Tag: diners

Let’s Do Lunch: DTLA’s Delis, Diners & Cool Cafes

Whether you’re back in the office, working from home, or just want to get away from the daily grind, a tasty midday meal is perfect way to perk up your routine. DTLA is home to some of the best new restaurants around, and most are open for lunch. From delicious delis and diners to eclectic eateries and cool cafes, you’ll find endless options, many not far from Circa. So don’t just sit there eating at your desk – let’s do lunch!

Angry Egret Dinette lunch near Circa residences in downtown Los Angeles

Angry Egret Dinette 970 N Broadway Suite 114 Los Angeles, CA 90012

Angry Egret Dinette is a brand new concept serving genre-bending LA street food with selected local ingredients, prepared with love by Chef Wes Avila, the former chef and brain behind Guerilla Tacos. The restaurant specializes in Mexican sandwiches (tortas), served on a white, fluffy bun and stuffed with everything you can imagine, from shrimp to pork, duck eggs and even shaved black truffles. Grab a seat on their colorful outdoor patio and dive in.

Yess Aquatic lunch near Circa residences in downtown Los Angeles

Yess Aquatic 2001 E 7th St. Los Angeles, CA 90021

This chill food truck with outdoor seats in the Arts District serves experimental Japanese seafood, ranging from king salmon confit sandwiches to fried fish curry. Chef Junya Yamasaki and Team Yess focus on carefully sourced SoCal fish. In fact, Chef has now trained as a free-diver and spends as much time in the sea as on land. Natural wine and sake visionary Yukiyasu Kaneko has created a short revolving menu of titillating tonics available by the bottle, focusing on healthy and refreshing original drinks using local fruits and vegetables.

Eastside Market Italian Deli lunch near Circa residences in downtown Los Angeles

Eastside Market Italian Deli 1013 Alpine St. Los Angeles, CA 90012

Eastside Market Italian Deli is one of the last remaining true Italian delis in the Downtown Los Angeles area and surroundings. Opened in 1929, Eastside Market is considered a landmark and listed as a “must see” place to visit in Southern California. Today, the establishment is a valued family-owned business and has received several awards for the incomparable deliciousness of their signature hot and cold sandwiches.

Pizzanista lunch near Circa residences in downtown Los Angeles

Pizzanista! 2019 E 7th St. Los Angeles, CA 90021

Founded in October 2010 by legendary professional skateboarder Salman Agah, Pizzanista! blends the historic flavor and thin-crust style of New York pizza with California’s abundance of fresh produce and small-batch ingredients. Family-owned and operated, Pizzanista! features traditional hand-tossed pizza dough made fresh daily using 200-year old sourdough cultures from Naples, hand-milled marinara sauce made from California tomatoes, innovative pizza toppings, and farm-fresh salads.

Dune Downtown lunch near Circa residences in downtown Los Angeles

Dune Downtown 199 W Olympic Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90015

In 2015, Dune opened its first location in the Atwater Village neighborhood of Los Angeles with the vision to pay homage to the food they love, using the freshest, cleanest, and most local ingredients possible. Their downtown LA restaurant continues the mission to add the voice of beautiful and diverse cultures and to create their own unique version of the street food of the Levant and the Eastern Mediterranean. Choose from sandwiches, falafel, hummus & meze plates, fresh salads, sweets and more.

Sari Sari Store lunch near Circa residences in downtown Los Angeles

Sari Sari Store Grand Central Market 317 South Broadway Los Angeles, CA 90013

Sari Sari Store is a Filipino concept from James Beard-nominated Chef Margarita Manzke, alongside partner and husband Chef Walter Manzke. In Filipino, “sari sari” translates into “whatever” and is used to describe commonplace stores that sell everything from candy to BBQ skewers. This contemporary take on casual Filipino dining is based around savory rice bowls or “silog,” that pull from Chef Margarita’s Pinoy heritage. Make sure to also try their highly praised sweets, Buko Pie and Halo Halo.

