A girlfriend of mine (caroline on crack) and myself have decided to plot out an adventure seeking a specific type of restaurant, we call it Parking Lot Restaurants. This type of restaurant is not fancy or expensive. The dining experience is always casual but I find that restaurants that have the “shack like look” actually have some great food!

The trick to determining if the place is a parking lot restaurant is to look at how the restaurant is built. In most cases, a parking lot restaurant has a fairly small kitchen, most, if not all of the tables are set up outside of the physical building, almost always in the parking lot. Some parking lot restaurants will have a yawning or tint built over the dining area. Others would actually piece together odd or temporary looking ceilings and walls that make the dinning area more enclosed.

I have 4 parking lot restaurants listed here that Caroline and I will check out and review. Do you know of any good tasting parking lot restaurants? Please do recommend.

1. El Camacho’s Restaurante

2019 W. Venice Blvd. LA. 90006

Tele. 323-735-6276

Site. http://www.elcamachos.com

This restaurant was referred to me. My friend told me this one is real good but looks really ghetto.

2. Netty’s

1700 Silverlake Blvd. LA. 90026

Tele. 323.665.DISH

Site. http://www.nettysrestaurant.com/

This is a east Hollywood neighborhood restaurant. It has established itself as a full restaurant although you can see that the actual restaurant is about the size of a news stand. The seating area was built after. Though it is still cute, it is very much put together.

3. Cha Cha Cha

656 N virgil Ave LA. 90004

Tele. 323-664-7723

Site. http://www.theoriginalchachacha.com/home.php

This restaurant is one of the most advanced parking lot restaurants. You almost can’t tell that it’s a parking lot restaurant any more. From the outside the restaurant looks a bit like a shack but the inside is actually quite big. This restaurant didn’t come the way it is now. It went through the parking lot restaurant evolution and is now fully established.

4. Gabby’s Midnight Café

On Venice (north side) west of motor

Go down Venice and make a u-turn at motor – it’s on the right

This restaurant is still in the works. If I had to place these restaurants in order of evolution, I would say Gabby’s haven’t fully matured. It lacks what most hip parking lot restaurants have now days which is information online. Website, directory listings, etc… The restaurant itself is real tiny. The seating area is under a huge tint and well it leaks when it rains but the restaurant serves great food!

5. name unkown

On the corner of 2^nd St. and Beaudry.

I have to find out what the real name of this place is. There is a sign but its only there when they are there. This one is still at its “ape” stage of parking lot restaurant evolution. It’s really a little stand with some tables and a light. But hey, they’ve been there for years, and if it didn’t make money, it would’ve been gone a long time ago. We have to try this place…