(Photos by Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Where we love to eat near SoFi Stadium
Whether you’re headed to the Super Bowl on Sunday or to the next round of sold-out BTS concerts, SoFi Stadium, to the curious eater, is a pin worth dropping on your digital map as the center of an enriching array of restaurants and eateries. Inglewood, Southwest L.A., Hawthorne and El Segundo and communities a bit farther afield have for decades been generating a culinary map that is uniquely reflective of the various cultures that converge here: African American, Mexican and Central American, Jamaican, Belizean, Japanese and others. Whether you’re pining for a decent postgame meal or a pregame snack, this list of top options near SoFi Stadium, compiled by Times Food staff, editors and our local friends in the newsroom, should have you covered.
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(Silvia Razgova / For the Times)
Aduke Nigerian Cuisine
Inglewood Nigerian $$
Among the riches of Nigerian restaurants in the Inglewood community, Aduke Oluwafunmilayo Oyetibo’s bright dining room stands out thanks to her warm presence and heartening cooking. She generously laces her soothing jollof rice with tomato, red peppers, thyme and a whiff of smokiness. Opt for the entree variation filled out with spinach, dodo (soft, deeply caramelized plantains) and an unbattered half-chicken fried to a chewy crispness. Among the stews, look for gingery, garlicky egusi rich with ground melon seeds that cook until they resemble creamy flecks of scrambled egg. With egusi the staff usually recommends a pairing of fufu, the pounded yam, used as an edible tool, with the buttery smoothness of mashed potatoes.
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(Alice Short/Los Angeles Times)
Barsha
Hermosa Beach Tunisian Mediterranean
On a recent evening, diners filled Barsha’s outdoor seating area; inside, about half the tables — spaced far apart — were occupied. People lingered at their tables, ordering dish after dish from a menu that emphasizes Tunisian/Mediterranean flavors. Salads (house-made farmers cheese, heirloom tomatoes and beets, and “local kale” among them) make for a multitextured start. The small-bites list is vegetable-centric. Entrees include lamb meatballs on a bed of Tunisian couscous and Tabil Branzino. Did we reorder the stewed chickpeas after inhaling it the first time? We did.
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(Ben Welsh / Los Angeles Times)
Brolly Hut
Inglewood Hamburger $
Roman Gabriel was under center for the Rams when this hamburger stand opened on Crenshaw Boulevard at the end of the 1960s. A circular building with a roof shaped like a broad, ornate umbrella, Brolly Hut is an enduring example of a midcentury fad in architecture — known as the Googie movement — that boomeranged bold shapes on structures from L.A. to Vegas and back. But don’t just go to gawk. Order a plate of burgers, a mess of fries and a heap of onion rings for a nostalgic feast of the classic fast food our forefathers designed to lure in drivers.
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(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Coni’Seafood
Inglewood Mexican $$
It’s hard to think of a more celebratory feast than Coni’ Seafood’s pescado zarandeado. It’s a whole snook split in half Nayarit-style, then grilled. You take a piece of the tender fish, put it on a warm tortilla and top it with marinated onions and a bit of salsa. Perfect. But it’s not all about the snook. Start your meal with a cold beer or icy lemonade and a plate of smoked marlin tacos. Your next move might be the aguachiles, made here with raw shrimp and a tart and spicy green sauce. Of course, there are more than a dozen other shrimp dishes here, and several ceviche variations too. But whatever you do, leave room for snook.
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(Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)
Dulan’s Soul Food Kitchen
Inglewood Southern $$
At this institution started by Adolf Dulan — who moved to Los Angeles as part of the second wave of African Americans’ Great Migration out of the South, and whose family carries on his legacy — the cooking remains bedrock sustenance for L.A. Savor the goodness of a plate of fried chicken, near-molten mac and cheese and vinegary collard greens with a cornbread muffin propped on the side. Even more of a treat: long-simmered oxtails in gravy, the meat barely cleaving to the bone. Order a slice of sweet potato pie, even if you end up saving it for later. There will likely be a line trailing outside the restaurant. It moves quickly.
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(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
Hotville
Baldwin Hills/Crenshaw American $$
The ardor for Nashville-style hot chicken in Los Angeles — and across the United States — continues to burn. When Kim Prince opened her restaurant at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw mall in December 2019, she brought us a taste of hot chicken’s true pedigree. Her aunt is André Prince Jeffries, owner of Prince’s Hot Chicken in Nashville; their family began selling hot chicken to Music City customers in the 1940s. Come to Hotville to understand why the harrowing pleasure became a national phenomenon. The staff will plead with first-timers to order mild; with medium and certainly spicy you cross into the territory of tingling, maybe even an all-over prickling sensation, and sweats. If you can handle the sensations, you will end up wanting more. For hot chicken sandwich seekers, Price makes a slaw-crowned version she calls the Shaw, and on weekends the kitchen makes buttery waffles to pair with the bird.
