Topline:
Gardena is a hidden paradise where you can find undiscovered gems for less.
Why Gardena? It's our 10th edition of Cheap Fast Eats, and the South Bay city has become one of our favorite places for inexpensive, under-the-radar meals.
What's on the menu? From teriyaki burgers you order from a walk-up window to Japanese street food staples such as karaage chicken and takoyaki at a supermarket food court to old-school Italian sandwiches, Gardena has a little of everything.
Can you believe it?
We’ve reached the 10th edition of Cheap Fast Eats, where we scour the L.A. area looking for delicious dishes you can enjoy quickly that won’t break the bank (as in, around $10).
That means we've been to 50 restaurants. For those keeping track, we’ve visited places such as Culver City, Silver Lake, Pasadena, Long Beach, and Inglewood, looking to dig deep into tasty deals.
This time around, we end up in an often-overlooked South Bay city, Gardena. With its sizable population of Asian, Black, and Latino residents, the cultures meld together to represent something distinctively Southern Californian, and yet all its own.
Every month, we scout out eateries, stomach-filling burrito joints, and hidden gems, focusing on dishes around $10 -$15. If you want us to try an area, drop us a line at the bottom of the story.
From big-portioned Hawaiian dishes to the perfect Italian sandwich, it’s time to dig in.
This is Cheap Fast Eats Gardena.
Yes, this restaurant is in a bowling alley. Upon entering the building, just to your left is the Gardena Bowl Coffee Shop entrance.
The space is always brimming with customers, both bowlers and non-bowlers alike. Like many, we became familiar with Gardena Bowl Coffee Shop when it was featured in the Netflix series Breakfast Lunch and Dinner, hosted by Momofuku chef, owner, and now SoCal resident David Chang.
Despite that fame, the coffee shop still maintains the look and feel of a local hangout. Many regulars sit at the small counter and chat with the staff, catching up on life, ready to indulge in some of their favorite comfort food.
Specializing in Hawaiian cuisine, Gardena Bowl Coffee Shop serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner so there's much to choose from. Selections such as club sandwiches and pancakes are solid dishes.
But the real magic happens in the Asian-meets-Pacific-Island-inspired cuisine.
One excellent option is the donburi, made of steamed eggs with added chicken katsu over a bed of rice garnished with pickled ginger.
Top it off with some of their spicy mustard, which brings a sinus-clearing kick that’s always welcomed, cause who doesn’t want to feel something when consuming a good meal? That being said, it’s okay if you don’t finish everything. Take the rest to go. This dish and many others save well; the portions here are never lacking.
Location: 15707 S. Vermont Ave., Gardena
Hours: Sunday-Thursday 8 am-9 pm, Friday and Saturday 8 am-10 pm
What is it about a good take-out window that always attracts us? The no-frills ordering while standing at a metal counter is forever charming. Pitburger is the perfect example of this.
The visual style of the place screams neighborhood institution, judging from the crowds of middle schoolers who spill out onto the sidewalk, stopping by for a quick bite on the way home along with construction workers, who line up in their safety vests and t-shirts.
Teriyaki is the name of the game here. As soon as you get out of your car, the smell of the sweet, charred meat wafts in the air, letting you know you are in the right place. While many tend to order the rice bowls, the teriyaki burger holds a special place in our hearts.
You might wonder, what’s so special about a burger patty smothered in teriyaki sauce — and do they add pineapple? Let me stop you right there and dispel any burger patty-shaped notions you may have.
The “burger” is a decently sized sliced flank steak that's expertly shellac-ed in sweet teriyaki sauce, a couple of leaves of iceberg lettuce all piled just right on a sesame seed bun slathered with a sensible bit of mayo.
Have your choice of single, double, or triple-stacked cuts of steak, depending on your hunger level. The first soft bite feels like an extra special treat, especially when you opt to wash it down with an Orange Bang. This frothy whipped orange beverage is made here in SoCal and feels perfect for an indulgent meal.
Location: 16602 S. Normandie Ave., Gardena
Hours: Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m. - 8:30 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.-8:30 p.m.
