I’m going to visit Seattle and LA this November. Can I get some restaurant / street food recs?

13 comments

1. You’ll probably get better answers at those cities’ individual subreddits.

2. /r/Seattle

   /r/LosAngeles

   Some people here will have recommendations but you’ll get more and more specific ones there

3. The Anderson School.

   It’s a bar and restaurant built out of what used to be a high school. The food’s pretty awesome for the price point, but the real draw is the atmosphere. One building is a brewery, one’s a theater, one’s a restaurant, one’s a bar, and they’re all connected via this neat little outdoor dining area where each table has their own fire pit.

   I never visit Washington without going there. Super unique place, really good burgers, really good beer.

4. Try some Pho in LA. It’s about the only thing I like about that city. Some of the ones that look scary are just the best food wise.

5. I was just in LA in July.

   LA is bigger than you think it is and traveling the metro area is a serious challenge. Doesn’t matter if you are driving, walking, or taking transit. It’ll take longer than you think it will and if you just want to sit in your car for an hour or two, you can do that at home and save yourself the airfare.

   You should be looking at what you want to do while in LA and then do things in that area or other nearby areas. Once you start trying to crisscross the metro area, the risk of you getting stuck in traffic rises considerably.

   I stayed in Santa Monica so most of my things were on the western end of LA. Getting into downtown took 20 minutes by Uber, 40-50 by transit. Getting to Hollywood from downtown was another 10-15 minutes via transit.

   Anyway, here’s my general food tips:

   * **Cash is king**, particularly for street food or areas where your total may be less than $20 USD. Many will offer cash discounts, some may only accept cash. And it just helps speed up the process
   * **Don’t sleep on the food trucks or street vendors**. I had a delicious hot dog along the Venice boardwalk. But the food trucks are literally everywhere
   * **Fruit vendors are also very good**. $5-8 gets you a fresh cup of fruit. Look for the vendors who are keeping whole fruit on ice and are chopping the fruit to order. Avoid the ones that are selling fruit cups that are prepared ahead of time
   * Mexican food in LA is awesome.
   * Donut/boba tea bakeries were my staple for breakfast and they are all over the place.
   * Not everyone is going to be speaking English so be patient, point to menu items, or do whatever you need to do to communicate.
   * Unless you are dining in super touristy areas, when a big event is going on, or Michelin starred fine dining restaurants, I wouldn’t worry too much about reservations. We walked in for our dinners and had no problem getting a table.
   * In and Out is the major burger chain but there’s other regional chains just as good. I tried Fatburger while I was out there, no line, and the food was good for being fast.

6. Street Tacos- you can pretty much get them anywhere in LA.
   The Pantry- a pretty good breakfast spot in downtown LA, they’re open 24 hours but they have a line sometimes.
   In-N-Out Burger- get one as soon as you land, 2 miles away from LAX.

7. I don’t live out there but just don’t go to chain restaurants, they aren’t good. Olive garden, chili’s, apple bee’s,shit like that.

   Go to highly rated family owned restaurants, they’re generally the best food

8. Go to Philippe’s near LA Union Station, they invented the french dip sandwich. Just be careful of the mustard, it’s strong stuff.

   INB4 the Cole’s fans come out of the woodwork.

9. I work in Downtown LA, here are some great spots you’ll need to visit. Also, most street vendors now accept some sort of e-payment (venmo/zelle) if they don’t accept cards.

   Guisado’s,
   Eastside Italian Deli,
   Al & Bea’s,
   Tommy’s (Beverly/Rampart),
   Philippe The Original,
   Pink’s,
   Little Jewel of New Orleans,
   Yang Chow,
   El Compadre (Sunset),
   Musso & Frank’s,
   Boardner’s,
   Katana,

10. You gotta try a meal from Un Bien in Seattle. Other people might say Paseo is better (they basically have the same menu) but no. Un Bien is what you want. Also, if you love east/southeast Asian cuisine, you can find it all there.

11. Taylor Shellfish in Seattle is a must hit if you’re into seafood

12. Can’t speak confidently to LA, but I’ve lived in Seattle for 10 years. Anywhere outside the downtown area (which sucks) is going to be pretty good. We’re mostly known for seafood, and various types of Asian food, most prominently Thai and Vietnamese. That said, a few spots in partial to are Kedai Makan, Walrus and the Carpenter, Rupee Bar, Tomo, Local Tide, and Pestle Rock.

13. Serious Pie is a favorite of mine in Seattle.
    Honey Hole Sandwiches on Cap Hill is amazing.
    Dick’s Drive-In is a Seattle fast food staple.
    There’s too many options.