--
There was a time when you could see why Gardena inspired the nickname Berryland . The city's currency may have well been in the form of strawberries, blackberries and raspberries with as much land was dedicated to growing these crops.
By the mid-1930s, berries were traded in for playing cards. The landscape shifted as cardrooms became more and more of a major income source for the South Bay city. Roughly six decades later, the city became a cautionary case study of sorts on the travails that can come with heavy reliance on the gambling industry. There remain clear traces of the city's identity as a regional gambling hub in 2016. Hustler's Casino and Lucky Lady Casino still beckon from their respective thoroughfares on the edge of the city's eastern border.
The gambling sector wasn't the only trade shaping Gardena's economic landscape. Warehouses and corporations took up swaths of the city over the past few decades, creating in a way a loose network of concrete encampments at the center. Even with surrounding residential homes and the Gardena Willows Wetland Preserve at the southeastern corner, the city can leave travelers an overall industrial impression.
Japanese Americans were instrumental in the development of the modern Gardena we know today. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, residents of Asian ancestry make up 26.2 percent of the population, but the longstanding impact of the community and its transnational relationship with Japan adds more depth than the figure can indicate. Both Nissin and Marukai, large Japanese food corporations, had set up U.S. headquarters here. (Nissin has since left the city after a near 36 year-long stay.) Whether it's an organic tofu factory or Hawaiian shaved ice emporium, the diversity of Japanese American culture is more prominent in Gardena than in many other cities in California.
--
--
Sanuki No Sato
Open since 1989, Sanuki No Sato has preserved many of the traditions associated with Japanese restaurants. Being greeted loudly is normal (so get ready) and as you walk through the main dining room you will walk by traditional Japanese calligraphy and tables of Japanese-born immigrants (Nisei) enjoying traditional cuisine with their grandchildren (Sansei). Servers wear Kimonos and walk in traditional Japanese footwear, taking quick steps when rushing from table to kitchen and then back with your mini cast iron pot of nabeyaki udon (noodle soup). A laminated one sheet menu features various ways you can order udon or soba (buckwheat noodle soup). But the kitchen is set up to turn out more than that. A fairly extensive list of options is on another menu, revealing on the last page elaborate tray sets served with a small udon, pickles, rice, chawanmushi (tea cup soup), and ice cream.
Sanuki No Sato: 18206 S. Western Ave., (310) 324-9184
Photo: Courtesy of Christine Chiao
Gardena Bowl Coffee Shop
Hawaiian food is not difficult to get in Gardena, perhaps given the Japanese American connection to the archipelago state. Between its Loco Moco, fried Portuguese sausage and bacon fried rice - Gardena Bowl Coffee Shop arguably serves a better version of Island classics than most places in town. Housed inside the bowling alley, the coffee shop is equally as bustling at night as the bowling lanes. But what's even more eye-catching than towering tempura dinner plates are the local crowds. During peak dinner hours there are as many takeout orders packed and waiting to be picked up as there are plates brought out to sitting customers.
Gardena Bowl Coffee Shop: 15707 S. Vermont Ave., (310) 324-1244
Photo: Courtesy of Christine Chiao
Spoon House
If you think a Japanese meal revolves around raw fish or ramen, you're barely scratching the surface of foods that populate the spectrum. Spoon House has been making familiar Italian dishes with conventional Japanese and American accents for roughly thirty-years. Dishes like Tarako Spaghetti made with cod roe (fish eggs) or squid and Wakame (seaweed). You could also order Spaghetti with homemade salsa and shrimp; or mayo and crab meat; or avocado and cheese sauce.
Spoon House: 1601 W. Redondo Beach Blvd., (310) 538-0376
Photo: Courtesy of Christine Chiao
Josie's Place
Open since 1952, Josie's Place is one of the city's oldest restaurants. Whether it's the locations vintage Mexican American design or their renowned fried chicken taco known as The Best Chicken Taco in Town , you will walk away knowing what Homemade Mexican Food is all about. The atmosphere might be a little outdated and the food might seem a bit plain for those schooled in L.A.'s street taco vernacular. But a must have is the Vampiro Taco, a garlicky Baja-style taco bursting with al pastor (marinated pork) meat carved fresh off a rotating vertical spit.
