M.

We liked the burgers at Hodad's, but the loud, heavy metal music was a bit too loud for the kids. The music reminded me of Kuma's Corner. We also tried the overpriced, tasty burgers at Burger Lounge (which were greasy and crispy around the edges). The tortillas at Old Town Mexican Cafe were really good. The fish sandwiches at Point Loma Seafood were huge. I wanted to go back to Point Loma Seafood to try out more of their food, but we ran out of the time (plus it is not in a central location).