Why did it take so long to recognize that food courts are perfect for Cheap Fast Eats? This is a great question that we are asking ourselves too. While there are always plenty of opportunities to partake in the occasional Costco hot dog or even a soft pretzel, we’re always looking to challenge ourselves more when grabbing a bite.
The regional Japanese supermarket chain Tokyo Central is excellent for many things, and the same goes for their Gardena location. But don’t overlook their food court, where there are plenty of treasures.
The first stop is Gindaco for some of their world-famous takoyaki. The Japanese chain boasts over 500 locations in Japan but has recently begun opening up a few in Southern California. The street food staple is said to be found on most corners throughout its country of origin.
The piping hot fritters are filled with chunky bits of octopus tentacles, tempura bits, and pickled ginger, and are made to order; you can watch the staff pour the batter into a specialized cast iron molded pan to allow them to achieve their spherical shape.
After 10 minutes of expert turning in the pan, the fritters are cooked to a crisped perfection. They can be served with various choices of toppings, such as “The Original,” drizzled with sweet and tangy takoyaki sauce, topped with seaweed, and sprinkled with bonito flakes. However, our favorite is topped with green onion and sriracha, which brings fresh flavors that cut through the fried batter.
While waiting for the takoyaki to cool, head to Tenkatori USA, for some karaage. You can have your choice of cuts, such as the traditional boneless thighs, along with wings, gizzards, and cartilage. However, if you’ve got a bit more room in your stomach, we’d urge you to order the bento boxes with your choice of chicken, rice, a cold noodle, a scoop of potato salad, pickled radish, and a green salad. The options are plentiful and you owe it to yourself to participate in this delicious fun.
Location: 1740 Artesia Blvd., Gardena
Hours: Gindaco: Open everyday, 11 a.m.-6:30 p.m., Tenkatori USA: Open everyday, 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m.
As you may know, we are a sucker for a good market with mouthwatering options for food that can be enjoyed in-house or taken home with you. (Roma Market, from our first Cheap Fast Eats guide to Pasadena and Jasmine Market in Culver City both come to mind.)
We find something appealing about grabbing a bite while also having the opportunity to perusing shelves and refrigerated sections to see what tasty items we can find.
Giuliano’s fits the bill with its bustling deli counter, bakery, and grocery. The place has been around since 1952 and contains a particular type of hometown charm you’d see on an episode of California Gold hosted by our patron saint Huell Howser.
After taking it all in, head toward the back, where the sandwich counter is located. There, you’ll find a stack of their signature Torpedo Jr. sandwiches. Look for the plastic wrapping made to look like the Italian flag which also makes it perfect for taking it to go especially if you are in a hurry.
The sandwich contains a cornucopia of Italian meats that includes two different types of salami, capocollo — aka gabagool — mortadella, provolone cheese, and lettuce. Pro tip: When you pay for a sandwich, ask for the small containers of oil and vinegar to go with. You'll want to drizzle it on the inside of your sandwich.
At first bite, you’re greeted by a meat and cheese rainbow, and the in-house baked bread is soft, pillowy, and heavenly. A bigger-sized sandwich is available that’s 10 inches, but somehow, the Jr. always seems perfectly satisfying.
Location: 1138 W. Gardena Blvd, Gardena
Hours: Monday-Saturday 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Sakae Sushi is the type of place that requires a little planning ahead, but that’s part of its charm and very much worth it. It’s a take-out establishment that only accepts cash, and ordering ahead by phone is preferred. But once you take those preparatory measures, you will undoubtedly be rewarded.
Look for the cute mid-century storefront on Denkar Avenue when you arrive. Pull into the lot, enter through the back courtyard, and head to the rear entrance, where you can pay.
When your order is ready, the sushi comes in a wrapped cardboard box, similar to a department store gift box, which some of you might remember from before we started ordering everything online. When unwrapping it, I’m always reminded of a favorite quote from the television show Twin Peaks, from Agent Dale Cooper, played by Kyle Maclachlan, “Every day, once a day, give yourself a present".
You can choose from California rolls or our favorite, the mix, which contains a combination of tamago (egg), nori-maki (shitake mushroom and spinach), inari (fried tofu), ebi (shrimp), and saba (pickled Atlantic mackerel).
