Top 5 Fryft Zone Foodie Spots
By: Esther Cho ‘23
It’s Thursday Night and all you’ve got in the fridge is a piece of stale bread and a banana. You can’t go grocery shopping until tomorrow, earliest — and in all honesty, you’ve been subsisting off instant ramen for the past week…
I’ve been there, and on those nights, there’s nothing I want more than to go out and get a yummy meal. Particularly somewhere close, somewhere affordable, somewhere…the checklist goes on and on.
If you’re also someone that’s lookin’ and lookin’ for some good eats within fryft zone, don’t fret! Here’s my tried-and-true list of my favorite foodie spots around!
Thai by Trio
An absolute fan favorite.
“Flavorful. Versatile. Delicious.” – my roommate. Thai by Trio is one of our go-to dinner spots in my apartment! In all honesty, Thai by Trio is my favorite Thai food spot in all of South Bay. Whenever I go home, I crave it.
From sweet, savory, to spicy, Thai by Trio can do it all. My go-to order is usually Pad Thai, mango chicken, pineapple fried rice, and the Kang Ka-Ri curry. The mango chicken is the perfect amount of crispy and sweet with tiny mango bits permeating into the flavor of the sauce. The pineapple fried rice has that “fired” up taste that I love in fried rice dishes— along with the best juxtaposition of sweet and savory with the pineapples and the spices. The Pad Thai is my absolute favorite— you just have to try it for yourself, I promise. The Kang Ka-Ri curry has a bit of a kick and some heat to it and pairs well with the rest of the meal!
Beyond the food, the restaurant atmosphere is also very appealing— with its dim, sultry ambiance. It’s the perfect spot to catch up with friends or even for a date night!
Ebaes
I only heard of Ebaes last semester, but I’m serious when I tell you that my life has changed forever since discovering it (all thanks to my roommate). Ebaes is the perfect ramen spot, even offering sushi rolls and a number of different appetizers. My absolute favorite is the Ebaes original ramen— it’s got a bit of a kick and some acidity in its refreshing broth (I always get the shrimp as my protein!).
I’ve also tried their Karaage chicken and thoroughly enjoyed the crisp breading along with the sweet sauce it comes with. Ebaes also makes wonderful sushi rolls and hand rolls— you really can’t go wrong!
The shop itself is homey with a friendly and bustling ambiance. But, my favorite part about Ebaes is the monthly special offer. On the first of every month, Ebaes offers $7 Ramen Day— where a selection of their ramens are 50% off. You just can’t beat such great quality at a price like that. Happy Hours are also every day from 2-6 P.M., where you can score specials on appetizers, rolls, and drinks.
Pot of Cha
Now I know Pot of Cha isn’t an underground boba shop— but I thought it would only be right to pay homage to the best boba spot around campus. Pot of Cha has been one of my favorite boba spots since my freshman year at USC, and this year I have been even more of a regular customer!
Their milk tea choices are all great options, I particularly love the oolong milk tea. But, my absolute favorite from them is the strawberry ice blended with pearls or mini-pearls and lychee jelly, depending on the day.
I think the strawberry ice blended is unique because it isn’t your typical run-of-the-mill strawberry smoothie. It’s a tea based slushie where the black tea flavor shines through along with the strawberry flavoring.
However, I will say that I think relatively any drink at Pot of Cha is a solid choice, which makes the boba shop my favorite— I think it’s hard for a shop to perfect every drink on their menu, but Pot of Cha does an excellent job of it!
P.S. if you download Yelp and check-in every time you visit, you get 10% off your order!
And don’t forget to download the Elephant Foot Stamp app to get mobile stamped every time you purchase a drink. Every 10 purchases, you’ll receive a voucher for a free drink!
Momota Ramen House
Momota is more of a recent addition to my list— my cousin dropped by and brought me a Chicken Katsu Bento Box that included rice, chicken katsu, veggies, and two veggie gyoza pieces. I really enjoyed my meal and felt that it’s a solid choice if you’re looking for some good katsu around USC. I also tried the spicy tuna roll and loved it, the sushi was fresh and enjoyable!
Upon perusing their menu, I found that they have a variety of other sushi rolls, rice bowls, and specialize in ramen. Though I haven’t tried their ramen yet, I recommend checking out Momota even simply for their katsu.
As they are in the same structure, you could even check out Pot of Cha afterwards too!
Brady’s Bakery
Brady’s Bakery has got the best, most warm and ooey-gooey cookies I’ve ever tried. Hands down.
The cool thing about Brady’s is that while it’s within Fryft zone, their flagship location across from the USC campus is hidden away close to Downtown LA and operates out of a ghost kitchen.
When I got out of the Lyft onto a street seemingly in the middle of nowhere, I was extremely confused. But basically, a ghost kitchen is a physical space where goods are created for off-premise consumption— meaning there is no dining area for these cookies. Brady’s is one of many ghost kitchen restaurants all residing within the drive-thru alley at this location.
Brady’s has a variety of cookies from chocolate chip + sea salt to cookies ‘n cream to poppy seed and more. And most importantly, cookies are ALWAYS fresh to order!
Catch a Fryft and bring the cookies back home to share with your friends for a good time.
Happy eats, friends!
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