AnimeExpo is one of the largest North American anime conventions. Their international guest list features notable figures in the anime and game industry, cosplay and Japanese pop culture-related social media. The Los Angeles Convention Center is located in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, and is within walking distance to one of my favorite franchises: Yard House. As much as I love their consistently delicious food, the peak hour waits can eat away at convention time. So after I sing the praises of Yard House, I’ll also go into a few alternatives.
What is Yard House?
Yard House is a restaurant chain that gets its name from the tall, tube-shaped glasses that they serve their wide selection of beers and ciders in. Cocktail lovers will also enjoy Yard House’s options, and mocktails are available. In addition to the tasty drinks, the dishes are very shareable: the onion ring tower and poke nachos make great appetizers to split or make a great solo entree. Vegans and vegetarians will find food to love alongside meat-lovers. In short, it’s a spot that has a little something for everyone. Most of the time, it’s also food I’m willing to wait for. If that’s not an option, I’ll go to the places listed below.
The (Comparatively) Fast Snacks:
Yard House is located in a plaza full of restaurants and recreation venues known as L.A. Live. When long waits aren’t an option, Starbucks and Smashburger are the way to go. Both have limited seating, but the goal is usually to get in and out. This is absolutely a situation where the Starbucks app is a savior. Without it, the lines will most likely be long, but not as long as eating in a sit-down restaurant.
Conveniently Located: Glance Lobby Bar
The JW Marriott is one of the most sought-after hotels in the Anime Expo block, because of how close it is to the convention center. It’s not surprising that its lobby bar is a slick place to hang out for drinks and small bites. While it gets crowded at night, during the day, it’s fairly easy to get seated for lunch— partly because it is on the pricier side. I enjoyed the margherita pizza and their cocktails are solid. It’s not a replacement for Yard House, but it’s a conveniently located option.
Far Away Splurge Spot: Bottega Louie
Bottega Louie is in the cake episode of the popular youtube series, “Worth It,” but this restaurant is more than instagram-worthy sweets: They serve breakfast and lunch, with brunch on weekends. While this restaurant is out of the way and in the same price range as Glance, I go out of my way to eat here. The fabulously strong cocktails and European-influenced New American cuisine dishes are well-balanced, perfectly seasoned and filling. Their thick-cut portobello mushroom fries are the stuff dreams are made of. And after I spent two hours screaming at a concert the night before, their hot toddy was a godsend.
Naturally, any sweets-lover would drool over their dessert counter, and if you don’t have time to enjoy a sit down meal, you can order pastries to go. Their truffles, chocolate covered nuts and boxes of macarons also make great gifts.
There’s no shortage of places to eat around the Los Angeles Convention Center, and most of them will be familiar to you. Yard House remains my favorite, and I’ll go there as many times as I can, but it’s reassuring to know there are other options. Have you tried Yard House or Bottega Louie? What other places in the area have you tried? Feel free to share in the comments below!