(Kyle Platts / For The Times)
33 places to eat and drink near SoFi Stadium
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Los Angeles is starting to simmer with excitement in anticipation of the World Cup, which kicks off locally with a match between U.S. and Paraguay at SoFi Stadium on June 12 and runs through July 19. Alongside other cities across the U.S., Mexico and Canada, the Inglewood stadium will host international soccer teams throughout the tournament, including Switzerland vs. Bosnia (June 18) and Turkey vs. U.S. (June 25), with later matches determined by which teams advance.
From a pan-African cookout on Juneteenth to $1 drink specials every time the U.S. team scores, these L.A. restaurants and bars are going all out for the 2026 World Cup.
Forty-eight countries are set to participate in this year’s World Cup, and many are represented across L.A.’s expansive food scene. As soccer fans rally for their chosen teams, local restaurants are showing their support with extended-hour watch parties and food and drink specials.
Heading to SoFi to watch the games live? Just want to be in the vicinity of the action? There are plenty of standout restaurants and bars to check out nearby, spanning a landmark doughnut shop, destinations for Nayarit seafood and Guadalajara-style tortas, neighborhood coffee shops and a wine bar that spotlights Black winemakers. Here’s where to eat and drink near SoFi Stadium before or after World Cup games:
Showing Place Places
Banadir Somali Restaurant
Inglewood Somali cuisine $
(Camryn Brewer / Los Angeles Times)
At the only self-proclaimed Somali restaurant in Los Angeles, owner Hussein Mohamud has attracted a following for his goat, boiled for hours in a stew thick with tomato, garlic and basil, and garnished with lime to cut through the fat. It’s served with a drink and a banana, which is traditionally sliced up and eaten together with a scoop of rice and the tender meat. If you’re looking for additional spice, dunk each bite into the cup of basbaas, a green chile sauce with cilantro, white vinegar and jalapeño that’s offered on the side. Before noon, the breakfast menu features chicken suqaar with anjero, a large fermented sorghum pancake similar to Ethipion injera.
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Blessed Tropical Jamaican Cuisine
Inglewood Jamaican $
(Blessed Tropical Jamaican Cuisine)
Located just across from SoFi Stadium is Blessed Tropical Jamaican Cuisine, a casual restaurant serving island favorites. Begin by customizing your plate with steamy rice and peas or white rice as a base. Then choose from a wide selection of meats — curry chicken, stewed fish, curry shrimp, jerk shrimp, stewed chicken, curry goat and oxtail. The plate is finished with a savory heap of steamed cabbage and a side of fried plantains. You’ll find Caribbean favorites like Kola Champagne and pineapple soda, as well as Irish Moss Peanut drink, Maduritos sweet plantain chips and round bun. A couple of flaky beef patties are a must if you’re grabbing something quick before walking to the stadium.
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Brolly Hut
Inglewood Hamburger $
(Benjamin Welsh / Los Angeles Times)
This old-school burger shack is a vestige of L.A.’s era of programmatic architecture, with an umbrella-shaped roof and another umbrella perched above the sign out front. The menu spans comfort food favorites with omelets, pancakes and breakfast burritos served all day alongside pastrami sandwiches, juicy char-grilled burgers and generous takeout containers of French fries smothered with chili and cheese. Weekend evenings often bring classic car meetups to the parking lot to complete the nostalgic vibe.
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Crenshaw Station
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Cadoro
Inglewood Cafe $
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
The croissants, cookies and loaf cakes beckon from behind the glass, and are a must-add to any order from Cadoro — as is the short-rib breakfast sandwich when starting your day. Here, near-hidden along an edge of an industrial park, is a charming to-go cafe where the bread arrives fresh from the oven, the sandwiches are generous and the pastries are designed by Mozza and Rustic Canyon vet Anastashia Chavez. More than 30 years ago Cadoro’s founders made bread for legendary Italian spot La Scala before branching out with their own business. They started with wholesale and eventually expanded their bakery to Inglewood, where they debuted a charming walk-up cafe window in 2022. Whole loaves of bread and English muffins can be purchased here, as can salads, coffees, tartines, burritos and hearty sandwiches on a variety of Cadoro’s freshly baked bread. The pastry program, developed by Chavez, offers a bevy of sweets and treats worth filling up a large cardboard box.