Josies Place: 16616 Normandie Ave., (310) 323-3113
Most recent headlines
17/02/2025
TVBEurope talks to the team who brought a piece of broadcasting history back to life on BBC Wales last night
By Jenny Priestley
Published: February 14, 2025 ...
17/02/2025
Eligible studios will receive the relief directly from their local authorities, with no need to submit a claim
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 17, 20...
17/02/2025
As DEI initiatives come under pressure in the USA, supporters of Rise, which promotes diversity in the media and entertainment sector, discuss the continuing im...
17/02/2025
EIB Global loan will partially fund SES's continued O3b mPOWER medium earth orbit (MEO) fleet expansion enabling additional capacity worldwide. O3b mPOWER s...
15/02/2025
At Nielsen, Business Resource Groups (BRGs) play a critical role in nurturing a ...
15/02/2025
Innovation to empower creativity: Explore the latest in Lightroom
Rob Christensen February 15, 2025
0 Comments
Whether you want to remove distracting ...
15/02/2025
Wisycom, a worldwide leader in RF technology and provider of wireless solutions, announces a new distribution agreement with EQUAPHON. An Argentinian profession...
15/02/2025
DPA Microphones, the leading manufacturer of high-quality microphone solutions, is pleased to welcome Nicholas Nick Mariano and Vincent Vince Divine to the ...
15/02/2025
Tuxera, a leading provider of quality-assured file systems and networking solutions, will showcase how Tuxera Fusion SMB enables unprecedented performance for m...
15/02/2025
Bitmovin's latest Video Developer Report indicates an increasing role of AI, the slow adoption of next-generation codecs, and continuing challenges when it ...
15/02/2025
When Michelin Enterprises set out to promote its prestigious Hotel Guide in the new Sleepless in the Kitchen , campaign, veteran German/Slovenian gaffer Robert...
15/02/2025
Formula E, the world's first all-electric racing series, revolutionizing motorsport with cutting-edge technology and a commitment to sustainability has sele...
15/02/2025
Agile Content, a global leader in TV and video technology solutions, announces its rebranding to AgileTV.
The transition to AgileTV stems from a commitment to ...
15/02/2025
Hiltron Communications will promote the latest additions to its range of satellite communication products, systems and supporting services at GovSatCom 2025. Th...
15/02/2025
Following the success of the original Airglow Booklight, DoPchoice debuts a new addition to their inflatable line the Float. This lightweight, inflatable, round...
15/02/2025
LAS VEGAS Marshall Electronics has announced that it will debut its newest camera controller, the RCP Plus, at the 2025 NAB Show at Booth N2649 between April 5 ...
15/02/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has named Blake Sebo as the next general manager of KTUU and KYES, Gray's NBC and CBS affiliates in Anchorage, Alaska....
15/02/2025
KOKKEDAL, Denmark DPA Microphones will feature its new CORE+ technology for distortion-free microphone sound at the 2025 NAB Show, April 5-9, in Las Vegas....
15/02/2025
SWANSEA, U.K. QuickLink will launch StudioPro-NDI and StudioPro-3, two new models of its QuickLine StudioPro video production platform, at the 2025 NAB Show, Ap...
15/02/2025
Live From 2025 NBA All-Star Game Weekend: After 25 Years, Turner Sports All-In F...
15/02/2025
NASCAR Driver Cam on Max Embraces Cloud-Based Workflow for 2025 Season Chris Brown of WBD Sports says Mobii will play key part in delivering signals from the tr...
14/02/2025
Last month, we officially launched the Spotify Partner Program, a powerful new m...
14/02/2025
From an island off the coast of Lutruwita to the global stage in France SBS & ...
14/02/2025
The future of electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) land systems is evolving so that ...
