Restaurants & Shopping

One of the benefits of living in Los Angeles is being immersed in such a diverse culture.  There are endless opportunities to try new cuisines and to experience unique shopping trips around the Los Angeles area.  Living just a few minutes from downtown LA has many benefits.  For a college student on a budget, exploring the streets of Los Angeles to find to the most reasonable and appealing restaurants and shopping centers is always an adventure!  

With the launch of the many social networking sites in the past decade that offer the public user-generated reviews, it has been easier than ever to navigate through the streets of LA and find restaurants and shopping centers that will fit your liking.  Well-known websites, including Yelp, OpenTable, and Foursquare, have developed user-based reviews that provide reliable evaluations and recommendations on restaurants, shopping centers, and the like. 

Cruising through Los Angeles and looking for delicious eateries, diners, and cafes has become a recent interest for many people.  Being an avid traveler, I am fond of searching for different restaurants to visit.  My appreciation for trying new cuisines developed when I was a young child.  As a Filipino-American, I had the opportunity to fully experience two very difficult cultures: Filipino and American cultures.  Growing up, my experience in traveling to various states in this country fostered my curiosity about the multitude of cultures beyond California.  Travelling allowed me to learn about people of different backgrounds.  One of the best ways of doing so is by trying different restaurants.    

While driving through the streets of LA, hidden gems of restaurants can be discovered.  Here are my top favorite eateries and shopping centers in Los Angeles:

Hungry?

10. Gyu Kaku Happy Hour is the ideal time to dine here.  This Japanese restaurant on West Pico Boulevard offers 50% their delicious appetizers along with other menu discounts.

9. Mercado La Paloma Filled with many restaurants, this marketplace on South Grand Avenue is home to the Burger GrillPlaza, which serves one of the best turkey burgers in Los Angeles. 

8. Yang Chow Restaurant Ordering their famous Slippery Shrimp dish at this Mandarin restaurant in Chinatown on North Broadway is a must.  It is also entertaining to see the different celebrities who have eaten at this restaurant and autographed photos hanging on the wall of stars.

7. Dino’s Chicken and Burgers Their half chicken dinner combination which comes with half of a chicken, French fries, coleslaw, and tortilla is best deal on their menu.

6. Wurstküche This unique place, located on East 3^rd Street, is German-themed and serves exotic sausages that are worth trying.  Some of the sausages on their menu include pork, buffalo, rabbit, and alligator. 

5. O Dae San Koreatown has many Korean barbeque restaurants, but this All You Can Eat eatery has a comforting ambiance and serves lunch and dinner at affordable costs.

4. Roscoe’s House of Chicken & Waffles For first-timers to this restaurant, it is important to try the chicken and waffles (of course!).  Dine at the West Pico Boulevard location and there is a possible chance of dining next to a celebrity. 

Bottega Louie pastries 

3. Bottega Louie Having exceptional hospitality is only part of the experience.  Along with being a great place for brunch, this Italian restaurant and bakery on South Grand Avenue is a must for their macarons and beignets.

2.Grand Central Market Similar to Mercado La Paloma, this downtown eatery, which is rich in LA history and located on South Broadway, offers diverse selections of food, including Mexican, Mediterranean, Chinese, and much more!

1. The Original Farmer’s Market Visiting this historical landmark is essential to fully experience Los Angeles.  Not only does it provide a variety of selections of cuisines, it is a great place to find the freshest fruits and vegetables grown by local farmers.

Sweet Tooth?

3. MILK Located on Beverly Boulevard, this dessert parlor makes tasteful macaron ice cream sandwiches with flavors like Thai tea, coffee, and red velvet.

2. Café Dulce This Little Tokyo bakery offers a wide range of desserts, coffee, and tea.  All lovers of donuts must try their bacon donut. 

1. The Pie Hole Walking into this small bakery on Traction Avenue, customers can already smell the sweet goodness of their pies.  The maple custard pie and Mexican chocolate pie are some of their tastiest pies. 

Thirsty?

3. Boba Time On a small corner on East 12^th Street, many people easily overlook this boba shop.  It serves boba drinks and sweet desserts.   

2. Four Leaf Tea & Crepes Located in Little Tokyo on East 2^nd Street, this place makes flavorful cups of tea and coffee.  A good combination is a cold Fruits Tea with boba and the Going Bananas crepe.

1. Urth Café One of the best places in downtown LA to order a nice cup of organic coffee is this small coffee shop on Hewitt Street.  Their famous hot Spanish latte is soothing and topped off with a creative design.

Retail Therapy?

5. LA Fashion District For those looking for the ultimate bargains on everything from jewelry to apparel, there are many shops to choose from.  It is also the location of the famous SanteeAlley, which sells some of the latest fashion trends. 

The Grove at night

4. FigAt7th This shopping center new to downtown on Figueroa Street is the latest location for Target.

3. Beverly Center All of the popular top name brands (such as Burberry, Fendi, and Gucci) and department stores (like Bloomingdales and Macy’s) are located at this shopping center on Beverly Boulevard.

2. Third Street Promenade Just a walk away from the pier, great shopping and entertainment can be found here.  Some of their stores include Anthropologie, American Apparel, and the Apple Store.

1. The Grove Located west of downtown LA, this outdoor shopping mall is a upbeat ambience for retail shopping at places, such as Nordstrom, J. Crew. 

As a Southern Californian resident, exploring diverse cultures can be accomplished by visiting new restaurants and shopping centers.  Living in downtown Los Angeles exposes people to diversity in Southern California along with individuals of different backgrounds.  Eating at various restaurants reflected other persons’ diverse heritage.  Through my curiosity in learning about Los Angeles, I realized that I am passionate in learning about other people.  In the city of Los Angeles alone, we encounter people from various cultures in our everyday lives.