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Downtown Inglewood Station
Carnitas el Artista
Inglewood Mexican $
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
For some of the best Michoacán-style carnitas in Inglewood, head to Carnitas el Artista, run by third-generation chef Gustavo Chavez, who began his operation in a Hawthorne backyard before opening in a cozy brick-red storefront on North La Brea Avenue in 2021. Slow-cooked carnitas are featured in tacos, burritos, tortas, quesadillas, nachos and piled high on chilaquiles that get topped with a fried egg. The juicy shredded pork can be ordered by the pound, as can lengua, buche, cuerito, costilla and chicarrónes. Pair your selections with an agua fresca and load up on a rainbow of sauces and pickled veggies at the salsa bar. Carnitas el Artista often sells out, so go early and plan ahead for daily specials like carne en su jugo and menudo.
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Downtown Inglewood Station
Coni'Seafood
Inglewood Mexican Seafood $$
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
The flagship Inglewood location of a trio of universally loved Inglewood mariscos restaurants is not only a prime place to eat near SoFi Stadium — it’s also a prime contender as your first meal upon arriving in Los Angeles. Conversations around the food tend to begin with pescado zarandeado, the Nayarit specialty of róbalo (also known as snook) that’s splayed, brushed with a mixture of mayonnaise, spices and sauces, and then grilled in a wire basket to improbable delicacy. It’s an essential dish, and there is much more. On the subject of tacos, look to the excellent tacos al gobernador, all shrimp all snap and its vegetables full of crunch, and also the tacos de marlin. Tomatoes and onion balance flaky smoked marlin, already powerful in flavor, in a dense stew that stays put in flour tortillas lined with cheese. On the griddle, the contrasts sharpen: crisper, brighter, meltier. Or start with a saucy mixed seafood campechana before deciding between an entree of shrimp prepared in one of a dozen ways; I’m partial to the borrachos variation flamed in tequila or the smoky chipotle option swirled with sour cream. The restaurant is incredibly consistent, thanks to the watchful eye of owner Connie Cossio.
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Crenshaw Station
Dulan’s Soul Food Kitchen
Inglewood Soul Food American $$
(Silvia Razgova / For The Times)
There are few things more satisfying than a scoop of macaroni and cheese from one of the Dulan family restaurants. Its surface is an impenetrable blanket of crunchy cheese that stretches into long, satisfying ribbons of cheddar. Underneath, the tender noodles are suspended in a creamy cheese sauce. It is perfection in a tray. The late Adolf Dulan opened Dulan’s Soul Food Kitchen in Inglewood in 2001. Since then, it’s become a destination for soul food lovers from around the world. You order the mac and cheese as a side with your oxtails, baked fish or fried chicken wings, alongside greens, yams or cornbread dressing. Or you eat a bowl of mac and cheese on its own for lunch. Depending on how your team is doing, it may be required eating.
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Downtown Inglewood Station
Fosters Freeze
Inglewood Ice cream $
(Betty Hallock / Los Angeles Times)
George Foster opened the first Fosters Freeze in Inglewood in 1946, introducing Angelenos to a new type of dessert he called California soft serve. It wasn’t long before the shop added burgers and other fast food staples to the menu, eventually expanding to locations across the state, including a historic building in Santa Cruz and an Atwater location that appeared in “Pulp Fiction.” Visit the original stand on South La Brea with its bright blue trim and slide into one of the matching benches to slurp up milkshakes, parfaits, sundaes, and dipped and swirled cones of soft serve made with real milk, nostalgia included.
