Comfort Food Restaurants near Playa Del Rey, CA

“Amazing food not too far from the beach with absolutely awesome customer service! The #Vegan plates and chips and salsa cannot be beat anywhere close. The ambiance is casual and cool! LOVE this place!❤“

“One of the most iconic spots in Koreatown!
The soup arrives with customizable add-ins like green onions, red pepper paste, and minced garlic, letting you tweak the savory depth to perfection. Sides of banchan (kimchi, pickled radish) keep the table lively and flavorful.“

“The food is good, but the management and the staff are out of this world. Keith, Mel, and the rest of the establishment thank you. Dennis and Stacey will definitely be back.“

“Very good turkey chili and chicken pot pie“

“The food at Star of India is excellent. They have a wide variety of vegetarian, vegan, and standard items, all worth trying. The service is prompt and the staff are friendly and helpful.“

“Amazing authentic Korean food! The kkakdugi was incredibly fresh and delicious, and all of the side dishes were excellent. The food was flavorful, the portions were generous, and the service was warm and friendly. Highly recommend this restaurant if you're craving authentic Korean comfort food. I'll definitely be back!“

“Social has very good quality food. There's options for everyone. Price point is quite high, as to be anticipated by hotel restaurants. My only complaint: We have been attending a convention at the LAX Marriott for 8 years now and one would hope that the leadership at the hotel would be well aware than their restaurants will be significantly impacted when there's now 3000+ people there for the weekend. The staff does their absolute best but at the end of the day, there aren't enough of them and the kitchen staff clearly struggles to get the meals plated up in a reasonable amount of time. So if you plan on eating at Social, plan on allowing more time than you think you need and for heaven sake be patient with your restaurant staff. They are doing their best.“

“My visit to the new gastropub in the neighborhood was a memorable one. From the moment I walked in, I could tell that the atmosphere was vibrant and welcoming. I ordered a Coca-Cola, which was served promptly with a healthy dose of ice, just the way I like it. But the real standout was the Fried Chicken Sandwich - it was cooked to perfection, with crispy skin and tender meat, and the flavors were out of this world. I can't wait to come back and try more of their delicious dishes.“

“5-star alert! My wife surprised me with this delicious Tunisian restaurant on Father’s Day! It was like an exotic trip to Mediterranean North Africa. The servers were good and the owner was super friendly and helpful! We had prawns, fish, lamb, cauliflowers, and the infamous Hand of Fatima. Everything was delicious, with unique flavors and beautifully presented. The sauces were so unique and flavorful, we had 3 orders of bread as we want to enjoy more of the flavors in every dish!“

“Best pasta ever! I ordered three trays, fettuccine Alfredo, bolognese, and shrimp pasta and a tray of salad. They don’t open until 11:30 but I needed the trays for a brunch at 10:45 and they were able to accommodate for that! The pasta was fresh, hot and sooo delicious all the guest wanted to know where is was from and they all loved it! And you can not beat the price! Sooo affordable. I got a quote from a different place that was charging sooooo much more for the same amount! Love it and would go again and order again too.“

“This cafe and Juice bar STOLE our hearts! A MUST when in San Diego and La Jolla. I mean, WOOOOWWW! We were able to sneak in a quick breakfast before our whale tour at the Little Italy location, and thank goodness we did! My only regret is not visiting every single day for their exceptional breakfast and high-quality juices! I ordered the All I Avo Wanted - Blue corn, waffle, smashed avocado, feta, shaved radish, over easy egg, chili flakes, hemp seeds, salsa macha. I mean, holy moly. The delivery was beautifully executed and built perfectly. The blue corn waffle was moist yet firm. My mother ordered the Shakshuka - another favorite dish of mine that WOWed. You can not go wrong with Parakeet. Thank you to the divine chefs and baristas - you made Parakeet the most beloved restaurant during our time in California!!!“

“Absolutely delicious Indian cuisine. I dined in with the lamb tandoori tikkha with saag paneer, basmati rice, garlic naan, and a mango lassi. Everything was fresh and on point. The waitress was friendly and the ambience was clean with relaxing jazz piano playing. Highly recommended!“

“hands down my #1 korean food joint! 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥“

“It’s slow to get your order, but that’s because it’s made fresh. If your in a hurry, take it to go. Otherwise, the chicken is excellent.“

“Amazing food and staff! Will be back!“

“What a fantastic spot to enjoy authentic Korean cuisine! The Soy Sauce Marinated Crab (Ganjang-gejang), Spicy Marinated Crab (Yangnyeom-gejang), and Braised
Short Ribs (Galbi-jjim) were all absolutely amazing. The service was top-notch, and I’ll definitely be coming back here again!“

“great breakfast sandwich“

“It is your typical mom and pop's Korean soup joint. The atmosphere is like a cafeteria filled with photos of the past, simple and clean. It has a small menu, but the soup base is amazing. The beef broth has tremendous amount of flavor, clean, rich, the beef and tendons are succulent. The soup is not seasoned (salted) so you can taste the original beef flavor, and you can add the salt as you like it. The simple meal for two is about $50. It was a great find for us.“

“Came out to Gladstones for a sunset dinner and it honestly delivered the full LA coastal vibe. You’re right on the water, so the view alone already sets the mood before the food even hits the table. I went with the seafood platter and everything tasted fresh—nothing overcooked or heavy, just clean coastal flavors. The fish was flaky, shrimp had a nice bite, and the sides were simple but worked well. Service was friendly and pretty relaxed, which fits the whole beachy atmosphere. It’s not trying to be overly fancy, but it still feels like a solid sit-down experience. Definitely one of those spots you bring out-of-town friends to just enjoy the ocean, food, and chill energy.“

