10 Restaurants Outside of LA That Are Totally Worth the Drive

The LA basin is big, but the tempura, tacos, sour beer, and wild boar on this list are worth making the trek.

In LA , everywhere is a suburb to someone . There are Westsiders who have never been toAlhambra , foothills folk music who visitSan Diego beachesmore often thanSanta Monica , andValleypeople who never make it past where the 134 fork off from the 101 .

So intend of this less as a list labeling your townsfolk a suburb , and more as a guide to restaurants scattered around the out bound of the LA lavatory and just beyond , the sort of places that are worth the drive from anywhere . And if you happen to know near one or more of them , well , lucky you . Here are 10 eating place that are worth the hyperbolic flatulency money :

Gusto Bread

longsighted BeachIt might be surd to imagine baked goodness that are deserving the slow Australian crawl on the 710 down to Long Beach , but if there was ever a concha worth crawling for , Gusto ’s is it . The organic panaderia on Long Beach ’s happen quaternary street use masa madre — their by nature leavened sourdough base — for all of their baked goodness , which gives everything from breads to pastry just the right pernicious tang . The Nixtamal Queen , their take on a Kouign - Amann , includes laminate layers of that masa madre conflate with heirloom corn that they nixtamalize in house , which gives it a distinct corn counterpoint to all of the usual butter and sugar . It helps that they also have a fantastic potable programme , with sea wolf Cafe de Olla , Aguas Frescas , and red-hot chocolate ; and their Buckwheat Chocolate Chip Cookie is among the best in the field . How to reserve : Walk - atomic number 49 only .

Riverside Food Lab

RiversideYes , it ’s a little unjust to chunk these places together , but if you ’re out in Riverside it ’s deserving cruising through the whole complex . There are a lot of peachy options in the Food Lab , so perhaps peck up some Gumbo at Dhat Creole , a duet spell of Hot Chicken at Baba ’s , and some Chicano Tacos on handmade tortillas from Mi Vida Gorda . Take a saunter around charming downtown Riverside , peradventure mosey through the historic RiversideMission Inn , and then head back to the Food Lab for a Cafe de Olla stale brewage from Mi Cafecito or something local and hoppy from BeerFarm , and an order of Beignets from Dhat Creole for the ride dwelling house . How to book : base on balls - ins accepted everywhere , or Holy Order aheadonlinefor pickup or local legal transfer .

The Chori-Man

San PedroChorizo is ordinary , on almost every taqueria computer menu citywide , but what Humberto Raygoza is doing at The Chori - Man in San Pedro is anything but . Raygoza is a quaternary - multiplication chorizo maker , who learned his craft from family in Zacatecas before possibility as a door - to - threshold chorizo salesman in 2013 . Word disseminate of his Zacatecano Red and Tolucan Green Chorizo , and he moved his operation into a pocket-size shopfront delicatessen and eatery in San Pedro . Now they swear out tacos , quesadillas , and one of the unspoiled breakfast burritos in township , pack full of that salient chorizo . The red is more familiar , vulgar and gently spiced with guajillo chiles , and the green is a minuscule more unusual , herbal and bright with poblano peppers and spice ; both are first-class insert into a tortilla with eggs , potato , and cheese . They also travel well , in grammatical case you ’re planning to pop down to one of the gorgeous blot out coves along the Palos Verdes Peninsula . Bonus point forColossus Bread , an excellent bakery which shares a central wall with The Chori - Man . How to hold : take the air in , or orderonlinefor pickup .

The Old Place

CornellEven if you be in Calabasas or Agoura Hills , a trip up to Cornell , tucked away in the Malibu Hills , feel like a breathing spell of fresh tune . The dry river bed of Peter Strauss Ranch runs through the surface area , and even after the devastating Woolsey Fire of 2019 , it is gorgeous and verdant , undeniablyout of townsfolk . The Old Place restaurant itself is Cornell ’s former world-wide store and post office , a jolty - hewn wood construction that belongs on the set of an old Western , and the carte is its perfect lucifer . Everything is falsify on a live grillwork that only burns local oak , pluck from the mountains nearby and often split by proprietor Morgan Runyon himself . That hefty smoke permeates the air , the wall , and the solid food , from the signature Steak and Loaded Baked Potatoes to the Grilled Mushrooms and Sourdough Toast . Hours are forgetful and they have n’t re - launch the dining room , so for now you order takeout and find a tail at one of their outdoor table , but that only makes it feel more like a holiday . How to book : paseo - ins only for outdoor dining and takeout .

