California - fast food recommendations and other trivia we may not know about

[JesusInTheCabbageVan]

Big bucket-list road trip holiday that was originally meant to happen back before Covid. While we won't be eating in fast food places every day, I want to try some of these places I've been reading about for years, like Denny's, IHOP, Wendy's... also heard that Gordon Ramsay is a fan of In n Out burger.

Any recommendations for fast food we must try, or should avoid? Also, any other less well known advice or tips (never been to America before) would be appreciated!

We were originally going to include LA but had to shorten the trip a bit. DH has basically spent all lockdown planning this holiday so he WILL kill me if I start tweaking the itinerary now, I'm afraid you should see all his spreadsheets.

Mex and sushiCA does this awesomely-google TripAdvisor and ask around.

^these...didn't mean to cross out!

Derail but question about donuts in the states ...

I'm not a massive KK fan however their Original Glazed is lovely. I think it's the simplicity and the way it melts in your mouth, as if you'd imagined eating it IYSWIM? Because you can eat them in seconds they make great car cakes when having 10 minutes of Me Time

However I really dislike the craze these days in the UK for over elaborate and horribly overpriced donuts where it's all about 5kg of sugary, stodgy topping or filling and the donut part itself is dry and grim almost more akin to a cupcake.

Please tell me they're not like that in the US?!!

Btw OP ... really enjoying this thread so I can live my imaginary junk foodie holiday

In N Out burger is great, but Denny’s and IHop? Don’t waste your money, both cheap but very poor quality food. You couldn’t pay me to set foot in an iHop again.

If you’re in LA, go to Los Cinco Puntos or Dino’s Famous Chicken. If you visit Santa Barbara, I’d really recommend the Boathouse at Hendry's Beach.

Pissing myself laughing though at the idea of whispering in a very uber polite British way to ask for my food "animal style "!

The buffets in Vegas are absolutely amazing. My favourites were Paris Casino, Mandalay Bay, and MGM.

Ah literally some of my fave places! There is an amazing place to eat in Big Sur you have to book if it's high season but it's called Deetjens and it's wonderful

Also depending on where you stay in Yosemite for eating out you get some great options outside of the park .

Ah I have so many recommendation such an awesome trip

You can get takeaways from the Wholefood Market shops. Lots of choice, especially in San Francisco. They provide meat, fish and veggie options plus soup and you help yourself. I like Trader Joe supermarkets as well for general groceries. I wouldn't go to Denny’s, they have had bad publicity in the past for their treatment of staff and the food isn’t the best.
If you are bargain hunting look out for Premium Outlets, lots of great shopping opportunities, they usually have some fast food places as well as discount designer shops.

I've actually been rehearsing in my head how I'm going to do it. I cannot for the life of me think of a way of doing it that doesn't sound like a coded request for kinky sex.

I think you need to do it in the manner of the Queen.

Btw OP ... really enjoying this thread so I can live my imaginary junk foodie holiday

I'm really relieved nobody's slating me for going on a decadent gluttonous holiday when DON'T I KNOW THERE'S A COST OF LIVING CRISIS. (I'm sure it'll happen eventually...)

Actually that reminds me that I find it impossible to order food at busy loud counters or at drive ins without adopting what sounds like a very fake American accent. Otherwise no one understands me - 'water' with a t particularly mystifies people. Normal restaurants are fine.

Following !

One would laike to try the enimal stayle hemburger. With cutlery.

Please can someone explain what "animal style" actually is?!

I loved Mission Burritos in California.

My DH and I have an ambition to travel across America on a Great Sandwich Tour, trying all the local specialities- Po'boys, Muffaleta, Philly cheese steak, there's an Italian meatball one in Chicago I think. The late great Tony Bourdain often used to eat sandwiches on his US episodes of his travel shows.

@JesusInTheCabbageVan snap - off on a Californian road trip next week that my DH has literally been planning to the nth degree since before lockdown. I bet his spreadsheets would give yours a run for his money 🤣
Glad I'm not the only one with a holiday obsessive DH! Enjoy x

Panda Express was my fave for Chinese food when we did our Cali road trip in 2015.

Amazing, we should set up a playdate for them both

Mission burritos is already on the list!

As far as I can make out, animal style is just where they throw everything on there plus some kind of secret sauce which looks disturbingly foamy.

Yes, what is animal style?? I've had In N Out burgers before but never...<<whispers>> that way

God, I love a cheesesteak too.

We're off to NYC next year, haven't been since 2018, cannot wait. Will be eating all of the foods, all of the time.

Your trip sounds amazing OP, have a fabulous time.

Sounds amazing. Nowhere gets a cheesesteak right in this country and I still have little happy thoughts about po’boys. American sandwiches full stop are just great.

Just back from SoCal myself. Be prepared, even the fast food places are expensive. Denny's was OK, pretty much what you'd expect but it was well prepared and cooked. We had far worse elsewhere.

We all hated IHOP! The strawberry and cream pancakes sounded OK but came smothered with a synthetic tasting "strawberry" sauce which ruined them.

The best food we had was at a Lebanese restaurant in on the edge of a shopping centre car park up above LA. I have no idea what it was called but the food was wonderful!

When I went to California we had a Coco’s and Denny’s next to the hotel. We went to Denny’s once but Coco’s a few times - even just in the evening for pudding.