Kids restaurant
Good Stuff
Children have a different palate than adults, with a love for sweet and rich things and no appreciation for bitter flavors that add complexity to dishes. As such, kid’s menus at many restaurants are frightening to parents who care about healthy diets, but that’s not the case everywhere. Good Stuff offers balanced menus that include the things kids enjoy, so the cheese quesadilla comes with carrot and celery sticks, and the chicken tender arrives inside a wrap with bacon, lettuce, tomato, and cheese. At breakfast they make Mickey Mouse pancakes in the shape of the head of a certain anthropomorphic rodent, which still makes certain adults feel nostalgic. You may have to pretend there’s a kid at your table when you order those, but we’re sure the staff at Good Stuff will pretend to believe you.
Good Stuff
1286 The Strand
Hermosa Beach
(310) 374-2334
1617 S. Pacific Coast Hwy #102
Redondo Beach
(310) 316-0262
550 Deep Valley Dr. #151
Rolling Hills
(310) 544-8000
Runner-up:
Islands Restaurant Manhattan Beach
3200 N Sepulveda Blvd
(310) 546-4456
Islands Restaurant Redondo Beach
1609 Hawthorne Blvd
(310) 363-8968
Islands Restaurant Torrance
2647 Pacific Coast Hwy
(310) 530-5383
Late night eatery (after 10 p.m.)
The Kettle
Some Angelenos harbor a big rivalry with New York City, but even the most partisan will have to admit that New York’s better at meeting the needs of night owls. Compared to the city that never sleeps, we are the city that never wakes. The South Bay has only one 24-hour restaurant to its credit, but that one is the famous Kettle. If you want fried chicken, crab cakes, a plump burger, or an omelet at 3 a.m., they’re happy to oblige. The service is as friendly and the coffee as fresh at midnight as it is at noon, a beacon of civilization when all around it is dark.
The Kettle
1138 Highland Ave.
Manhattan Beach
(310) 545-8511
Runner-up:
Hennessey’s Tavern
8 Pier Ave.
Hermosa Beach
(310) 372-5759
1712 S. Catalina Ave.
Redondo Beach
(310) 540-8443
313 Manhattan Beach Blvd.
Manhattan Beach
(310) 546-4813
Mall restaurant
Dai Tai Fung
There was a time when malls were so popular that restaurants opened there hoping department store customers would stop in for a bite. This has reversed.Now stores close to good restaurants bless their good fortune. The ones next to Din Tai Fung must be particularly happy, because there is always a line outside and those people have nothing to do but notice items displayed in the window. Din Tai Fung is the acknowledged master of Chinese noodles in our area, and voted as such by our readers. People who love freshly made dumplings and noodles would probably hike to the middle of the Madrona Marsh to get them, even though parking there is so much more difficult.
Dai Tai Fung
Del Amo Fashion Center
21540 Hawthorne Blvd. #519
Torrance
(310) 214-1175
Runner-up:
JOEY
3120 N Sepulveda Blvd
Manhattan Beach
(310) 546-1163
Mediterranean / Middle Eastern
Chicken Maison
The people who are voting in the Mediterranean category took things literally and picked a restaurant that represented the entire eastern Mediterranean. Falafels, kebabs, and tabbouleh from Lebanon are on the menu, as are gyros and tzatziki from Greece, fettuccini from Italy, and chicken from everywhere, because all around those shores people roast chicken. There are political differences aplenty in this region, but they can all agree to appreciate the sunny flavors of olive oil, garlic, and herbs.
Chicken Maison
1000 Torrance Blvd.
Redondo Beach
(310) 316-9797
2709 Manhattan Beach Blvd.
Redondo Beach
(310) 725-0035
Runner-up:
Poulet De Jour
233 S. Pacific Coast Highway
Hermosa Beach
(310) 376-6620
Mexican (over $25)
Pancho’s Restaurant
The hacienda at the corner of Rosecrans and Highland has been a landmark since the 1930s, and there’s no question that the spectacular interior is part of the draw here. Dining beneath the trees in the atrium is as close as many of us will come to being a guest at a rancho somewhere south of the border. The food is Mexican-American and spiced for a gringo palate, but made with good ingredients and portions are generous. Pancho’s is a very popular party spot, and our readers like the old-school style both on the plate and in their pictures of celebrations of all kinds.
Pancho’s Restaurant
3615 Highland Ave.
Manhattan Beach
(310) 545-6670
Runner-up:
Leo’s Mexican Food
16006 Inglewood Ave.
Lawndale
(310) 370-0111
