Glendale's Best Places to Eat
Hi everyone,
My girlfriend and I just recently moved to glendale and we need some recommendations for great neighborhood places to eat. We arent the richest people in the world, so we would prefer moderately priced to down right cheap places. =) Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Glendale Newbie
Sep 14, 2005 04:25AM
Welcome to the neighborhood! Here are some favorites:
POLKA: This little polish restaurant at York and Verdugo, in a mini mall, is one of the best deals you can find. Fresh, home cooked food for a great price. When you sit down, before you even order, you get a bowl of perhaps the best soup in town, truly (it changes each day) Then you get an eccentric but enjoyable salad. And then an enormous plate of food. The grilled Kielbasa is terrific, and the combination Royal plate, where you get to try three polish choices (dumplings and stuffed cabbages) is a must. I eat like a horse and I usually bring food home. And the couple that own it/run it are very nice. Lunch is cheaper, though at dinner you get a dessert.
http://polkacatering.com/menu.html
MARIOS DELI: On Broadway just east of Glendale, near the Trader Joes. This is just take out but is a great place to know about. It is a small deli, with wonderful Italian products and meats and cheeses, as well as homemade sauces (marinara and the like) They also have a full sandwich deli the sandwiches rock -- and you can also get lasagnas, stuffed shells, all kinds of marinated veggies and salads, etc. I love the antipasto salad in particular. One can feed 2 or three people.
DAMONS STEAKHOUSE: This is a cheesy but fun and very reasonable steakhouse on Brand that has been a staple of Glendale for a long time. Expect a wait if you dont have a reservation, it is always packed. It is done up in Polynesian style and you get a complete dinner, its not a la cart.
CASA BIANCA Just down the road in Eagle Rock (5 minutes away), many of us think this is the best Pizza in town. You are also going to have to wait here, but you must go and try it. My favorite is the homemade Italian sausage and garlic pizza. 1650 Colorado
COLUMBOS Also in Eagle Rock, this is a divey bar and restaurant/jazz place that is a lot of fun. Good steaks, etc, and wonderful old-fashioned garlic toast that comes to the table. 1833 Colorado
CAFÉ BEAUJOLIAS One more Eagle Rock choice (all three of these are near one another on Colorado) this is a great neighborhood bistro, with steak, fish, onion soup and the like. Very reasonable and very good food. 1712 Colorado
Also, FORTUNE INN, which is at the corner of Broadway and Maryland, has very good Chinese delivery.
And GEORGES Italian in the Kenneth Village area of Glendale is just terrific, old fashioned, very good Italian for a very reasonable price. They also deliver and their pizza is good.
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Also, in north Glendale (Montrose area) - there's Bistro Verdu, which has excellent food and wines and La Cabanita - which has amazing mole. There's also a bunch of places in the Montrose Shopping Park (Honolulu Blvd).
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Unfortunately, Bistro Verdu closed a couple of months ago. Supposedly they will be reopening in a different location, but I haven't heard any news about that.
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Supposedly another restaurant will be opening where Bistro Verdu used to be. Coming soon, I hope!
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Hi luswei,
Look down to Sept 9th and you'll see the info about BASHAN in the old BV space.
I've now been 3x and am in love! Those sweetbreads knocked my socks off...wait, I wasn't wearing socks...they just made me want to jump for joy!
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Elena's Greek/Armenian restaurant makes EXCELLENT smokey, lovely grilled meats. About $8 for a combo plate with charred tomato, rice, etc. Small, happy neighborhood joint and very friendly. Look for the white christmas lights decorating the trees outside. I believe it's at the corner of Glendale and Acacia.
Elena Greek Armenian Cuisine
1000 S Glendale Ave
Glendale, CA 91205
(818) 241-5730
Also, if you go to casa bianca, be aware the quality of the pizza is based on the toppings you choose (this is anathema to my pizza philosophy since I was weaned on the cheese pizza in the NYC area). Since there is normally a 60-90 minute wait at CB, you really don't have the luxury of experimenting with things that are not proven winners. Their plain cheese pie is really bad..... somehow the toppings transform it. Their (supposedly homemade) sausage and fried eggplant pizza is a winner. Avoid the musrooms which are of the nasty grey canned variety and offer no flavor.
Mr. Taster
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I lived in NYC and this is the closest to satisfying pie out here that I have found!
I just learned that if you put your pizza order in at the time you put your name on the list, it will be ready by the time you sit down at the table.
