7 Walking-Distance Eats Near Staples Center, That Aren’t LA Live
The streets around Staples Center are filled with energy. Whether it be a Lakers game or a concert, it brings people to a buzz from blocks away.
If you’ve planned your night and are ready to enjoy an event at the Los Angeles arena, you might want to catch a bite to eat beforehand. But it could be a little intimidating to sift through the visible options, or even the ones on Yelp.
As we were previewing the 2020 DineLA restaurant week that is currently in full swing until January 31, we came across a couple of restaurants within the nearby Hotel Figueroa that impressed us with both their menus, and the fact that they’re in a bit of a low key location.
That got us to thinking, what else can you eat around Staples Center that isn’t too close to the madness, but you can probably still walk to.
If you’re like me, and you make your way to the neighboring LA Live restaurants, it’s easy to look at the chaos of going out during an event, and think, “Hmm, maybe I’ll eat somewhere else.”
If that’s you, let us guide you through a couple other options that are delicious and won’t make you miss a moment of that Lakers game or Bad Bunny concert, while also taking advantage of DineLA restaurant week deals and offerings.
Veranda
Veranda was the first of two restaurants we had a chance to preview inside of the Hotel Figueroa. If you’re not familiar with the area, it’s very easy to miss this spot as it is cozily hidden inside the Hotel Figueroa, about a block away from Staples Center. Formerly a Mediterranean restaurant, the poolside joint is now going the Mexican route.
Thanks to their DineLA tasting menu, we had a chance to try quite a few different things here, including their crispy fish taco, carnitas taco, and the Foodbeast surprise favorite: the roasted cauliflower Del Jardin Taco. With Dine LA you can try their delicious guac, a main course that includes three of their hearty tacos, and the decadent tres leches cake, all for $29.
Hotel Figueroa/ 939 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90015
View this post on Instagram
Breva
Breva is the other restaurant we got a chance to preview for DineLA, and Chef Adrian Garcia has done an an awesome job giving a tasty twist to American favorites such as his buttermilk fried chicken, tomahawk steak, and even catch-of-the-day fish selection.
As of this writing, their Dine LA offering is pretty damn legit: for $39, you can get yourself a 3-course meal with a lot of options to choose from, including their 8-ounce filet, their “Imposter” Impossible Burger, a fried half-chicken and their dulce de leche/cafe de olla Bread Pudding.
Hotel Figueroa/ 939 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90015
Broken Spanish
View this post on Instagram
If you’ve never been to Broken Spanish, you know it’s quite an interesting Mexican dining experience. Chef Ray Garcia’s vision of taking traditional Mexican food, and incorporating elegant twists is nothing short of genius. From the decadent lamb neck tamales, to the crave-worthy chicharron, it’s worth the 10-minute walk from Staples Center.
1050 Flower St, Los Angeles, CA 90015
Barcito
View this post on Instagram
Barcito is one of those late-night options that you can actually catch after a Laker game. They don’t close their doors until midnight, and Laker/Clipper games tend to end around 10 p.m., giving you ample time to make your way to the nearby bar.
At the moment, the Argentine-style bar and restaurant is also participating in DineLA for both lunch and dinner. So if you play your cards right, you can grab a sandwich, side, dessert, and even a cocktail for $29 through Dine LA.
403 W 12th St, Los Angeles, CA 90015
The Original Pantry
View this post on Instagram
This one is a Los Angeles staple, no pun intended. When you’re planning the day around your Staples Center, you might forget that The Pantry is only a hop and a skip away.
You can literally walk past all the L.A. Live madness and the next block down takes you to the iconic diner. Yes, there is often a bit of a line for this one, but they keep things moving fairly quickly, and it’s worth it for those iconic pancakes or biscuits & gravy.
877 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90017, *Cash only*
Faith & Flower
View this post on Instagram
Faith & Flower is one of those trendy L.A. spots that’s almost tailor-made for white-girl-wasted at brunch Instagram stories. They’re right across the street from The Original Pantry, so you’ve got choices when you’re in that area.
F&F arguably has the most beautiful plating on this list, and generally has a really dope vibe to it. Start your night off right and grab some jidori chicken and a cocktail before your concert.
Faith & Flower is also participating in the DineLA week event, and currently has their famous jidori chicken on the lunch menu.
705 W 9th St, Los Angeles, CA 90015
Prank Bar
Prank Bar is known for being L.A.’s first walk-up bar, and is a go-to joint when you’re in or around the Staples Center area. It’s a chill spot — in fact, it’s so chill that you can get a non-psychoactive CBD cocktail there. So if you really want to feel relaxed at that Jonas Brothers concert, Prank Bar will hook you up.
1100 S Hope St, Los Angeles, CA 90015
WILDCARD ENTRY – Hot Dog Cart
You can never go wrong with the classic street dog cart. I’m also throwing this in because I thought it was wild that a couple of these carts are now accepting Venmo and the Cash app for payment. This is the future guys. “Cash Only” is going by the wayside, even on the street food front.
These are exciting times.
