Restaurants in Downey

After adding a second location, the Mexican food mainstay has kept its commitment to freshness; the drive-in eatery shuns the usage of heat lamps, fiery imp breath, or microwaves in its food preparation. All dishes are prepared fresh daily using local ingredients, even the beans which are made fresh and refried with vegetarian, trans-fat free oil. Chano's offers a wide variety of burritos, from a chorizo-stuffed food pod ($4.61) to a veggie cheese and bean ($2.83). You'll also find tacos ($1.59 to $1.75) and taco salads ($4.79), along with combination platters and a la carte entrees, such as quesadillas (from $2.87) and taquitos ($2.56). The breakfast menu is served every day, so you can get your Machaca burrito ($4.45) fix anytime before 11 a.m. and swig it with a large horchata ($2.24).

The crispness of the golden crust on Honey's Kettle Fried Chicken’s eponymous dish is what “sets this place apart,” according to LA magazine. Chefs fry poultry the old-fashion way, sizzling it in heavy-gauge stainless-steel drums whose intense heat seals in natural juices and ensures un-soggy crunch. Scratch-made country classics, including buttermilk biscuits and sweet-potato pie, round out the menu alongside veggie sides such as hand-shucked corn on the cob.

Café Corleone's cooks transport the rich culinary landscape of Sicily to the United States through mouthwatering Italian pizzas, pastas, and desserts served in a warmly lit space. Head chef Alongi dazzles taste buds with a menu of seafood, steaks, and flavorful sauces made from seasonal ingredients. Inside, pictures of old Italy pepper the walls and tables frame house-made pizzas and elegant desserts with a dressy-casual outfit of checkered tablecloth. In addition to enrapturing palates with plates of fresh Sicilian fare, Café Corleone keeps eardrums entertained with live music from Ron Nardo and Terry Anfuso, who delight audiences each Saturday night with their renditions of jazz standards, Rat Pack hits, and dubsteb remixes of The Sound of Music soundtrack.

After leaving home for Hollywood at age 14 and donning a butcher's apron, Uncle Henry opened his own deli in 1959, helmed today by his nephew and great-nephew, George and George Gaul III. Beer steins hang on the back wall above an old-fashioned marquee menu as staffers in red aprons pile sandwiches with pastrami, roast beef, sharp cheddar, sauerkraut, and other fillings in Whimpy, Super Size, and 13-ounce Baby Bomber portions. Uncle Henry's also caters special events with gargantuan party subs, and rents out sturdy kegs large enough to keep parties quenched or 8-bit plumbers from attacking pet Donkey Kongs.

When owner Frank White took over this Downey eatery—then called Granata's Italian Restaurant—in 2011, the Granata family had already been serving Italian cuisine there for more than 54 years, according to the Downey Patriot. Today, White still plucks recipes from the family cookbook but has also added his own touch with a new menu of hot and cold Spanish-style tapas. Made with gourmet ingredients such as fresh clams, spanish piquillo peppers, and rich serrano ham, the new plates are small enough to be shared with friends or slingshotted spitefully at enemies. The chefs also use locally sourced ingredients for classic Italian meals whenever possible, festooning linguine carbonara with fresh sweet peas and veal parmigiana with rich tomato sauce.

In the renovated dining area, blue pendant lamps light the full bar and surrounding cherry-wood tables and chairs. Flat-screen TVs share wall space with murals of the Venetian canals where Leonardo da Vinci first learned to jet ski.

Creole seasoning belongs in trusted hands, which is why most Cajun restaurants keep the spice cannon securely under glass. Today's Groupon gives you those trusted hands plus $25 worth of authentic Cajun vittles at Uncle Darrow's in Marina del Rey for $10. The Zagat-rated restaurant will be celebrating its tenth anniversary on December 26th, which in Cajun culture is as valid a reason to throw a raucous, food-stuffed party as "survived last night's raucous, food-stuffed party" and "saved money on car insurance."