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Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen
Inglewood Coffee Breakfast/Brunch
(Angela Osorio / Los Angeles Times)
This spacious two-story cafe is the dream space for remote workers, complete with high ceilings, comfy seating and an extensive coffee and breakfast menu. Created by Yonnie Hagos, Ajay Relan and Issa Rae as a place to stoke creativity and community, it’s the perfect way to kick-start your World Cup viewings, with vibrant avocado toast, stuffed breakfast burritos and sandwiches, and shrimp and grits. Coffee and tea options include a caffeine-free almond turmeric latte and the signature matcha-chata, an horchata-inspired drink with oat milk, vanilla, honey and cinnamon. Hilltop also has locations in View Park-Windsor Hills, Eagle Rock and downtown L.A., though Inglewood boasts the largest location.
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Downtown Inglewood Station
Martin’s Cocina y Cantina
Inglewood Mexican $$
(Daniel Hernandez / Los Angeles Times)
The Martin Mexican restaurant brand in Inglewood is at the top of its game. The family’s original Fiesta Martin location on La Brea has been a magnet for Inglewood locals who love approachable Mexican American dishes the way they’ve known their whole lives. That spot and one other on Florence Avenue remain, but the energy has now shifted almost fully to the sparkling Cocina y Cantina in downtown Inglewood. You’re here for a plate of taquitos or a seafood tostada mixta, piles of chips, a michelada or a towering Cadillac margarita while screens show major sports games. There’s also an ample sushi menu.
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Downtown Inglewood Station
Mr. Fries Man
Inglewood American French Fries $$
(Calvin B. Alagot / Los Angeles Times)
A decade ago, Craig Batiste and his wife were down to their last $400 and draining the power from their Gardena home to make batch after batch of loaded French fries for family and friends. What started as a social media pop-up business built on lemon and garlic shrimp-topped French fries is now a multi-state restaurant operation. The Inglewood location is open until 3 a.m., with a menu of both the fries Batiste is known for along with wings and tenders. You can order classic chili and cheese or build your own mountain of fries from a myriad of toppings and sauces. I’m partial to the Philly cheesesteak fries with grilled steak, peppers and onions smothered in provolone and nacho cheese sauces. And there’s banana pudding for dessert.
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Downtown Inglewood Station
Mutiara Food & Market
Inglewood Burmese Malaysian $
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
A longstanding no-frills restaurant that’s become a quiet staple of the La Brea and Manchester intersection, Mutiara Food & Market demonstrates consistent quality and care as it amplifies halal foods from Southeast Asia. The chief influences are Burmese and Malaysian, two traditions not frequently seen in the galaxy of Asian dining in L.A., along with some Thai dishes. Most menu items are pictured in a back-lighted grid behind the counter. I usually go for the fragrant lamb curry, chicken biryani or beef rendang. A variety of imported goods, snacks, spices and desserts are available for purchase. Service is neighborly and kind. Drinks are limited to yogurt shakes.
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Downtown Inglewood Station
Kuku Cafe
Inglewood Persian Cuisine
$$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
This patio cafe with a walk-up window looks pared-down and fast-casual, but the kitchen’s got big ambition. Chef-owner Reza Perse is crafting a range of Persian classics using his family recipes, including long-simmered ghormeh sabzi; crispy-edged tachin stuffed with braised chicken and barberries; slow-cooked lamb shank over fava bean rice; herb-packed falafel; and saffron rice pudding embellished with a cinnamon-stenciled rose. An electrician and tech entrepreneur by trade, Perse was hired to fix the electrical systems in the adjacent car wash. But when its attached restaurant space became available, he leaped at the opportunity to pursue cooking, his lifelong passion. Now he’s running Kuku in honor of his grandmother and mother, and building a delicious gathering place for the local Iranian community.
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Downtown Inglewood Station
La Louisanne
View Park-Windsor Hills Creole Cajun Soul Food $$
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(Danielle Dorsey / Los Angeles Times)
No website, social media or phone number, and you won’t find the menu online, yet La Louisanne, which sits across the street from Simply Wholesome on Overhill Drive, is packed nightly with locals who love Creole cuisine and live jazz and blues music. Enjoy all of the classics at this long-running restaurant, including shrimp and crawfish étouffée; a Creole platter with jambalaya, gumbo, fried chicken and sides such as candied yams and collard greens; and a wide selection of fried seafood such as oysters and catfish. There’s also a full bar and spacious patio that overlooks a lively section of View Park-Windsor Hills.
