Can not rave enough about Aria Cafe! Their food is JAM PACKED WITH ALL THE UMAMI GOODNESS IN THE…read moreWORLD! Have ordered twice the past week bec its that good. Their seafood pan roast which they offer as a special item on select weekends was a hit. Very generous portions of seafood and sausage and it was perfectly hearty, warming and spicy. Paired well with their bread or white rice (or both!) that they provide. Also managed to order some food items from their regular catering menu and was just as impressed if not more - spicy prawn (prawns were cooked to perfection and generously coated with garlic, chili and everything tasty), beef skewers (juicy and was very well balanced in taste and spices), garlic noodles (so under rated, perfectly paired with all the dishes but was a good stand alone dish as well), papaya salad (my kind of spicy, sour and such a refreshing dish). Ordering was easy and pick-up was a breeze as well (on time, freshly cooked).

*This is a review for pick-up during the covid-19 pandemic*…read more First, the pick up experience was seamless. I was given an address and careful instructions on how and at what time to show up. I appreciate the precautions Aria has taken to be extra safe. I did not interact with one soul, but there was a paper bag with my name sitting on the table outside and I was messaged with an update when it was placed outside. Their communication is incredible. OK THE FOOD. When I got my hot garlic prawns plate it was piping hot and FRESH. Had considered taking it somewhere with a table to eat but once we opened the container my boyfriend I gasped and decided just pull over down the street from the address and eat it in the car LOL it looked too good. We've had shrimp similar to this. My boyfriend's mom makes a version and we've had shrimp daddy but this is BY FAR the best shrimp I've ever had. The seasoning on the shrimp, the way it was cooked was just incredible. It was a party in my mouth. The rice and Mac sides were the perfect complements. I'm so impressed by the flavor and spice... I just can't wait until I can order again!

It's that time of year again for my annual tamale hunt. This place had been on my radar since 2023…read morebut it's not close to me so I've put off checking it out. This weekend I told myself the time had come to make an attempt to try these tamales so off I went to Lakewood. After a 45 min drive with no coffee prior to my departure and driving at over 100 mph because they will not hold tamales for you even if you prepay, the goods were obtained. I arrived after 10 a.m. and the chili and jalapeño were already sold out. I ordered pork with red chili, chicken and green chili and sweet corn. I asked for a plate so I could eat at least one in my car. You know your girl ended up trying all three flavors because I just had to see if the drive was worth it. This place has write ups as a tamale place to check out yet there's only one Yelp review. Strange. Anyways, I first tried the pork tamale. The masa was fluffy and moist and the meat was plentiful. Each tamale is $3 and as you can see, it's a decent size. I would have liked it to be a little more "saucy" but after a couple of years where my tamales were missing the meat, I think I'd rather have less sauce and more meat. A wetter tamale is just my personal preference but the overall combination did the job. The chicken and green chile were noted to be spicy but I took the warning lightly. Nope, the warning was legit - it's pretty spicy. This tamale also comes with a side of green salsa, which I did not try. Again, same comments as with the pork one - the masa is perfect, it's full of meat but it could have a little more sauce. I am not a sweet tamale girl because I tend to find they are overly sweet. Well, I have found the perfect sweet option - the sweet corn tamale. This was utter perfection! It wasn't too sweet, but just sweet enough to satisfy that sweet tamale craving. I have to say that while my go to is a pork tamale, the sweet corn was my fave. As a side note, if the chicken one is too spicy for you, pair it with a sweet corn one and the heat level will diminish. There is a Costco right by the Home Depot where this tamale cart pops up at so after I sampled my haul, I went to get gas. I figured I'd rerun after getting gas and get my holiday stash to avoid the rush in the coming weeks (you can freeze them and steam them at a later time). By the time I returned, the supply had greatly diminished and the sweet corn ones were all gone. The point of me telling you this is so you realize they sell out fast. As stated above, this cart is found at the Home Depot in Lakewood. Like all Home Depots, parking is a bit of a challenge but I just pulled right up to the cart and parked there. Sure, I got dirty looks but I'm all about convenience. You can pay with Venmo or Zelle (not sure if cash is accepted). If you're a morning person, I'd suggest you go earlier than I did so you a pick of all the flavors (multiple customers kept asking for the cheese and jalapeño). I'll be returning to get sweet corn ones and try my luck at scoring the cheese/jalapeño ones. If you're like me and like to switch up your tamales as you're still in search of the perfect one, this place is worth checking out. It's a solid 4.5 in my opinion but I didn't want to knock them down to 4 stars. Editing only to update that today I was finally able to score the cheese and jalapeño tamale. I can definitely see why this one sells out fast. Oaxaca cheese is used and to me, the jalapeño rajas tasted like perhaps vinegar jalapeño rajas were used. I could be wrong. I, personally loved it. Sometimes the peppers used make it too spicy but this was a perfect combination and zero spice level for you that fret a little spiciness. With this, I close out my 2025 tamale hunt.

Tamales are pretty solid. Although I just ate a sweet corn tamale with not one kernel of corn. Like…read morenot one. Weird.

I love Asian-inspired pastries and desserts so I knew I was going to love Sunkissed when I first…read moretried it! My favorites are the Hojicha chocolate chunk cookie, Earl grey salt bread, and Azuki chocolate cake. All of their products are so innovative and make for a delicious snack that isn't too sweet. They also make the perfect gift to buy your friends & family! I've tried their pastries at pop-up events and ordered online from them before and it never disappoints. Everything tastes fresh and I love that they're constantly coming out with new, inventive flavors! The owners are super sweet as well so it's always a pleasure supporting them.

