I have a bit of an unusual week in Torrance coming up soon. Without going into too many details, I will be at Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center at Torrance Blvd and Hawthorne Blvd for 2-3 days and staying at Sonesta Suites at Prairie Ave and Del Amo Blvd the rest of the time (really, we’ll be at the hotel the full week, but I have a feeling we’ll be sleeping at the hospital a bit).
We have packed some instant foodstuffs for cooking in the hotel kitchen to get us through the week, but we (or I, at least) are going to want to get some real food.
We are from Northern California, East Bay. The only requirements are that it has to be takeout and it has to be within a 10 minute drive or so from the above locations. Are there any must-try places in this area, preferably that I can’t get up north?
Can’t help with recommendations, @cluskillz (I’m rarely in the Torrance area), but you might also want to cross-post your request to FoodTalkCentral.com - there’s a very active LA-area community that might have ideas to expand on what @strongoxman has offered.
There’s a great thread on foodtalkcentral.com called South Bay something… tons of amazing food recs that helped me a lot when we first moved here. Someone mentioned Carlos Tendon below and that’s solid. Could do Kagura for katsu, Gaya for korean stews, Full House Plus for Korean Chinese fusion (although it was only “meh” last time I was there). To be honest (as a Norcal transplant myself), there isn’t all that much you can get here that you can’t get up north… We also like Local Kitchen for simple American fare and Clutch and Coffee for breakfast items. You could also try Maderos for solid Mexican and I actually, I don’t know if this is too much trouble, but you could hit the Torrance Farmer’s Market on Sat. AM and pck up amazing fruits (strawberries here put Norcal’s to shame) + very good prepared foods (pupusas, crepes, malasadas, sandwiches, burgers, etc. that are all solid.
Don’t know if we’re allowed to crosspost FTC links, but this is the South Bay Staples thread I mentioned which is a treasure trove of ideas… if you’re willing to drive a little furhter, the options open up as well!
Fatto a Mano
The pizzas here are all outstanding, totally underrated, not sure how they hold up as take-out though, but who cares, they’re that good. Lasagna worth a gander too.
Barsha
Again, not sure how these things hold up as take out, but the beef cheeks, tunisian bruschetta, and falafel sliders are must-gets
Baran’s 2239
Breakfast burros are killer, as are the Indian Egg and the fried chicken
Phanny’s
Speaking of breakfast burritos, no trip the South Bay is complete without a stop at Phanny’s and indulging in one of their famed burritos, I prefer the one with chorizo, but you really can’t go wrong with any of them, even the vegetarian one
Proudly Serving
Smash burgers, duck fat tater tots all for under $15, what more do you need to know?
One last question…I noticed a few mentions for King’s Hawaiian in the FTC link. I figured it was just a gimmicky theme restaurant thing, but is it worth stopping in? For actual meals or stick with the baked goods? My wife’s coworker is a relative of the founder that presided over the King’s Hawaiian empire and she might get a kick out of stopping in for something.