DTLA Ramen lunch near Circa residences in downtown Los Angeles

DTLA Ramen 952 S Broadway Los Angeles CA 90015

DTLA Ramen offers Japanese ramen with a modern California spin. You have a choice of broth for your ramen, including pork, chicken, vegetarian, soy milk, and no broth at all, with a selection of add ons, such as ground spicy chicken, spicy miso paste, injected egg or hard boiled egg, and chashu belly. In true DTLA spirit, the restaurant offers interesting craft beers, with an emphasis on Japanese brews. They also serve mochi ice cream in six delicious flavors.

Pearl River Deli lunch near Circa residences in downtown Los Angeles

Pearl River Deli 727 N Broadway #130 Los Angeles, CA 90012

Located in Chinatown’s Far East Plaza, Pearl River Deli serves Cantonese comfort classics, modernized and made accessible. Preserving, appreciating, and evolving traditional cuisine, you’ll find everything from Hong Kong-style duck served over soup noodles to Hainan chicken, BBQ pork, noodle and rice dishes, steamed vegetables and strawberry shave ice.

Little Jewel of New Orleans lunch near Circa residences in downtown Los Angeles

Little Jewel of New Orleans 207 Ord St. Los Angeles, CA 90012

Named Best Po’ Boy by LA Weekly and Best Cajun Restaurant by LA Downtown News, The Little Jewel of New Orleans Grocery and Deli is a DTLA-based Southern market and delicatessen, which draws its influence from the rich and varied culinary traditions of the City of New Orleans. Catering to an eclectic clientele, the market strives to make available many of the popular as well as “harder to find” items from Louisiana (and the South in general), while offering everyday convenience items to the public at large.

Holy Basil lunch near Circa residences in downtown Los Angeles

Holy Basil 718 South Los Angeles St. Unit A Los Angeles, CA 90014

Operating out of a tiny takeout window inside a Downtown food court, Holy Basil specializes in authentic Bangkok street food. Named one of the Best New Restaurants in Los Angeles by The Infatuation’s 2020 LA Hit List, Holy Basil offers many of the usual Thai menu items, such as Pad Thai, Green Curry, and Tom Yum Soup, along with more adventurous dishes, all served with a flavor twist that is at once herbaceous, pungent, and unabashedly spicy.

Photo credits:

Photo #1: DTLA Ramen

Photo #2: Angry Egret Dinette

Photo #3: Yess Aquatic

Photo #4: Eastside Market Italian Deli

Photo #5: Pizzanista

Photo #6: Dune Downtown

Photo #7: Sari Sari Store

Photo #8: DTLA Ramen

Photo #9: Pearl River Deli

Photo #10: Little Jewel of New Orleans

Photo #11: Holy Basil

Delicious DTLA: Delis, Diners & Dips!

Do you ever get the urge to dive into a big juicy sandwich, stacked a mile high and dripping with gastronomic goodness? How about whiling away a lazy Saturday morning over blueberry pancakes and a fresh brewed cup o’ joe? Or do you prefer your meal with a side of noir?

DTLA is the ultimate destination for vintage diners, authentic delis, Prohibition-era eateries, and legendary French Dip spots–some even have a shady past! Delicious DTLA has many fascinating stories to reveal, told through the language of great food!

Coles

Cole’s French Dip 118 E. 6th St, Los Angeles, CA 90014

Cole’s, Originator of the French Dip Sandwich, opened in 1908 in the Pacific Electric building. Evoking the spirit of an early 20th century saloon, the welcoming 40-foot Red Car Bar boasts original glass lighting, penny tile floors, and historic photos, preserved in the restoration of the cherished landmark. During Prohibition, Cole’s was a favorite hangout for gangsters like Mickey Cohen (If you were a regular customer, your “coffee” came with a little something extra!). Today, continuing the tradition of the Golden Age of American cocktails, the Red Car Bar’s ample selection of premium spirits, drafts, and historic cocktails compliment the saloon’s classic French Dip sandwiches, appetizers, salads and sides.

