Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!
E.g., products you love, local businesses, travel recs - you can add anything to a Benable list!
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Sections
10
South Bay
Long Beach, CA
DTLA
Silver Lake / Hollywood
East LA
LA-ish
South Bay
Great owner and staff. Try their Portuguese sausage, which are patties not links. Also would recommend loco moco with corned beef hash. Actually, I just recommend everything.
TNT Aloha Cafe Hawaiian Restaurant
Love their #18 enchiladas poblanos, with molé! I usually get ground beef, but all meats are yummo. Great margaritas too. I also love their taco burrito.
The Original Red Onion
Always a great time going here.
The Original Giuliano's Delicatessen in Gardena
The Giuliano’s my dad and I frequented the most.
Giuliano's
Great service and the food is pretty great too.
Spires Restaurant
I need to compile a separate list for my favorite vendors here. I usually go on Saturdays, but they have awesome vendors and less crowds on Tuesdays.
Torrance Certified Farmers' Market
Probably the In-N-Out I go to the most, and the one I post about when I mess with one of my friends (who lives across the country) 😆
In-N-Out Burger
They just re-opened their business with a new location, and I finally tried them. So happy I did. I got the beef and lamb gyro with fries and a Vimto drink. Definitely going back again. Only took me 15 years 🙈
LaZeez Bakery & Grill
I’ve only been here a handful of times since high school, but I did come here once with an international penpal and her husband when they were in town. Lovely coffees, teas, and pastries.
Coffee Cartel
This is a place I’d stop with my dad sometimes, when his veterans group had a booth at Fiesta Hermosa over the Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends. We’d get some coffee and pastries, set up the booth, and then do it again the next day. It’s been a wh...
Java Man
Long Beach, CA
I’ve only been here once, and that was when my Finnish penpal came to town. My dad wanted to meet her too, so we went to Long Beach, wandered around the little shops around Shoreline Village, and ended up having lunch on a misty March afternoon. Or a...
Parkers' Lighthouse
Such a perfect place to have a nice snack and cocktail, and relax while watching the sunset. I’ve been lucky to stay overnight on the Queen Mary twice, and the first time was the night before my birthday. Later that year, I treated one of my besties ...
Observation Bar
DTLA
Just looking at this, I’m craving one now.
Philippe The Original
Great way to spend a Sunday morning!
Smorgasburg (Los Angeles)
Silver Lake / Hollywood
(Sadly, this location is now permanently closed. Literal boo. But their Koreatown shop is still open, as is their delivery kitchen in Echo Park!)
Like eating something from Pat’s. Even better eating the next day after a night in the fridge!
Boo’s Philly Cheesesteaks - Silverlake
I saw Quentin Tarantino here once.
Toi On Sunset
East LA
So, Moo’s once did a pop-up on Santa Monica Pier, back in December 2017 or 2018. My bestie dude friend and I ended up buying 7 lbs of the brisket. (2 lbs for me, 5 for him.) It’s that good. Plus the homemade cheese-filled sausages, the cole slaw made...
Moo's Craft Barbecue
LA-ish
I miss going here. Definitely need to fix that!
Polka Restaurant
Orange County
Love the ropa vieja Cubano plato, potato balls, refugiado, medianoche sandwich, and chicken croquettes.
Porto's Bakery and Cafe
I’ve been wanting to come here for about 15 years, since it was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, but never made it in. Recently had the opportunity to go, and the food was great. My favorite was the chicken marsala, which was so tender. Can’...
Mama Cozza's
Southern California
A must stop whenever I was heading with my dad to Tucson, AZ for the Vietnam Veterans of America Leadership Conference, we would make a pit stop for a date (or banana) shake and some dried fruits and nuts. It’s right around the corner from Morongo Ca...
Hadley Fruit Orchards
San Francisco
The restaurant from one of my favorite chefs, Tyler Florence. Bestie Dude Friend and I ate here the last day of our trip to SF. I seriously need to go back and eat here again!
Wayfare Tavern
I came here once, with a longtime friend, when I was in town. Well, closer to town, we were staying in Redwood City. My friend and I hadn’t seen each other in a long time, so we had a fun afternoon driving through town and stopped here.
Tommy's Joynt Restaurant
New York City
I’ve been to NYC 8 times, so it needs its own spot.
I first found this shop while on the New York TV and Movie Sets Tour, way back in December 2007. Cue forward six months to June 2008, when I returned with my Bestie Dude Friend while on a road trip. We were in NYC for five days, and we went there 3 t...
Rice To Riches
I’ve still not actually eaten a Nathan’s at Coney Island. (Sorry, Dad.) We went out there one day, the last time we traveled to the city together. Why didn’t I get one? I wasn’t hungry. So my dad didn’t get one either, and he didn’t let me forget it ...
Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs & Restaurants | Nathan's Famous
Okay, so the last time I came here I had a bad experience. It wasn’t the staff and it wasn’t the food. It was me! This is absolutely a place I should love and did, but when I went, it was after a long day of touring the city, after a half week of roa...
Ellen's Stardust Diner