Each bite of sushi contains a tasty amount of sweet, seasoned rice, a great complement to fish. You’ll find yourself marveling at the attention to detail when it comes to the construction of each piece, especially the shrimp and pickled mackerel, which feature precise geometric cuts for the proteins. Gardena dreams of sushi, indeed.
Location: 1601 W. Redondo Beach Blvd. #112, Gardena
Hours: Wednesday-Sunday 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Topline:
The original King Taco restaurant in Cypress Park will become a Historic-Cultural Monument after the L.A. City Council voted 10-0 on Tuesday. Raul Martinez launched the business in 1974, when it started out as a food truck.
Why it matters: King Taco helped establish the template for the modern L.A. taqueria — shifting the city's understanding of tacos from the hard-shell, Americanized version to soft tortillas filled with carne asada, carnitas and tacos al pastor. It's now one of the few designated restaurant landmarks recognizing Latino culinary contributions.
The backstory: Founder Raul Martinez launched King Taco from a converted ice cream truck in 1974, eventually opening the Cypress Park brick-and-mortar location that became the chain's flagship. The business grew to 24 locations across Southern California.
Topline:
They may be cute, but cities are now deciding how to regulate them — and charge them for their use of public infrastructure. Glendale and Long Beach are in the process of creating new rules and fees for personal delivery devices, as they're called, while L.A. is looking at overhauling existing regulations to increase city revenue.
Why it matters: There’s significant growth projected for companies that create and run delivery bots. City officials see that as a source of revenue and are thinking about how to increase it as the bots become more prevalent, potentially charging a fee per trip rather than a flat fee as is current practice.
Why now: Delivery bots perform an essential service delivering products from Domino’s pizza to Walmart purchases. Companies that create the bots say their tech cuts down on the number of car trips making such deliveries.
What's next: Officials in the cities of L.A., Long Beach and Glendale say staff will submit their recommendations for delivery bot regulations in the next several months.
Go deeper: Delivery bots colonizing sidewalks and raising concerns.
Companies that create and manufacture personal delivery devices, those cute bots you see on public sidewalks, have been working on growth plans for years.
Cities, on whose public sidewalks the delivery bots travel, are only now catching up to regulating them and charging the companies fees.
That's what's happening in Glendale, where, City Councilman Dan Brotman says, “[The delivery bots] just appeared out of nowhere. The company that operates [them] never reached out and talked to us."
He and other council members, he said, want to know if the delivery devices make it harder for Glendale residents using wheelchairs to use public sidewalks.
“I also am curious who is getting the financial benefit from these,” he said.
Glendale’s City Council asked city staff last month to draft two proposals, one with regulations and fees and the other pausing the operation of delivery bots while the council studies their impact. Brotman said staff may deliver those proposals to him and his colleagues in the months to come.
The City of Los Angeles approved rules for personal delivery devices a few years ago, including flat permit fees. The City Council has since asked staff in the Department of Transportation to revaluate those rules and make suggestions.
One idea being considered — charging companies for every bot trip instead of the flat fee.
L.A. City Councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez successfully introduced the motion last year to have the regulations revisited.
“[The companies are] starting to put movie ads or show ads, and if they're generating revenue off that, we want to know what that looks like but also be able to have a fee for them,” Hernandez said.
That report should be presented to the City Council later this year, she said.
She’s also keen to hear from the public about their views on delivery bots.
L.A. residents can give the city their opinion at this link.
Glendale residents can email: CityCouncil@GlendaleCA.gov
Companies that make the devices argue they’re providing an essential delivery service to residents while cutting down on the number of vehicles on the road making the deliveries.
“We currently pay fees in Los Angeles, Chicago and West Hollywood as part of their permit programs and are open to similar models in other cities,” said Vignesh Ram, vice president of policy at Serve Robotics, by email.
The company is now operating in Long Beach; Ram says it notified the city before beginning to operate there.
A City of Long Beach spokesperson told LAist its business licensing, planning and public works teams are currently working on recommendations for regulations. Those should be presented to the City Council early this summer.
