The one downside to solo travel is there's only so much you can eat on your own! I generally love to try as many things as possible but that's hard when you have no one to share plates with. I came armed with a list of places to try but only got to hit up 3 spots! Below are some of the places I checked out that I really liked.
Bardonna
On my first full day in L.A., I took a yoga class in Santa Monica and was starving after the 90 minute session was over. I was on Montana Avenue and needed to eat ASAP so I went across the street to Bardonna. There was a line out the door which is always a good sign. Very California-styled cafe, with indoor and outdoor seating. I ordered a healthy breakfast, poached eggs on avocado with toast and a side salad and some lavender tea. It was a great place to read a book, people watch, and just enjoy the scene.
Gjelina Take Away (GTA)
When I was researching where to eat in L.A., Gjelina kept coming up on many must-eat lists. It came up whenever I asked people who have lived in L.A. for foodie recs. So I came here after my long day of hiking the Hollywood Sign, it was one of the few places that was open New Years Day. Well, actually Gjelina was closed but next door is Gjelina Take Away and they are open all day long!
Being a New York native, I am quite picky about my pizza so I had to try theirs. They have a bunch of different options but I went for the classic--pomodoro with burrata cheese. Now it's quite possible that I was soooo hungry that even Dominoes pizza at that point in the day would've been a 5-star meal to me. But the perfect combo of red sauce and soft cheese exploded in my mouth and every bite was delicious. If you're anywhere near here (Venice Beach/Santa Monica), I would highly recommend it but I wouldn't say go out of your way to come here. The other offerings were sandwiches and salads. I got a sandwich to go when I left for the airport, it was good but not mind blowing (but definitely probably a lot better than anything you would get at the airport). The place sits on the famous Abbot Kinney Blvd. so you can come stroll the street of boutiques and then grab something to go here.
Sqirl
Sqirl was another place that came with glowing praises on the web. I'm very thankful I got to try it (I initially tried to go on New Years Day but it was closed). It's located in the Silver Lake area, closer to Runyon Canyon or Griffith Observatory. I wasn't able to find street parking but I did find free residential street parking around the corner. I wish I had more time to try other dishes here, everything looked so good! My breakfast above was fantastic, it's one of their specials called the Cauliflower Hash. Tons of flavor and very fresh veggies (cauliflower and potatoes) with a fried egg on top. I really wish there was a location here in NY. I got here on a Monday morning at 9 am and there was not much of a line but by 9:30 am the line was down the block! It's a very casual place, you order and then seat yourself (and they bring the food out to you).
sugarfish
sugarfish is an L.A. chain that recently opened in NYC. I've been to the one in NYC 3x already but had to try the original! The real original is in Marina del Rey but I went to the one nearby in Santa Monica. It's very affordable high quality sushi. The L.A. menu was the same as NYC but much cheaper (the cost of rent, I suppose!) There's 3 different omakase-style sets to choose from. If you love sushi definitely come to one of these in L.A. or NYC. The best is the Albacore belly sushi (it's a side order though, not part of the omakase set). In L.A., the most expensive sushi set is $37 and it's $51 in NYC (includes tax and tip).
Eggslut
I actually texted a friend that we should consider getting in on the Eggslut franchise! This place only serves egg-type breakfast dishes and it is sooo delectable. I really love eating eggs. The order above is called the slut. It's a poached egg in a glass jar on top of pureed potatoes with toast and a side order of bacon and fresh OJ. I went to the location in Venice. It's super casual (metered parking nearby and close to the beach) with small area of seating (no bathrooms). You're basically in and out in 20 minutes.
I came back on my last morning in L.A. and also tried the bacon, egg and cheese sandwich on brioche and it was so good too. Basically you probably can't go wrong at this place.
Malibu Seafood Fish Market
I love seafood and wish I could've ordered more from this menu at Malibu Seafood Fish Market but I wasn't that hungry at the time. Right off the Pacific Coast Highway, this place has very fresh seafood where you can eat on a patio overlooking the ocean or buy to bring home and cook or eat. I got the special, dungeness crab meat on salad with a clam chowder soup. Wanted to get a pound of mussels too but didn't have room for it. I didn't think the meat would taste as good when I saw how it was plated but it was very flavorful and filling. Definitely recommend if you're in the Malibu area.
Other Places
Other places I wanted to try but didn't get to (but came highly recommended to me) were:
- Bestia: Italian, need rsvps in advance (I tried to make one last minute and it was all full for days!), in downtown LA
- Sushi Gen: Sushi, downtown LA
- Silver Lake Ramen: Ramen noodles, Silver Lake area
- Santa Monica Seafood Market: seafood in Santa Monica area
- Kang Ho Dong Baekjeong: Korean BBQ place, there is one in NYC as well but the LA one is supposed to be better