Best Takeout Restaurants in LA’s South Bay: 10 Local Favorites
Finding the best takeout in the South Bay isn’t difficult because you’re short on options. The challenge is deciding among the area’s Mexican restaurants, Japanese kitchens, Hawaiian plate lunches, Mediterranean chicken, Peruvian specialties, pizza, sandwiches and seafood.
There’s also an important difference between a great restaurant and great takeout. Some dishes are fantastic the second they leave the kitchen but considerably less exciting after 20 minutes in a container. For this guide, we’ve focused on South Bay restaurants serving food that makes sense when you’re picking it up and bringing it back to your hotel, taking dinner to the beach or feeding a hungry family.
Guests staying at Best Western Plus South Bay Hotel are particularly well positioned for this kind of eating. Lawndale sits among some of the South Bay’s most interesting food communities, with Hawthorne, Gardena, Torrance and the Beach Cities all within the surrounding area.
1. Al-Noor
Some of the South Bay’s most interesting food isn’t found near the beach. It’s hiding in shopping centers along the streets of Lawndale, Hawthorne and Gardena.
Al-Noor is a great example. This longstanding Lawndale restaurant specializes in Pakistani and Indian cooking, and it’s exactly the kind of food that works beautifully as takeout.
Curries, rice dishes and grilled meats travel particularly well. Chicken tikka masala is an approachable place to begin, while dishes such as chicken karahi, lamb preparations, biryani and freshly baked naan give you plenty of ways to build a larger meal for several people.
Al-Noor also comes up repeatedly when South Bay locals discuss their dependable takeout favorites. For travelers, there’s an added advantage: it’s right here in Lawndale rather than requiring a trip across Los Angeles for dinner.
- Best for: Pakistani and Indian food, curries and sharing
- Good takeout strategy: Order several dishes, rice and naan and eat everything family-style
- Address: 15112 Inglewood Avenue, Lawndale, CA 90260
- Phone: (310) 675-5515
- Website: alnoorrestaurant.net
2. Zacatecas Restaurant
If you’re visiting Southern California from somewhere without a strong Mexican food scene, make at least one of your takeout meals Mexican.
Zacatecas in neighboring Hawthorne is a longtime local favorite serving the kind of straightforward Mexican comfort food that travels extremely well. Burritos are an obvious choice when portability matters, but the menu extends through tacos, enchiladas and other familiar dishes.
The restaurant’s Tom’s Burrito has developed an especially loyal following. It’s a substantial choice when you’ve spent the day sightseeing and want something considerably more satisfying than a fast-food dinner.
This is also exactly the type of restaurant we like recommending to hotel guests: a locally loved spot in the surrounding neighborhood rather than somewhere you would automatically discover on a list of LA’s major tourist restaurants.
- Best for: Mexican comfort food and substantial burritos
- Try: Tom’s Burrito
- Address: 13737 S Inglewood Avenue, Hawthorne, CA 90250
- Phone: (310) 679-6691
3. Rascals Teriyaki Grill
Rascals is the kind of South Bay restaurant that makes particularly good sense when you’re feeding more than one person.
The specialty is Japanese-American teriyaki served in generous, uncomplicated combinations. Chicken teriyaki is the obvious starting point, and you can build out the meal with rice, salad and other proteins.
One of the reasons Rascals works so well for takeout is that nothing about the meal depends on elaborate presentation. Teriyaki, rice and the restaurant’s well-known Chinese chicken salad are perfectly comfortable traveling in containers.
South Bay residents regularly mention Rascals when discussing reliable takeout, particularly its Torrance location. It’s an especially practical option for families who want a dinner everyone can share without ordering a dozen separate items.
- Best for: Teriyaki, families and easy group meals
- Try: Chicken teriyaki and Chinese chicken salad
- Website: rascals.net
4. El Pollo Inka
Peruvian food is another excellent takeout choice, and El Pollo Inka has been part of the South Bay dining landscape for decades.
