THE ULTIMATE 11AMCLUB LA FOOD GUIDE- BRUNCH AND OTHER SAVORIES

Happy new year! We are back with the second installment of our LA food guide. Generally, we had very pleasant and positive experiences in all the places we went to and we recommend all the restaurants we are featuring here. However, we wanted to give a special shoutout to Howlin’ Ray’s, a small hot chicken store located in Chinatown’s Far East Plaza. Howlin’ Ray’s has been garnering a lot of attention for one of the spiciest fried chicken in LA. Kenny (self proclaimed spicy eater expert) can confirm that it is truly spicy, deadly, but extremely scrumptious. This tiny establishment garners people from all over the country and people would start lining up hours before the store opens. We waited for more than two hours on a Friday afternoon in the LA heat and if given the chance, I would do it again. When you enter the store, you will have to order at the cashier and decide if you want to dine in or have your chicken to go. We decided to dine in and fortunately four seats at the kitchen bar opened up for us. Imagine having omakase, but instead of sushi, it was fried chicken. Kenny and I opted for a tiny box of fried chicken with a side of coleslaw as we weren’t that hungry. However, the chefs kept on handing us everything on the menu on the house that we ended up going home with a box of fried chicken, enough to feed a family of four. Although most people know I do love and appreciate free food, it was not the free food that made me a fan of Howlin’ Ray’s. It was the fact that the chefs do look like they genuinely love what they do and that energy is evident in the food and ambiance of the restaurant. If you’re in LA and have at least two hours to spare, I would highly recommend visiting Howlin’ Ray’s, but do come prepared and stay hydrated.

In addition, some of our do-not-miss would be Republique and Sqirl. Up until this day, I still dream about waking up to a ricotta and jam toast from Sqirl paired with the Okinawa latte from Republique!

Howlin’ Ray’s