VRA LA 2019: Let's Eat!

In a city with an overwhelming range of food choices, we wanted to provide some top picks to help you navigate your conference culinary experiences. The Little Tokyo neighborhood has a plethora of sushi, ramen, tempura, dumplings, and sake to keep you satisfied. Likewise, the Arts District, Civic Center, Chinatown, Olvera Street and other surrounding neighborhoods all have great places to eat. Below is a list of recommendations, which will also be included on our VRA LA 2019 map. All are walking distance from the hotel. Any walk  >15 minutes, has a rideshare travel time included. Find more reviews on Jonathan Gold’s 101, Yelp, The Infatuation, Eater LA, and LA Taco.

Fine Dining

Here are some top rated fine dining experiences, if celebrity chefs and home-cured charcuterie are your thing. Plan to secure a reservation ahead of time for these restaurants:

• Redbird (New American $$) 114 E 2nd St redbird.la,
  2 min walk

• Sushi Gen (Japanese $$$) 422 E 2nd St sushigen-dtla.com,
  5 min walk

• Majordōmo (Californian $$$) 1725 Naud St, majordomo.la,
  25 min walk / 10 min rideshare

• Church and State (French Bistro $$$) 1850 Industrial Street, No. 100 https://churchandstatebistro.com/,
  25 min walk / 10 min rideshare

• Bestia (Italian $$$) 2121 E 7th Pl  Bestiala.com,
  30 min walk / 10 min rideshare

• Border Grill (Modern Mexican $$) 445 S. Figueroa Street  http://www.bordergrill.com/,
  24 min walk / 10 min rideshare

Good Value

These hot spots will keep you under budget without missing out on the flavors of LA:

• Suehiro Cafe (Japanese $) 337 E 1st St https://www.suehirocafe.net/ ,
  5 min walk

• Mitsuru Cafe (Japanese $) 117 Japanese Village Plaza Mall mitsuru.top-cafes.com,
  5 min walk

• Chado Tea Room (Tea House) 369 E 1st St (inside JANM)  chadotearoom.com,
  7 min walk

• Grand Central Market (Food Hall $-$$) 317 S Broadway https://www.grandcentralmarket.com/vendors,
  10 min walk / 5 min rideshare

• LUNCH À LA PARK Food Trucks (various $) Grand Park 200 North Grand Avenue https://grandparkla.org/event/lunchtime-food-trucks,
  12 min walk

• Lemonade at MOCA (cafe, lunch $-$$) 250 South Grand Ave,
  15 min walk / 5 min rideshare

• Guisados DTLA (Mexican $)  541 S Spring St #101 guisados.co,
  15 min walk / 5 min rideshare

• Guerilla Tacos (Mexican $$) 2000 E. 7th Street http://www.guerrillatacos.com/,
  25 min walk / 10 min rideshare

• Ocean Seafood (Dim Sum $-$$) 750 North Hill St.  https://www.oceanseafoodchinatown.com/,
  25 min walk  / 10 min rideshare

Plant Based & Allergy Friendly

Lots of healthy options and vegetarian friendly food around, here some safe bets:

• Mr Ramen (Ramen $$) 341 E 1st St mrramen.menutoeat.com,
  5 min walk

• Spitz (Mediterranean $$) 371 E 2nd St http://www.eatatspitz.com/,
  5 min walk

• Shojin (Japanese Macrobiotic $$$) 333 S Alameda St Suite 310 http://www.theshojin.com/dtla.htm,
  10 min walk

• P.Y.T. (Vegetarian $$) 400 S Main St pytlosangeles.com,
  10 min walk

• Cafe Gratitude (Vegan $$) 300 S Santa Fe Ave cafegratitude.com,
  15 min walk / 5 min rideshare

Libations

Head out for a drink with friends new and true:

• Wolf & Crane Bar (Whiskey Bar $$) 366 E 2nd St wolfandcranebar.com,
  5 min walk

• Far Bar (Gastropub $$) 347 E 1st St farbarla.com ,
  7 min walk

• Angel City Brewery (Brewery $) 216 S Alameda St angelcitybrewery.com,
  10 min walk

• Arts District Brewing Company (Brewpub $$) 828 Traction Ave artsdistrictbrewing.com,
  12 min walk

• Boomtown Brewery (Brewery $$) 700 Jackson St boomtownbrew.com,
  16 min walk / 5 min rideshare

Historic Buildings

Each one of these historic gems has a story to tell:

• Grand Central Market (Food Hall $-$$) 317 S Broadway https://www.grandcentralmarket.com/vendors,
  10 min walk

• Imperial Western Beer Company (Brewpub $$) Union Station, 800 N Alameda St imperialwestern.com,
  15 min walk / 5 min rideshare

• Philippe The Original (110 Years of French Dip $) 1001 N. Alameda Street https://www.philippes.com/,
  18 min walk / 5 min rideshare

• Cole’s the Originator of the French Dip & Speakeasy (since 1908) (American $$) 118 E. 6th St.,
  [no website] 14 min walk / 5 min rideshare

• Clifton’s (Bar, Multi-cuisine $$) 648 S Broadway https://www.cliftonsla.com/,
  18 min walk / 8 min rideshare

• Terroni (Italian $$-$$$) 802 S. Spring Street http://www.terroni.com/terroni-los-angeles/terroni-downtown-la/,
  20 min walk / 7 min rideshare

Sweet Tooth

Satisfy your sweet tooth with Japanese mochi, French macarons, and vegan donuts, oh my:

• Mikawaya (Japanese Mochi ice cream $) 118 Japanese Village Plaza Mall ,
  5 min walk

• Midori Matcha Cafe (Tea Room, Bakery $) 123 Astronaut Ellison Onizuka St, Ste 101- C midorimatchatea.com,
  3 min walk

• Bae (Ice cream $) 369 E 2nd St,
  4 min walk

• DŌNATSU, (Donuts, Vegan $)  330 E 2nd St #C ,
  3 min walk

• The Pie Hole (American Cafe $$) 714 Traction Ave thepieholela.com,
  10 min walk

• Mr. Churro, (Churros, $) E-12 Olvera St C https://m.facebook.com/mrchurroLA/ ,
  15 min walk / 5 min rideshare

• Bottega Louie (Bakery, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner $$) 700 South Grand Ave  https://www.bottegalouie.com/,
  23 min walk  / 10 min rideshare

Contributors:

Krystal Boehlert
Local Planning Coordinator, VRA LA 2019
Visual Resources Specialist, University of California Riverside

Maureen Burns
Development and Tour Coordinator, VRA LA 2019
IMAGinED Consulting and Archivision

Jackie Spafford
Local Planning Committee Member, VRA LA 2019
Image Resources Curator, History of Art and Architecture, University of California/Santa Barbara