The best meals of my reviewing life

By Lea Soto
Special to West Times

Over the past two years I’ve reviewed dozens of restaurants around our campus. Some have been good, some great, and some just forgettable.

So for my final review before I graduate, I thought I’d go over a few of my absolute favorite spots to grab a bite to eat. Try skipping the chain restaurants and visiting one of these great restaurants.

These are in no particular order as they are all unique and worthwhile in their own way.

Mi Cocina, Mi Pais
This small, cozy and inviting Ecuadorian restaurant serves up amazingly flavored cuisine. Order a tamale sampler for the best tamales you’ll ever taste in a restaurant. Large portion sizes match up with the large amount of flavors and tastes in every dish, and the friendliness of the staff will make the meal even more memorable.

Chino Bandito
Mexican, Caribbean, and Asian cuisines all piled high on one plate! At Chino Bandito these crazy and unusual combinations go together surprisingly well. Definitely go for the black beans as they’re spicy, slightly sweet and delicious. The best part may just be a snickerdoodle cookie served up with every meal.

La Piazza al Forno
Downtown Glendale offers up the best pizza to be had in this area of the Valley. A brick oven, fresh mozzarella and house made sauce make for a super fresh New York style pizza. Once again, the service is great here. Other dinner menu items seem very promising, but I haven’t been able to go and not end up ordering the pizza!

Pho Avina
Located just across the street from campus, Pho Avina’s Vietnamese restaurant is a great place to go when you have a break from class. Fried sweet potato cakes with pineapple sauce and vermicelli noodles with cilantro, cucumbers and an egg roll are some of my favorite items. Grab a boba too while you’re there. They’re an icy slushy drink with tapioca balls at the bottom. You won’t just like the boba, you’ll love it!

The Shish Kabob House
Hummus and fresh, warm pita bread. Really that’s all you need. It’s a whole new take on comfort food. Meaty kabobs and light fluffy rice, along with lots of pitas and hummus is a fantastic meal.