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For me, it started in high school; not because my friends and I were into partying, but because we were the dorks who put on the school plays, or who went religiously to showings of Rocky Horror. We'd be set loose into the night with our babysitting money in our pockets, hungry for some grub at places that didn't mind booths full of boisterous people with cravings for foodstuffs comprised mostly of batter and frying oil. We were, of course, the a-hole teenagers who sank a nickel tip into the plastic cup of ranch dressing and ran out the door of whatever diner we'd wandered into after midnight. I can't--or would rather not--count the number of soupy ice cream sundaes I ate in the once smoke-filled dining room of Conrad's in Glendale, a sort of all night old-folks home for indiscriminate midnight snacking. Shudder.
Of course, I grew up, and so did my night time, er, um, activities. By this I mean bar nights, bad dates, great dates (wink), parties, and concerts, followed by that same semi-irrational need to stuff your face when, by rights, you should be under the covers dreaming of kittens and chaste kisses. When the lights go down in our city, we've got to be armed with more than just the idea that in just about every zip code our late night eating options move beyond a plate of Moons Over My Hammy. So I give you LAist's Late Night Eats, a month-long look at some of the many local eateries that keep their burners on into the wee hours--or never turn them off. Every weekday we'll introduce you to a different spot--some may be off your beaten path, and some may be where we might find you in the witching hour. (But none of them are called Denny's or Carrows or IHOP, mind you.)
We can't possibly do them all, though, Los Angeles, but we know you're going to love us anyway. What we seem to be missing, I trust you'll take a moment to send me an email tip about, and we'll see where the month takes us. But first, before we tuck in heartily to what lies ahead of us in the days to come, let's take a quick look back at the Late Night Eats LAist has munched on before. Take my hand, and let's take a quick stroll through some selected archives...
In April of '07 we wished Los Feliz's all-night hipster eatery Fred 62 a Happy Aluminum Anniversary.
We looked at late night pho on Western by the numbers: Pho 4000, Pho Western, and Pho 2000
Eating late in Downtown had us of two minds: The Pantry and, well, everything else. Don't get us started on the love/hate relationship we have with Pete's. If you find yourself over Little Tokyo way, you might want to try eating at a Japanese Izakaya; may we suggest the funky little Haru Ulala, who are open until 3 on weekends.
Last year the stalwart and legendary Canter's Deli turned 75; luckily they (almost) never close, so the celebration waxes on.
Craving a burger, and don't mind parting with some bigger bills? 25 Degrees will serve you up an impressive hunk of meat 24 hours a day.
Once upon a time we went foraging for waffles; how did the one you can get late at night at Roscoe's rate? And one very late winter's night we found ourselves ensconced in Honey--no, not the condiment, but rather the posh post-concert restaurant tucked behind the Avalon in Hollywood.
Oh, and if you just happen to be craving Thai, LAist has you covered. Many of Thai Town's best eateries serve it up late at night.
So set your clocks for 2 a.m. and do whatever it takes to work up your appetite. October is all about Late Night Eats; get ready to be served!
Photo of Mel's Diner sign by Hagoody via Flickr
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also in little tokyo: koraku (2nd and san pedro, up the street from haru ulala) may not be the best ramen in the neighborhood (that prize goes to daikokuya, def) but it is by far the best ramen house open until at least 4am.
oh and there's a great noodle house open late in chinatown...but i don't remember the name or the address. all's i know is there is a giant sad fish swimming in a tiny tank by the door, and if i were drunk and it was in the wee hours and i was somewhere near the chinatownland sign, i could lead you to it.
NEVER order the reuben at the brite spot, though.
you can't forget everyone's favorite sci-fi pizzaria, nova express!
mcmcmc: keep your eyes peeled this very week!
guest: if we're drunk in chinatown we'll try to find you... or that sad fish.
Call me crazy but I really like Damiano's Mr. Pizza. It's totally sketchy, and usually kind of dirty, and it's dark, and they play Jack FM too loud, and even if you're sober it gives you the feeling of being in the midst of an all-night binge. The delivery people all look like junkies and there's a rotating cast of fresh-faced waitresses who just got off the Greyhound bus like in the Welcome To The Jungle video. I've encountered tranny prostitutes in there on dates, and at certain times of the night all the customers are on drugs. But it feels like a bit of a safety zone because everyone is cool when they are eating pizza. I consider myself a bit of a pizza connoisseur and I think theirs is really good in the NY style, and the place is super cheap. It's open really late too.
for west la there aren't too much, i generally stick to johnnies pastrami and izzys. thats why i love hollywood.