Best of the Beach 2022: Kids Restaurant, Late Night eatery (after 10pm), Mall restaurant, Mediterranean/Midde East, Mexican (over $25)

Good Stuff’s Amy Schuler has been putting smiles on kids’ faces for 32 years. Photo by Kevin Cody

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

eatgoodstuff.com

 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

islandsrestaurants.com

  

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

thekettle.net

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

hennesseystavern.com

    

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

dintaifungusa.com

 Runner-up:

JOEY

3120 N Sepulveda Blvd

Manhattan Beach

(310) 546-1163

joeyrestaurants.com

 

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

chickenmaison.com

Runner-up:

Poulet De Jour

233 S. Pacific Coast Highway

Hermosa Beach

(310) 376-6620

pouletdejour.com   

 

Pancho’s atrium suggests Mexico’s hanging gardens. Easy Reader file photo

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

panchosrestaurant.com

Runner-up:

Leo’s Mexican Food

16006 Inglewood Ave.

Lawndale

(310) 370-0111

leosmexicanfood.com

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