Nearly 50 years before SoFi Stadium opened in 2020, Inglewood was crowned the City of Champions. The city, which is part of the Greater Los Angeles area, has been home to the Kia Forum arena since 1967, which hosted some of L.A.’s winningest sports teams, including the Lakers (NBA), Kings (NHL), and Sparks (WNBA). Now that SoFi Stadium is hosting FIFA World Cup games in summer 2026, Inglewood continues to attract professional athletes, Olympians, and fans from around the world—as well as discerning food lovers.
Six miles from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), the historically Black community is home to one of Southern California’s most dynamic and delicious restaurant scenes. These beloved Inglewood institutions are steeped in history and reflect the diverse communities they serve.
While popular culture may paint a skewed view of how Angelenos like to eat—full of sea moss supplements and $30 smoothies—dining out in Inglewood provides a more prismatic sense of the local food scene. From lime-spiked aguachiles to soulful Southern staples and heaping platters of Somali lamb, find the breakfast, lunch, and dinner of champions served at Inglewood’s many vibrant restaurants.
Here’s a guide on where to dine while in town for the World Cup or any of SoFi’s many events.
Sample a variety of fried sweets at Randy’s Donuts.
Courtesy of Randy’s Donuts
Randy’s Donuts
Location: 805 West Manchester Blvd.
For a sweet pick-me-up served from an architectural marvel, head to Randy’s Donuts at the corner of Manchester and La Cienega boulevards. Built in the 1950s, the giant mortar-and-steel doughnut that sits atop the drive-through shop is one of Los Angeles’s most iconic landmarks and a premier example of the programmatic architecture popular throughout the mid-1900s. The shop offers a variety of deep-fried classics, including long john doughnuts, apple fritters, bear claws, and French crullers.
Banadir Somali
Location: 137 Arbor Vitae St.
With its faded blue awning and utilitarian dining room, Banadir isn’t much of a looker. Yet the low-key restaurant has garnered a loyal following over the past two decades for its genuine hospitality and home-style Somali cooking served in generous portions. Headlining the menu is suqaar, a savory stir-fry of onions, peppers, garlic, tomatoes, cilantro, and spices such as cumin and coriander, served with a choice of lamb, goat, beef, chicken, or fish. Prepared to order, the suqaar is paired with a simple salad, yellow rice, basbaas (green chile sauce), and a banana, as is tradition in Somali culture. The wonderfully gamey lamb is the protein to get.
Cobblers, Cakes & Kream
Location: 2323 West Manchester Blvd. Suite B
Owner Pam Wright’s Southern baking prowess earned her the nickname “The Cobbler Lady” decades ago. Today, inside the sleek storefront of Cobblers Cakes & Kream, Wright and her expert team prepare an array of desserts, including pies, cakes, cookies, and, most popular of all, cobblers. What sets the shop’s namesake creations (in peach, apple, and blackberry flavors) apart is the extra layer of dough that Wright slips into the center of each fruit-filled pan, creating rustic folds and doughy pockets. Order a miniature cobbler with a scoop of vanilla ice cream from Fosselman’s, an old-school L.A. parlor that’s been around since 1919.
The camarones borrachos (drunk shrimp) at Coni’Seafood is made with tequila, garlic, cilantro, and crushed red pepper.
Photo by Cathy Chaplin
Coni’Seafood
Location: 3544 1/2, 3544 W Imperial Hwy
Coni’Seafood began as an Inglewood backyard pop-up in 1987, specializing in regional cooking from the western Mexican states of Sinaloa and Nayarit. Since its humble founding, the restaurant has expanded to three locations in Los Angeles under the care of owner Conchita “Connie” Cossio. The signature pescado zarandeado—a whole snook marinated, butterflied, and grilled to perfection—is tucked into warm corn tortillas along with tangy red onions and salsa verde. Also stupendous is the aguachile, raw Mexican shrimp served in a zingy brew of fresh lime juice and jalapeños.
The Serving Spoon
Location: 1403 Centinela Ave.
Breakfast at the Serving Spoon is an absolute must in Inglewood. Founded in 1983 by Harold E. Sparks, the restaurant has remained family-owned across three generations and is an energetic community hub. Sidle up to one of the sturdy wooden seats, from which you can peer into the kitchen, or sit in a plush red booth before digging into impeccably prepared Southern fare, from waffles served with fried chicken wings to shrimp and grits.
Fried brussels sprouts are a must at Sunday Gravy.
Photo by Alan De Herrera
Sunday Gravy
Location: 1122 Centinela Ave.
Siblings Sol and Ghazi Bashirian opened Sunday Gravy after inheriting the Inglewood storefront from their Iranian immigrant father, Ahmad Bashirian, who owned and operated Jino’s Pizza & Deli for 42 years. The Bashirians renamed and revamped the Italian American restaurant while maintaining the familial approach that’s made it a neighborhood stalwart. Start with an order of cheesy garlic bread and fried brussels sprouts before diving into homemade pastas of all shapes and sauces. Try the spaghetti with bright sauce and delicate meatballs, or the fusilli, with vodka sauce that brings richness and spice. Red-checkered tablecloths and a ’90s-heavy playlist add to the restaurant’s laid-back vibe.
Two Hommés
Location: 902 N La Brea Ave.
Modern West African cooking with a California sensibility is the star at Two Hommés, the restaurant that opened in 2022 from chefs and owners Abdoulaye Balde and Yaw Marcus Johnson. Both were born and raised in Los Angeles but have roots in West Africa; Balde is of Senegalese descent, while Johnson’s lineage is Ghanaian. Just about everyone orders the spiced honey berbere chicken bites; the textural powerhouse is served with house-made pickles and citrus aioli to balance out the blend of spices. The duo’s take on Ghanaian jollof rice, also rightfully popular, is rounded out with black beans, plantains, and an arugula salad. Pair your meal with a delightful slate of craft cocktails, including the Sobolo Spritz, a boozy and fizzy riff on a Ghanaian hibiscus drink.
