Because I might go there to visit some people soon, and we all get hungry, but are too lazy to drive too far.
Any budget. Any cuisine.
Thanks in advance!
Renu Nakorn in Norwalk. Still great in my book.
Rajdhani and Surati Farsan Mart in Artesia. Both vegetarian. Rajdhani has a roaming-waiter all-you-can-eat concept; at SFM just pick 5-6 small dishes or more.
Crispy House (the former Magic Wok) in Artesia. Best Filipino in town.
Not to hijack your thread, but I would like recommendations for Korean restaurants in the area.
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Agree with ediner on Renu Nakorn. 
How’s Crispy House compared to Magic Wok? Same chef / owners? Better menu than before?
Thanks.
Re Crispy House: everything feels the same to me. I’ve just been once since their return.
Also, I have eaten some great food at El Coraloense when they had a short-lived branch in Downey. That branch is now closed, but their outlet in Bell Gardens may be worth a visit. (I haven’t been.) I think it was TonyC who introduced me to this restaurant.
And, in Downey: Portos.
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If you’re wanting Peruvian there’s Mario’s in La Mirada and El Rocoto in Cerritos. Had some seafood at Mario’s recently and it was delicious.
Couple of Chinese spots in Artesia are Canaan and Omar’s…Szechuan Garden was not good the last time I went so I wouldn’t recommend that one.
If you guys like Boiling Point there is one in Artesia where Ten Ten is on Pioneer.
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Anticucheria Peruana is another good Peruvian option.
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If you guys want Italian, I like La Tavolata in Artesia on South St.
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Nice…what do you like there? The picarrones look tasty on Yelp.
Amor y Tacos for mole tots, duck tacos and short rib taquitos
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Anticuchos, papas a la huancaina, and yes the picarones. I did not give this place too much of my custom as I was distracted by the late lamented Mo Chica for too long. But the few times I have gone were enjoyable.
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Their poke tacos are good too, though not the easiest to eat without it getting a lil messy.
Amor y Tacos
Portugal Imports
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Norwalk:
Renu Nakorn - The Thai food is first rate. Skip the pad Thai, and go straight to the Northern Thai specialties. I also love the larb.
Los Compadres - Solid Mexican reminiscent of being at someone’s grandma’s house. I really enjoy the Molcajetes…I prefer the mixed one with all the meats and shrimp. I normally go for happy hour when the margaritas and apps are super cheap and super good. Ceviche is excellent. My favorite drink is the Tamarita…a margarita with tamarind. A bunch of my friends love the micheladas and the El Moreno with a Modelo Negra. If you like spicy, ask for the hot salsa and the kitchen will happily oblige.
TNT Tortas and Tacos - My taco Tuesday go-to. The tacos are $1, and the salsas are more like chiles than salsas…homemade and they pack the heat. I love the Buche tacos…pork belly. The carnitas are also very good.
Cerritos:
Amor Y Tacos - The mole tots and the artisan bar are excellent. The poké tacos are a great app. The short ribs and the pork belly are the best entrées if you’re super hungry.
North Shore Poké Company - A great option if you’re in the mood. Lots of different combinations possible. I like anything spicy and I get a mix of salmon and tuna.
Artesia:
Kebab Crush - Excellent Mediterranean food. I love the beef, lamb, and chicken kebabs. I’m not a fan of the kefka. The garlic sauce is amazing. The food takes a bit to come out, but they cook it to order.
Ashoka the Great - Pretty solid Indian food with nice heat. I’ve only been for lunch…parking in the area is metered now and evenings are ridiculous.
La Tavolota - House made pasta, good garlic bread, and there’s something about that pink sauce. All for really reasonable prices. Service is excellent. I come here to load up on carbs as a reward or to drown my sorrows.
Pho Tasty - I think it’s the best of the pho places in the area. Balanced broth…I go here when I’m too lazy to drive to the OC. The OC is still better, but it’ll do.
EDIT - Now Closed - The Falafel Shack - Some of the best falafel I’ve ever had. Light, well-spiced, and not greasy. The owners are lovely.
Bruster’s Ice Cream - Housemade ice cream. They have $2 two-scoop Tuesdays. The flavors vary, and are quite good. In season now, deep dish apple pie, cinnamon, and caramel apple pie. My brother swears by the Death by Chocolate.
Bellflower:
Taco Nazo - Excellent fish tacos. Huge pieces of freshly fried fish atop small tortillas with cabbage, pico de gallo, and crema. Limes and grilled guarillo chiles garnish along the salsa. On occasion, I order the al pastor nachos. Really cheap, really good.
Fronk’s - Diner-ish gastropub. Beers and wine only. Good burgers.
Marino’s Italian - I’ve been going here for years. It’s family-owned. You get unlimited minestrone, salad, and bread before your entrée comes out. The lasagna and seafood pastas are my favorites. The chicken parm and chicken Marsala are solid, too.
Downey:
Porto’s - You almost can’t come to the area and skip Porto’s. The display case alone will put you into diabetic shock. I’ve never had a bad dessert here. Get whatever looks good because it will be. If you eat, the Cubano is the traditional, but I like the medianoche which is the Cubano, but on sweeter bread.
