(Credit: Los Angeles Times/Spencer Weiner)
See me-hear me-eat me: L.A.'s top rock ’n’ restaurants
The best (and closest) places to feed your face after the rock show
By Scott T. Sterling, Metromix
July 16, 2007Masa of Echo Park Bakery & Café
1800 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles213-989-1558
So you’re headed to the Echo to check in on one of the endless procession of red-hot (and often Metromix-approved) bands that regularly grace their stage. Instead of showing up fashionably late, having to struggle to find a parking spot and missing the first three songs of the headlining band, we suggest something a little more relaxed. Show up on the early side and stop in Masa for a genuine Chicago-styled deep-dish pizza – the kind that’s baked into a thick-crusted pie, and is all sorts of heaven for cheese lovers. The only caveat is that it takes 45 minutes to an hour to bake one of these culinary delights. Simply call and order ahead. Warm but prompt service will have you full and in the Echo in plenty of time to catch at least one of the openers.
Brite Spot Family Restaurants
1918 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles213-484-9800
Now this is where you can seriously sedate the pie-hole after a show at the Echo. The kitchen keeps rocking until 4 a.m., so you have plenty of time to hob-nob after the final encore before stumbling down the block to the Brite-Spot, which is only a block or so west on the same side of the street. You're sure to spy all kinds of hotties hanging out here after a gig. Plus any joint that will serve me breakfast anytime gets a special gold star in my book. Mmmmm, pancakes…
Al Wazir Chicken
6051 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles323-856-0660
If you go to as many shows by emerging indie bands as we do, you find yourself inside the Music Box on a regular basis. So imagine how psyched we were to find this hidden little gem that’s just a block east and across the street? It’s easy to miss, situated in a nondescript corner strip-mall. But their consistently delicious Middle Eastern fare (and that addictive garlic sauce we can never get enough of) is always on point. They’re open until midnight, which should give you enough time to secure some falafal balls before heading back to the crib.
IHOP
5655 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles323-297-4467
A sweaty, exhausting night partying deep in the pit at the El Rey can generate quite the appetite. And after all of that cathartic moshing, you don’t want any frou-frou rabbit food or a healthy wrap. No, you need something hearty, drenched in sweet maple syrup and with a side of fried and/or crunchy (bacon, perhaps? Potato skins?). iHop has got what you need, and they’ve got it 24 hours a day. This particular location is a scant two blocks west down Wilshire at Hauser. If their high-octane coffee doesn’t knock the drunk out of you, you’d better hand the keys over to somebody else.
Flavor of India
9045 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood310-274-1715
The next time you find yourself at the Troubadour on the early side and hungry for something with a kick, head up the street to this quaint Indian eatery. They’ve got all of the culinary delights that we expect from our Indian restaurants here in L.A., and the Tandoori Chicken is so good that Dolly Parton gets an order whenever she’s in town. Young ladies might want to keep an eye out for the notoriously libidinous staff. Just make sure to have some especially strong post-dinner mints handy, because curry breath at a rock show is just not sexy.
Dan Tana's
9071 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood310-275-9444
This is probably not the first place you think of when spilling out of the Troubadour after another sold-out show from the likes of Battles, El-P or Tokyo Police Club. But this veritable Hollywood institution can hang with the hoariest of hard rockers. The Brat Pack invented that whole lifestyle anyway, only with so much more style. While the place stays open until 1:30 a.m., they’ve been known to keep the party going even later when bands from the Troubadour stop in post-show to pay homage and slam the notoriously strong rum & Cokes. The delicious garlic rolls will help soak up some of that booze before you head home.
Luna Park
672 S. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles323-934-2110
While the El Rey can get as raucous as any other rock club in town, we think this place truly shines when featuring bands a bit warmer and fuzzier, like The Bird and The Bee or Bebel Gilberto. So when your evening at the El Rey is more on the date tip, set the scene early with a romantic meal at Luna Park, right around the corner on La Brea. It’s especially lady-friendly, with fruity cocktails, make-your-own-smores and designer corn dogs. Careful though, as the wait staff is notoriously hot, so make sure to maintain eye contact with your date. Best of all, for all of the ambiance and good times, La Luna won’t break the bank. A great start to eventually closing the deal by the end of the night.
Denny's
3750 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles323-384-1621
It’s easy to get your groove (and drink) on at the Wiltern. You get caught up in the opulence of the venue, the heat of the well-dressed guys and gals making the scene, your growing tab at the bar – by the time the last encore is over and you’re buying a $5 bootleg t-shirt on the sidewalk, that red and yellow beacon right there on the corner is suddenly like a revelation. Seriously, how can you say no to something called “Moons Over My Hammy”? The fact that it’s a delicious pile of eggs, cheese and ham on sourdough toast seals the deal. Don’t forget about the legendary breakfast “slams.” Get the fried-tastic appetizer sampler for the table and your friends will love you forever. The coffee is strong, the place never closes, and you’re bound to run into fellow concertgoers also getting their grub on. Denny’s is so rock & roll it hurts.
Leela Thai Restaurant
1737 Silver Lake Blvd., Los Angeles323-660-6100
Any self-respecting indie rocker considers Spaceland like a second home. It’s pretty much ground zero of the eastside live music scene. The only thing missing is a place to chow down after seeing one of the countless shows we all take in there (OK, there is the 7-11 right down the block, which is always a good thing). At least we have Leela Thai to enjoy pre-show meals. They do the Thai thing righteously, in a comfy environment with prices so reasonable that the food tastes even better. It’s BYOB, which is a nice (and economical) touch. The red curry (AKA “Red Gold”) is a favorite, and the Hot & Sour soup always does the trick. Just remember: It’s cash only, so a pit stop at the ATM is necessary.
Café Tropical
2900 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles323-661-8391
There are so many amazing musical memories from the Silverlake Lounge. Catching TV on the Radio’s first-ever show in L.A. is near the top of the list. A particular Autolux gig there bordered on religious. Falling in love with Giant Drag during their residency all those years ago. As many (if not more) memories have been made just up Sunset at the Café Tropical. OK, they may close at 10 p.m., which limits most after-show munch sessions. But this purple place boasts possibly the best coffee in the city, which will get you more than fueled up for a night discovering the next big band. The Cuban sandwiches are good enough to remind you of debauched evenings spent on Miami Beach, and the cookies are as big as your head, just a heck of a lot tastier. The pastries in general are on the dee-lish side (try a “Cuban Cigar” – yum!). Plus for all of your blogging needs the morning after, they kick out free wi-fi. If there were a downside to be found, it would be the Tropical being so damned popular that we’re always running into those ghosts of our past that we wish would stay there. Still we’d kill for this place to go 24 hours. In the meantime, we’ll take what we can get.
These rockin’ restaurants should keep you full of carbs and coffee on your sonic adventures about town. But we want to know where YOU get your grub on after a long night of stage-diving and idol worship. Inquiring minds want to know. So what say you?
