HELP! Cheap (but good) eats in Beverly Hills near Wilshire & La Cienega?
Hi All!
Starting a new job near Wilshire & La Cienega. Looking for cheap (but yummy) eats within walking distance. (Actually, I'm technically closer to WILLAMAN on Wilshire.)
I love ALL ethnic food, including the better food trucks! Good gyros, Indian food, Middle Eastern, Vietnamese... Just trying to avoid fast food (and overspending).
Too bad there's no California Chicken Cafe nearby. Love their wraps!!!
THANKS, Chowhounders!!!
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cant talk...eating
Nov 14, 2010 01:07 PM
You're sort of in the Bermuda Triangle, chow-wise. Probably a 10 minute walk north is Beverly Falafel (at W. 3rd), which is good for kebabs, but not for falafel (which is usually terrible - warming tray). You can get a plate with a couple kebabs, rice, bit of salad, and a little lentil soup for around $10 which is darn cheap and not bad at all. I've had the shwarma which is also pretty bad, just fyi. But good kebabs!
It's in a sad little strip mall with a Subway and a couple other things that close and re-open every few years, but it's a survivor. Nothing else comes to mind.
There's a Persian place that I think is now called the "Ruby Room" tucked back from the street on the south side of Wilshire, just west of L.C. Never been, and I know nothing about it.
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Beverly Falafel
8508 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90048 -
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As others said there isn't much around as there used to be. I haven't been to Chili addiction, but hear it is good. If you drive on Beverly just east of La Cienega is Jan's coffee shop and they make good sandwiches and salads, and they ususally have some kind of lunch special. They give you a lot of food.
Vito's for a slice of pizza is just a little further north on LaCienega. Joan's on Third. On third and LaCienega there is a shopping center with several small shops. Also, on Third just east of L/C there is a Japanese restaurant in the long shopping center.
I know I am going to get a lot flack for suggesting this, however, there is a Norms, on L/C/ just north of Beverly. They have decent breakfasts and sandwiches.
There are a lot of places around, but unfortunately, not right where you are. If you don't mind taking out your car for a 5 to 10 minute ride, there are plenty of places to go. You have lots of places on Pico, a neighborhood favorite more for comfort is Andre's on Third and Fairfax where Whole Foods is.
Good luck exploring›3 Replies-
re: paprkutr
The OP should be able to walk to Kate Mantilini at Wilshire and Doheny. Is it cheap? No. However, the portions are really big and salads and sandwiches are definitely shareable. The Chatham sandwich is an old favorite and at $18.00 with fries way overpriced. . However, that sandwich could easily feed two and is really a great sandwich. Also, I recall getting a cup of the best split pea soup recently. I don't remember the price, but that is because it was not overpriced.
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Kate Mantilini Restaurants
9101 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 -
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I agree with the Al Gelato recommendation. Very good "red sauce" Italian. The prices can sometimes seem pretty steep for that type of food at first glance, but bear in mind that the portions are pretty big.
Cafe Flore on Robertson, South of Wilshire on the East side of the street between Charleville and Gregory is also very good. Tasty salads, along with a good burger and other fare.
I also second the suggestion of Chulada Grill on San Vicente.
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Chulada Grill
5607 San Vicente Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90019Cafe Flore
214 S Robertson Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90211›1 Reply-
re: BHAppeal
An update -- Cafe Flore is no more --replaced by Marchello's Pizza. Decent pizza,sandwiches and salads, but not outstanding. Sorry to see Cafe Flore gone. It was a gem.
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Cafe Flore
214 S Robertson Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90211Marchello's Pizza
5937 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90035
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aching
Nov 10, 2010 10:18 AM
Versailles!
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Versailles
1415 S La Cienega Blvd Ste 1, Los Angeles, CA 90035›2 Replies-
re: aching
Mr Taster
Nov 10, 2010 10:38 AM
I think it's pretty much established on Chowhound that Versailles has some very good days and some very bad days. The last time I went to the La Cienega location, I got a terrible, sinewy leg of pork and a lukewarm guanabana shake. That was perhaps 7 years ago, and I've never been able to bring myself to go back. I have been back to the Venice location, but they're so inconsistent, I just can't stand the crap shoot aspect of never knowing if I'm going to get a good meal. So while I have had some very good meals there, I only go on very rare occasions.
Mr Taster
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Chulada Grill at Hauser and San Vicente is probably too far to walk, but it's a short drive and they deliver. When I lived in that area several years ago, that was my go-to place for good tacos. They also have Oaxacan specialties. http://www.chuladagrill.com
For Indian, India's Grill is at the triangle where La Cienega and San Vicente meet. They also deliver. That was always my favorite Indian restaurant in the area, and less expensive than many of the other options in the area. http://www.indiasgrill.com/index.html
I also second the recommendation for Al Gelato. I love their gnocchi with tomato-basil sauce, though some people find the sauce too sweet, and they have the best meatballs in town. (Not to mention fantastic gelato, ices and cakes.) Bear in mind that, last time I checked, they were still cash only.