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(Bill Addison/Los Angeles Times)
Little Belize
Inglewood Belizean $$
Belize — located on the eastern shore of Central America, neighboring Guatemala and Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula — has cultural ties to Caribbean nations that show through in the cuisine, a collage of Indigenous, African, Spanish and British influences. At this bright, busy Inglewood restaurant, begin with fish- or bean-filled panades made from masa and ducunu, the Belizean style of tamales sweetened with coconut milk. Vinegar offsets the rich spices in the stewed chicken; fried whole snapper in a light onion sauce is ideal for a group. Call ahead on Saturdays to check the availability of boil up, often considered the Belizean national dish, that includes a weekly selection of fish, meaty pig’s tail and the dumplings called boil cake.
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(Calvin B. Alagot / Los Angeles Times)
Mr. Fries Man
Inglewood French Fries $
Owner Craig Batiste is a fry master and he’s built an entire empire on mountains of French fries. You can’t go wrong with any of the signature concoctions, including lemon garlic crab and shrimp or the BBQ bacon ranch and chicken over fries. But you can also create your own masterpiece. I highly recommend the Buffalo chicken fries with extra cheese and some jalapeño ranch.
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(Alice Short / Los Angeles Times)
Otafuku Noodle House
Gardena Japanese $$
The extensive menu at Otafuku Noodle House includes deep-fried jidori chicken, shrimp and vegetable tempura, deep-fried shrimp egg rolls, assorted sashimi and grilled fish — but it’s the handmade noodles that inspire so many diners to post their praise. Order the white Seiro Soba or the nutty Kikouchi Soba (100% buckwheat), add some tempura crumbs and spinach or deep-fried mochi and the words “springy,” “chewy” and “silky” will come to mind. Otafuku could become a habit.
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(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
Post & Beam
Baldwin Hills/Crenshaw American $$$
At Baldwin Hills Crenshaw’s crown-jewel restaurant, John and Roni Cleveland serve beautifully made versions of feel-good favorites: shrimp and grits deepened with shrimp butter and beef bacon, short ribs under a flurry of fresh horseradish, jerk-seasoned catfish over dirty rice and a fantastic grilled cheese rich with oxtail meat and smoked mozzarella. For brunch, home in on pecan-pie-inspired French toast and chicken over a buttermilk waffle. Since the restaurant’s inception a decade ago, part of Post & Beam’s mission has been to nurture Black culinary talent. To that end, the Clevelands brought on Martin Draluck as chef de cuisine and have been regularly hosting the Hemings & Hercules dinners he co-created, which were featured on the Netflix series “High on the Hog.”
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(Stephanie Breijo/Los Angeles Times)
Skinny Dave’s
Westchester Sub / Sandwich Shop $
Chef David Kuo opened one of L.A.’s best new sandwich shops in 2021, bringing some of the Taiwanese flavors of his Mar Vista restaurant, Little Fatty, and other cultures to Westchester with Skinny Dave’s. The Asian American deli makes some of the most creative banh mi in town, with options such as fried chicken that’s first brined in lemongrass, and a braised beef cheek tinged with five spice; the pho is topped with succulent Hainan chicken. Whatever your order, be sure to grab some pantry items, frozen dumplings and Thai potato chips before heading to the register.
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(Lauren Von Der PoolCo-owner and)
Stuff I Eat
Inglewood Vegan $$
When Stuff I Eat opened on Market Street in 2008, it was the first of its kind in Inglewood: a Black-owned plant-based cafe offering big, colorful plates of mostly organic food. The restaurant lured vegans and omnivores alike with its soul food sampler and enchilada pie — plus the warm energy of its co-owner and head chef, Babette Davis, a health and wellness micro-celebrity. “That’s what I think we brought to the community,” Davis says, “an opportunity to see that there’s lots of food to eat, and it doesn’t have to come out of a package or a box.” These days, Stuff I Eat is doing takeout and delivery only. Pick up one of Davis’ underrated favorites: a quinoa bowl, topped with a carrot and raisin slaw, black beans and veggies. Or opt for a fan favorite with the nut burger, which includes a house-made walnut, cashew and mushroom patty.
