Hi all! I’m meeting a friend for lunch this Sunday. I’m in Westchester and she’s in Long Beach. I’m fine with a destination at either of our locales or rendezvousing in-between. She is new-ish to LA and mentioned liking Jitlada, which prompted our lunch date. Criteria: cheap (like I was super happy with my $17 total meal for two at Pailin last week), interesting flavors, sit-down (but casual is totally fine), and open on Sunday for lunch. My initial thoughts: Cambodian in Long Beach, Pakistani in Lawndale or Hawthorne, Japanese in Gardena, I had a restaurant called Bowl Thai bookmarked on my Yelp, also on Gardena. Any further directions/suggestions are most appreciated!
If you happen to get together on not a Sunday, Chubby Rice in Hawthorne would hit the nail on the head. It’s super cheap, and is a fun take on Americanized Chinese take-out…but made-to-order. I adore their lep cheong fried rice and the pork chop sandwich. They also make great sauces to accompany their food…Peruvian aji, Sriracha, Cola BBQ sauce, and more.
I wonder if Quality Seafood in Redondo Beach would work for you, too. May not be as cheap because it’s fresh seafood…and you can get fresh uni in the shell there.
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Thanks! Chubby Rice is on my list…too bad it’s not open Sundays. I’ll just have to take myself to lunch 
The seafood option sounds promising. I’ll put it on the list of options that I send my friend this weekend.
Any other suggestions? 
Ah!
Ah! Good for me to know! I was going to stop there on a similar trip a couple of months ago but we have a hard time not going to Al Noor! Fabulous dishes and inexpensive!
Another wonderful place for Lunch is Painter’s Tape in Gardena. And like many folks I have fallen in LOVE with the rib eye bowl at Wadasumi in Torrance. Finally, Filipino food is inexpensive and good! Had a wonderful visit to Bahay Kainan in Carson for their Bistek Tots.
–Dommy!
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Oh these are great, thank you! Al Noor was on my “to try” list. I saw the rec for Painter’s Tape on another FTC thread and it piqued my interest. The Bahay Kainan menu looks insane, yum!
Painter’s Tape is great, but if you’re looking for cheap (like $17 for 2) then Painter’s Tape is not that.
A place that might be more budget-friendly for your criteria is Pick Your Plate in Hawthorne. Filipino brunch, on the very cheap, but still tasty.
Or you could just go to Rutt’s.
Pick Your Plate
11943 S Inglewood Ave
Hawthorne
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Bookmarking this for another treat-myself lunch 
Unfortunately listed as closed on Sundays.
Just looked it up and Rutt’s is a bit further for my friend in LBC. I did send “Back Home in Lahaina” that a fellow FTCer mentioned as a potential option 
I used to love the Island-style fried chicken at King’s or the other Hawaiian restaurant in Torrance. I used to go years ago when I interned at Honda. The paradise cake was a trip, too. Don’t know if it’s still good, though.
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Pollo A La Brasa (whole chicken meal will be $20 with leftovers, not much ambiance)
Al Watan (and take Zam Zam biryani home 
) Really good tandoori mix and garlic naan
Sanuki No Sato (I get nabeyaki udon although this weather may not be the most suitable) 
Back Home in Lahaina (the best haupia cheesecake)
Gardena Bowl (Portuguese sausage mix, bacon fried rice, Portuguese sausage and eggs)
Din Tai Fung in Del Amo Mall if never been, followed by a malasada at Kings Hawaiian, or vice versa 
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The french toast is good but most of the food at Kings is a bit average. But the bakery 
, still good but you must go early or the selections become piddly.
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What a coincidence.
On Sunday I plan on going to Phnom Penh Noodle Shack and then go to Joe Josts.
I highly highly rec going to the Shack
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If in the mood for ice cream definitely hit up Long Beach Creamery!
I recently went to King’s with my friend visiting from Japan and we quite enjoyed it for what it was…those sweet rolls I’ll never grow out of, the poke plate with brown rice for me, and French toast for my friend. Good service, slightly tropicalized diner atmosphere, and a dessert case that wows.
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The noodle shack is definitely in our final running, thanks!
Thank you for all these recs!
We’ve decided on Al-Noor for tomorrow. Looks like it will be a little on the pricier side of my budget spectrum, but I’ve wanted to give it a try and she does too. 
Report to follow.
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It’s worth the extra money. You’d be hard pressed to find this type of food that also has the stamp of approval from its core community, regardless of the price.
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Enjoyed a nice leisurely lunch at Al-Noor in Lawndale with my friend. I wish I had asked for specific dish recommendations, but I did a quick FTC search and saw mention of the okra dish, which we ordered. We also got chicken tikka masala, garlic naan, and basmati rice. The meal was served with a side plate of cucumber, raw onion, lime, and a pour bottle of a yogurt herb sauce. The okra was delicious, and a nice level of spice at our chosen “medium” heat level. The tikka we also ordered medium and it was much lighter in heat. The cubes of white meat chicken were a little dry and the sauce did not “wow” me the way I thought it might. Good, but I didn’t detect much complexity of flavor. The garlic naan was good but again, it didn’t quite reach the expectations I had going in. I enjoyed pouring the yogurt sauce on various foods. It added a nice spicy heat accompanied by a chill from the cool yogurt. We both agreed we would return. The space was perfect for catching up with my friend, and we enjoyed our meal. $40 including tip and just water to drink.
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I didn’t realize Al-Noor had another location.