Discovered Sunkissed through Instagram and I have been to a couple pop-ups and personally picked up…read morea cake from them. I've tried the ube banana pudding, earl grey salt bread, and corn miso cookies. They were all good! My sister and I placed an order for the coconut milk tea cake ($55) back in Feb for a joint birthday celebration and it was decent. My interactions with the employees have always been pleasant. I love that this bakery is run by three sisters, so support this local business if you can by following them on social media for upcoming pop-ups and events.

Good authentic food . Good price and quantity . The food is filling that's for sure .read more

Had to get my cravings satisfied yesterday (Monday June 2, 2025)!!!…read more I have been wanting this for a while but their lines are so long on Friday through Sunday because their food is so darn good. Their portions are huge!!!! Just paid $25 (unless it was $30) for this plate and it is a LOT of food to eat. @la.fritanganica (on Instagram) really is great and NOT selfish with the portions. Everything is clean and it is DELICIOUS. If I'm not eating here and am in Los Angeles, the only other place I'll go is PortoBancos. Anything else local to the South Bay is a NOOOOO! The restaurants around South Gate for Nicarguan food is trash. Go to La Fritanga. You won't be sorry. They are located in Compton off of Alameda, Alondra and Rosecrans on the street in front of Northgate market. This is the Puerco Asado plate. Nicaraguan food ¡¡¡Tenía que satisfacer mis antojos!!! He estado queriendo esto por un tiempo, pero sus colas son tan largas de viernes a domingo porque su comida es muy buena. ¡Sus porciones son enormes! Acabo de pagar 25 $ (a menos que fueran 30 $) por este plato y es MUCHO comida. @la.fritanganica realmente es genial y NO es egoísta con las porciones. Todo está limpio y es DELICIOSO. Si no estoy comiendo aquí y estoy en Los Ángeles, el único otro lugar al que iré es PortoBancos. ¡Cualquier otra cosa local a South Bay es un NOOOOO! Los restaurantes alrededor de SouthGate para la comida de Nicarguan son basura. Ve a La Fritanga. No te arrepentirás. Están ubicados en Compton, cerca de Alameda, Alondra y Rosecrans, en la calle frente al mercado de Northgate. Este es el plato de Puerco Asado. We come here often. We've been here more than 10 times in the last 3 months

I ordered a hot dog with everything (mayo, mustard, ketchup, bbq sauce, plus grilled onions [would…read morehave loved more bell pepper]) and it was awesome! The taste of the hot dog was special- not like anything I've had before and I loved each bite. $5 I also tried the $4 blue raspberry lemonade, unfortunately it wasn't my thing. It was super sweet and needed more sour/lemon- just my opinion.

I stood in line about 45mins waiting for a Glizzy Street Dog. They are located in a gas station…read moreparking lot, parking is EXTREMELY LIMITED. While you wait, if you are close to the front of the line they have two mister fans blowing cool misty air, that was nice. The line wasn't extremely long, but there was a wait. The hot dog was decent, tasked like a bacon wrapped hoffy hot dog, grilled onions elevated it a bit. Nothing really worth getting again.

mondaynightmarket.com (@Weekend_Night_Market) hosts night markets in Long Beach (every Thursday…read morefrom 5 - 9 pm), Huntington Beach, and Mission Viejo. My wife and I walked to the Long Beach Promenade to check it out. Unlike the Farmer's Market that is held in the same area, recorded music blared from a DJ located at the center of the market, drawing you in. The 20 or so stalls were a mix of food vendors (some freshly prepared, mostly prepackaged) and folks selling crafts, jewelry and apparel. I didn't recognize any vendors from ones that I've seen at previous farmer's markets in the past. It's basically one block, so doesn't take long to peruse every vendor. Vendors were friendly, eager to inform/teach. Didn't end up buying anything this time, but good to know about this, since within walking distance.

This event is so great! So many amazing local food, drink, & dessert vendors offering their…read moredelicious wares. My friends loved the sourdough crust pizza from Speak Cheezy. And the chicken wings from Shlap Muan were amazing (we got Cambodian Dirt, Jalapeno MSG, Pekang, Water Buffalo, and Spicy Elephant). Shlap Muan had the longest line by far but it moved quickly and well worth the wait. Try the LB Night Market...you'll love it!

I just picked up his seasonal stash of Tamales. He had 4 kinds of flavors running this year:…read morebrisket, green chili chicken, and red and green pork. Now, I'm from San Diego and spoiled with great Mexican food. After moving to Irvine, I have had trouble finding legit Mexican food. I just stuffed each flavor into my mouth and omg, they are sooooo good. Meats are so flavorful. No salsa/hot sauce needed. The meat to masa ratio, you're getting the meat that you paid for. I mean each and every one is just filled with meat. I've tried his regular bbq at his 1 year anniversary and ya'll are sleeping on this. Fall off the bone ribs, brisket sandwich was so yums, and you can't ever go wrong with Mac and cheese. They do weekend pop ups at Syncopated Brewing in Long Beach. Be sure to check em out.

Nothin' but friggin goodness and quality ingredients. Brisket is a favorite of mine, but so are his…read moreribs!