Philippe

The Original Philippe 1001 North Alameda, Los Angeles, CA 90012

Philippe The Original is one of the oldest and best known restaurants in Southern California, established in 1908 by Philippe Mathieu, who claimed the distinction of having created the “French Dipped Sandwich.” One day in 1918, while making a sandwich, Mathieu inadvertently dropped the sliced french roll into the roasting pan filled with juice still hot from the oven. The patron, a policeman, said he would take the sandwich anyway and returned the next day with some friends asking for more dipped sandwiches. And so was born the “French Dipped Sandwich,” so called either because of Mathieu’s French heritage, the French roll the sandwich is made on, or because the officer’s name was French. The answer is lost to history.

plate of food at Nickels Diner

Nickel Diner 524 S. Main St, Los Angeles, CA 90013

Featured on Diners, Drive-In’s and Dives, the Cooking Channel and Jonathan Gold’s 101 List, this cozy vintage-style diner serves updated versions of old-school comfort fare, such as maple-glaze bacon doughnut, baked eggs, steak sandwich, and catfish, plus creative desserts. Located on a historic stretch of Main Street between Fifth and Sixth streets, the restaurant occupies the site of a long-forgotten diner, with the original hand-painted wall menus still intact. High ceilings, vintage wallpaper, wooden tables, scuffed tile floors, cushy red leather booths and an old-school, lunch counter-style open kitchen evoke a picture-perfect model of a pre-WWII-era diner.

Original Pantry storefront

The Original Pantry 877 S. Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90017

Established in 1924, The Original Pantry has spent eight decades providing its customers with generous portions of traditional American cuisine. More than just a casual eatery, The Pantry offers diners an atmosphere rich in character and history. An integral piece of Los Angeles culture, The Pantry has served many movie stars, politicians and other celebrities and continues to be a gathering spot for the city’s movers and shakers. As The Pantry’s current owner, former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan likes to boast, “We never close. We’re never without a customer.”

Nicks Cafe storefront

Nick’s Cafe 1300 N. Spring St, Los Angeles, CA 90012

Nick’s Cafe started back in 1948 by Nick, his Navy buddy, and Lois the server. Nick was just out of Navy and decided to open a little diner across from the River Station freight yards. Known for serving bone-in ham at the horseshoe counter, customers started calling the little cafe the “Ham House.” After a successful run, Nick sold his diner to a couple of LAPD detectives who put in a train that ran around the ceiling. After many good years, the place fell into dark times–the old rail yards were grown over and the freight buildings were empty. Flash forward to 2009, when the current owner took over. Over 60 years later, Nck’s is still known for the ham, the smiles, and the coffee.

Sandwich at Wexlers

Wexler’s Deli Grand Central Market 317 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90013

Wexler’s Deli stands for three things: tradition, craftsmanship, and quality. Born of a desire to serve classic Jewish deli food made by people who care, Wexler’s uses old-school methods to handcraft their pastrami and smoked salmon. After curing in a special blend of salt and spices, the meats and fish are slowly smoked in-house over apple wood and sliced by hand in front of your eyes. Wexler’s also serves breakfast sandwiches (Cheezy Eggs, Bagel with Lox) and a selection of sides including coleslaw, potato salad, egg salad and tuna salad. Wash it all down with a good old fashioned Chocolate Phosphate or Chocolate Egg Cream.

Mels Deli

Mel’s Deli 548 S. Spring St #114, Los Angeles, CA 90013

This unassuming, counter-service standby is known for its hearty, deli-style sandwiches with an Italian flare. Indulge yourself with the spicy Mel’s Melt (Russak Roast Beef, Habanero, Jack Cheese, Horseradish, Pepper Spread, Dill Pickle). Or settle into the generous Mel’s Italian (Genoa Salami, Mortadella, Capicola, Jamon, Soppressata, Provolone, Homemade Mustard). Other zesty choices include Prosciutto & Burrata (Prosciutto di Parma,  Burrata, Arugula Dressed, Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar);  Caprese (House Made Pesto, Fresh Mozzarella, Tomatoes, Balsamic Vinegar), and Muffaletta (Genoa Salami, Mortadella, Provolone, Olive Tapenade, Mayo, Lettuce, Tomato, Onion). Delivery is available through these apps: Postmates, DoorDash, Caviar, Grubhub, Eat24, and ForkSpot.