14/02/2025
Here are 5 reasons why you should attend ISE 2025
Discover more about Calrec: Learn more about Calrec's legacy of innovation in broadcast audio solutions ...
14/02/2025
World Radio Day: On the same wavelength
By Graham Murray, International Sales Manager at Calrec
To mark World Radio Day, Calrec's International Sales Ma...
14/02/2025
DALLAS and TYSONS, Va. Tegna has concluded a broadcast rights agreement that makes Tegna's KFAA in Dallas the exclusive local television partner of the Dall...
14/02/2025
Amazon's Prime Video has released a new app for Apple TV that the streamer said delivers an improved streaming experiences with faster scrolling, improved s...
14/02/2025
CLEVELAND Telos Alliance announced a software update for its Axia Quasar XR and SR line of audio-over-IP (AoIP) mixing consoles and will show the offering at th...
14/02/2025
Puget Systems Returns to HPA Tech Retreat 2025 with New Analysis Tools for Puge...
14/02/2025
Glass Animals: Tour of Earth Uses Blackmagic Live Production Workflow
Brie Clayton February 14, 2025
0 Comments
80six deploys Blackmagic URSA Broadcas...
14/02/2025
A dispute between Paramount and Youtube TV that would have pulled CBS stations and Paramount's cable channels from the streaming service has been temporaril...
14/02/2025
Colourist Deidre (Dee) McClelland details how she helped shape the distinct look and feel of whimsical Oscar-nominated stop-motion film, Memoir of a Snail
By C...
14/02/2025
BitFire said it intends to introduce forward-looking services that simplify the launch of live production workflows, and enhance real-time collaboration
By Jen...
14/02/2025
The claim by the liquidators is the latest twist in the ongoing saga of the companys collapse at the end of 2021
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 14, ...
14/02/2025
A carriage dispute between YouTube TV and Paramount could come to a head today (Feb. 13), with the virtual pay TV provider threatening to pull all of the progra...
14/02/2025
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. LG Electronics USA has opened a new in-house, state-of-the-art virtual production studio at its 360,000-square-foot North American headqu...
14/02/2025
NEW YORK In a bid to help local broadcasters find new ways of monetizing their content, the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) and TVB have relea...
14/02/2025
WASHINGTON Three Democratic U.S. Senators have sent a stern letter blasting FCC Chair Brendan Carr for the weaponization of the agency for attacking broadcast...
14/02/2025
Years after launching the streaming service Apple TV+ in November of 2019, Apple has finally released a version of its steaming app for Android devices....
14/02/2025
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. Red Digital Cinema will make its V-RAPTOR [X] and KOMODO-X camera systems available with Nikon's premier Z Mount, providing filmmaker...
14/02/2025
DAYTONA, Fla. The Fox Sports production of this year's Daytona 500 will see the addition of a few new tech elements and the continued unfolding of the broad...
14/02/2025
Watch Bryson Battles Blind Audition on The Voice Get a Four-Chair Turn Michael Bubl said the Boston Conservatory at Berklee musical theater senior might have...
14/02/2025
2025 Daytona 500: FOX Sports Looks To Ride Super Bowl LIX Momentum Into NASCAR S...
14/02/2025
14 Feb 2025
VEON's Kyivstar and the Come Back Alive Foundation Raise USD 2....
14/02/2025
Max Renews THE PITT, Starring Noah Wyle, For A Second Season
Max
Warner Bros. Television Group
The Pitt
New Episodes Of The Medical Drama From John...
14/02/2025
This year, Technicolor proudly celebrates 110 years of shaping the magic of cinema pioneering color, visual effects, and innovation that bring unforgettable l...
14/02/2025
NBA All-Star: More Games, More Teams, More Music, More Sound From the Court Turner Sports' team will deploy familiar tech to capture all the audio By Dan D...
14/02/2025
LIV Golf Continues To Innovate With Drones, Data-Driven Graphics, and All-Access...
-- 