Topline:
A $48 million grant to California State University, Los Angeles, will expand the university’s social work and counseling programs, training 1,000 new students to support youth mental health in Eastside communities and other underserved areas of Los Angeles.
How the money will be used: The five-year investment by the Ballmer Group will significantly grow Cal State LA’s Master of Social Work program. Its one-year MSW program will double in size, the two‑year program will increase by 50%, and the School-Based Family Counseling program will also double. The bulk of the funding will support scholarships, new faculty and the expansion of clinical placements.
Why it matters: The need for more mental health workers comes at a time when many Eastside families are facing more barriers to care. Stigma around mental health combined with fear tied to immigration raids have discouraged some people from seeking services. At the same time, financial challenges are making it harder for students to enter the profession. In January, the U.S. Department of Education updated its definition of a “professional degree” and excluded social work, which will affect graduate students’ eligibility for federal student loans.
The story first appeared on The LA Local.
When Hermila Melero trains future therapists at Cal State LA, she emphasizes something she learned over nearly two decades working on the Eastside: It matters where you’re from.
“When you know the difference between East LA and Boyle Heights … they appreciate that on a really fundamental level,” Melero, director of field education at CSULA’s School of Social Work, said. “You feel a sense of safety and being seen when the person reflects what you look like, has a foundational understanding of where you come from.”
Now, a $48 million grant to California State University, Los Angeles, will open new opportunities for students to serve the communities they come from. The funding will expand the university’s social work and counseling programs, training 1,000 new students to support youth mental health in Eastside communities and other underserved areas of Los Angeles.
The five-year investment by the Ballmer Group — the largest grant in the university’s history — will significantly grow Cal State LA’s Master of Social Work program.
Its one-year MSW program will double in size, the two‑year program will increase by 50%, and the School-Based Family Counseling program will also double. The bulk of the funding will support scholarships, new faculty and the expansion of clinical placements.
Cal State LA already partners with organizations across the Eastside, including El Centro De Ayuda, AltaMed, Survivor Justice Center and schools across LAUSD. The new funding will allow more students to work directly with these groups, serving families who often lack access to care.
“This speaks to the amazing work our social work and counseling programs are doing within our schools and with LA’s agencies serving youth and families,” said CSULA President Berenecea Johnson Eanes in a statement to Boyle Heights Beat. “With more clinical placements and greater numbers of master’s alumni, we will make real strides in meeting a critical shortage of qualified social workers and counselors.”
In addition to CSULA, CSU Dominguez Hills received $29 million to expand mental health resources in South LA and UCLA will use part of its $33 million grant to develop a minor in youth behavioral health. The three universities have received a total of $110 million.
For Melero, who was born and raised in East LA, the expansion is personal.
Melero spent 17 years of her professional career as a social worker in her own community and the surrounding areas. She witnessed firsthand how much her patients appreciated it when she spoke to them in Spanish or told them where she grew up.
“You don’t have to explain yourself, you don’t have to explain what it’s like, you know, to grow up here,” she said.
Now as director of field education, she helps place students in organizations, clinics and schools across the region, many of them serving the neighborhood they call home.
The need for more mental health workers comes at a time when many Eastside families are facing more barriers to care.
Stigma around mental health combined with fear tied to immigration raids have discouraged some people from seeking services, Melero said.
At the same time, financial challenges are making it harder for students to enter the profession.
In January, the U.S. Department of Education updated its definition of a “professional degree” and excluded social work, which will affect graduate students’ eligibility for federal student loans, creating a significant financial barrier, according to the Council on Social Work Education.
For students like Silvia Perez, 41, financial assistance would be a great help.
The Cal State LA undergraduate student is pursuing her master’s degree after she graduates in May, all while raising two teenagers and a 23-year-old. Perez has been paying for her education by selling shoes and perfume outside of her home in East LA.
Her decision to pursue a career in social work came after seeing her sister navigate the Department of Children and Family Services system with her children and witnessing how young people in her community struggled with substance abuse and homelessness.
After graduating, Perez hopes to work in East LA to help the people she encounters every day. She believes that level of understanding can create trust with an already vulnerable population.