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Little Belize
Inglewood Belizean $$
(Bill Addison / Los Angeles Times)
Belize, located on Central America’s eastern shore neighboring Guatemala and Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, has cultural connections to Caribbean nations made plain in the cuisine, a merging of Indigenous, African, Spanish and British influences. At this bright, busy Inglewood restaurant, begin with fish- or bean-filled panades made from masa and ducunu, the Belizean style of tamales sweetened with coconut milk. Vinegar offsets the rich spices and browned sugar in the stewed chicken. Fried whole snapper in a light tomato-onion sauce is ideal to share, as is a high-octane mashup of mac-and-cheese and oxtail stew bathed in gravy. The restaurant opens at 9 a.m. on weekends for waffles, shrimp and grits and, best of all, Belizean breakfasts like gently seasoned fish hash and scrambled eggs with refried beans and a baked version of Johnny cakes sweet with coconut milk.
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Downtown Inglewood Station
The Nile Bar
Inglewood American $$
Located on Market Street, this two-story bar is bringing new energy to downtown Inglewood with almost nightly events including Taco Tuesday, karaoke and live bands and rotating DJs. The TVs above the bar screen games playing at the nearby stadium and the food is better than it needs to be, including salmon bites drizzled in a spicy honey sauce, chicken wings coated in lemon pepper or buffalo sauce and garlic truffle fries. There are only a handful of house cocktails, most of them leaning sweet and fruity, but a full bar is available to make your requested concoction. Happy hour runs from 3 to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, with discounts across both menus.
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Downtown Inglewood Station
Perro Exquisite Taco
Inglewood Mexican food $
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Bring your appetite to Perro Exquisite Taco, home of the 1-pound Sonora-style taco so large that it’s a feat to even lift. The signature taco perro, one of the best in L.A. and a nod to Rosarito’s famous taco perrón, deftly cradles Peruvian beans, grilled sirloin flap steak, guacamole, onions and salsa in a cheese-griddled tortilla. The flour tortillas, thick but still pliant and chewy, are made with a family recipe and imported to the stores from Tijuana each week. This taqueria — also known as Perro 110 on social media — built a rabid following via its food truck and Cerritos location, and recently debuted an Inglewood walk-up counter in a strip mall just across the street from SoFi stadium. The menu is slim, spotlighting the taco perro and its vegetarian and keto variants, but there’s also horchata, lemonade and flan. Perro Exquisite Taco also sells its flour tortillas to-go, so you can take a taste home.
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Phillips Bar-B-Que
Inglewood Barbecue $$
(Laurie Ochoa / Los Angeles Times)
Making a rib stop on the way to a game and then eating your barbecue inside your car — or, better, on the hood of your car if you don’t want sauce-stained seats — has been a classic move since the days the Lakers used to play at the Forum in Inglewood. Lately, however, it’s getting harder to find old-school L.A. barbecue — the wood-smoked ribs and links and small ends that have long powered this city. Luckily, Inglewood is home to two outposts from the first family of L.A. barbecue: Woody’s (see separate entry), started by the late Woodrow “Woody” Phillips and Phillips Bar-B-Que from Woody’s cousin Foster Phillips, who still inspires younger pitmasters. Where Woody’s has patio seating, Phillips, in traditional barbecue style, is a take-out-only shop with a tightly packed parking lot off Centinela Avenue. It’s the only location that remains after the 2024 closure of Phillips’ Crenshaw spot. Recently, I stopped in for pork ribs so tender the meat easily came free from the bone; small ends, a meaty cut Phillips helped popularize; plus sides of greens and an especially cheesy macaroni and cheese. If you order your rib sauce hot, it may not be as spicy as it was in the old days, but it still has the sweet taste of nostalgia.
