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Nice places to go in LA during E3 week?
- Thread starter The Bookerman
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There's also All Amusement Fun Center in Burbank. "A dope arcade" according to shoryuken.com. Many fighting tournaments were held there; they specialize in big-screen versions of popular fighters. Here's their website:
http://www.allamusement.com/
There's also another arcade in Westwood, on UCLA's campus. Supposedly really good.
http://www.allamusement.com/
There's also another arcade in Westwood, on UCLA's campus. Supposedly really good.
Lil' Dice said:
Actually, I'm looking for ones that are more into imports and stuff. Like smaller mom & pop type stores.
When I was in LA 3 years ago, I went to this store called Cosmo Games(?) that had alot of imports and cool stuff. EB's are everywhere, so I'm less likely to visit that.
Trizten Dareeque
Member
This will be my first time in LA so any advice is great!!!
cosmo games is gone. so is the hyper game action in torrance, i think, though there's still one in west la. i ought to check out that arcade in burbank sometime.
it occurs to me that all i ever do in la is see bands or go to shitty bars or sit in apartments. i like it anyway. so there.
it occurs to me that all i ever do in la is see bands or go to shitty bars or sit in apartments. i like it anyway. so there.
ramen:
Shin Sen Gumi in Gardena
http://www.japaneserestaurantinfo.com/shinsengumi/hakata-ramen/
All you can eat Sushi (good Sushi)
Maeda Sushi near Universal City
http://www.japaneserestaurantinfo.com/maeda/
*edit* just remembered they changed their name to Midori sushi (when they bought it from the original owners they could only use the name so long)
http://www.japaneserestaurantinfo.com/midori/
Korean BBQ + great cold noodles:
The Corner Place in LA
http://www.addyourown.com/restaurant.php?rest_id=893&cat_id=1&city_id=9
Good Dim Sum (and lots of carts/service):
CBS Seafood in Chinatown (next to Philippes)
Also lots of great Mexican joints of course
Shin Sen Gumi in Gardena
http://www.japaneserestaurantinfo.com/shinsengumi/hakata-ramen/
All you can eat Sushi (good Sushi)
Maeda Sushi near Universal City
http://www.japaneserestaurantinfo.com/maeda/
*edit* just remembered they changed their name to Midori sushi (when they bought it from the original owners they could only use the name so long)
http://www.japaneserestaurantinfo.com/midori/
Korean BBQ + great cold noodles:
The Corner Place in LA
http://www.addyourown.com/restaurant.php?rest_id=893&cat_id=1&city_id=9
Good Dim Sum (and lots of carts/service):
CBS Seafood in Chinatown (next to Philippes)
Also lots of great Mexican joints of course
The Hat is cool by me. The Alhambra location is actually the original location - try an order of the wet fries with your pastrami, just make sure you have notified your next of kin. 
Hakata Ramen Shin Sen Gumi is great for ramen, but I prefer Daikokuya on 1st St. in Little Tokyo for the same style of ramen (tonkotsu, which is pork bone ramen from Kyushu)...plus Daikokuya is closer to the convention center.
Daikokuya homepage
Grand Central Market downtown has a lot of interesting places to eat, really good and cheap eats at some of the food counters there. Last time I was there (the only good thing about jury duty) I tried a place called Ana Maria's, which serves huge burritos for dirt cheap. It's a bit of a hike from the convention center but I'm sure you could catch a bus there for a quarter pretty easily...
Hyper Game Action in Torrance is no longer Hyper Game Action, it's called Game House and last time I checked it was still there. Sadly, the LA branch of User's Side called it quits a few months ago
Hakata Ramen Shin Sen Gumi is great for ramen, but I prefer Daikokuya on 1st St. in Little Tokyo for the same style of ramen (tonkotsu, which is pork bone ramen from Kyushu)...plus Daikokuya is closer to the convention center.
Daikokuya homepage
Grand Central Market downtown has a lot of interesting places to eat, really good and cheap eats at some of the food counters there. Last time I was there (the only good thing about jury duty) I tried a place called Ana Maria's, which serves huge burritos for dirt cheap. It's a bit of a hike from the convention center but I'm sure you could catch a bus there for a quarter pretty easily...
Hyper Game Action in Torrance is no longer Hyper Game Action, it's called Game House and last time I checked it was still there. Sadly, the LA branch of User's Side called it quits a few months ago
The_Sorrow
Banned
The Bookerman said:
Old Town Pasadena
Six Flags(Some cool rollercosters)
Santa Monica
Venice Beach (freakshow)
Oh yes
You HAVE to go there.
There is honestly like a million places to go to here. It's the best and worst place in the world.