“I would like to help the people in my community first…I live the daily life that everyone else in my community faces,” she said.
For more information on CSULA’s MSW programs, click here.
Editor’s Note: The LA Local also receives support from the Ballmer Group.
Topline:
California for now has prevented the Trump administration from changing priorities in homelessness funding to favor temporary shelters rather than long-term housing.
More details: California scored a legal victory Monday that, for now, undermines the Trump administration’s efforts to drastically cut funding for homeless housing. Changes that would have diverted huge chunks of federal funds away from permanent housing and funneled them instead into temporary shelters and sober living programs will remain suspended after the Trump administration dropped its appeal of an earlier court loss. While the broader case is still being litigated, the new development could provide some reassurance to California counties waiting for the federal funds.
The backstory: In November, the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development attempted to change the way it doles out money for homeless services via its Continuum of Care program. It decreed that jurisdictions applying for a piece of about $4 billion in federal homelessness funds can’t spend more than 30% of that money on permanent housing — a move that would result in a significant cut to the type of long-term housing that can resolve someone’s homelessness.
Read on... for more on the new development.
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.
California scored a legal victory Monday that for now, undermines the Trump administration’s efforts to drastically cut funding for homeless housing.
Changes that would have diverted huge chunks of federal funds away from permanent housing and funneled them instead into temporary shelters and sober living programs will remain suspended after the Trump administration dropped its appeal of an earlier court loss. While the broader case is still being litigated, the new development could provide some reassurance to California counties waiting for the federal funds.
“We continue to fight for Californians and the rule of law, and we continue to win,” Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a news release. “People experiencing housing insecurity or homelessness need the federal government’s continued support — not a rollback of assistance.”
In November, the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development attempted to change the way it doles out money for homeless services via its Continuum of Care program. It decreed that jurisdictions applying for a piece of about $4 billion in federal homelessness funds can’t spend more than 30% of that money on permanent housing — a move that would result in a significant cut to the type of long-term housing that can resolve someone’s homelessness.
Last year, California communities spent about 90% of their federal Continuum of Care funds on permanent housing.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration quickly joined 19 other states and the District of Columbia in suing to stop the Trump administration’s changes. In December, a federal judge in Rhode Island temporarily blocked the changes and ordered HUD to process funding applications under the original rules. The Trump administration appealed that ruling, leaving local governments and homeless service providers unsure of what they would be awarded funding for, and when.
The federal government on Monday dropped its appeal. While the rest of the lawsuit will move forward, and could take months to resolve, counties should be able to access permanent housing funds in the meantime.
Instead of prioritizing permanent housing, as has been the rule in the past, the Trump administration wants to focus more on shelters that get people off the streets quickly and temporarily, and on programs that require residents to be sober. HUD also attempted to ban the use of federal homelessness funds for diversity and inclusion efforts, support of transgender clients, and use of “harm reduction” strategies that seek to reduce overdose deaths by helping people in active addiction use drugs more safely.
A HUD spokesperson said the agency stood by its funding reforms.
“HUD remains committed to reforming the failed ‘Housing First’ approach and restoring the Continuum of Care program to its core objectives; reducing homelessness and promoting self-sufficiency for all vulnerable Americans, ensuring taxpayer dollars are directed towards those goals,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
HUD experienced another legal setback last month when a federal judge in Rhode Island shot down the agency’s attempt to upend another, smaller, source of federal homelessness funding. At issue in that case was a program called the Continuum of Care Builds grant, which funds the construction of new homeless housing. HUD last year made grantees reapply under a very different set of criteria, which seemed to disqualify organizations that support trans clients, use “harm reduction” to prevent drug overdose deaths or operate in a “sanctuary city.”
About $75 million in federal funds had been frozen as that case moved forward.
In March, the court found HUD violated the law through its “slapdash imposition of political whims.”
“This ruling is a victory for people across this nation who have overcome homelessness and stabilized in HUD’s permanent housing programs,” Ann Oliva, chief executive of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, which filed the lawsuit, wrote in a statement. “Today’s news reinforces a fundamental truth: that the work to end homelessness is not partisan, and never should be interfered with for political means.”
This article was originally published on CalMatters and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.
