Content originally written for the Let’s Go: USA & Canada Guide by our researcher-writer, Graham Bishai.
Grand Central Market ($)
317 S. Broadway; (213) 624-2378; grandcentralmarket.com; open daily 8am-10pm, shop hours vary
Call it the hipsterfication of the city food market. All you Instagram-basic, self-obsessed, millennials better get yer phone cameras ready for neon signs galore. This gigantic hall of diverse food vendors explodes with youthful energy, despite the fact that it’s a century old. Over the years, Grand Central Market has changed with its gentrified Downtown LA home. It used to serve mainly working-class Latinos, but its main customer base is much bougier and more white now. You can still get great pupusas and tacos, but you can also pay $8 for a gourmet PB&J, if that’s your jam.
Prices vary; some stalls cash only; gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian options; wheelchair accessible
Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles ($)
1514 N Gower St.; (323) 466-7453; roscoeschickenandwaffles.com; open M-Th 8:30am-midnight, F 8:30am-4am, Sa 8am-4am, Su 8am-midnight
This restaurant has served chicken and waffles since 1975. How do you know it’s good? Just ask Snoop Dogg. Not convinced? Obama has given this restaurant his stamp of approval, you snob. Eager customers form lines around the block for Roscoe’s crispy, well-seasoned drumsticks and thin, buttery waffles. Drench your entire plate in maple syrup (yeah, you definitely didn’t mean for it to come out so fast—your secret’s safe with us) and crunch into that chicken. It’s simple, it’s unpretentious, and it feels just like home.
Chicken and waffles from $9; wheelchair accessible
Bruxie ($)
1412 3rd St. Promenade; (424) 268-9955; bruxie.com; open Su-Th 10am-9pm, F-Sa 10am-10pm
You’ve heard of chicken and waffles. But a chicken and waffle sandwich? And with a fried egg, cheese, and pickles? Whoa there. This fast-casual spot serves up unique takes on familiar favorites, like the inexplicably popular strawberry lemonade, which is great for washing down each gut-busting savory bite. Bruxie spills out onto Santa Monica’s flashy Third Street Promenade, just like the contents of your overstuffed sandwich. You’re not Bill de Blasio, so you can pull out a knife and fork. Although it is LA, so watch out for the paparazzi.
Chicken and waffle sandwiches from $10; wheelchair accessible
Milk Tavern ($$)
528 S Western Ave.; (213) 568-3770; milktavern.com; open M-W 2pm-11:30pm. Th-Sa 2pm-1:30am, Su 2pm-1:30am
You’ve seen the Facebook videos. Milk Tavern is your latest Instagrammable heaven: a cereal bar meets actual bar meets ice cream shop meets adult playground. Choose the breakfast cereal(s) you want blended into your ice cream. If that’s too basic for you, grab an ice cream-stuffed burrito or a rainbow grilled cheese, and wash that down with a champagne ice cream float. The portion sizes are hefty, so bring a friend to share. After all, who else will you will let you win in a game of ping pong? We’re not fooled by the booze in your ice cream—you have a lot of growing up to do.
Desserts from $6; wheelchair accessible
Original Farmers Market
6333 W 3rd St.; (323) 933-9211; farmersmarketla.com; open M-F 9am-9pm, Sa 9am-8pm, Su 10am-7pm
Go hungry. Or don’t, for the sake of your wallet. Originally a farmers market, Original Farmers Market is now a hubbub of comfort food stalls, with everything from the crêpes, ice cream, and doughnuts, to the downright absurd: espresso served in ice cream cone-shaped espresso cups. Fritzi Coop is known for its huge-ass chicken sandwiches stuffed with tater tots. Beyoncé called, and she needs more hot sauce for her bag. Just pop into Light My Fire, the hot sauce store selling hundreds of hot sauces, each with a crazy name and a heat rating. Bob’s Doughnuts serves up fresh baked happiness and delicious lemonade. Insert Beyoncé reference number two here. There’s plenty of places to sit and enjoy the happy energy radiating out from each bite.
Prices vary; some stalls cash only; gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian options; wheelchair accessible
The Poké Shack ($$)
79 Windward Ave.; (310) 804-5734 ; thepokeshack.com; open daily 11am-10pm
After a day in the Venice Beach sun, grab a bowl of fresh, delicious Poké. At the Poké Shack, they like it raw. That innuendo is theirs, not mine. Poké is a Hawaiian raw fish salad—just think deconstructed sushi with more toppings. The shack has casual counter service, customizable by pointing at what you like. Sit inside or out and admire the famous Venice sign out the door. If poké’s not your thing, grab an açaí bowl and fill up on delicious Technicolor fruit.
Bowls from $11; gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian options available; wheelchair accessible
Graham left behind the stressed-out chaos of Cambridge for the laid back life on the West Coast. A refreshing change of pace, he assumed, until the line for coffee on his first morning took 2 mins longer than he’s used to, and the Northeast nasty jumped out. Starting in Vancouver, Graham meandered south, toning his calves being a pedestrian on San Francisco’s hills and by navigating the monstrosity that is Los Angeles using just his feet and public transit (only resorting to Uber twice!) Graham’s love for the West Coast life only increased as he sat by the Puget Sound in Seattle, sipped kombucha in the crunchy cafes of Portland, climbed into a waterfall in Yosemite and stayed in an abandoned opera house in Death Valley. By the time he hit upper 80s sun of San Diego, buff calves and sun tanned, the words “West Coast, Best Coast,” almost slipped out of his mouth. Identity crisis looming, he figured it was time to go home.