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Second Elena's - Chicken Shish!!
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ditto on elena's!
fabulous combos, loved their hummus, and also the falafel!!!
a total steal...
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Folliero's in Highland Park is the cheapest hands down.......
It's been there as long as I can remember and is decent for the price....
Two can have dinner w/salads, entrees and a glass of wine for about 14 bucks.
Figueroa & Ave. 54
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I'm glad you mentioned Folliero's. I haven't been there in a long time and I'm overdue for a visit. Their pizza really was excellent. If it's still the same, this place is really underrated and under-recognized.
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How about Canele? 3219 Glendale in Atwater. Chowhounds have both very good and very bad things to say. I have yet to try it but it is on my list. I know it isn't cheap but....That being said, I do miss Osteria Nonni.
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check out some of these earlier threads:
http://www.chowhound.com/california/boards/losangeles/messages/173392.html
http://www.chowhound.com/california/boards/losangeles30/messages/149659.html
http://www.chowhound.com/california/b...
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Porto's bakery! Try the potato balls (fried mashed potato with meat sauce in the middle). Yum.
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ohhhh... potato balls ... try the meat pies, too! Plus, their sandwiches are quite good and very reasonably priced. You can get pastries for under $1 as well as stuffed croissants.
Porto's is DEFINITELY one of the best deals in Glendale.
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okay, another fabulous steal in glendale. i couldn't believe the prices on their sandwiches, and their dessert! to die for.
at comparable places in other l.a. neighborhoods, the prices would be double what they charge...
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The Portos Midnight Sandwich is delicious! Follow that with anything -- or everything! -- from the pastry case!
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La Cabinita -- ok, so it's just OUTSIDE of Glendale (Montrose) but it's great! Authentic Mexican food, great prices! On Verdugo, I think...
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La Cabanita has some excellent dishes, especially those involving stuffed chilis, but I've observed lousy service on more than one occasion. In fact, I've seen service collapse when the place gets too busy, and it can get very busy. I once waited 30 [sic] minutes between appetizer and main course, because the increasingly frustrated waiters couldn't manage a very large table of what looked to be several neighborhood families that had popped in unannounced. (This kind of pressure might be unusual, but I've had and seen amateur service many times.) A more-professional staff could have handled the situation much better. I was the only other table at that point, so they should have been able to get my simple order out in the middle of preparing the others. After all, I had ordered before the big table arrived. Alternatively, they could have given me a free drink or appetizer or a discount certificate for next time, to mention the most obvious ways to make up for bad service. At the very least, someone might have stopped by and said, "I'm sorry for the poor service this evening." My several polite complaints were met with (frantically) blank stares, as the staff rushed around the dining room.
La Cabanita can be nice, with good to very good food and interesting customers (usually from the neighborhood, it seems). It's also a comfortable and attractive place, and I like going there when I'm in the area and can't make it over to one of the top sit-down Mexican restaurants (far from Glen & Dale) -- Babita in San Gabriel, La Casita Mexicana in Bell, La Serenata in Boyle Heights, etc. I still stop by every month or so -- the food IS good -- but nowadays will only go at off-hours and keep my fingers crossed that some local softball team doesn't get the urge.
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"...but I've observed lousy service on more than one occasion. In fact, I've seen service collapse when the place gets too busy, and it can get very busy."
This is absolutely true -- they are nice people, generous and willing to help, but when they get "dans la merde", the service goes straight down the bung.
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Humbly, I must disagree. I eat at La Cabanita every other week and rarely have I had service problems. Yes, sometimes the food takes a while to come out, but the servers are always willing to bring you more chips and delicious homemade salsa. At any rate, their food is so good and so authentic, it is worth the wait.
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Hi lovequenelles,
I have also NEVER had bad service there and I've been going there since they've opened...it feels like a hundred years now...it was one of the reasons why I moved back in to town 2 years ago along with being able to get to Silverlake wine easier, and Bistro Verdu (which is now BASHANs and is great)
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Hey tatertotsrock, do you ever go to Rosso Wine Shop next door to the old Bistro (now Bashan)? They have some really great selections and it is nice to have them right next door.
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Hi sebi,
I've been in there and everyone is very friendly, and helpful...they all really know their stuff.
I just find myself at Silverlake Wine because the tastings are very friendly if I'm solo...I'm always sure to know 2-3 people when I show up on a whim so I always feel comfy and it's never a meat market.
