Good "hole in the wall" restaurants (Glendale, Pasadena: high school, prices)

[Rats]

let's get a list going of all our favorite hole in the wall places to eat!

here are my picks:

Fogata Mexicana - Rosemead (San Gabriel Blvd. between Graves Ave. and Rush St.)
great Mexican food and cheap prices. their burritos are massive. they will also customize your order any way you want it. I always get a chicken burrito with extra chicken and super spicy salsa and they will prepare the salsa-from-hell in front of my eyes just for me. They have lots of specials like 3 fish tacos for $1 on Wednesday.

Pita Pockets - Northridge (corner of Nordhoff and Reseda)
if you like middle eastern food and you're in this area, go to Pita Pockets! other than CSUN students, no one I have spoken to knows about this gem. They have all kinds of middle eastern food. kebabs, laffas, pitas, falafel. And they definitely don't skimp on their portions. every time i go there my plate is loaded up with food. you can always ask for them to put more stuff in your meal too. my favorite choice is the shawarma laffa. first few times I got it I had to eat half now and half later cuz it was so big, but by now my stomach's trained to finish it!

Thai Dishes - Pasadena (Colorado Blvd. east of Marengo)
awesome Thai food, can easily contend with the more well-known Thai places in Pasadena like Chandra and Saladang. I usually get their black pepper chicken. as an added bonus, all their waitresses are good looking. if you're at the Paseo and want some Asian food then definitely give this place a try.

Zankou Chicken - Pasadena, and a few other places
another great middle eastern place. much cheaper than El Pollo Loco and California Chicken. personally this is my favorite chicken place in LA but everyone has their own taste.

Jim's Burgers - Altadena (Woodbury and Lincoln)
this was up the street from my high school and i used to go here all the time. went there last week and the burgers & seasoned fries are still top-notch.

Carousel - Glendale (Brand and California)
this isn't really a hole in the wall place, but it's the best Lebanese food in LA county. fast service, great waiters, and great music on weekend nights.

La Canada Imports - La Canada (Foothill and Alta Canyada)
other than homemade, the best pizza I have ever had in LA. If you are in the LC, DO NOT MISS!

[artichoke63]

La Playita (Venice, on Lincoln)
$1.50 buys a great taco. My favorite is the shrimp soft taco with sour cream and guacamole

[the one]

ja ja ja, im not givin up my hot spots to perfect strangers!!!

[SoCalMomma]

Titos Tacos in Culver City. It's on Washington near Sepulveda. From the outside it looks like nothing, but when you see the lines of people waiting for food, thats intriguing. We loved the food and its very inexpensive!

[lilcreep]

There is Oki Dog on Fairfax between melrose and santa monica in Hollywood. They serve an "oki dog" which is 2 hot dogs, chili, cheese, and pastrami wrapped in a huge tortilla. Its only like $3.50 or something like that, but so big that most people can't finish one.

El Tepeyac in L.A. the address is 812 N. Evergreen They are famous for the Manuels special. Its by far the biggest and best burrito I have ever had.

those are my two favorites.

[Winston Smith]

It's been a while, so I can't attest to it still being there, and, if it is sill there, that it's as good as it used to be. I remember a cool little burger and beer place at Point Fermin Park. The place always had Harleys outside. It's small and cramped inside, but the service and food were good. Burgers were affectionately called "Bessies." Is that place still around, anyone know?

[thefivefour]

Fred62's in Los Feliz. Best shakes and pancakes ever. I kid you not. Then I love going to La Cabana off of Rose and Lincoln. El pollo verde burrito with a margarita. Delish.

[fastfilm]

Bamboo on Ventura Blvd. in Sherman Oaks for excellent mandarin/szechuan cuisine. I'm still looking for a similarly superb but relatively inexpensive Japanese restaurant here in the Valley.

FIND OF THE CENTURY- Ginja Lions on Ventura in Studio City for Jamaican and Carribbean dining: hot jerk chicken, veggies. Great food and the BEST ambient music of any restaurant anywhere: the owner's own great reggae collection. There's a shrine in the restaurant's bathroom that will make you smile, which also features sound samples of the ocean when you enter.

Historical L.A. dining trivia: El Tepeyac, which features burritos bigger than the size of American NFL footballs, used to offer a deal wherein you'd get another free one to be consumed immediately if you finished one in one sitting. As if one could...

[puffle]

Dr. Hoogley Woogly on Sepulveda and Roscoe for the best ribs.

[artichoke63]

Oh, I forgot to mention, my personal favorite: Govinda's Buffet. It's a complete vegetarian buffet, all you can eat for $6. The food is great and I used to go there like every day! For those who aren't familiar, Govinda's is at the Hare Krishna temple on Venice Blvd in Culver City.