The Healthiest L.A. Lunches I Can Bring Myself To Eat

I find it hard to believe that this city can get any healthier than it already is, but somehow people in L.A. seem to dig deeper this time of year to find new, creatively disgusting ways to starve themselves.  I’m not a big fan of New Year’s Resolutions (especially ones that involve exercise or depriving myself of delicious lunches) but as a community service to those of you who are, here is a list of the healthiest* lunches I can bring myself to eat.   (*Legal Disclaimer:  It says healthiest, not healthy.  I cannot be held responsible for any weight gain as a result of eating lunches that I consider “healthy”.)

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I’m not a big salad guy, but there is something about topping a salad with raw fish and Korean chili paste that makes it ok.  My favorite version of hwe dup bap right now is from Hawl Uh Kwang Jang in K-Town, and it somehow only costs $6.  So think of all the extra pounds you’ll shed if you end up with food poisoning!

More raw fish, another salad (shocker!), turkey burgers, small sandwiches, and an all you can eat buffet (yes, I’m going to try and convince you an all you can eat buffet is healthy) after the jump…

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Pay no attention to that fried tortilla chip underneath that mound of healthy seafood!  A ceviche tostada must be the healthiest Mexican lunch of all time… provided you can avoid getting a deep fried tacos dorado de camarones along with it. The version above is from the Mariscos Jalisco truck in Boyle Heights, but you can also get great versions at La Cevicheria in Mid City, and the La Isla Bonita truck in Venice.

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There is no way I’m giving up burgers for the entire month of January, but beef burgers are probably not that healthy, and lord knows I’m not switching to veggie burgers.  So that leaves just one option on the table: turkey burgers!  And one of the best ones is served at Hole in the Wall Burger in West L.A.  Plus pretzels are fat free, aren’t they?  So getting it served on their delicious pretzel bun must be extra healthy, right?

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Pound for pound, the Venice Beach Boardwalk might be the unhealthiest place to eat lunch in all of Los Angeles.  So if you happen to find yourself there in the month of January you’ll want to make your way Poke Poke.  Not only is it healthier than a corn dog and cotton candy, but the portions are as small as a steroid affected muscle beach penis.

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Note: The sandwich have gotten a little bigger since this photo was taken.

Speaking of small sacks, the sandwiches at ink.sack are pretty small.  If you only order one that could be considered dieting, right?

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Pad Thai might not be healthy, but what about a pad thai salad? So what if it’s basically just cold pad thai, if it has the word salad in it, it means it’s healthy! Big kudos to Essan Thai for getting me to like a salad…

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If there is one thing I’ve learned from the Baja Fresh calorie chart it’s that burritos are super fattening, and the giant tortilla is mostly to blame. But what if you replace that tortilla with rice paper, and the meat with raw fish? Voila… it’s healthy burrito time! Pay no attention to that shrimp tempura or mayo filled crab salad. I say the sushi burrito from the Jogasaki Truck is a light lunch, and I’m sticking to it.

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I know what you’re thinking… “Zach! How on earth can an all you can eat buffet be considered healthy?” Well, what if it’s a banchan buffet? The $10 ayce buffet at Manna Korean BBQ in DTLA is 1/2 banchan, and that means a lot of vegetables. In fact, the entire buffet only had one meat dish (and it wasn’t very good.) Sure I stuffed my face silly, and you’ll probably need to avoid the tempura, but the one meal I had at Manna probably had as many vegetables as 10 of my normal Midtown Lunches added up! And in my book, that = healthy.

Got a favorite healthy lunch you think needs to be added to my list? Feel free to add it in the comments…

Related:
The 2010 ML Guide to “Healthy” Lunching (aka The Healthiest Lunches You Will Ever See This Fat Guy Eat)

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1 Comment

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    Had Poke Poke the first time this weekend. Healthy and delicious. As for the other items on your list… it scares me how many of your under $10 lunches include seafood.

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