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(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Sunday Gravy
Inglewood Italian
If the classic Italian American plates from Sunday Gravy feel like they’re made lovingly by family, it’s because they are: Brother-and-sister duo Sol and Ghazi Bashirian reimagined the space of their father’s former restaurant, Jino’s Pizza, and while they’re not offering pizza like their dad did, they are serving an excellent menu of antipasti, salads, sandwiches, pastas made using fresh noodles from the nearby Florentyna’s Fresh Pasta Factory, and wine and beer. The rigatoni alla vodka is a must.
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(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Tal’s Cafe
Hyde Park American $
Serving classic, no-frills diner fare and hits-the-spot soul food breakfast and lunch, Tal’s is a homey diner full of 1940s charm. There’s a curved counter with swivel seats overlooking the vintage fridge and the griddle, and in the back the booths each feature a carved wooden number and a small vase of silk flowers. The hotcakes and waffles are its signature items, but the more savory fare — such as salmon croquettes with grits or the fried catfish — is worth sampling too. Note: This spot is cash-only.
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(Daniel Hernandez / Los Angeles Times)
The Sammiche Shoppe
Inglewood Sub / Sandwich Shop $
Around the corner from a bunch of far better known quick-stop establishments in Inglewood, this unassuming deli on Regent Street has a high-quality, super-affordable spicy chicken sandwich that I find myself turning to for lunch several times a month. The Sammiche Shoppe also makes a vegan chili that could go toe-to-toe with any other. I get mine topped with diced raw onion and shredded cheddar cheese. Also, don’t sleep on the hot links.
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(Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)
The Serving Spoon
Inglewood Southern $
For more than 35 years, this restaurant has been not only a place to sit down and get a bite but a place for families to gather, neighbors to converse and strangers to connect over a plate of fried catfish, or grits and eggs. The aforementioned plate is a must, as are pancakes and the meatloaf. Check the menu for daily specials (there are oxtails on Wednesdays!).
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(Daniel Hernandez / Los Angeles Times)
Tortuga Bay
Inglewood Mexican $
Next to a nail salon and a smoke shop, this no-nonsense Mexican deli and grill gets crowded with Inglewood High kids during the weekday (it’s across the street), which is usually around the time I’ll drop in for a torta ahogada, the Tortuga Bay specialty. Made with a perfectly rendered sourdough, sometimes called telera or birote salado, the “drowned torta” is a Guadalajara specialty involving carnitas drenched in a deep-red tomato sauce and a chile sauce to taste. The torta is stuffed with added beans and pickled onions. Use the lime wedge served on the side for a final touch. Tortuga Bay also offers hamburgers, tacos, burritos, sopes, mariscos and taquitos.
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(Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)
TriniStyle Cuisine
Gramercy Park Trinidadian $
The cooking of Trinidad & Tobago can be hard to find in Los Angeles. Enjoying it consistently has become easier since Merlin Garcia and her daughter, Latoya, parked their food truck at a strip mall in Gramercy Park and began serving favorites of the islands’ cuisines out of a storefront three days a week. The menu shifts slightly each day. Fridays focus on doubles (two rounds of fried dough, called bara, cradling curried chickpeas) and bake and shark, a sandwich of fried shark meat. Saturdays highlight stewed oxtails and roti made with dalpuri (a flatbread that’s pleasantly gritty from ground split peas) and filled with curried chicken, shrimp or (my favorite) goat. Sunday brunch means macaroni pie with the greens known as callaloo and stewed chicken or oxtails. There’s no wrong day to visit.
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(Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)
Woody’s Bar-B-Que
Inglewood Barbecue $
This is the spot for perfectly domed, golden cornbread muffins, beautifully marbled beef ribs, pork ribs coated in tangy barbecue sauce and chicken links with a good snap. The lunch specials are hard to beat and can easily feed two people for less than $10. There will most definitely be a line, but it’s worth the wait.
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(Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)
Zacatecas Restaurant
Del Aire Mexican $
Think carefully before you order from Zacatecas, which occupies a corner storefront in Hawthorne. Think about the time of day and how much you need to accomplish after your meal. If you opt for a burrito — especially Tom’s Burrito, magnificently stuffed with carne asada, beans, guacamole, sour cream, onions and cheese and topped with a green sauce and more cheese — there are a few things to consider. It’s a dish that could serve three people, assuming you’ve also ordered rice and beans. And consumption might be followed by an urge to nap, so plan accordingly. (Many of the other burritos on the menu are large enough to be associated with a food coma.) If you’re hoping for a few more productive hours, try the chile verde or a couple of carne asada tacos.
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