The_Sorrow
Banned
3pheMeraLmiX said:
I'm from Arcadia. I go to the high school. Yeah the movie theatre in the Arcadia mall is awesome.
What?!? Fuck. I knew it wasn't going to bode well when an EB Games opened just one block up the street.drohne said:
And Cosmo used to have two stores, one in Santa Monica and one on Westwood Blvd. They got taken under new management and had a really good, knowledgeable staff about two years ago. But the punks running Cosmo beforehand were friendly with me too, I got a bunch of Saturn imports brand new there for less than original price.
The Game Fixx in Burbank also died off a year or two ago. All the cool shops are dropping like flies.
oh yeah: the museum of jurassic technology in culver city is amazing. whenever i have visitors in town, i make a point of taking them there. it's too strange to concisely describe, but check out their website and see if it catches your interest: http://www.mjt.org
and genius essayist lawrence weschler wrote a terrific book about the museum and its curator: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...103-9535836-6773446?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
and genius essayist lawrence weschler wrote a terrific book about the museum and its curator: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...103-9535836-6773446?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
The Bookerman
Member
The_Sorrow said:
Hulk hogan?!
Seems like I'll have plenty of restaurants to check out.
And we'll probably hang out in santa monica.
onion_pixy
Member
Seriously people, if you like ramen or noodles AT ALL, you MUST go to Daikokuya. I cannot reccomend it highly enough. The food is awesome. Be prepared to wait and wait, and wait some more. But hey, who cares, they're open til 3am most days. Bring your handheld of choice and have fun during the wait.
A few doors down from Daikokuya is a wonderful Japanese sweets shop. I think it's called Fugetsudo? Argyle would know the name. Get the peanut butter mochi. mmmmmmmmm. Straberry mochi (very subtle strawberry) filled with peanut butter. That is the shit right there I tell you.
I second the reccomendation for Shabu Shabu House in Little Toyko. Again, be prepared to wait, wait, wait. So worth it tho. Very cheap for what you get. Lesser Shabu often costs more at other places. Probably the best Shabu in LA. Ive tried a lot too. :lol
Little Toyko in general is a cool place to hang out, people watch and shop. I love it!
If you're coming from out of state I would also go to In n Out. Double Double Animal Style
The Hat is good. This is the one time to not trust Argyle. The wet fries are NASTAY! Get the chilli cheese fries instead. Unless you like icky goopy gravy on your fries, then there is no help for you.
Chilli, cheese and onions>>>>>>>>nasty gravy.
Monterey Park has too many good chinese places to even mention.
Oh, the Pak Man arcade in pasadena is pretty cool They have a ton of games. Even Mr Driller!! But bring small bills. Last time I was there they wouldnt break a 20. They made me get 20 bucks worth of tokens. Maybe that was just the guy that day, don't know. And no AC. the place gets sweltering and stuffy. The rest of Pasadena is overrated. Trust me, I live there. tho if you do go to Pak Man, Zankou Chicken across the street is really good. Middle eastern food, yum.
A few doors down from Daikokuya is a wonderful Japanese sweets shop. I think it's called Fugetsudo? Argyle would know the name. Get the peanut butter mochi. mmmmmmmmm. Straberry mochi (very subtle strawberry) filled with peanut butter. That is the shit right there I tell you.
I second the reccomendation for Shabu Shabu House in Little Toyko. Again, be prepared to wait, wait, wait. So worth it tho. Very cheap for what you get. Lesser Shabu often costs more at other places. Probably the best Shabu in LA. Ive tried a lot too. :lol
Little Toyko in general is a cool place to hang out, people watch and shop. I love it!
If you're coming from out of state I would also go to In n Out. Double Double Animal Style
The Hat is good. This is the one time to not trust Argyle. The wet fries are NASTAY! Get the chilli cheese fries instead. Unless you like icky goopy gravy on your fries, then there is no help for you.
Chilli, cheese and onions>>>>>>>>nasty gravy.
Monterey Park has too many good chinese places to even mention.
Oh, the Pak Man arcade in pasadena is pretty cool They have a ton of games. Even Mr Driller!! But bring small bills. Last time I was there they wouldnt break a 20. They made me get 20 bucks worth of tokens. Maybe that was just the guy that day, don't know. And no AC. the place gets sweltering and stuffy. The rest of Pasadena is overrated. Trust me, I live there. tho if you do go to Pak Man, Zankou Chicken across the street is really good. Middle eastern food, yum.
