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Cult Dining in the USA: Which L.A. Restaurants Made the Top 100?
Guess where Pink's landed on the list! (Photo by i_hate_my_screen_name via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr)
Guess where Pink's landed on the list! (Photo by i_hate_my_screen_name via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr)
What makes a dining experience more cult than culinary? According to the folks at PoorTaste, there are five key components to make a dining destination "cult," and they've compiled a pretty delicious list of the Top 100 such spots across the country.The five considerations are as follows:
1. "The restaurant must have a highly devoted customer base and should appeal to locals and tourists."
2. "The food must obviously be stellar and unique enough to produce a dedicated clientele."
3. "The wait is almost always unbearable — but worth it."
4. "Multiple locations are okay, but not too many, unless they’re in another country."
5. "A single meal should be relatively cheap. Less than 20 bucks per person is ideal. Less than 10 bucks per person is better."
Los Angeles makes a pretty impressive showing in the list overall, but a really stellar showing, with seven picks in the Top 20, plus another seven from 21-100.
Here are the local eateries who can now boast one more affirmation of their cult status:
In the Top 20
20. Umami Burger
17. Wurstküche
14. Father’s Office
11. Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles
10. Din Tai Fung Dumpling House
7. Philippe The Original
3. Pink’s Hot Dogs
From 21-100
99. Soowon Galbi Korean BBQ
67. The Oinkster
49. Yuca’s
41. Scoops
39. Daikokuya
35. Porto’s Bakery & Cafe
24. Dan’s Super Subs
What do you think of their picks?
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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