Best chili: Tomboy’s
Tomboy’s owners Tom and Vira Zevgaras hosting the 90th birthday of lifeguard legend Paul Matthies. Photo
Bowls of chili aren’t on the menu at our winner for best chili, though we’ve heard that if you ask for one, they will sell it to you. Instead, the chili is the indispensable element in chili fries, a chili burger, and the chili-cheese fries that seem to outsell everything else. This isn’t a powerful chili that asserts itself all over the place – Texans will not be impressed by the heat, though they will approve that there are no beans involved. It’s a mild, fragrant, and oddly addictive stew that is a secret behind Tomboy’s success.
1816 Manhattan Beach Blvd., MB (310) 374-9944
Runner-up: Good Stuff, 1286 The Strand, Hermosa Beach, (310) 374-2334
1617 S. PCH, Redondo Beach,(310) 316-0262