Where to Eat In and Around Hollywood

Here's the lowdown on where to eat in Hollywood. Of course there's the trendy places, but these spots are dependable and well priced.

We'll start with Chinese. There's 3 places you might want to check out with different quality levels. Maos (Yelp) has some of the best Chinese in LA and it's affordable. They started out in Venice Beach, but opened up a Hollywood location a couple years ago. They made sure to keep their original character including dishes named Gang of Four fried shrimp and People's potstickers. If you want Chinese a little faster or cheaper, head over to Hoys Wok (Yelp) on Sunset. This is your standard Chinese place, fish tank included. Nothing is going to wow you, but it's not going to really disappoint you. Then there's Chinatown Express (Yelp). You can guess by the name this place is a Panda Express clone. The food isn't bad, it's super cheap, and you always get more then you can eat. If you need to just fill up, go to Chinatown Express.

For something a little closer to home, there's In-n-Out (Yelp). If you're from Southern California, you already know In-n-Out. If you're not from Southern California, you'll soon know about In-n-Out. If you prefer pizza over burgers, hit up Village Pizzeria (Yelp). It's located on Larchmont Blvd. which is the main drag in a cool little neighborhood full of good food and quirky shops. Village Pizzeria was created by a dude who moved from New York to San Francisco to LA and was disappointed by the lack of good pizza. They also have a location at Ivar and Yucca.

The best place to get late nite eats is Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles (Yelp). It seems the later the hour, then longer the line at Roscoe's. These guys are a local LA chain with 5 locations in the county. Chicken and waffles might seem like a strange combination to someone who's never had it, but trust me, it works. Go for the #2. If you prefer Persian chicken, go to Ro Ro's Chicken (Yelp). This is the best pita sandwich/falafel/kabob place in LA. They're open til midnight and are dirt cheap. The food is delicious, and if you're lucky, there'll be some dudes smoking a hookah out front.

Looking for a grocery store? There's Ralphs and Vons around, but I think Trader Joe's (Yelp) is better. Again, if you have a Trader Joe's around you, you already know what they've got. If not, it's a grocery store except they label around 75% of their items as Trader Joe's brand. They've got some great frozen dishes and boxed meals like their Indian Fare. Did you say Indian? Actually, there's a great little Indian place on Santa Monica called Crown of India (Yelp). Crown of India is kinda like you're Hoys Wok of Indian. Reliable, reasonably priced and tasty. You can also order online and they deliver.

Hope you get some ideas and see what Hollywood has to offer.