Author: local researcher

One of two restaurants with a claim to inventing the French Dip sandwich, Philippe the Original serves up its delicious sopping sandwiches alongside other traditional deli fare. Located downtown by Union Station, Philippe has been open since 1908, making it an historical landmark by LA standards. The dark interior has a nostalgic feel, and your children will enjoy exploring the restaurant, which is packed full of local memorabilia.

Contact number: (213) 628-3781

Location: “1001 North Alameda Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012-1803”

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One of the progenitors of the recent gelato boom in LA, Pazzo Gelato has fresh unique flavors everyday, featuring seasonal fruits fresh from the downtown farmer’s market. Crisp fruit sorbets match well with creamier offerings like tart European yogurt, nutty espresso hazelnut, and egg custard zabaglione. Your children can get their flavors of choice served several ways, in a cup, cone, or as a sundae. Adults may want to try a more sophisticated sundae by getting theirs “afogato” style, with a shot of espresso poured over the gelato. Heat lamps line the patio so cold treats can be enjoyed even during winter months.

Contact number: (323) 662-1410

Location: “3827 West Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90026”

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Palms sits on the border between Thai Town and Hollywood, and it shows. Superb for Thai food and people watching, on many nights it boasts Thai Elvis, one of a cast of ethnic Elvis impersonators who entertain the dinner crowds. children will enjoy Thai favorites like Pad Thai and chicken satay, while adventurous adults should try delicacies like crispy frog and the limey garlicky BBQ dishes.

Contact number: (323) 462-5073

Location: 5900 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90028-5410

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LA’s Chinatown may not be particularly authentic -it was built in the thirties as a tourist attraction and features props donated by Cecil B. DeMille—but the dim sum at Ocean Seafood certainly is. In addition to a full menu of Cantonese cuisine and a wall of live seafood tanks, waiters bring carts to your table stockpiled with delicious plates of the tea snacks known as dim sum. Your children will be thrilled with the variety of options, as treats like har gow, shui mai, pork bao, and spare ribs are offered up. After lunch, stroll the streets and investigate the local boutiques, a fantastic place to seek out cheap and original gifts.

Contact number: (213) 687-2819

Location: 750 North Hill Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012-2819

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For an immersion into a communal dining experience, head to Little Ethiopia, a stretch of a few blocks just south of Museum Mile lined with restaurants serving traditional Ethiopian cuisine. You and your children sit on the floor or stumps of wood, pulling pieces off a large freshly baked flatbread to dip in delicious, exotically spiced and seasoned stews. A great option for large groups or families, it’s also fairly inexpensive, making it easy to order an assortment of dishes to share.

Contact number: (323) 936-5918

Location: 1076 South Fairfax Avenue at Whitworth Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90019

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Los Angeles is home to Mexican restaurants to suit every taste and budget, but if you’re looking to please a crowd of hungry children, you can’t go wrong with La Parrilla. Festive in atmosphere and more than reasonable in price, La Parrilla has three locations in the L.A. area. The menu is as overstuffed and brilliant as the décor. Adventurous adults should try the molcajetes, stone urns full of cooked meats, cactus leaves (nopalitos) and cheese, or any of the amazing molé dishes. Children may just want to stick to the giant combo plates of enchiladas, chile rellenos, and other Mexican favorites. Strolling “musicos” add to the cheerful ambience.

Contact number: (323) 661-8055

Location: “3129 West Sunset Boulevard at Silver Lake Boulevard

Los Angeles, CA 90026-2131”

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Open for lunch since 1917, this bustling market houses stands selling fresh cheap produce and cuisines spanning the globe. Treat children to a delicious horchata, a traditional Mexican beverage made with cinnamon rice-milk. Try a carnitas torta from the taco stand, Hawaiian BBQ, or a Japanese bento box. There’s even pizza for finicky eaters. Make sure to leave with a bag of fresh avocados, mangos, or papayas.

Contact number: (213) 624-2378

Location: “317 South Broadway

Los Angeles, CA 90013-1229”

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Despite an unassuming exterior, Clifton’s Cafeteria is a magical redwood-themed restaurant inside. Inspired by California’s national parks, Clifton’s is a wonderland of fake trees and river streams surrounding its two stories of tables. If the food is not particularly innovative, it owes to the fact that the menu remains largely unchanged from the forties, when Clifton’s first opened. But the cuisine is somewhat beside the point, as anything your grandkids order is sure to taste good while admiring the recreated majesty of nature. Be sure to look on the second floor for Nature’s Cathedral, a hollow redwood with a recorded sermon on earth’s beauty that plays when you press a button.

Contact number: (213) 627-1673

Location: “648 South Broadway

Los Angeles, CA 90014-1807”

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A Japanese import by way of France, Beard Papa’s is a truly cross-cultural dessert experience. Their specialty is a giant cream puff; a flaky pastry stuffed with a custard cream. They can be ordered by the box like donuts, or individually for a perfectly sweet treat that can be consumed out of hand while cruising the shops on Sawtelle Boulevard, or walking around the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard with your children.

Contact number: (323) 462-6100

Location: “6801 Hollywood Boulevard Suite 1

53

Los Angeles, CA 90028”

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Some foods are more fun to eat than others. There is perhaps nothing more satisfying than slurping up slippery udon out of a bowl of miso broth. Most of the offerings at Asahi Ramen, located on a strip of Japanese shops on Sawtelle Boulevard in West LA, involve some combination of noodles, broth, and meat, though there are also salads and non-soup items. But it’s the steaming bowls of ramen heaped with veggies and shredded meat or tofu that remain the real draw, sure to delight you and your children.

Contact number: (310) 479-2231

Location: “2027 Sawtelle Boulevard at LaGrange Avenue

Los Angeles, CA 90025″

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