The restaurant is known for Peruvian comfort food built around bold sauces, rice, potatoes, chicken, beef and seafood. If you’ve never tried Peruvian food before, lomo saltado is a good introduction. The dish combines strips of beef with onions and tomatoes and traditionally brings together Peruvian ingredients with Chinese culinary influence.
It’s also exactly the kind of dish that handles the trip home well. Local diners specifically recommend lomo saltado from El Pollo Inka when discussing South Bay takeout.
Chicken dishes and larger combinations make the restaurant equally useful when you’re ordering for a family rather than one person.
- Best for: Peruvian food, family meals and hearty portions
- Try: Lomo saltado
- Website: elpolloinka.com
5. Giuliano’s Delicatessen & Bakery
Sometimes the perfect takeout meal isn’t dinner in a box. It’s a really good sandwich.
Giuliano’s in Gardena has been a South Bay institution since 1952. The Italian deli and bakery is particularly well known for its torpedo sandwiches, making it an excellent stop when you want something you can easily take back to the hotel or bring along for a day near the beach.
The Original Torpedo layers Italian cold cuts and cheese into a substantial deli sandwich, while the broader menu includes other sandwiches, Italian specialties and prepared foods.
Don’t overlook the bakery before you leave. Picking up Italian cookies or another dessert along with your sandwiches turns a quick deli run into a considerably more interesting hotel-room lunch.
- Best for: Italian deli sandwiches, lunch and food for the beach
- Try: The Original Torpedo
- Address: 1138 W Gardena Blvd, Gardena, CA 90247
- Phone: (310) 323-3227
- Website: giulianosgardena.com
6. Chicken Maison
Chicken Maison is another restaurant that seems almost designed for nights when nobody wants to cook.
The South Bay-born Mediterranean restaurant specializes in rotisserie chicken, but the menu gives you plenty of ways to turn that chicken into a complete meal. Plates can be accompanied by sides such as hummus, rice, salad and other Mediterranean staples, while wraps and salads provide lighter alternatives.
For a family, ordering chicken with several sides is considerably easier than having everyone select a separate entrée. It also travels well, which is one reason Chicken Maison regularly appears in local takeout recommendations.
With multiple locations around the South Bay, including restaurants in the Torrance and Redondo Beach area, it’s also one of the easier recommendations to work into your plans.
- Best for: Rotisserie chicken, Mediterranean food and family meals
- Good takeout strategy: Order chicken plus several sides to share
- Website: chickenmaison.com
7. King’s Hawaiian Bakery & Restaurant
Yes, that King’s Hawaiian.
The company famous for its sweet Hawaiian rolls has deep South Bay roots, and its restaurant and bakery in Torrance is a fun stop for travelers who know the brand from supermarket shelves but have never experienced the broader Hawaiian food behind it.
Plate lunches make particularly good takeout. Build a meal around Hawaiian favorites such as teriyaki, kalbi, fried chicken and other island-style dishes, then add rice and macaroni salad.
Local families also recommend King’s Hawaiian for larger takeout meals because the restaurant offers family-style options capable of feeding a group.
Before leaving, visit the bakery. Cakes, pastries and other sweets are a significant part of the experience, and the restaurant is particularly associated with its Hawaiian-inspired baked goods.
- Best for: Hawaiian plate lunches, families and bakery treats
- Address: 2808 Sepulveda Blvd, Torrance, CA 90505
- Phone: (310) 530-0050
- Website: khbakery.com
8. Jus’ Poke
Few foods make more sense near the Southern California coast than poke.
Jus’ Poke in Redondo Beach keeps the concept refreshingly focused. Rather than turning poke into an endless assembly line of toppings, the restaurant specializes in Hawaiian-style preparations that put the seasoned fish at the center of the bowl.
Choose your poke, add rice and you’ve got a meal that’s easy to carry, easy to eat and doesn’t suffer from spending a few minutes in a takeout container.
This is an especially good option when your day already includes Redondo Beach. Pick up lunch and take it toward the coast rather than sacrificing part of a beach day to a long sit-down meal.
