A good date restaurant for a poor college student

[hanhu]

Hello eGullet community in CA! First time poster! As the title suggests, I am a college student attending UCLA on a tight budget looking for nice restaurants to take my date to. I have done some readings in this section of the forum, but only to bump into some restaurants (such as French Laundry) and be shocked at each meal costing me a week's pay on a campus job. I hear there are numerous restaurants in LA but I cannot help but eat at the same places over and over again because I don't know where!

[Ross.ucf]

First I will start off by I have no clue where to eat in your area. However, I am also a broke ass college student and it doesn't help trying to take a girl (or guy) out. Some sugestions though, try the hole in the wall places. I have been to many in my area and I am suprised at how good (or if bad, you usually get a good laugh) some of them are. The most impressive was a really tacky Thai restaurant called, Thai (Creative huh?). It is not really the destination or the food but how you get there. Good luck!

[pedie]

Take heart...there are nice places in Westwood that will not break your wallet. A place we enjoy is Campagnola's at 1553 Westwood Bl. http://www.campagnolatrattoria.com/

Carlo and his brother are from Sardegna. Their food is authentic and the atmosphere is warm and friendly.

If you travel south to Culver City there are a number of good restaurants in the newly gentrified area near the old Helm's Bakery that are also reasonable and quite good.

[rjwong]

Hello eGullet community in CA! First time poster! As the title suggests, I am a college student attending UCLA on a tight budget looking for nice restaurants to take my date to. I have done some readings in this section of the forum, but only to bump into some restaurants (such as French Laundry) and be shocked at each meal costing me a week's pay on a campus job. I hear there are numerous restaurants in LA but I cannot help but eat at the same places over and over again because I don't know where! 

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hanhu, welcome to eGullet California forum!!

And BTW, Go Bruins!!

A few questions:

What's your budget limit? $15 per person? $25? $35? $50?

And how far do you want to travel? Westwood? Culver City? Brentwood? Santa Monica? Venice? Beverly Hills? Beverly Center? WeHo? Hollywood?

What kind of atmosphere/ambience? Upbeat? Hip? Sedate? Want to have a conversation? Retro? Ethnic? Did you want something more than Falafel King & Diddy Reese?

Pardon the inquisition, hanhu. Just let us know what you want. We'll do our best to help.

[hanhu]

Thanks to the replies guys! And to RJWONG, my budget would depend on the occasion, but preferrably between $15~30 a person. I would like to start in westwood, santa monica, beverly hills/center, and hollywood. (because that's the places i go to the most). And to Pedie, I will most definitely check out the restaurant this weekend, and i look forward to it

[JFLinLA]

It's more than just the cost, it also depends what atmosphere you are looking for. Here are some ideas:

The Nook Bistro -- on Santa Monica Blvd, west of the 405 (probably on the high side of what you're looking for)

Here's a thought -- get a little adventurous in terms of ethnic food.

Have you explored Sawtelle between Santa Monica and Olympic? Lot's of Japanese and different varieties and all price ranges.

Have you explored Westwood Boulevard, south of Wilshire all the way down to Pico? This area is rich with Persian restaurants and markets.

A Little Taste of Hoboken -- On Westwood Boulevard, between Olympic & Pico. Another Italian place. More casual and relaxed and the have funky hours but worth checking out.

A ton of Italian places along San Vicente in Brentwood. From plain to fancy.

Westwood Village is a problem if you want something a little nicer. However, I do enjoy lunch/brunch at Le Pain Quotidien. There's one on Broxton in the Village and another on Barrington, just south of Sunset.

JR Seafood (Chinese) on Santa Monica Boulevard, west of the 405.

[Maison Rustique]

I 'm not familiar with your area, but if you can find a nice Ethopian restaurant that does the elegant coffee service after dinner, your date will be soooo impressed. These places are usually not expensive.

[JFLinLA]

I 'm not familiar with your area, but if you can find a nice Ethopian restaurant that does the elegant coffee service after dinner, your date will be soooo impressed. These places are usually not expensive.

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"Little Ethiopia" area of LA is La Cienega, south of Olympic.

[JFLinLA]

I 'm not familiar with your area, but if you can find a nice Ethopian restaurant that does the elegant coffee service after dinner, your date will be soooo impressed. These places are usually not expensive.

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"Little Ethiopia" area of LA is La Cienega, south of Olympic.

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Oops, my goof. Little Ethiopia is Fairfax, south of Olympic . . . not La Cienega. (Too late to edit.)