SheKnows: A Food Staycation in Los Angeles: Hanjip, Sushi Roku & Yalla

 

she knows jan 3 2016 3 places to eat

A version of this article called Three Places I love to eat if you are visiting Los Angeles was first published on SheKnows.

At this time of year, there are so many voices calling for our dollars — gifts, family responsibilities, bills and our goals for vacation. If you aspire to travel more, start by exploring your neighborhood. In Los Angeles, we can experience many parts of the world with our local choices. This anonymous travel quote tells us: “We travel not to escape life but for life not to escape us.” Lately, I have had many requests about where to dine in Los Angeles, I want to share some new favorites with you that will make you feel like you left home and might inspire you for where to travel in the future!

1. Hanjip is a Korean BBQ in Culver City. I loved the large banquet tables, the 30-day-aged tomahawk steak and meeting celebrity chef Chris Oh. I visited Seoul, South Korea when I worked for Princess Cruises and I cannot wait to go back. I love that they give you a scissors and chopsticks at dinner. When you visit Hanjip, think about which cities you want to visit on your trip to South Korea, the home of Gangnam Style!

2. Sushi Roku has several locations in Los Angeles. I went recently with travel writer David Lang in Santa Monica on Ocean Avenue with a view of the Pacific. We tasted a new special with bigeye tuna and the yellowtail sashimi, and I had my favorite, a bento box with teriyaki and tempura. While sushi found in America may be different than what you might have in someone’s home in Japan, you can imagine you are strolling along the lanes of Kyoto or Osaka while tempting your taste buds with Sushi Roku‘s latest creations. My personal favorite tasty delight in Japan was red bean paste in mochi which you can find in a Japanese market on Sawtelle.

3. Yalla Mediterranean is a new fast casual restaurant in Burbank. A mix of food from Greece, Morocco, Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, Tunisia and Egypt, the food definitely reminded me of what I ate in October in Israel. Choose between a wrap, a salad or a plate and then select a protein like falafel, chicken or salmon and add sides, toppings and spreads. The food is fresh, tasty, colorful and good for you! Yalla has made a commitment to 100 percent compostable packaging, napkins, straws, utensils and cups and uses salvaged wood decor. They want to leave “the smallest possible footprint while still delivering the tastiest, healthiest food around.”

I hope your taste buds are as tempted as your wanderlust! Please let me know your favorite restaurants that remind you of a visit to another land.

Find more of my trips and tales on my website, We Said Go Travel, or my YouTube Channel. Thanks and Happy Holidays! Lisa Niver

Lisa Ellen Niver

Lisa Niver is an award-winning travel expert who has explored 102 countries on six continents. This University of Pennsylvania graduate sailed across the seas for seven years with Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean, and Renaissance Cruises and spent three years backpacking across Asia. Discover her articles in publications from AARP: The Magazine and AAA Explorer to WIRED and Wharton Magazine, as well as her site WeSaidGoTravel. On her award nominated global podcast, Make Your Own Map, Niver has interviewed Deepak Chopra, Olympic medalists, and numerous bestselling authors, and as a journalist has been invited to both the Oscars and the United Nations. For her print and digital stories as well as her television segments, she has been awarded three Southern California Journalism Awards and two National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards and been a finalist twenty-two times. Named a #3 travel influencer for 2023, Niver talks travel on broadcast television at KTLA TV Los Angeles, her YouTube channel with over 2 million views, and in her memoir, Brave-ish, One Breakup, Six Continents and Feeling Fearless After Fifty.

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