Whenever I’m asked about my hobbies, I always say that I like to try new restaurants (if my budget allows). Because of this, I’m often asked for restaurant recommendations. Now, I love giving recommendations, but the truth is I typically try a new and trendy restaurant once. Often, they’re too far and too pricey to eat for an every day meal, so I reserve that for a special occassion meal. I’d much rather tell you about restaurants that I’ve frequented multiple times because if I’m going to send you somewhere across LA, it better be worth the drive and there better be decent parking.
Let’s say you want to meet up for lunch. I’d consider the following:
What is the mid-point between our two locations and does that area have good food?
Are we going to have a long catching up session? Because then I’d have to consider places that won’t give us the stink eye the second we finish eating.
Are we going to spend time after, say, window shopping? Book shopping? Just somewhere nice to walk off our meal? Are we getting dessert? I might think of a nice neighborhood or Asian plaza (iykyk) where we can do all of those things.
I can’t stress this enough: will there be decent parking? Ideally, free parking. Easy to find and cheap street parking will suffice. If it requires us to circle around the block a few times, I won’t suggest it.
This was my thought process when Lauren Ho asked me where she could find authentic Asian food when we were at Steamy Lit Con and that was how we ended up at The Source.
If you’ve read my books, then you know my characters tend to eat well. If you’ll indulge me, here are some SGV recommendations for each book (though not all of these establishments were mentioned):
THE DONUT TRAP
Any local mom-and-pop donut shop will do, really. My family was one of the many independent donut shops operated by Cambodian/Chinese-Cambodian refugees in California, so I always like to support them. I don’t eat donuts very often (it lost some appeal after eating so many as a kid), but I do love myself a strawberry donut from The Donut Man, which now has a location in Grand Central Market in Downtown LA. For something more modern, I also like Mochinut.
While the book is set in Hacienda Heights, there are more Korean restaurants in nearby Rowland Heights. For a meal similar to the one in the book, I’d recommend Sun Nong Dan but parking can be a challenge. It’s worth it though because that plaza also has great options like Baekjeong for KBBQ and CHICHA San Chen for boba.
If you’re curious, my usual order at Dodger Stadium is a Dodger Dog and garlic fries (not recommended if you’re on a first date).
CIRCLING BACK TO YOU
Is it incredibly basic of me to say that I like Philz Coffee? I used to wait until my annual visit to San Francisco to get my fix. My relatives introduced me to Philz with a Mint Mojito and when they visit, they gift me a bag of Julie’s Ultimate coffee beans.
There’s a small reference to pan-fried pork buns, but I didn’t name drop a restaurant. I wrote the book in 2020 when many restaurants had to close. But in my heart, those pan-fried pork buns were from Kang Kang Food Court.
As for Filipino food, if you can get yourself invited to a Filipino family party, you won’t leave hungry. If you can’t get an invite, then there is this great list from Eater. I’ve eaten at The Park’s Finest before a Dodger Game (delicious!). I walked off the meal when my husband made me trek up the hill to the stadium (does that sound familiar?). Still waiting to try Dollar Hits one day.
FANCY MEETING YOU HERE
I did name drop Banh Mi My Tho in the book. My typical banh mi order is the Dac Biet/cold cut special (no chili). I will always impulse-buy a pre-packaged dessert/pastry, especially if it’s pandan flavored.
There are too many boba places to pick from in Arcadia, but for a boba place that also serves snacks if a meeting turns into a a gossip session, I’d try Au79 Teahouse. If you’re heading to the mall though, I’d pick Wushiland or the new location of 3Catea.
Similarly, there are lots of great places for Hainan Chicken. Here are some of my favorites:
Savoy Kitchen (which almost got a mention in TGMLT, but revisions happened.) There can be a wait and the restaurant is small, but the food is good!
Green Zone: The parking can be tough. It’s in a plaza with lots of good options like Summer Rolls, another favorite of mine.
Side Chick (inside the Santa Anita Mall): Forget Din Tai Fung. This is where I eat when I’m at the mall.
Ipoh Kopitiam: The service is fast and the food is delicious. There aren’t many Malaysian restaurants near me, so this was my first taste of it. I can’t wait to go back.
THE GIRL MOST LIKELY TO
TGMLT takes place in Alhambra, CA, a place where I spent a lot of my youth for late night eats. Here are a few places that I like to go when I’m in the area:
For Hong Kong style food, I like going to Garden Cafe. In the same plaza, you’ll find Lollicup, which I’m 99% sure is where I had my first boba drink. It’s possible that it could have been Tapioca Express since there used to be a location right next door. My family also likes Baccali (though parking can be hard!).
For pastrami, you can’t go wrong with The Hat though I usually get chili fries.
For dessert, my family will usually make a pit stop at Phoenix. On a cold evening, I love their black sticky rice and young coconut dessert. However, for ice cream specifically, it has to be Fosselman’s. I usually get chocolate dipped strawberry or lychee.
Back in the day, there used to be a Noodle World and a Noodle Planet on the same street. My preference was Noodle Planet, but they’ve since closed. Noodle World is still there and the food is good. It’s affordable and they give you a big portion. But the real attraction is the random Bob’s Big Boy statue, holding up a burger (not noodles).
Everything I’ve mentioned so far have been around for a while. Jiang Nan Spring is a relatively newer restaurant specializing in Shanghainese food. Not only is the food good, but it gets an A+ for ambiance.
The SGV is known for its food and this list barely scratches the surface. I hope it comes in useful if you’re ever in the area or if my books ever made you hungry.
Happy reading and eating!
Julie I am now officially STARVING, how dare you 😂 We definitely need a meal together next time I’m back in the area! 🫶🏽
these are SUCH good recs and I would trust you above all others because those considerations are exactly mine when picking a place! parking, how long are we going to hang out, do we want to do something after, etc. etc.