I've never had a chance to try one of Rosso's tastings...any good?
I just know that when going to the Bistro, it was always an older crowd and sometimes I've seen some "stuffy-style" wine snobs in Rosso and that's not exactly fun for a solo gal looking to enjoy some wine after a long day.
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The tastings at Rosso are great. Always informative and casual. But if you are going as a "single" person to a tasting then Silverlake has more of a "scene." The tattoo/piercings crowd hasn't made it that far north yet (just kidding... haha).
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I guess the tattoo/piercing crowd (which I rarely notice) are more forgiving to the sweaty/fitness type that doesn't want to go home and change after many hours of jiggling other peoples' thighs.
SLW also usually has some bread/butter or cheese/meaty bits for nibbling during the tastings.
Colorado Wine also doesn't mind when I've brought a few slices of meat, some cheese, and a guitl-ridden bag of kettle chips-yum with the prosecco!
I may check out the French tasting at Rosso tomorrow after my spinning class.
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Rafi's in Glendale..on Brand Blvd. Persian food.
nice outdoor patio.
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You say Rafi's is Persian? Are you sure it is not Armenian being in Glendale? I only ask because I already have enough Armenian places that I like so if Rafi's is Persian, I will seek it out.
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Raffi's is technically Persian, though half the staff and most of the customers are Armenian. They are worth seeking out just for the rice alone -- even with no additions (albalu, zereshk, etc.) the rice is the best I've ever eaten.
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Thanks Das Uberqeek. I trust your remommendations.
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I've had very well made Persian at Shamshiri, toward the back of the minimall on the SE corner of Central and Stocker. An old-timer, Persian owned and run. Hope it is still there, as I haven't been in the area for awhile.
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It's definitely still there, we had a very pleasant dinner there this summer.
http://eatingla.blogspot.com/2007/07/...
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The Glendale Shamshiri is their best location
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Rafi's is Persian-Armenian - i.e. the proprietors are ethnic Armenians whose families relocated to Iran at some point. A lot of Armenians fled Armenia during the genocide. To this day there exists a large Armenian community in Iran.
Rafi's is some of the best kabob available (and that's according to my Persian aunt) - the only draw back is that they do not offer any stew or rice dishes - but if you are in the mood for kabob it is the best.
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They do offer rice, of course, but it's plain -- and still the best rice in the city.
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You can get the stew and rice dishes at Shiraz near Harvard and Glendale Ave.
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Portos for take out...Crossants are too greasy...but you HAVE to have the potat balls and guava and cream cheese danishes.....YESSSSSSSSS!!!
They are so good.
Carousel is good, Clancy's is not
Explore the area
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We like Dish up in La Canada, just north of Glendale.
Link: http://dishbreakfastlunchanddinner.com
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I'm going to be the naysayer here. I have never had a good meal at Dish (save the cornmeal cakes at breakfast) and am forced to go there for school functions. It is so cute and has such a nice atmosphere. I want it to be good!
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Far Niente is fairly good Italian on Brand Blvd., Zankou chicken for just what Zankou is anywhere, the best fast food chicken with one of the planet's best garlic sauce accompaniments, Polka on Verdugo near the 2 Fwy(over Adams Hill) for Polish food.
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Fare Niente is good - but NOT cheap. A fun little hole in the wall with excellent Peruvian food is called Mamitas - on South Brand. Not a late night hang out.
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I just finished working on a project in Glendale for the past 3 months, and we ate out EVERY day from a variety of places. Here are some good, cheap suggestions:
Lemongrass Vietnamese - $6 plates of food, very good vegetarian options and soups
The Taco Spot - this is up the street on colorado, also excellent veggie enchiladas
The Oinkster - absolutely humongous pork or pastrami sandwiches for $5
Tep Thai - spicy and affordable
Clancy's Crab Broiler - great crab cake and lobster bisque, but a bit more expensive
Hot Wings Cafe - greasy but good
Patrick's Cafe - immense sandwiches and homemade chips (try the Patty's Fatty)
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We really like Billy's Deli, all the typical deli fare. They have the best chopped liver! Address is 216 N. Orange, Glendale.
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This is what has been said about Billy's
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/70175
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Gauchos Village
Churrascaria (Brazillian BBQ)
411 North Brand Blvd
www.gauchosvillage.com
411 N Brand Blvd, Glendale, CA 91203, USA
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Yikes - last time I was at Gauchos, there were flies in the salad bar and the meat was overdone and tough. A much better churrascaria is Picanha in Burbank, on 3rd Street and Palm. Their salad bar is impeccable and the garlic beef always gets raves at my table. On Mondays they have a discounted dinner special.