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Queen of Sheba
Inglewood Ethiopian $$
(Max Whittaker/For The Times)
Arrive at Saba Mengesha’s 14-year-old Ethiopian restaurant to share a platter, covered in crêpe-like injera, arranged with dishes that span the color spectrum. The vegetarian combination makes an ideal foundation, with its spread of earthy-spiced red lentils, gingery split peas, turmeric-stained cabbage and collards sautéed with garlic and green chile. Add a couple meatier options — a classic doro wat, its chicken long-simmered until black pepper and sweet spices infuse on a cellular level — or lamb derek tibs scented with rosemary. Emily Wilson of the Angel newsletter gave me a fantastic tip recently: Every Thursday Mengesha picks up fresh beef from a local abattoir, and regulars show up that night for her superb special kitfo, steak tartar mixed with spiced clarified butter (the waft of cardamom is magnetic) and served with sides of chopped greens and fresh cheese. The restaurant opens at 11 a.m. and serves a few breakfast options, including eggs scrambled with a wake-up mix of tomato, onion and jalapeño.
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Downtown Inglewood Station
Randy’s Donuts
Inglewood Breakfast/Lunch
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
The massive, 32 1/2-foot doughnut sitting atop Randy’s drive-through is undoubtedly one of L.A.’s most iconic symbols. Visit the original landmark established on Manchester Boulevard in 1953 and featured in films such as “Iron Man 2” and “Earth Girls Are Easy,” and try some of Randy’s traditional flavors, including the glazed buttermilk doughnut and palm-sized apple fritter. You’ll also find seasonal flavors at any Randy’s location, including a summertime mango Tajin doughnut, as well as coffee, matcha, iced refresher drinks and breakfast sandwiches.
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Westchester / Veterans Station
The Serving Spoon
Inglewood Southern $
(Damon Casarez/For The Times)
You’ll instantly feel like family when you step inside the Serving Spoon, Inglewood’s classic soul food breakfast spot founded in 1983 that’s now in its fourth generation of family ownership. It’s regularly packed with neighborhood locals on weekday mornings and a wait is customary on Sundays after church. The generous Spooner breakfast plate comes with your choice of fried catfish, red snapper, salmon croquettes, pork chops and bacon; two eggs; a side of grits, homestyle tomatoes or rice; and cornbread, a biscuit or English muffin. It’s big enough to share — or save half and make it a breakfast for dinner night — and a wonderful introduction into the restaurant’s hits, but be sure to return for fluffy pancakes, pillowy French toast and buttery waffles; savory sides of mac and cheese and candied yams for lunch; and house-made peach cobbler for dessert. The restaurant occasionally stay opens late for concerts at the stadium, check their Instagram for upcoming events.
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Downtown Inglewood Station
Six Seven Five Lounge
Inglewood American Cocktails $$
(Danielle Dorsey / Los Angeles Times)
The sleek lounge became an instant hit when it opened on La Brea Boulevard last November, with TVs perched above the bar and live bands playing jazz and R&B every night. The short but serviceable menu includes starters such as chargrilled oysters and crab cakes, Cajun chicken Alfredo and steak for entrees and a gooey butter cake or strawberry shortcake for dessert. The creative cocktails are worth exploring, with playful takes on classic drinks, including a pear martini, a cognac sour and a smoked mezcal old fashioned. Note that the environment is upscale and that a casually elegant dress code is enforced.
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Downtown Inglewood Station
Somerville
View Park-Windsor Hills Soul Food New American $$$
(Yasara Gunawardena / For The Times)
When Yonnie Hagos and Ajay Relan, in collaboration with actor-producer Issa Rae, opened their ode to L.A.’s 1940s-era jazz clubs in late 2024, the place immediately became one of the hardest reservations in town. As the restaurant settled in, bookings have become much easier, and the vibes remain impeccable: mahogany paneling, amber lighting, a trio on the small stage playing Duke Ellington’s “Take the ‘A’ Train” or reinterpreting mid-career Stevie Wonder tunes. Lean into dishes like a classic shrimp cocktail, lemony roasted chicken with cauliflower glossed in brown butter and the clever collard green lasagna. Keep Somerville in mind for brunch, too, featuring buttery shrimp and grits and a Dutch baby pancake baked in a skillet and crowned with blueberries and whipped ricotta.
