Indonesian, Malaysian, South American, African restaurants

[vivinator]

these groups aren't big in the Southland . well I know there is a Brazilian, ethiopean, eritrean corridor but what else? indonesian in west covina where else? I wonder if LA is really the 2nd most diverse metro area after nyc?

[Outerspace]

Great Indonesian food at Simpang Asia on National Blvd. just west of Motor. Very plain and small room, but very good food.

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Simpang Asia
10433 National Blvd 2, Los Angeles, CA 90034

[noahbites]

Here's a nice big list to prove how awesome LA is.

Malaysian:
Penang in West Covina
Belacan Grill in Redondo Beach
Selamat Detang in Torrance

Indonesian:
Simpang Asia in West LA/Culver City area

Argentina:
Carlitos Gardel in West Hollywood

Belize:
Pelican around Inglewood
Brothers Belizean in South Gate
Little Belize in Inglewood
Nell and John's near USC

Chile:
El Parron in Van Nuys
Rincon Chileno in Wilshire Center

Colombia:
Antojitos Latinos in Van Nuys
Mesón Criollo in Van Nuys
Mi Ama in Lawndale
La Maria North Hollywood
Chibcha near Echo Park

Costa Rica:
Costa Rica Restaurant in Anaheim

Cuba:
Havana Mania in Redondo Beach
Felix in Orange
Portos Bakery in Glendale

Ecuador:
El Caserio in Orange

El Salvador:
La Caravana in Pasedena
Los Chorros in Inglewood

Guatemala:
Paseo Chapin in Downtown
Guatemalteca in Hollywood

Honduras:
El Katracho in Sherman Oaks

Nicaragua:
El Gallo Pinto in Azusa
El Asador in South LA

Peru:
Los Balcones del Peru in the Vine/Mid-Wilshire area
Mario's Peruvian in the Vine/Mid-Wilshire ara
Puro Sabor in Van Nuys
Pollo a la Brasa in Koreatown

Puerto Rico:
Señor Big Ed in Cypress

Venezuela:
Copa Café in Beverly Hills (more of a coffee place)

Nigeria:
Lagos Café in Gardena
Saaris in Inglewood

Senegal/Ghana
Ngoma in Wilshire/LaBrea area

South Africa
Spring Bok in Van Nuys

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Los Balcones Del Peru
1360 Vine St, Los Angeles, CA 90028

Pollo A La Brasa Western
764 S. Western Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90005, USA

Belacan Grill
2701 190th St Ste 100, Redondo Beach, CA 90278

Mi Ama Restaurant
14605 Prairie Ave, Lawndale, CA 90260

Porto's Bakery
315 N Brand Blvd, Glendale, CA 91203

El Caserio Restaurant
309 N Virgil Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90004

Mario's Peruvian & Seafood
5786 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038

Havana Mania
3615 Inglewood Ave, Redondo Beach, CA 90278

Simpang Asia
10433 National Blvd 2, Los Angeles, CA 90034

La Maria
10516 Victory Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91606

Chibcha Colombian Restaurant
2619 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026

Springbok Bar & Grill
16153 Victory Blvd, Van Nuys, CA 91406

Carlitos Gardel
7963 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90046

Ngoma
5358 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA

Los Chorros
4693 W Century Blvd, Inglewood, CA 90304

El Katracho Restaurant
14838 Burbank Blvd, Sherman Oaks, CA 91411

Rincon Chileno
4354 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90029

Felix Continental Cafe
36 Plaza Sq, Orange, CA 92866

Saaris
307 E Hillcrest Blvd, Inglewood, CA 90301

Puro Sabor
6366 Van Nuys Blvd, Van Nuys, CA 91401

Penang Malaysian Cuisine
987 S Glendora Ave, West Covina, CA 91790

Selamat Detang
2701 190th St, Torrance, CA

Pelican Belizean Cuisine
4254 S Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90037

Brothers Belizean Restaurant
11313 Avalon Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90061

Little Belize
217 E Nutwood St, Inglewood, CA 90301

Nel & John's Belizean
3567 S Western Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90018