Lock & Key Social Drinkery - The local hipster gastropub…if hipsters lived in Downey. Reasonably priced artisan cocktails, a crazy beer selection, and an even bigger whiskey/bourbon/scotch collection. The buffalo cauliflower is surprisingly good as is the bacon candy.
La Mirada:
EDIT - now SOL INKA (same staff and chefs, new owner) Mario’s - The best Peruvian in the area. The ceviche mixto is solid, and Lomo Saltado is the only thing I ever order because I love it so much. The fries soak up the lovely sauce. However the last time I went, there wasn’t enough sauce. The green aji sauce is amazing…dip every bite into it. Your sinuses will clear, but it’ll be so delicious you won’t care. Don’t go to El Roccoto, come here instead.
Mr. V’s - A red leather booth steakhouse with valet parking because the lot is so small. Nice drinks, good prime rib. The French Onion Soup is solid, as is the service. Great happy hour.
Los Alamitos:
Katella Deli & Bakery - The only Jewish deli in the area. The pastrami (though a bit short of Langer’s) is very good…more so when I’m too lazy to make the drive to the city. The pastrami is so good, I never order anything else.
The Original Fish Company - Excellent seafood. Great clam chowder. Been coming here for years. Sometimes I stop just to get clam chowder to go.
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Artesia: Chennai Dosa Corner
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Somunnan in Cerritos is really good. They offer the cold arrowroot noodle soup that’s super satisfying on a hot-ass day. They also offer some good tofu soup/stews and really good kimchi dumplings. Super cheap, great service, located in a strip mall on the east side of Cerritos.
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I don’t understand how ppl are not including Korean food in here.
Y’all insane:
Jangkumyine (eun dae go jorim , pan chan, chung gook jang – or however the F you spell it)
Go Hyang Jib (soodae)
Woori (gamja tang, etc.)
JKM is one of my fave K joints in all of LA.
Indian:
Surati Farsan (obs)
Jay Bharat
Ipizza (indian pizza + indian beer; what’s up)
Mezban burger bun kebab burgers is one the best “sandwiches” in LA.
Chennai Dosa
Rasraj
Thai (Bellflower, but … whatever)
Thai Noodle King (ex Hoy-Ka owner, the lady singer from MPK, Hollywood)
Cancoon (Issan, obliterates anything out of Renu Nakorn). Still one of the best Thai restaurants in LA.
@ediner, I implore you to skip Renu and check these 2 out instead.
Turo turo:
American Ranch and Seafood (seriously, I’ve literally eaten thru every gdamn Flip fast food joint in the 10mi radius-ish – stay the F away from most of them.)
Dessert:
The khanon buang stand inside Bay City is cheap and fresh. Kinda like the khanom krok lady at LAX-C, but inside, and less famous.
Standard-ish Chinese:
Northern Cafe (Shanghainesers approved)
Liang’s (same ops as Monterey Park, which means they have killer lamb noodle soups)
Dolphin Bay
Tasty Noodle (clean, fancy-ish and new)
ad nausea
Can’t agree with @attran99 on Kebab Crush. It’s deplorable compared to Glendale/Kosher Corridor. But Falafel Shack is a gem. It kills Joe’s. I might even like it better than Madcapra… The fam also owns the 7-11.
Craft beer: Shipmates!!! (One of the few full bars in Cerritos)
Uncle Henry’s (Downey, should be at something like 90 taps, 5 decade history. Amazing team/place/Doyer)
Not sure what kinda “people” OP’s visiting but… InBev beers with bootie + hood dads: The Hawaiian Room – conveniently located next to Thai Noodle King. Free twerking. Opens at 8 A.M. Two happy hours daily.
Edit: also, I really, really love Bakers & Baristas, just because they’re doing coffee and (really overpriced Euro) beer, which is so rare in LA. Also, because it’s opened by the Vietnamese fam who ran a Mexican bakery forever. Skip the croissants.
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Thanks for the reminder @TonyC Tony! I gave up on the old site, so I refuse to go back there; totally forgot to bookmark the one Thai place you mentioned a long time ago.
Any recommendations at Cancoon?
I’ll have to try Cancoon later this week.
Side note, it’s rare to find good Mediterranean that’s comparable to the Glendale offerings, so Kebab Crush saves me the drive…even more so since I don’t work in that neighborhood anymore.
Shipmates has surprisingly decent and cheap drinks, too…if you’re not looking for artisan cocktails. I miss the lobster tank game…haven’t been there much in a while.
I went to Bakers & Baristas once for lunch. The porchetta sandwich is good, but the porchetta was missing the crisp skin that I love. The milk & cereal cake did not remind me of milk and cereal…it was just cake with fruity pebble garnish. I did not like their macarons…not enough filling and the macaron cookie itself needs some adjustment in technique as I found air pockets. The tarts were quite good.
That’s the one thing I have skipped over in that area (Korean) that I gotta explore… I agree re: Mezban and their other items are good too.
Falafel Shack was not good last couple times I went (and for a group it won’t work – too small so best to do take-out from there), but maybe just a consistency thing. Liang’s is good but again the last time I went was no bueno so I haven’t been back… though Liang’s is usually good.