- Best for: Hawaiian-style poke, quick lunches and beach days
- Address: 501 N Pacific Coast Highway, Redondo Beach, CA 90277
- Phone: (424) 247-7799
- Website: juspoke.com
9. Captain Kidd’s Fish Market & Restaurant
Captain Kidd’s is worth considering when your South Bay plans take you toward Redondo Beach and seafood sounds better than another burger or sandwich.
Located around King Harbor, Captain Kidd’s combines a seafood market with a casual restaurant. One of the most appealing ways to order is to choose fresh seafood from the market and have the kitchen prepare it for you.
That means your takeout dinner can look very different depending on what’s available and what you’re craving. Fish, shrimp and other seafood can become the centerpiece of the meal, with sides rounding everything out.
It’s a particularly fitting choice after spending time around the Redondo Beach waterfront, and local residents specifically mention ordering seafood by the pound and having Captain Kidd’s cook it for takeout.
- Best for: Fresh seafood and a Redondo Beach day
- Address: 209 N Harbor Drive, Redondo Beach, CA 90277
- Phone: (310) 371-7818
- Website: captainkidds.com
10. Saigon Dish
Saigon Dish in Lawndale is another reminder that you don’t have to travel far from the hotel to eat well.
The restaurant serves Vietnamese comfort food, making it particularly appealing when you’re craving rice dishes, noodles or something warm after a long day exploring Los Angeles.
Local South Bay diners regularly include Saigon Dish among their dependable takeout choices. For hotel guests, its Lawndale location makes it even more useful: this isn’t a restaurant you need to reorganize your sightseeing itinerary around.
Pick up dinner on the way back to the hotel and call it a night.
- Best for: Vietnamese food and convenient local takeout
- Address: 15725 Hawthorne Blvd, Lawndale, CA 90260
- Phone: (310) 676-7662
- Website: saigondish.info
What Should You Order Tonight?
If you’re staring at this list from your hotel room and still can’t decide, narrow it down by what kind of meal you need.
For something close to Best Western Plus South Bay Hotel, start with Al-Noor, Zacatecas or Saigon Dish. They’re exactly the kind of neighborhood restaurants that make staying in this part of the South Bay interesting.
If you’re feeding several people, Rascals, Chicken Maison, El Pollo Inka and King’s Hawaiian make it easy to build a meal around shareable proteins, rice and sides.
For a day near the water, pick up Jus’ Poke or make Captain Kidd’s part of your Redondo Beach plans. And when you need something especially portable, it’s hard to argue with a torpedo sandwich from Giuliano’s.
Why the South Bay Is So Good for Takeout
The most interesting thing about this list may be how little the restaurants have in common.
Within the South Bay you can pick up Pakistani curry in Lawndale, Mexican food in Hawthorne, Japanese-American teriyaki, Peruvian lomo saltado, an Italian deli sandwich, Mediterranean rotisserie chicken, Hawaiian plate lunches, fresh poke, seafood and Vietnamese food without ever needing to cross Los Angeles.
That diversity reflects the communities that make up this part of Southern California, particularly the remarkably deep Japanese and broader Asian dining scenes around Gardena and Torrance.
For travelers, takeout can actually be one of the easiest ways to experience it. You don’t need reservations, you don’t need to dress up and you don’t have to turn every meal into a two-hour event.
Bring Dinner Back to Best Western Plus South Bay
After a day exploring Los Angeles, sometimes the best dinner plan is the one that doesn’t require another night out.
Guests at Best Western Plus South Bay Hotel can use the hotel’s Lawndale location to explore restaurants throughout Hawthorne, Gardena, Torrance and the Beach Cities, or simply pick up something nearby and bring it back to the hotel.
Best Western Plus South Bay Hotel
15000 Hawthorne Blvd
Lawndale, CA 90260
Phone: (310) 973-0998
bwsouthbay.com
Restaurant menus, locations and ordering options can change, so check directly with each restaurant before heading out.