Downtown LA eatery Broken Mouth | Lee's Homestyle tops Yelp's list of best restaurants in U.S.
Yelp has released their much-anticipated list of the Top 100 Restaurants in the United States, with one local fusion restaurant topping the list of the nation's best eateries.
Broken Mouth | Lee's Homestyle, a unique blend of Hawaiian and Korean cuisine, earned the top spot on this year's list, one of many Southern Californian locations — but the only one in Downtown Los Angeles.
Timothy Lee's restaurant has more than 1,300 ratings on Yelp, an accomplishment in itself, accentuated by the fact that the restaurant maintains a five stars rating.
"In Hawaii, 'broke da mouth' means food that's so good you can barely chew," Lee said.
Amongst their most popular items, Broken Mouth features a Spam Musubi blending his Korean heritage and his homeland of Hawaii, hence the ever-popular purple multigrain rice inside of the delicacy.
On top of being delicious, Lee says, "It's very affordable, it's easy to make."
His secret for success?
"I try to treat everybody like they're my best friend or my family," Lee says, noting that it takes much more than ingredients and a kitchen to fulfill a person's palate. "That's how we treat everybody in Hawaii."
Additional Southern California restaurants to adorn the list include:
- Beyer Deli in San Diego - No. 4,
- Sunbliss Cafe in Anaheim - No. 6,
- The Nook Cajun Cafe in Norco - No. 7,
- Sababa Falafel Shop in Garden Grove - No. 10,
- Appu's Cafe in Long Beach - No. 12,
- Little France Coffee and Bakery in Mission Viejo - No. 13,
- Trust in Santa Ana - No. 18,
- GONZO! in Carlsbad - No. 20,
- BMORE Protein Pub in Long Beach - No. 23,
- Rajas Con Crema in Maywood - No. 25,
- Maison Cafe & Market in Dana Point - No. 34,
- Baba Kabob in San Diego - No. 35,
- Dolce Vita in Oxnard - No. 41,
- OmG Omakase by Gino in Santa Ana - No. 44,
- Nonno's Ristorante in Murrieta - No. 46,
- Mike's Red Tacos in San Diego - No. 52,
- Lord Empanada in Monrovia - No. 61,
- Thanh Do Restaurant in Garden Grove - No. 70,
- Corazon Taste of Mexico in Brea - No. 81,
- Fiore Market in Pasadena - No. 89,
- Hanuman Thai Eatery in Costa Mesa - No. 94.
The entire list of Yelp's Top 100 Restaurants in the United States can be found here.