“Nice place and people. Good food.“

“Places are great the soul food restaurant! My first time here only because of a job and it looks small but it really got crowded.It must be a hidden. gem. Little Pricey$$ But get good amount. Greens were
*ok.. mac n cheese was.pretty solid. *Smothered Pork chops* I got. Was exactly Spot on!
Delicious. The music 🎶 there and staff were real nice. .
I very much recommend!“

“Great food and atmosphere.“

“The psychedelic sando & og chicken sando were so awesome. Medium sauce had a kick but went well with the sandos. Fries were great! I highly recommend!!“

“The service could have been better the young lady taking my money could have gotten off the phone just for one moment to have a better conversation with me instead of letting me listen to her conversation instead other than that the establishment is very well clean“

“The sound at The Mint is fantastic and there’s always a cool vibe from the crowd. It’s a wide room so you can see well from anywhere. Food is very good (I LOVE the cheesesteak sandwich and shrimp salad) and great drinks. So many popular musicians got their start there and you never know who’ll pop up on stage or in the audience. Really fun! Highly recommend 😄“

“Very good food and great customer service“

“Fantastic food. And cocktails. And bartenders!“

“There are four restaurants that share this space: Sumac, Habibi Burger, Saucy Greens, and Soupchu. Each is great.

Saucy Greens makes delicious salads. This place is great for vegetarians, vegans, and omnivores. The sumac vinaigrette on the falafel salad is refreshing. There are no bad choices on the menu.“

“The psychedelic sando & og chicken sando were so awesome. Medium sauce had a kick but went well with the sandos. Fries were great! I highly recommend!!“

“😋👍good food .and friendly staff“

“สนุกสนานอาหารอร่อย บรรยากาศดีมีระดับ“

“Had the wild mushroom pizza. Absolutely delicious Fries were also delicious But the chocolate cake and vegan vanilla ice cream cream was to die for! Highly recommend“

“A 4 in one location! Loved the variety of the different type of foods! The soups were delicious, the smash burger smelled good(didn’t taste it was for my young son) which he said was good, the arugula salad so tasty and the pink power salad was indescribable(that good) definitely coming back again. The young lady who took our order was so kind too!“

“Good food fast service. Bronzed Aussi meat pies were ok. Beef was the best I would get that again and eat 10 , lamb was good . , a little heavy on the rosemary...I can still taste it 30 min. later , same for the sausage . The chicken musroom and bacon was bland.“

“Great food and service!! I will be back.“

“Absolutely the finest Soul Food. You don't want to skip this place. I had the lunch portion of the Oxtail and chose the Candied Yams and Mac and Cheese as sides. It came with 2 Cornbread Muffins. It was all delicious and filling. I ordered the Coconut Pineapple Cake for Dessert. It filled the container. See the picture. Totally Recommend this place.“

“The food here was excellent, but the reason I’m taking the time to write this review is because of one of your employees.

I come from a serving background myself, and I’m also a business owner, so I tend to notice things that most customers probably don’t. Great employees are much rarer than people realize, and I genuinely believe this young man deserves recognition.

While I was there, I watched him cleaning around the beer and slushy machines. What stood out wasn’t simply that he was cleaning—it was how he was cleaning. He treated the restaurant as if it were his own home, paying attention to details that most people would overlook. There was a level of care and pride in his work that you simply don’t see very often.

At the same time, every 10 to 15 seconds he would naturally scan the dining area, constantly aware of the customers around him. His awareness was incredible. I never had to wonder where my server was or try to flag someone down because he always seemed to know when someone needed assistance before they even asked. That’s a skill that can’t easily be taught.

What impressed me even more was that the restaurant wasn’t particularly busy, and I didn’t see an owner or manager standing over him. In my experience, that’s usually when many employees slow down, check their phones, or simply wait for the next customer. He did the exact opposite. He stayed productive the entire time, continuously looking for ways to improve the restaurant and take care of guests.

To me, that speaks far beyond good customer service. It reflects character, integrity, discipline, and genuine pride in his work. Those qualities are incredibly valuable and increasingly rare.

I’ve been to many Korean restaurants, and it’s uncommon to come across someone who works with this level of professionalism and ownership. He’s exactly the type of employee I would want if I were opening a restaurant myself.

I hope management recognizes the value they have in him because employees like this are difficult to find and even harder to replace. He deserves to know that his work doesn’t go unnoticed.

The food was fantastic, and I’ll absolutely be coming back. But what left the biggest impression on me was watching someone who genuinely cared about doing an exceptional job, even when nobody seemed to be watching.

To the employee who was working so diligently that day (in the photo): thank you. Your work ethic stood out, and I hope you’re recognized for it.“

“Ordered takeout online and it was a real smooth and easy process. Food was ready on time and packaged nicely. Got the beef noodle soup with the flat rice noodle and the dry mix rice noodle. Both were really good. Staff was friendly at pickup. They have a very small parking lot, but I lucked out with getting a spot. It does look a bit run down on the outside, but inside looked nice and spacious.“

“The pad Thai is so good! I recommend this to anyone that eats here! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻“

“Seafood and beef soup and the pork belly. Broth was very tasty.“