Tiffany & Jia
Things To Do
Newport Seafood Restaurant
Classic Cantonese type spot and they have the big crabs on menu. They do Dim Sum too.
鹵億鮮 Luyixian
Best Spicy Beef Noodle dish according to Tiff. Jia also likes the slow braised pork and rice.
Jus' Poke
Great poke and can grab to go eat by a cliff, Palos Ranchos Verdes. Usually a line so you can order online for pickup.
Angel's Tijuana Tacos
Been to the Eagle Rock location but this one is closer to the venue. Some of the best street tacos around. Get al pastor or steak with queso.
Holbox
Get the octopus tacos, uni whatever and try out the shrimp tacos too. They've got omakase style options too by the bar. It's located in a food hall near DTLA, so a bit out of place but in terms of elevated Mexican food, this is unbeatable.
Yunomi Handroll
Better than Kazunori and Sugarfish by a long shot. Get whatever handrolls but with the Korean seaweed, it's crispier than the normal one. Non-spicy fish is raw sashimi. Spicy fish is chopped fish with spicy mayo. Rock shrimp is also a great app.
Porto's Bakery and Cafe
LA classic for bakery goods. Multiple locations but this one is the closest to the venue. Jia's favorite is the cheese rolls, basically a cheese danish.
Odd One Out Tea Sawtelle
Taiwanese imported tea for boba. I think this doesn't exist in NYC, unlike Molly Tea and HeyTea. Tiff's order is icy peak signature with jasmine silk jelly 25% sweet.
Bubba's Crab House
Really good seafood boil if you're up for it. A bit far but Rowland Heights has a lot of other foods you can try out if you're in the area.
Tsujita LA Artisan Noodles
Best Tsukemen (fish broth where you dip ramen noodles in). Jia doesn't like it but it's a popular spot. There's another location in the SGV (real Chinatown). This is located in Sawtelle where there's a bunch of other decent eats around.
Ramen Tatsunoya
Multiple locations but the best Ramen according to Jia.
Yama Sushi Marketplace
A sushi market, where you walk in and there's prep'd dishes / you can order from a counter and pick out the fish you want, they'll cut it up as sashimi for you. Fresh fish and really good value. There's multiple locations.
Da Vien Coffee
New age viet coffee shop. Good drinks. Multiple Locations.
Bake & Che
Viet dessert spot, pretty unique and can't get in a lot of other places. Also multiple locations. Tiff likes the avocado che.
Mama Hieu's
Fish sauce chicken wings, beats KFC any day of the week IMO. Try it spicy!
Phở 79
Some of the best pho you can get. Cash only.
Phởholic
A few locations, also there's phoholic 2. It used to be better but it's gotten bought out or a new chef or something. Was pretty good pho before a recent renovation. Would recommend Pho 79 over this but it's a distant 2nd.
Carrot & Daikon Banh Mi - Bolsa
Best Banh Mi you can get, crispy pork or classic. Multiple locations but if you're going to get the crispy pork avoid the Century location. For some reason they charge 3 dollars more for the crispy pork.
Cococane
Best sugarcane we've had, get the cococane with the coconut slices and calamansi. Hella refreshing on a hot day or after a heavy dinner.
Airoma Cafe
Cursed by the TikTok hype, there's now a long line but this is a drink spot with Ube, Pandan, or their infamous double matcha (matcha cream on top, matcha latte on bottom).
Taty's Specialty Coffee & Tea
Another double matcha spot in case others are packed. This has 2 locations that are pretty close to each other.
Bear Flag Fish Company
Decent poke spot near Newport Beach if you're hitting up the area / staying near the venue.
The Kickin' Crab
Another seafood boil spot, love the garlic noodles here and has multiple locations. This one is closer to the venue.
Waka Sakura Gardena
Conveyor belt sushi, similar to Kura without the prizes but a lot better quality at a marginal increase in price. There's more locations opening but this one is in Gardena where there's a lot of other Japanese spots.
Otafuku Restaurant
Mainly specializes in Udon and Soba dipping noodles but has a good selection of other items (tempura). Wait can get pretty long so go early and get your name down if you can.
RNY Coffee Studio
Korean-style coffee spot in Ktown, get the Vienna coffee as a sweet treat. More of a coffee dessert spot than it is a pick me up in the morning type of thing.
JunTong SulLungTang
Korean bone broth soup with noodles and brisket (or gizzards). Definitely unique and not something you often see in NY. You add your own salt and a heaping of green onions to taste. Great dinner meal and is right next to BCD if you're craving more basic K-food.
