Dining Out in Downtown L.A.
Attending AACC 2012 in Los Angeles this summer? Consider this selection of restaurants when you venture outside of the convention center for lunch with clients or dinner with coworkers.
By: Maureen Kingsley
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| Wolfgang Puck's WP24. |
Los Angeles: Love it or hate it, one can’t deny its diversity of people, lifestyles, cultures…and dining options. Downtown L.A., especially, offers up an enormous variety of good eats, from huge, hand-carved sandwiches (Lawry’s Carvery) to wildly popular Mexican fare (El Cholo) to contemporary Asian cuisine in a breathtaking setting (WP 24). Whether you’re visiting L.A. from just down the road in Orange County or from hundreds of miles away, it will be worth your while to step outside of the convention center for some unique dining experiences.
This more casual, less expensive, Downtown cousin of the formidable Lawry’s The Prime Rib serves up heaping prime-rib and other hand-carved sandwiches alongside such “signature sides” as creamed corn and homemade potato chips.
Lawry's Carvery
1011 South Figueroa St. # B115
Los Angeles, CA 90015-1362
213/222-2212
This decades-old L.A. institution offers a full menu of authentic Mexican favorites, including green corn tamales and award-winning margaritas. The atmosphere is friendly and fun. Be sure to read the restaurant’s long and fascinating history on its Website.
El Cholo Restaurant
1037 South Flower St.
Los Angeles, CA 90015-1401
213/746-7750
If you’re looking for a memorable, even glamorous dining adventure while you’re in L.A., consider checking out Wolfgang Puck’s two-year-old WP 24. Offering stunning city views from the 24th floor of Downtown’s Ritz-Carlton hotel, WP 24 features a heavily Asian-influenced menu including sushi, traditional Chinese hot pots, and an international wine list.
WP 24
900 W. Olympic Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90015
213/743-8824
Sports junkies looking for walls of big-screen TVs broadcasting all manner of sporting events to complement their meal ought look no further than LA Live’s ESPN Zone. The atmosphere is informal, the beer is plentiful, and the menu offers exactly what you’d expect from a sports-themed eatery: wings, quesadillas, burgers, fried chicken, pizza, and pasta.
ESPN Zone
1011 S. Figueroa St.
Los Angeles, CA 90015
213/765-7070
Also at LA Live is Downtown’s location of The Farm of Bevery Hills: a restaurant serving innovative American cuisine in an inviting atmosphere. The Farm bills itself as a “comfort food haven for the hard-working downtown crowd,” and its menu backs up that claim. Offering everything from turkey lasagna to barbecue bacon cheeseburgers to maple-baked salmon salad, carnivores and vegetarians alike can find something delicious and comforting.
Farm of Beverly Hills-LA Live
800 W. Olympic Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90015-1360
213/747-4555
And, if you're looking for something a bit more adventurous, check out Jonathan Gold's article on
99 essential LA restaurants. A local treasure, Gold is the first, and I believe only, food critic to have won a Pulitzer prize. Not only does he have the writing chops, but he is an infallible resource on dining in Los Angeles, from
au courrant food trucks and strip-mall dives with
molé to die for to truly worthy expense-account establishments
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