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Sunday Gravy
Inglewood Italian
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
If the classic Italian American plates from Sunday Gravy feel like they’re made lovingly by family, it’s because they are: Brother-and-sister duo Sol and Ghazi Bashirian reimagined the space of their father’s former restaurant, Jino’s Pizza, and while they’re not focused on pizza like their dad was, they are serving a lengthy menu of red-sauce classics: antipasti, meatballs, salads, sandwiches, steak with garlic butter, a range of pastas, chicken parm, cheesy garlic bread and wine and beer. The rigatoni alla vodka is a must, but it’s hard to go wrong in this homey ode to family and comfort.
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Downtown Inglewood Station
Tal’s Cafe
Hyde Park American $
(Daniel Hernandez / Los Angeles Times)
Tal’s Cafe on Florence Avenue greets you with the words “Delightful Food” and a human-size fork and spoon painted around a corner door. Inside, the restaurant immediately feels like a community institution, with tall booths, a curved counter and swivel seats. This is a soul food breakfast and lunch diner with a menu that feels like it hasn’t changed much since Tal’s opened in 1940. Dig into any mix of the classic combination breakfasts. My favorites are the ham steak or the chicken wings, but Tal’s salmon croquettes get my vote for the best in South L.A. The restaurant recently got an interior remodel, and is now accepting card payments after decades of being cash-only. Yet that unmistakable vibe remains. “Everybody who comes here wants to be a part of this place,” says Bridgette McDaniels, a server of 36 years.
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Fairview Heights Station
The Toast & Jam
Inglewood American cuisine $
(Angela Osorio / Los Angeles Times )
Located in Inglewood’s historic downtown corridor, the Toast & Jam serves Southern-style breakfast and lunch every day until 2 p.m. Try the chicken wings paired with golden waffles or the fried catfish po’ boy, stuffed in a brioche bun with lettuce, tomato, pickles, sweet red onion and chipotle aioli. Other menu highlights include cheesy grits, loaded omelets and a crispy chicken sandwich. Previously known as the Rusty Pot Cafe, the Toast & Jam has served downtown Inglewood since 2014. Ample indoor and outdoor patio seating is available.
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Downtown Inglewood Station
Three Weavers Brewing Co.
Inglewood Brewery $
(Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)
Founded in 2013, Three Weavers is a stalwart of the South Bay brewing scene and is perhaps best known for its Expatriate West Coast IPA, which comes in at a hefty 6.9%. The brewery sits between LAX and the tracks of the K line in an industrial lot with an ample outdoor patio. Taps and food vendors rotate, though bring-your-own is an all-day ethos. On a recent visit, the 2025 Was Brutal was on tap: A crispy IPA brewed made with sparkling wine yeasts.
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Westchester / Veterans Station
Tortuga Bay
Inglewood Mexican $
(Daniel Hernandez / Los Angeles Times)
Next to a nail salon and a smoke shop, this no-nonsense Mexican deli and grill gets crowded with Inglewood High kids during the weekday (it’s across the street), which is usually around the time I’ll drop in for a torta ahogada, the Tortuga Bay specialty. Made with a perfectly rendered telera or birote salado, the “drowned torta” is a Guadalajara specialty involving carnitas fully drenched in a deep-red tomato and chile sauce to taste. The torta is stuffed with added beans and pickled onions. Use the lime wedge served on the side for a final touch. Tortuga Bay also offers hamburgers, tacos, burritos, sopes, mariscos and taquitos.