Quarters Korean BBQ
Best KBBQ I've had (not AYCE). Music's loud but meats are great quality and bonchon variety is vast (scallion salad for example).
Howlin' Ray's Hot Chicken - Chinatown
Best fried/hot chicken tendies and sandwiches I've had. A bit of a wait if you go to the Chinatown location but it's close by to a bunch of other foods. There's also a Pasadena location which MIGHT have less of a wait.
Thien Huong Restaurant
Same plaza as Howlin' Rays. Great option for Viet food if you're not in Westminster. The portions are massive and the Banh Xeo is a great choice.
Kanomwaan Thai Gelato and Dessert Cafe
Great Thai dessert spot in Thai town. They've got unique seasonal flavors (Tiff likes the pandan coconut, Jia likes durian), shaved ice, kaya toast, etc. Is in a plaza with some great Thai restaurants too. In the evening, parking is valet only and it's cash only so bring 5-10 bucks of cash.
Watdongmoonlek Noodle
Tiff's fav pad thai is sidewalk pad thai with pork. Jia drops this off for her when she's on night shift at the hospital.
Thai Central Cuisine
Best Thai food I've ever had, from the slow braised pork, pad kra pow, and curries. Same plaza as Kanam Thai Dessert. Plaza is valet only in the evenings so bring 5-10 dollars in cash.
The Taco Stand
Great tacos, especially the baja (fried fish). This location I've set to San Diego but there's one much closer to the venue in Laguna Beach. This is a great option if you're in the area for the zoo.
Huge Tree Pastry
Tiff likes the fan tuan with purple rice, egg, and pickled veg! Also has traditional chinese soy milk.
Royal Lobster LA
We love the lobster roll here! It definitely rivals those on the east coast.
Tectonic Coffee Company - Australian Owned Cafe and HQ
Get the vegemite caramel latte (Jia says the vegemite adds the perfect amount of saltiness) or the orange blossom latte (Tiff's seasonal fave). The espresso here is perfect.
Premier Dessert Art
Tiff loves the double skin milk pudding here. This is the first good one she's found since her trip to Guangzhou. There's also other traditional Chinese desserts you can try.
torotea
This is not close to the venue at all but if you're in the area, this is a must. They specialize in tea jellies instead of boba. Tiff likes the cassia milk tea with black tea jelly. Jia gets whatever Tiff wants to try.
Oc & Lau Restaurant
Viet seafood spot with a usual line of families crowding up outside and kids on their phones and ipads. Razor clams always run out of stock but if you can get it get it (they're ok). The salted fish fried rice is one of the best. They've got large prawns that are snappy and delicious too. While the Durian smoothie makes it tough to get home, it's second to none. Other fruity drinks are good too and you can get it by the pitcher.
Paradise Dynasty
The better Din Tai Fung. Located in South Coast Plaza so you can shop around before you get called for your spot. Get the soup dumplings and spicy wontons!
Quán Mii Restaurant
One of the best parts of California is the Vietnamese food here! This is the best banh xeo, which is a crispy, savory, coconut-y crepe filled with pork, shrimp, and whatever you want, wrapped in lettuce with fresh herbs, and dipped in fish sauce.
Ichifuji Sushi
We stumbled upon across this omakase spot during a date night in San Diego. Now it's so popular that you have to get a reservation so plan ahead!
Manhattan Beach
Jia's favorite beach-clean, quiet, around rich people. Nice board walk and a lot of space. Street parking is relatively easy and cheap.
San Diego Zoo
Best zoo in North America to be honest. Can spend a whole day here and definitely be prepared to. There's lots to see.
Sunset Cliffs
Where we got engaged! Nice chill cliffs area to watch the sunset.
1000 Steps Beach
It's not really a thousand steps but it is a long way down and up a narrow staircase. It's close-ish to the venue and somewhat isolated than the more typical Santa Monica Beach/Pier. The view here is beautiful.
Corona Del Mar State Beach Park
Great beach, you do have to pay for parking for this one though but close-ish to the venue.
Griffith Observatory
A classic museum with many trails to hike up. Park at the bottom of the Greek theatre and hike up one of the many trails. A bit of a tourist spot but the views during sunset or sunrise are great (if there's no smog). Along some hikes and at the observatory you'll see the Hollywood sign. We can see Griffith from our apartment window!
The Getty
Museum with a lot of art but the main attraction is really the architecture. It's a bit in the middle of nowhere, parking is also expensive.
Runyon Canyon Park
Nice hike, not too intense and you might see Justin Bieber.