Zach Margolis's Recommendations

Los Angeles

I grew up in Culver City, so naturally most of my recommendations are skewed towards Culver and the west side. I’ve spent much less time in LA as an adult then I did as a kid, so this is what I’ve got.

I've marked a few favorites with a ★. I like pretty much everything on this list, but I love those.

Contents

Bars

• Backstage Bar & Grill (Culver City): Divey (but not too divey) bar across from Sony Studios. I feel like you can’t go in here and not run into somebody from my high school.

• Blind Barber (Culver City): It’s a speakeasy bar inside an actual barbershop. The first time a friend took me here, with the lights off in the barbershop at night, I thought he was kidding that there was a bar inside. He was not, for real, there a bar through there.

Food

• ★ Tito’s Tacos (Culver City): I don’t know how to explain Tito’s. Basically everybody I know who grew up Culver loves it, but most folks who visit it aren’t sure it lives up to the hype. Set your expectations low. Love their salsa and burritos. The hard tacos, I’m not as attached to.

• ★ Lodge Bread (Culver City): Amazing bakery with great avocado toast and even great hummus and pita. Has other locations.

• Canters Deli (Fairfax District): Classic Jewish Deli in LA, has to-go stuff in front as well as table service in the back.

• Pacific Diner (San Pedro): Greasy spoon diner in San Pedro with a cute patio, I have some really good memories of visiting here on Sunday mornings with friends in high school.

• Sushi Mashiko (Culver City): Japanese restaurant with neighborhoody, familiar vibe.

• The Original Pantry Cafe (Downtown): Charming diner downtown not too far from the convention center

Museums

• Museum of Jurassic Technology (Culver City): At first, I didn’t realize everything in the museum was a joke. It’s like a parody of a museum.

• MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) (Downtown): LA’s version of MoMA. Fun tidbit: the official difference between “contemporary” and “modern” art is that contemporary art means the artist should be alive still.

• The Broad (Downtown): Free museum downtown, the name rhymes with “road” (not “node”).