El Parron
Van Nuys, CA, Van Nuys, CA

Antojitos Latinos
14909 Vanowen St, Van Nuys, CA 91405

Meson Criollo Grill
15713 Vanowen St, Van Nuys, CA 91406

Costa Rica Restaurant
2500 W Lincoln Ave # 5, Anaheim, CA

La Caravana Restaurante Salvadoreno
1306 N Lake Ave, Pasadena, CA 91104

Guatemalteca Bakery
4770 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90029

El Asador Restaurant
1225 Venice Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90006

Senor Big Ed
5490 Lincoln Ave, Cypress, CA 90630

Copa Café
Beverly Hills, CA, Beverly Hills, CA

El Gallo Pinto Restaurant
5559 N Azusa Ave, Azusa, CA 91702

[JBC]

Nice List ~ Here are a few more:
------------------------------------------------------

Benin:
Uncle Al's Seafood - Long Beach ~ (African/Cajun).
http://www.unclealseafood.com

Ivory Coast:
Sweet African Fast Food - Inglewood

Morocco:
Dar Maghreb - Hollywood
http://www.darmaghrebrestaurant.com

Mozambique:
Mozambique - Laguna Beach
http://www.mozambiqueoc.com

Pan-African:
Ngoma - Mid Wilshire
(Already mentioned above; however, they bill themselves as Pan-African dividing their menu between Central West African & Central East African [i.e. Kenya] ).
http://www.ngomarestaurant.com

Senegal:
Bistro 4040 - Baldwin Hills

Tunisia:
Moun of Tunis - Hollywood
http://www.mounoftunisrestaurant.co

Bolivia:
La Kantuta - North Hollywood

Haiti :
Tigeorge's Chicken - Downtown-ish
http://www.tigeorgeschicken.com

Trinidad & Tobago:
Caribbean Treehouse - Inglewood

Singapore (right in the middle of Malaysia & Indonesia):
Banana Leaf - West Hollywood

[mbh65]

I am pretty sure that Mozambique is South African (ironically), but pretty good food. :-)

[WildSwede]

Do you know if the Banana Leaf you mention is related to the ones in Vancouver? Had a great meal there a couple of months ago. Thanks!

[JBC]

I personally don't know; however, the Vancouver Banana Leaf's website describes itself as "Malaysian Cuisine" with 3 locations in Vancouver. So I strongly doubt it.

[WildSwede]

That makes me sad since the meal was phenomenal and I wish I could have it down here.

[burumun]

To add to the Indonesian list:
Ramayani on Westwood Blvd
It's more expensive than Simpang Asia ... but they do offer more variety and some of the dishes are better here than at Simpang
I think the Gudeg is better at Simpang but soto betawi at Ramayani is pretty good!

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Ramayani Westwood
1777 Westwood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90024

[bulavinaka]

My father-in-law (Malaysian-Chinese) also enjoyed Ramayani's soto kambing as well... It's been a while since we've been, but they also had a stewed dish with oxtails - can't remember the name, but it was quite nice as well...

[tdo]

I loved the Indonesian food that I had in Singapore but IMHO, Ramayani was nothing to close to that goodness.

[bulavinaka]

Everyone says that about food in Singapore - you've been there so you know it's an island full of Chowhound-able eaters. IMHO, they set a high bar, it's a totally different climate, many exotic indigenous ingredients, etc, which all plays like an alchemist's secret formula that is nearly impossible to duplicate here. I'm thankful that we can even get renditions of cuisines from that part of the world here in the Westside and the South Bay with relative ease...

[BobMack]

Do you have any more info on this place?

Selamat Detang in Torrance

I looked it up on the internet but only found an address that I can't find (when driving by) and a phone number and menu that corresponds to Belacan Grill. I hope this place exists since it's right around the corner from me.

[bulavinaka]

Just found them on losangeles.menupages.com under Torrance - clicked their online menu and the items looked like pretty standard but familiar... looked up the address, and it's the same as Belacan Grill... my gut tells me that the greeting, "Selamat Detang" (or selemat dAtang - welcome), must have gotten mislabeled somehow as a restaurant name...

[noahbites]

Hmm. I think you're right. Good detective work.

