Whenever we are in a city that is foreign to us, we always scour Yelp or Urban Spoon to help us find good restaurants in a sea of the unknown. I can’t tell you how many times I ate horrible food when I settled on something because I was so hungry and didn’t know where to eat. Thank goodness for the ole Internet! This weeks challenge- jump on the Internet!
Week 3 Challenge: Try a new restaurant in a part of your city that you don’t go to that often.
(Bonus points if you try a Mexican Restaurant!)
We actually did the challenge twice and will definitely be trying new restaurants a lot more often because both our picks turned out to not only have amazing food, but a great atmosphere, too.
First Pick: Far Bar in Downtown Los Angeles (Little Tokyo District)
Need to know:
- Happy Hour M-F and all day Sunday
- Thursday nights are Man vs. Sake
- Prices are between $4-13 dollars for food and drinks. Two street tacos cost $5 bucks and sliders run about $7.
- Must try: Wasabi Fries, Shrimp Po-Boy, Sapporo beer braised beef short rib street tacos, and The Little Tokyo Roll.
We tried this place out for my birthday with a ton of friends and I couldn’t have been happier with this pick. The reviews on Yelp were all really positive and I can only echo that praise. It’s a perfect place for a large or small party and even though the outdoor area was located in an alley between two buildings, it couldn’t have been more cozy or inviting. And, the food was OUT OF THIS WORLD GOOD- not one choice from our party was bad or even mediocre. We shared the Wasabi Fries (which are a delicious spicy, garlic mess that will change the way you want to eat fries) and the dumplings. The prices were remarkably reasonable (considering we were going out on a Saturday night and I just expect things to be expensive downtown) and they served huge portions. Even the “street tacos” seemed bigger than your average street taco.
The best thing was the beef short rib tacos. You know when you bite into something and the taste immediately fills your entire mouth and you don’t even want to swallow because you might lose that taste? That was what happened to me as I took my first bite. They were so good. Luckily I had two, and when I gushed about how amazing they were, several other people ordered some too. (Also- I wasn’t going to share, so they really had no other choice!)
Second Pick: Malo Cantina in Silverlake
Need to know:
- They open M-F at 5pm. Weekends they have brunch and taco hour before starting dinner service.
- Taco Tuesday is on Mondays. Prices are $1-5 dollars with the most expensive being a lobster taco.
- Cool bar vibe but they also have a sit down area, too.
- Gets PACKED on Monday nights- arrive early (before 6pm) to get a seat in the bar.
I met up with a few girlfriends on a Monday night to try out their “Monday-Taco-Tuesday” special and was not disappointed! The drinks were cheap (under 5 bucks) and the tacos were cheaper and my first thought was – Bob would love this place! I ordered a three tacos, all different kinds ranging from $1-3 dollars and had their signature sangria. All the tacos were really tasty and despite there being a ton of people, came out pretty quick.
After looking at the menu some more, I’d love to try this place for brunch or on the weekends during their “taco hour”. I mean, you know me- an entire hour devoted to tacos- amazing!!!
Make sure to send us your link of new places you tried! Hopefully you stumble upon some great new restaurants in your city!
Don’t know about the Travel your own City series? Start here and join the fun!