Which shabu shabu house are we talking about here? The one in the square, or the one outside on the same street as Kouraku Ramen House? I went to the shabu shabu house near Kouraku, and it wasn't very special. The other place inside the square, I wouldn't know -- the line was ridiculuous and my friends don't eat beef, which was a staple of their menu.onion_pixy said:Seriously people, if you like ramen or noodles AT ALL, you MUST go to Daikokuya. I cannot reccomend it highly enough. The food is awesome. Be prepared to wait and wait, and wait some more. But hey, who cares, they're open til 3am most days. Bring your handheld of choice and have fun during the wait.
A few doors down from Daikokuya is a wonderful Japanese sweets shop. I think it's called Fugetsudo? Argyle would know the name. Get the peanut butter mochi. mmmmmmmmm. Straberry mochi (very subtle strawberry) filled with peanut butter. That is the shit right there I tell you.
I second the reccomendation for Shabu Shabu House in Little Toyko. Again, be prepared to wait, wait, wait. So worth it tho. Very cheap for what you get. Lesser Shabu often costs more at other places. Probably the best Shabu in LA. Ive tried a lot too. :lol
Little Toyko in general is a cool place to hang out, people watch and shop. I love it!
If you're coming from out of state I would also go to In n Out. Double Double Animal Style
The Hat is good. This is the one time to not trust Argyle. The wet fries are NASTAY! Get the chilli cheese fries instead. Unless you like icky goopy gravy on your fries, then there is no help for you.
Chilli, cheese and onions>>>>>>>>nasty gravy.
Monterey Park has too many good chinese places to even mention.
Oh, the Pak Man arcade in pasadena is pretty cool They have a ton of games. Even Mr Driller!! But bring small bills. Last time I was there they wouldnt break a 20. They made me get 20 bucks worth of tokens. Maybe that was just the guy that day, don't know. And no AC. the place gets sweltering and stuffy. The rest of Pasadena is overrated. Trust me, I live there. tho if you do go to Pak Man, Zankou Chicken across the street is really good. Middle eastern food, yum.
Also, in downtown LA, in the fabric district, there's an awesome korean/mexican hole in the wall that's great. I can't remember what street it's on, but the food is awesome. I'll ask my friend if she remembers the location.
onion_pixy
Member
The Shabu House in the square. You'd think the long line would be a clue. Yes, its that good.
onion_pixy said:
The trick to beating the line is to show up between shifts. They close after lunch. Show up before lunch or dinner opening time and put your name on the list. You'll usually get seated with the first bunch.
On weekends expect to wait. Feed yourself some Sugar toast or something from the bakery next door.
RE: Ramen, I really haven't tried much ramen in L.A., I'm going to scope out both suggestions this week.
I forgot to mention, there's also an arcade in Little Tokyo, they have lots of import games the same mall has a decent private room Karaoke place on the top floor called City Cat Karaoke. It's BYOB
(333 S Alameda St #216 Los Angeles, CA 90013)
videogamer
Banned
Flynn said:
They've opened up a restaurant.
Yeah, Sawtelle is a great area.I will add to the massive amount of Roscoe's suggestions. Carol C's special, here I come!
("one succulent chicken breast... one delicious waffle")
Last year, no joke, my cohort and I ate there every dinner for the duration of the show.
("one succulent chicken breast... one delicious waffle")
Last year, no joke, my cohort and I ate there every dinner for the duration of the show.
onion_pixy
Member
Flynn said:The trick to beating the line is to show up between shifts. They close after lunch. Show up before lunch or dinner opening time and put your name on the list. You'll usually get seated with the first bunch.
On weekends expect to wait. Feed yourself some Sugar toast or something from the bakery next door.
RE: Ramen, I really haven't tried much ramen in L.A., I'm going to scope out both suggestions this week.
I forgot to mention, there's also an arcade in Little Tokyo, they have lots of import games the same mall has a decent private room Karaoke place on the top floor called City Cat Karaoke. It's BYOB
(333 S Alameda St #216 Los Angeles, CA 90013)
Thanks for the tip about Shabu House! and yes, the bakery next door is YUMMIE! I love the green tea mochi cookies.
Hope you enjoy Daikokuya this weekend
boutrosinit
Street Fighter IV World Champion
The Kings Head in Santa Monica! It's on Ocean and Broadway I believe.
Awesome English pub, with full on English grub and Karaoke on Sunday nights.
Booze is cheap, food is decent and the waitresses is hot.
Awesome English pub, with full on English grub and Karaoke on Sunday nights.
Booze is cheap, food is decent and the waitresses is hot.
Amused_To_Death
Member
Take a drive down S Coast Hwy to Laguna Beach. The drive itself is breathtaking. There is a restaurant by some art gallery, right on the beach, they have the best seafood sandwiches in the world...Go around sunset, the views are out of this world.