[zruilong]

I think Selmat Detang was the name of the restaurant before it became Belecan Grill. That location went through many different owners, style changes, etc. Belacan Grill is one of the longest tenents there. It is good food, just never "crowded."

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Belacan Grill
2701 190th St Ste 100, Redondo Beach, CA 90278

[westsidegal]

peruvian-
puro sabor in van nuys
columbian-
la perla de pacifico (north hollywood)

[Das Ubergeek]

Well, four replies to the troll (seriously, find me another American metro area that's a better candidate for the title)... and a huge list for you. Here's a few more:

Malaysian - Tropika, in Tustin
Peruvian - just drive down Sherman Way (Las Quenas, El Hatuchay, etc.)
Argentine - Lala's (WeHo and Studio City), Mercado Buenos Aires (Van Nuys), El Morfi (Glendale) -- there's also an Argentine-Italian place on Chapman east of the 55 that I can never remember the name of.

[slacker]

I think we're more diverse than nyc.

More:

Indonesian:
Indo Cafe (Culver City)

Argentinian:
Grand Casino (Culver City)
Empanada's Place (Culver City)

East African:
Industry Cafe (Culver City)

Oaxacan:
Guelaguetza (Palms, L.A.)

Yucatecan:
Chichen Itza (LA)

I love Culver City for being the united nations of food. Except for Chinese food.

[burumun]

slacker: Are you referring to Indo Cafe on National Blvd, right across from Simpang Asia?

Because if so,I think they're closed now, it's always pitch dark whenever I drive by ... (probably lost all their customers to Simpang)

If not ... did they open another location ?_? Where in Culver City is it?

--burumun
http://gourmetpigs.blogspot.com

[slacker]

oh no! Yes, I'm referring to that Indo Cafe. I was at Simpang about a month ago, but didn't notice that Indo was dark.

[Outerspace]

Last time I was at Simpang, the front of Indo Cafe was boarded up with plywood. I was told they had a fire.

[estone888]

It's reopened and is as good, if not even better, than it used to be.

My favorite Indonesian food is on Saturdays from about 11am to 2pm in the parking lot beind the Duarte Inn, on Foothill Blvd., in Duarte. A group of what are essentially warung.

As for Argentinian, I'm surprised no one has mentioned Mercado Buenos Aires on Sepulveda in Van Nuys.

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Mercado Buenos Aires
7540 Sepulveda Blvd, Van Nuys, CA

Duarte Inn
1200 Huntington Dr, Duarte, CA

[Servorg]

And, so far, no one has even begun listing the Cambodian food places down in the Long Beach area, (just to add a little to the diversity rating of LA - even though I recognize it wasn't a geographic area asked about by the OP).

[slacker]

Don't have to go down to Long Beach:
Battambang
1806 S San Gabriel Blvd
San Gabriel

Not really my thing, but there it is.

[justagthing]

Just cruise down Anaheim Blvd and you will hit many of them. Also, my favorite, Sophy's is moving to a larger location on PCH, west of Redondo.

[bulavinaka]

Throw in the loooooong list of Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, Thai and Mexican dining options and I think our NYC board will cower in fear... The last time I checked, the southland includes the OC and SGV... The OP wants to know what other corridors of ethnicity there are and how diverse the Southland really is... Little Armenia, Tehrangeles, Little Saigon, Koreatown, ThaiTown, East LA,...

[noahbites]

Where can someone get Iraqi food in LA?

[vivinator]

thanks for the responses. hmm singaporean. sounds awesome. a good %age of the population is Indian (particularly Tamil descendants) like Malaysia. went to Elmo's blog and found an Indonesian place in Garden Grove. Mexicans make up a large %age of LA's diversity which is why I asked if it's really the 2nd most diverse area compared to NYC. I guess there are enough sheer #'s of other groups, so this is the case. I wonder where Chicago and Miami would stack up.

[Das Ubergeek]

Chicago would have a huge number of Mexicans, not quite as many Central Americans, and a hell of a lot more Eastern Europeans (Czechs, Polish, Greeks, etc.) than LA, but nowhere near the number of Asians.

Miami to me is all about immigration from Latinoamérica, Africa and Long Island but I haven't been in years so maybe I'm wrong.