alannap

I'm looking for restaurant recommendations for lunch/dinner/happy hours around the Doubletree on Wilshire. Moderately priced (less than $25/entree). Non-chain. Or chain if good/local to CA. We are adventurous eaters, so type of food is not that important.

Thanks!

Alisa

Are you talking about the Doubletree near Westwood?

alannap

Yes, I am.

Alisa

Then it is easy. Simply walk or hop in a cab for a 2-minute drive in to Westwood. There are tons of restaurants there from little hole-in-the wall places to nicer ones.

Let me know what kind of food you want and I will direct you. There are some bars as well so let me know if you want that!

Welcome.

Surfergirl

Happy hours: Palamino at the corner of Glendon and Lindbrook; Napa Valley Grill, further into the Village on Glendon; The Gardens, also on Glendon (across from Napa); Westwood Brewing Co. (Glendon, keep on going!)

All have lunch & dinner and cost is, from the cheapest to the most expensive: Westwood Brewing, Napa Valley, Gardens, and Palamino (actually the last two are a toss up).

The Mustache Cafe (on, you guessed it, Glendon) is still going strong, is less pricey, and about the only "institution" in the Village as far as dining spots. Acapulco has been around a long time and has it's peaks and valleys in terms of happy hours and dining. Cheap, though.

There's a bunch of lunch spots and quick dinner spots on Gayley, which is 1 block west of Westwood, including an Italian restaurant, fast food NY pizza, and mongolian barbecue.

Also head up to the Village and Bruin theatres; there's all sorts of hip coffee houses and cheap college eateries around there, as well as BJ's (Chicago pizza and micro=brewery) and CPK. And don't forget to stop at Stan's for a donut -- that place has been there almost as long as the Village has been the Village.

Surfergirl

I forgot about south of the Village on Westwood. There are a ton of places to eat there too at very reasonable prices. Aside from the zillion persian restaurants (and they are all pretty good), I like Soleil (french/italian -- actually the owner is from Quebec), the Delphi -- some of the best greek food in town, an indian restaurant, whose name momentarily escapes me, but it opened about a year ago and does a great tandori, and if you keep walking down towards Santa Monica Blvd., you'll find a great little hole in the wall thai food place, along with an indonesian restaurant that serves rice tables, like you get in Amsterdam.

alannap

Thanks for the restaurant info!! Much appreciated.

One last request - the name of a good thai or mexican place in the area.

Thanks!

Alisa

There is a well known mexican restaurant on WIlshire in Santa Monica called El Cholo. They have a Happy Hour and good food. You would have ot drive or take the bus. It is on 10th or 11th and Wilshire.

In Westwwod, there is not any great Mexican. There are some smaller, cheap Thai places. All the students seem to like a Thai place on Westwood two blocks up from Wilshire on the right side. I forget the name but you will see it.

Don't miss Stan's Doughnuts on Weyburn in Westwood. www.stansdoughnuts.com. They have been around for years and have THE BEST peanut butter, banana, and chocolate doughnuts! Oh, yes, they are awesome!

Alisa

The W Hotel in Westwood has a hip bar-younger 20-something crowd, if you are in to that!

Surfergirl

El Cholo is good and cheap. It's about a 15 min. drive from your hotel, or a 25 minute ride on the Blue Bus into Santa Monica.

Alternatively, there's a couple hole in the wall places in the area, like Tia Juana on Olympic heading west between Barrington & Bundy (they make their own tortillas)(the place looks on the outside like you would never want to go there, but it's now trendy and great!).

I think (but could be wrong) that Stan's introduced the Buttermilk donut log to the world.