GamePnoy74
Member
Here's some bar/club info if anyone's interested:
Went bar-hopping in West Hollywood with some buddies Saturday night, went to the 'usual' spots:
- Lola's: great martini bar, nice crowd
- Miyagi's: decent sushi bar, ain't what it used to be though...I liked Dublin's across the street more, but that closed down
- Afterwards we hit up Nak Wan/Hodori in Korea Town: good stuff for a late night Korean food fix
Other places to go in the Hollywood area in the evening:
- Daddy's: another martini bar, cool place to chill...I think I saw Michael Rosenbaum (Lex Luthor from Smallville) there one time hanging out with the bartenders
- Star Shoes: nice place to go for drinks and music, not the greatest looking crowd though =P
- If you like to hit up some jazz spots check out the Knitting Factory or Catalina Jazz Club
- Saddle Ranch: the bar mentioned earlier with the mechanical bull
- Foundation Room, House of Blues Sunset: exclusive, small, dope spot to chill at before and after a show going on at the HOB (if you have access/hookups)
Other bars/clubs to check out:
- Zanzibar, Santa Monica: great place for hip-hop Satruday nights...casual crowd, great place to chill, highly recommended
- Century Club, Century City: upscale crowd, need to dress nice, cover/drinks/valet parking can get pricey
- The Derby and the Dresden, Los Feliz: the bars from the movie 'Swingers'
- The Mayan, downtown LA: all kinds of stuff going on
Other late-night hole-in-the-wall restaurants I recommend:
- Sanamluang, Hollywood/Thai Town: my personal favorite place for Thai food
- Roscoes, Hollywood: been mentioned earlier in this thread
- Pink's Hot Dogs, Merose/West LA: expect to wait a while in line =P
This is only a very small part of the West LA/Downtown area...there's also all kinds of other spots to check out in the OC, Long Beach, Pasadena/Burbank/Glendale, East LA/San Gabriel/Alhambra, South Bay, the Valley (maybe...all I really know in this area is Yankee Doodles lol =P), etc. as well.
Went bar-hopping in West Hollywood with some buddies Saturday night, went to the 'usual' spots:
- Lola's: great martini bar, nice crowd
- Miyagi's: decent sushi bar, ain't what it used to be though...I liked Dublin's across the street more, but that closed down
- Afterwards we hit up Nak Wan/Hodori in Korea Town: good stuff for a late night Korean food fix
Other places to go in the Hollywood area in the evening:
- Daddy's: another martini bar, cool place to chill...I think I saw Michael Rosenbaum (Lex Luthor from Smallville) there one time hanging out with the bartenders
- Star Shoes: nice place to go for drinks and music, not the greatest looking crowd though =P
- If you like to hit up some jazz spots check out the Knitting Factory or Catalina Jazz Club
- Saddle Ranch: the bar mentioned earlier with the mechanical bull
- Foundation Room, House of Blues Sunset: exclusive, small, dope spot to chill at before and after a show going on at the HOB (if you have access/hookups)
Other bars/clubs to check out:
- Zanzibar, Santa Monica: great place for hip-hop Satruday nights...casual crowd, great place to chill, highly recommended
- Century Club, Century City: upscale crowd, need to dress nice, cover/drinks/valet parking can get pricey
- The Derby and the Dresden, Los Feliz: the bars from the movie 'Swingers'
- The Mayan, downtown LA: all kinds of stuff going on
Other late-night hole-in-the-wall restaurants I recommend:
- Sanamluang, Hollywood/Thai Town: my personal favorite place for Thai food
- Roscoes, Hollywood: been mentioned earlier in this thread
- Pink's Hot Dogs, Merose/West LA: expect to wait a while in line =P
This is only a very small part of the West LA/Downtown area...there's also all kinds of other spots to check out in the OC, Long Beach, Pasadena/Burbank/Glendale, East LA/San Gabriel/Alhambra, South Bay, the Valley (maybe...all I really know in this area is Yankee Doodles lol =P), etc. as well.
GamePnoy74
Member
I guess listing anything in the Hollywood area would be called a 'tourist trap,' heh. As long as you have a good time regardless of where you go it's all good.
Mike said:
Star Shoes and The Derby, though "bridge and tunnel" style bars, do occasionally have excellent nights.
Star Shoes hosted a low key hip-hop night for a while that DJ Shadow made some guest appearances at.
The Derby for a time had excellent booking (under the guidance of The Fold -- now at the Silverlake Lounge); The Polyphonic Spree played there (the band outnumbered the audience).
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