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some links
211 E Broadway, Glendale, CA 91205, USA
304 N Brand Blvd, Glendale, CA 91203, USA
1415 E Colorado St, Glendale, CA 91205, USA
1000 S Glendale Ave, Glendale, CA 91205, USA
315 N Brand Blvd, Glendale, CA 91203, USA
317 N Brand Blvd, Glendale, CA 91203, USA
714 S Brand Blvd, Glendale, CA 91204, USA
216 N Orange St, Glendale, CA 91203, USA
219 N Central Ave, Glendale, CA 91203, USA
6720 San Fernando Rd, Glendale, CA 91201, USA
314 N Brand Blvd, Glendale, CA 91203, USA
3447 N Verdugo Rd, Glendale, CA 91208, USA
740 E Broadway, Glendale, CA 91205, USA
1418 W Kenneth Rd, Glendale, CA 91201, USA
5566 N Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90042, USA
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Some additions:
Shamshiri (Persian), on Central near Glenoaks.
Cafe Bravo (Armenian), on Glenoaks near the DMV.
Fish King (part fishmonger, part "Galley"), on Glendale north of the 134.
Divina Cucina (Italian), on Verdugo Rd. near Verdugo Blvd.
New Moon (Chinese), on Verdugo Blvd. near Verdugo Rd.
Milano's (Italian), on Brand and Doran.
HK Market (for pre-marinated Korean BBQ meat and lots of kimchi) on Pacific north of the 134.
Manila Good-Ha (Filipino - good breakfast) on Colorado east of Glendale.
Max's of Manila (Filipino - sit down place) on Colorado near the mall.
Patrick's (salads-sandwiches-etc) on Glenoaks southeast of Sonora.
Tortas Mexico (guess), soon to open next to Vons on Verdugo Blvd. near the 2.
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And I can't believe I forgot (like my last post, some of these are places to source ingredients):
Schreiner's Fine Sausages (German butcher shop)
Berolina Bakery (Swedish bakery)
Oven Fresh Bakery (this might technically be in Montrose - fantastic raisin rolls)
Sarkis Pastry (Armenian)
Lola's (Peruvian - great chicken, even better salmon salad at lunch)
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Branching out to stores, there's also Mignon Chocolate on Verdugo, near Chevy Chase (the street). Some of their chocolate is darker than dark thoughts, but less bitter, and it often makes a good counterpoint to sweetish creams. Head to Walgreen's, however, if you want cherry cordials.
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For anyone in the Glendale area, get yourself to Bashan Restaurant.
It's the reincarnation of Bistro Verdu.
www.bashanrestaurant.com
Bashan Restaurant
3459 North Verdugo Road
Glendale
818-541-1532
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Just had 2 meals at Bashan tonight!!!
I was doing a drive-by on my way home from the airport (weekend of amazing food in San Fran-go to AME for an amazing tasting menu!) to see if the new place had opened yet. Yep, they did. Just thought I'd look at the menu. Wound up ordering mussles. FANTASTIC!
Got home, told my friend and he said he was hungry so I said I'd go back with him. (I had only been gone an hour before I returned with him) He ordered the oysters on the half-BEAUTIFUL presentation...clever, not obnox. Perfectly tasty delicate little guys...mmm. My friend also ordered the steak. DAMN GOOD!!! Perfectly crispy char, medium rare and so flavorful. The chocolate bread pudding was amazing. I loved it!!! My friend wanted less chocolate but as far as I'm concerned, that's just crazy. Nice wines by the glass list. Pretty room. Great sevice. Great bread. Great butte. Can't wait to go back. Yes, I'll miss Vedu since I used to eat there almost 3x a week. This place will make a great replacement of my old haunt...the only thing I'll miss is the little bar...no place to sit for a solo diner unless it's a table...hopefully it will work it I just want to pop in for a quick bite.
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Yippee! Thanks for letting us know!
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Dear Tatertotsrock --
after your rave reviews, i couldn't wait to try bashan so i went. my hubby and i split the mussels, the heirloom tomato salad w/burrata and tomato oil, the corn ravioli and steelhead trout. Wonderful. All delicious hits. We'll definitely go back. They said their current thinking is to change the menu every two weeks and to have daily specials. We love their new lamps!
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