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Downtown Inglewood Station
TriniStyle Cuisine
Gramercy Park Trinidadian $
(Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)
From a corner storefront in a Gramercy Park strip mall, Merlin Clovis serves the artfully spiced, culturally layered, rare-for-L.A. cooking of her native Trinidad and Tobago. She operates Friday through Sunday, and the menu varies significantly each day, so it’s worth studying the menu online first to see what most appeals, and when. I turn up most frequently on Sundays for stew fish — technically marinated and then fried before simmering in a garlicky, tomato-forward sauce — with sides of silky callaloo, crusty macaroni pie and soupy red beans. I’ll prod whomever is with me to order oxtail stew with potato salad and share. Fridays and Saturdays bring classic doubles: two rounds of fried dough, called bara, cradling curried chickpeas with cucumber chutney and other crucial condiments. Friday is also the day for Clovis’ most famed dish: Bake ‘n’ Shark, a sandwich of, yes, fried shark (made using responsibly harvested Pacific Common Thresher shark) on flatbread with herb sauce, tamarind and mango chutney. If the case full of sweet and savory pastries happens to include black cake, intense with boozy fruits and caramelized sugar, ask for an extra slice to go.
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Two Hommés
Inglewood Pan African African Californian $$
(Ron De Angelis / For The Times)
Abdoulaye Balde and Marcus Yaw Johnson channel West Africa through a Southern California lens at their Inglewood restaurant. Staples include platters brimming with mounds of jollof rice covered in eight-hour root beer-braised short ribs or fried fillets of catfish. And plates of za’atar zucchini on a bed of cream spiked with shito, the Ghanaian hot pepper sauce. Even if you’ve stuffed yourself on all of the above, add an order of the honey berbere chicken bites, and even if you plan on getting a churro at the stadium, make sure there is room on your table for the plantain sticky cake. Imagine sticky toffee pudding reimagined with plantains, a heavy drizzle of bourbon sauce and a smattering of plantain chips. It’s one of the best desserts in the entire city.
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Downtown Inglewood Station
Veronica’s Kitchen - The FuFuland
Inglewood West African $$
(Jenn Harris / Los Angeles Times )
As the name suggests, Veronica’s Kitchen in Inglewood is a place for fufu, the boiled and pounded starchy dough found all over West and Central Africa. At Veronica’s, you’ll find varieties made with yam or cassava. You tear away small pieces from the soft white orb and use it to scoop up mouthfuls of goat pepper soup, red stew and egusi. The latter is a fiery, peppery soup thick with crushed egusi melon seeds and greens. Chef-owner Veronica Shoyinka’s upbringing in Lagos is evident in every bowl, with soups and stews that hum with chile spice and the briny funk of dried seafood. If your starch of choice is rice, the jollof here is exceptional, with a musky, tomato-rich chile flavor compelling enough to eat on its own. Service is friendly, but can be relaxed at times, so plan accordingly if you’re having dinner before kickoff.
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Westchester / Veterans Station
Woody's BBQ
Inglewood Barbecue $
(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
The Inglewood location of Woody’s BBQ is best for enjoying the sauce-slicked meats on-site, with counter seats and tables on the inside, plus a gated patio that overlooks the busy corner of South La Brea and Market Street. Here you’ll find one of the best lunch deals in the city, running weekdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Choose between the inflation fighter with tender pork rib tips and a half link of chicken; chopped beef and a half link of chicken; two pork ribs and a half link of chicken; or sliced beef on a French roll, all with your choice of potato or macaroni salad or coleslaw, for less then $11. If you’re open to a slight splurge, I recommend paying extra for a side of collard greens and cornbread or mac and cheese. Even if you come for dinner, you’ll find hefty sandwiches and two- and three-meat combos with a side of salad and beans for less than $20. Ask about the cake of the day, or go for the peach cobbler, served in a cup that’s layered with soft, cinnamon-freckled peaches and spongy pie crust.
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Downtown Inglewood Station
1010 Wine
Inglewood Wine Bars $$
(Andrea D’Agosto/For The Times)
The first wine bar in Inglewood is owned by sisters and lifetime locals LeAnn and Leslie Jones and boasts one of the largest collections of Black-owned wines in the state. The food features broad pan-African influence and is perfect for pairing, including Swahili pepper chicken, Haitian spaghetti and suya-spiced beef skewers during dinner and peach cobbler French toast and sweet potato hash for Sunday brunch. The restaurant hosts events, including Wine Down Wednesday with live music, a meet the winemaker series and bingo nights.
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Downtown Inglewood Station
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