Friday, July 25, 2025

Exotic Thai Café

Written by Lynn Levitt From the outside, Exotic Thai Café is not exactly appealing. Located at the end of a seedy strip mall on Ventura Boulevard and Fallbrook Avenue in Woodland Hills, Calif., it is somewhat of a turn-off.  But, the front door opens, the atmosphere changes and the walls of the San Fernando Valley transform to a gem somewhere...

Review: Humble Bee Cafe

The garden omelet at Humble Bee Cafe comes with home-styled potatoes and consists of caramelized onions, mushrooms, jack cheese and spinach. Photo by Luis Mendoza.The drinks at Humble Bee Cafe are refreshing and no ingredient overpowered the others. Photo by Luis Mendoza.A side of pancakes at Humble Bee Cafe fills the entire takeout container. Photo by Luis Mendoza.The...

Food filling and authentic at El Patron

A few blocks before busy Ventura Boulevard, on Reseda Boulevard, lies a Spanish adobe-like Mexican restaurant. The busy restaurant is well-lit at night to indicate that this is the place to be tonight. Upon entering, one can immediately notice the fun and lively atmosphere that the restaurant brings. After using the app Open Table, we were seated immediately inside...

Interactive Reviews Map

Click here for a map to The Bull Magazine's Fall reviews!

Blaze Pizza

As people travel down the escalator of the Westfield Topanga mall, following the fiery, orange sign displaying “Blaze Pizza” in sky scraping lettering, the aroma of sizzling cheese with warm dough fill their senses. The rustic feeling of the pizzeria felt like coming to grandma’s house on the countryside for family dinner. Starting with choosing a fresh, red tomato sauce...

Crazy good sushi

A black wooden door sandwiched between the tan stucco facade of a local restaurant is reminiscent of a modern speakeasy. Located on Ventura Boulevard in Tarzana, Crazy Tokyo Sushi has been in business for more than 20 years. While the alley parking behind the restaurant can be tricky, there is often enough metered spaces out front. Parking in those...

Review: Flame Pizzeria

A “Margherita” style pizza from Flame Pizzeria in Reseda, Calif., taken on April 14, 2020. “The Margherita” is one of six pizza options at this local pizza spot. Photo by: Nathan George While there is quite the competition among various pizzerias that have set up shop in the San Fernando Valley, situated within...

Review: The Rustic Spoon

A side of white rice covered in yellow curry on a table in the outdoor dining area of The Rustic Spoon in North Hollywood, Calif., on Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021. Photo by Raquel G. Frohlich. Innovative drinks and enticing appetizers may draw you into the restaurant, but the main dish must work to...

REVIEW: Cha Cha Chicken

There exists a long lost isle of the Caribbean, insulated by high-growing greenery and thatched eaves. It’s nestled behind a Northridge McDonald’s, and sandwiched between a barber and a skate shop. The name of this isla perdida… Cha Cha Chicken. Here, you can treat yourself to a smorgasbord of delectable food that borrows tastes from every corner of the Caribbean at...

REVIEW: Philippe the Original

It’s said the French dip sandwich was created in Los Angeles in 1918 by Philippe Matthieu.  The story of it comes from a mere accident, on a fateful day in 1918 a policeman coming in for a sandwich was running late for work. Matthieu dropped the French roll in a roasting pan filled with...