Carnitas El Rey

OxnardIt may not strike you as a natural sexual union , but it deform out there are few things that go easily with Oxnard ’s crisp beachy melody than a heaping heap of carnitas . Carnitas El Rey is a small taqueria at the eastern sharpness of Oxnard ’s pedestrian - friendly center , before the town peters out into train caterpillar tread and warehouses and then farmland ; it is also a on-key specialist , where the query is not what to place but how much . you may tell by the pound or ordering individual taco , and there are some simple sides like rice , bean , and pickled carrots with chiles , but that ’s about it . Order a minuscule more than you cerebrate you should and take your powerful tray down to the sand dune to salute in some sun , sand , and costillas . How to book : Walk - ins or place takeout food rules of order by headphone at 805 - 290 - 8794 .

Tendon Tempura Carlos Jr.

TorranceThere are plenty of place to get good tempura , but pay off great tempura is a rare dainty . At Tendon Tempura Carlos Jr. , Chef Carlos Pinto ’s temple to fry food , great tempura is all they service . you’re able to order while severally or you’re able to get a combo plate , you’re able to get it with soba on the side or served over rice , but in any permutation you will get fresh - fry Pisces and veggies with a batter that is absolutely light . Shrimp , Cucurbita pepo , and shishito pepper are the go - tos , but to truly maximize your experience check that you get something with that tempura egg . It is a pocket-sized miracle , a crisp , fried shell around a still - liquid yolk , perfectly cooked such that it ooze out out just so when you break it over a bowlful of rice . Stir it up and then douse with the house - made bearded darnel , a sauce that Chef Pinto created based on one he learn as a chef at a tempura shop in Tokyo . As you might conceive of , it all pairs exceedingly well with a midday beer ; you ’ve earned it , I ’m certain . How to book : take the air in or call 424 - 271 - 7004 for takeout .

Jus’Poke

Redondo BeachYou’re already driving a ways from LA proper to get here , so it only feel born to let your meal take you even further south and west across the sea . Jus’Poke is a tiny poke shop right on busy PCH as it blow through Redondo Beach , but it ’s about as near as you could get to the original Hawaiian dish around here — you wo n’t retrieve bells , whistles , or truffled yuzu Thunnus alalunga , just a long deli - fashion counter with tray of poke in classic multifariousness , served with Seaweed Salad and a big scoop of rice . The fish is heavy calibre and the marinade are punchy , so it makes the perfect takeaway lunch to extend along and eat on the sand at RAT beach , just a few arcminute down the route . How to book : Walk in or orderonline .

Neptune’s Net

MalibuIt is n’t a destination list without LA ’s OG destination topographic point , Neptune ’s Net , the Southland ’s go - to place for deep-fried fish , cold beer , and great multitude watching for almost 70 years . The roadhouse - vogue restaurant is nestled between the pile , the beach , and the Ventura County line , so it pull in a broad miscellany of surfer , hikers , bikers , andfamilies . Yes , it can be a mob vista , and yes , it ’s touristed as hell , but that ’s half the fun . take hold of a cold craftsmanship beer , a home plate of fried prawn , and nail down in . Then maybe take a walk over to the ocean to check out the windsurfers across the street . How to book : Walk - ins only .

Sour Cellars

Rancho CucamongaThe Rancho Cucamonga byplay parking lot that house Sour Cellars looks absolutely typical for a brewery . There are words of anon. warehouses in an arena wedge full of them , plenty of parking and some understated signage . But when you pace inside , you are whip a world away from the usual bad window and blonde Sir Henry Wood ; this is not the topographic point to come complain back with your bros and ascertain the secret plan . rather , the vibe is like if your aunt ’s book clubhouse fulfil at the house fromWhat We Do In The Shadows , and the beers are the double-dyed match . Sour Cellars , as you might imagine , make only moody beers , most of them ad libitum fermented and senesce in oak barrel in the Belgian custom , often with an infusion of fruit like boysenberry , nectarine , or cactus pear . The beer are exact creations , focussed and intensely flavorful , sometimes delicate but never decrepit , and — as with the sample room itself — perfectly unlike any other brewery within a fair radius . How to hold : walkway - ins only for the tasting elbow room , bottles alsoavailablefor shipping within California .

Le Chêne

Agua DulceAbout 100 years ago , the Dodrill menage expand their gas station along the old Sierra Highway to include a wayside cafe . Some 50 years by and by , Juan Alonso bought the cafe and turned it into a French restaurant , and Le Chéne has been going strong in Santa Clarita Valley as Agua Dulce ’s fine dining ever since . The menu is bragging and skews classic , with Escargot , Pate , and plenty of protein done almondine , au poivre , meunière , or provençale . There is also a potent survival of game kernel , elk and rabbit , buffalo and boar ; it feels a fitting nod to Agua Dulce ’s cowpuncher culture , a thing of course out here in a means that would be surprising back in LA right . Perhaps most crucial of all , the wine list is expansive , feature labels from local wineries and old - world heavy striker likewise . There ’s no respectable way to finish your twenty-four hour period of hiking atVasquez Rocksthan pairing Elk Chops with a Burgundian Banger . How to book : Reservations can be booked via theirwebsite .

Riverside Food Lab