I’m looking for something tasty, but not too formal or expensive near The Getty Center so The Restaurant at the Getty Center is not an option. Anything else good close to/around the Getty Center for late lunch/early dinner?
Has anybody tried Suzanne Goin’s Tavern in Brentwood for their happy hour specials? For their $6 tacos for happy hour, are they the size of those small street tacos that won’t satiate your hunger unless you order multiple tacos?
Grab some stuff from Gjusta beforehand and enjoy the view with a picnic.
Your best option is probably driving to sawtelle or maybe kazunori in westwood
800 Deg POTD? Locations in both SaMo and Westwood (went to the SaMo one recently and thought the quality has improved).
Belwood Bakery is open for early dinner now, and Cafe Brentwood has dinner hours, too. Both are in Brentwood Village (and it really doesn’t get any closer to the Getty than that). I haven’t been to either one, but the folks running Cafe Brentwood also run several other well-regarded restaurants. I think the only reviews I’ve seen for Belwood are for their macaroons.
Mizlala (in the very southern part of Sherman Oaks just off the 405) is also a very viable option (depending on traffic). I haven’t been since Simon’s son took over, but @kevin wrote a review and enjoyed it. If the pricing is similar to Simon’s, it’s not inexpensive. But, if the food’s the same, it should be delicious. Blue Dog Tavern and Public School 818 are also nearby and respectable. A little further out in Sherman Oaks (but not far at all) is MiDiCi (similar concept to 800 Deg but better-tasting, IMHO).
I go to Tavern’s happy hour often and it is really fantastic! No need to look elsewhere.
I was planning on going to the Tsujita LA Annex anyways because I knew I wouldn’t make it during ramen hours for the original Tsujita for ramen.
But, with Tsujita temporarily closed, I’m assuming this means the lines for the Annex even worse. Or, should I assume all the UCLA students have gone home this weekend?
And, what do you do about the parking? I’ve always wanted to see Sawtelle, but I’ve heard so many horror stories about trying to find parking.
Didn’t they change the nearby residental near Sawtelle permit only?
No, you can find street parking, just have to circle around a few times but usually labor day weekend is slower for restaurants IME
I usually shop at Nijiya while visiting Little Osaka. Parking in the undergroundd garage is usually pretty easy. Shop at Nijiya, drop off groceries in the car and go eat.
I don’t know if the parking attendant gives me a pass because I’m Asian, but he never stops me to give me a parking stub or inquire where I’m shopping. He just waves me on to park underground.
The permit only parking around Little Osaka is, I believe, in effect after 6pm now so you should be ok for lunch, early evening.
I’ve def parked in the surrounding area after 6PM, so the permit restrictions likely change by block.
To @joshing : yeah, parking is kind of a pain, but it’s still totally doable if you’re not in a huge rush and you’re patient. It also gets easier when you get to know the area better. And the surrounding area, while VERY dark, is very easily walkable.
Most of UCLA doesn’t start until late September. Only the med school and maybe the law school have started? I think it makes little difference in terms of wait and such, though. The grad students are all still around!
On a related note, I tried Cafe Brentwood yesterday. Quite tasty, although not exactly cheap. I had the spaghetti + butter and Parmesan. Not sure where the black pepper went. Portion looked tiny, but it was SO rich that the portion was fine! Partner had the tuna melt. Grilled rye bread was delicious. He likes this tuna melt more than SM Seafood. I prefer SM Seafood b/c I liked a very pureed tuna salad, and I like the sweet peppers.
Hopefully you go in time to see the Buddhist caves exhibit. It’s AMAZING.
