Tag: sarisaristorela

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

Discover DTLA’s Eclectic Asian Culinary Scene

Ever since the 19th century, Asian cuisine has played a vibrant role in the LA culinary scene. The unique ingredients, sophisticated kitchen tools, and flavorful preparation methods have inspired generations of chefs and expanded the palates of food lovers across the region. Not far from Circa, you’ll find traditional Asian neighborhoods such as Chinatown, Little Tokyo, Historic Filipinotown, Thai Town, Koreatown, and the San Gabriel Valley, brimming with options from elegant eateries to casual street fare. Grand Central Market is home to a number of tempting spots, including Thai, Filipino, Japanese, and Chinese-American dishes. We’ve rounded up some of our DTLA favorites. Check websites for dine-in, takeout and delivery details.

Sticky Rice Asian cuisine near Circa residences in Downtown Los Angeles

Sticky Rice DTLA Grand Central Market 317 South Broadway Los Angeles, CA 90013

Serving authentic and original Thai street food in LA since 2013, Sticky Rice is a popular destination for “Thai Comfort Food,” dedicated to serving only the best organic, free-range, and locally sourced ingredients. The menu features rice plates, pan fried noodles, Tiger Steak, Hainan Chicken, soups and more.

Holy Basil Asian cuisine near Circa residences in Downtown Los Angeles

Holy Basil718 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.

Sesame LA Asian cuisine near Circa residences in Downtown Los Angeles

Sesame LA 936 N. Hill St. Los Angeles, CA 90012

Sesame LA is a new mini-mart in Chinatown specializing in Asian pastry staples, as well as small batch and local goods from Pan-Asian makers. Sesame offers fresh produce sourced from local farms, along with prepared foods made by owner Linda Sivrican’s mother. The store also carries snacks, such as candied kumquats, and an array of kitchen utensils.

Hayato Asian cuisine near Circa residences in Downtown Los Angeles

Hayato ROW DTLA 1320 E 7th St. #126 Los Angeles, CA 90021

Hayato is a Japanese restaurant serving traditional Japanese cuisine, known as “Washoku.” The restaurant is now open and serving made to order Bento Boxes. Bento in Japan can range from something as simple as white rice with a single umeboshi (pickled fruit) in the center, to extravagant special occasion meals. A typical bento is similar to a teishoku, a type of Japanese meal where all of the dishes in the course are served together as a set. Because Hayato is a kaiseki restaurant specializing in elaborate multi-course meals, their bento reflects a sense of sophistication, both in presentation and ingredients.

Au Lac DTLA Asian cuisine near Circa residences in Downtown Los Angeles

Au Lac DTLA 710 West 1st St. Los Angeles, CA 90012

Au Lac serves flavorful plant-based and vegan creations with Vietnamese roots and fusion flavors. The founder, Mai, sought a holistic approach of treating her difficult health conditions and found that a plant-based diet was key. After a remarkable recovery, she was inspired to combine her love for cooking and helping others by sharing the benefits of a plant-based diet with her delicious, gourmet cuisine. The restaurant serves traditional Vietnamese dishes, from elaborate noodle soups to sautées, grilled dishes and specialty sauces, using only plant-based and health-conscious ingredients. 

Pho Saigon Noodle & Grill Asian cuisine near Circa residences in Downtown Los Angeles

Pho Saigon Noodle & Grill 1753 S. Hill St. #2 Los Angeles, CA 90015

Pho Saigon Noodle & Grill offers a large selection of its namesake pho bowls, all served with a side of beansprouts, jalapeno, cilantro, and limes. Basil is available upon request. You’ll also find oodles of noodles, dumplings, fried wontons, rice plates, salads, and more.

Shiku Asian cuisine near Circa residences in Downtown Los Angeles

Shiku Grand Central Market 317 South Broadway Los Angeles, CA 90013

Shiku is a mom-and-pop Korean restaurant serving homestyle Korean food inspired by the doshirak (lunchboxes) that their mothers would make. Shiku literally means the people you share food with. Shiku is your family, not just the one you were born into but also the family you choose. Open for dine-in. Curbside pickup and delivery are also available.

Sari Sari Store Asian cuisine 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.

Moon Rabbit Asian cuisine near Circa residences in Downtown Los Angeles

Moon Rabbit Grand Central Market 317 South Broadway Los Angeles, CA 90013

Moon Rabbit is an Asian tea and sandwich shop inspired by the great San Gabriel Valley. Specializing in traditional boba teas, bánh mì and katsu sandwiches, Moon Rabbit is brought to you by the beloved Sticky Rice founder, David Tewsart, and team.

China Cafe Asian cuisine near Circa residences in Downtown Los Angeles

China Cafe Grand Central Market 317 South Broadway Los Angeles, CA 90013

A recognized legacy among vendors, China Cafe opened in 1959 with the same menu and neon signs that have floated over the 22-seat counter since it opened. Now run by Susie and Rinco Cheung, the eatery maintains essentially the same menu now as it always has — a mix of Chinese-American favorites like chow mein and chop suey, plus noodles, fried rice, and the ubiquitous egg foo yeung.

Photo credits:

Photo #1: Au Lac DTLA

Photo #2: Sticky Rice DTLA

Photo #3: Holy Basil 

Photo #4: Sesame LA

Photo #5: Hayato

Photo #6: Au Lac DTLA

Photo #7: Pho Saigon Noodle & Grill 

Photo #8: Shiku 

Photo #9: Sari Sari Store

Photo #10: Moon Rabbit

Photo #11: China Cafe