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India's Grill
428 S San Vicente Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048Al Gelato Continental Desserts
806 S Robertson Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90035Chulada Grill
5607 San Vicente Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90019›4 Replies-
re: Jwsel
India's Grill is consistantly good!
Rocco's Pizza has cheap lunch specials. 2 slices and a soda for $5 http://roccospizzala.com/-----
India's Grill
428 S San Vicente Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048 -
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You are in no-person's land, a graduate from no-man's land, in that most places have to become destination (few do) or they die. Red Medicine will open soon(not going to be cheap).
Tagine on Robertson just north of Wilshire for Moroccan(very good), across the street is Il buco, and on La Cienega is Caffe Carrera, at 235 S. in BH.
The mini-mall at Crescent Hts & Wilshire has many options, mostly good, btw, and of course just beyond that headed east is truck haven, aka the LACMA area with many options.
Good luck.-----
Tagine
132 N Robertson Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90211›1 Reply -
I live right near the intersection of Willaman and Wilshire and walking is not a very good option. If you want to walk 10-15 minutes, or take a short drive, there are some solid cheap eats. I recommend Al Gelato (great meatball sandwich, south of wilshire on Robertson); Gyu-Kaku (La Cienega north of wilshire); and my top pick in the area for cheap eats: Chili Addiction on La Cienega north of Beverly Blvd. It's seriously delicious gourmet chili. I've been going there so often I feel a little embarassed to see the owners.
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Chili Addiction
408 N La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048›1 Reply -
Who needs California Chicken Cafe when you have ... The Chicken Lady! Check her out, super yummy inexpensive lunch food. San Vicente and La Cienega.
But generally speaking, you're gonna be hurting if you truly stick to walking, or else don't mind walking decent distances. The Chicken Lady is a bit over 0.5 miles from your intersection at Willaman. There's hardly anything on Wilshire. There are a few places on Robertson. Few places on La Cienega south of Wilshire. La Cienega north of Wilshire gets you restaurant row, but not sure if there are any lunch deals there. (Though I think Tanzore has an inexpensive lunch buffet -- check that out.)
Just past The Chicken Lady (a strip mall that has a few other food joints too, including good Indian), you open yourself up to The Beverly Center and 3rd Street, which adds a ton of dining options. 3rd St has tons of great places both east and west of La Cienega.
On of my favorite lunch spots -- Soda Pops sandwiches, on La Cienega north of the Beverly center.
If you drive east on Wilshire, to the LACMA area, you'll hit the daily food truck row with tons of "fancy" food trucks every day.
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Chicken Lady
416 S San Vicente Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048›2 Replies-
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re: QualityMart
"Inexpensive" for us today meant 12 dollars for entree, side, cornbread slice and a drink served on Chinette paper plates with plastic utensils.
The Chicken Lady's thai chicken tenders are three thick-cut chicken tenderloins with a semi-crisp, but bland rough hewn coating. (They needed salt and black pepper for starters.) The tenders are admittedly moist in the middle, semi-crisp on the outside, but drenched in that ghastly, familiar bottled Chinese corn syrupy red sauce found at any supermarket. The tenders were skewered, as if to make them kabab like, although the skewers had nothing to do with the peparation of the tenders--they're the same tenders that appear in all the other dishes.
The "thai sauce" ruined any hope for an original, inspired Honey's Kettle fried chicken-like experience.
Side salad was a cup of bagged mixed greens from Ralphs, with a sliced cucumber added, and served with a plastic side container of room-temperature Kraft ranch dressing. The cornbread was authentic tasting, and moist with a buttery top crust, which is a feat, and so they get one A+ for that.
The service was odd. Wrong drink order, entrees for the table arrived five minutes apart. had to beg for a check. Credit card left no line for a tip. There's just a tip jar. I didn't leave a tip because I had no cash. Ugh.
Parking was difficult, with an aggressive woman in a Lexus behind us throwing up her hands in disgust as we entered the strip mall's center's parking lot and had to reverse out of the lot because of overcrowding. As if she was saying , "Can't you tell this tiny lot is run by a valet parker who stacks up the cars?!" Sad, aggressive kept Beverly Hills woman.
Overall, not an inspired restaurant. Not worth the trip. I recommend Honey's instead.
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Honey's Kettle
2600 E Alondra Blvd, Compton, CA 90221Chicken Lady
416 S San Vicente Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048
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