Food Stuff
Advice collected on food in and around the hotel.
Overview: The con hotel (Marriot Los Angeles Airport) has five food options. These are Champions Sports Bar, Latitude 33 restaurant, JW’s Steakhouse, Starbucks, and the gift shop. There are several more options if you’re willing to walk, drive, or take a taxi or shuttle. I believe there are also outside delivery services available.
From @gallifreyone’s website: The Hospitality Suite will be open throughout the weekend once again. Snacks, soft drinks and pleasant conversation abound with fellow fans starting Friday afternoon and running throughout the duration of the convention (usually open until the wee hours of the morning each night!) Gallifrey’s hospitality suite is always looking for volunteers to help out, so enquire with the convention if you are interested!
2/2/11 If you don’t want to wait in line for the Marriott restaurants in the morning, consider one of the nearby hotels (although with the All Star Game in town they may be crowded too). Watch twitter for mealwandering plans.
1/30/11 Via Anime LA (another ISL convention held at the Marriott): Restaurant Guide (pdf format, also includes other nearby retailers of interested) (thanks @jeyradan)
2/7/13 I found that Anime LA has updated their restaurant pages as of 2011. They mention updating for 2013 but I can’t find an update, so this is probably still fairly accurate.
Restaurant Guide – Map, local places, resources (PDF, 122K)
Other side of Restaurant Guide – even more restaurant listings (PDF, 1.4 MB)
1/29/11 @hitshermark suggests: Yelp.com is your friend if you need anything. Like knowing where to get food for vegetarians.
1/29/11 @gallifreyan suggests: The gift shop in the lobby has economy edibles, compared to the restaurants. Less selection and not as fresh, but if you’re on a tight budget, worth a look. (closes around 10pm?)
2/7/13 @gallifreyone reminds us: Don’t forget we now have a snack bar from about 11am-3pm on Friday and Saturday on the main floor.
2/1/14 @gallifreyone has just posted another update, including food options. The prepackaged meal option on the convention floor is 11am-2pm Friday and Saturday.
Brewster North, and 8 others are discussing. 
The Secret Guide To #gally1 (formerly #gally) 
Matt Hearn 12:25 am on February 2, 2011 Permalink |
There’s a Carls Jr and a Denny’s both within walking distance from the hotel. If you’re sick of hospitality suite food by Sunday and don’t like the look of the hotel restaurant prices, both are great options for a quick meal.
RM 12:39 am on February 2, 2011 Permalink |
I have celiac disease and generally make a grocery run for gluten-free snacks (I can also tell you what on the restaurant menus won’t poison you). This year, I even have access to a car. Statistically speaking, there should be about 10 – 20 of us with this need at the con. If one of them is you, feel free to get in touch — I’m happy to pick stuff up for you or include you in a trip if we’ve room in the car.
Moon 6:33 pm on February 2, 2011 Permalink |
Latitude 33 has very very slow service. It is faster to order room service than to go down to the restaurant. If you are in a time crunch trying to make all your panels, don’t try to sit down there. Champions is faster, and will also give you to go boxes.
Normally for breakfast we go to the buffet at the hotel just down the street- idk what it’s called but the buffet is very good and, again, much faster than Latitudes.
rsts11 6:39 pm on February 2, 2011 Permalink |
I’ll ask around, would like to find this out. We did the Latitude buffet two years ago and it wasn’t too bad, but there were fewer than 1500 people then 🙂
Moon 7:36 pm on February 2, 2011 Permalink
Ok, I just looked on google maps. We normally go to breakfast at the Four Points Sheraton. It is behind the Marriot on Airport Blvd.
eyesdelight 11:59 pm on February 2, 2011 Permalink |
If you have a car, and If you’re searching on Yelp, make sure to check nearby cities for possible food options (i.e. Hawthorne, El Segundo, Inglewood). I also found a few decent threads about dining near LAX on Chowhound, which may be helpful:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/728552
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/732794
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/683182
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/713782
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/714563
Leigh Ann 9:03 pm on February 4, 2011 Permalink |
Latitude 33 closes at an arbitrary hour in the middle of what many people consider to be a normal lunch period. Depending on the amount of business they have, they’ve closed as earlier as 11:45 AM. For people who do not care for the loudness and sensory overload of Champions, I recommend the lounge at the Sheraton behind the hotel. While it has TVs, there are far fewer, and the sound and general vibe are far more relaxed and comfortable. Additionally, they have a vast menu of beers to explore.
Of course, every time we leave the hotel to eat somewhere else because Latitude 33 is closed early and we don’t like Champions, we make a point of letting the staff know. I hate to take business away from a con hotel, but I hate Champions more.
Shaun Lyon 10:34 am on February 9, 2011 Permalink |
Leigh Ann, we spent a lot of time speaking to the Marriott about this very subject – Latitude 33 closing early. They promise to keep it open regular hours. (Believe me, we were just as irritated by this as our attendees were… the hours of Latitude 33, the poor meal service in Champions, etc. We’ve been assured they will have more and better staff this year.)
Moon 3:46 pm on February 8, 2011 Permalink |
Shaun,
Do you happen to have the menu for the banquet? Or will it be posted prior to the event at Con? I just like to know what I am going to be eating…
rsts11 4:42 pm on February 8, 2011 Permalink |
You may want to contact Shaun directly through the Gally website; he may not read all the comments on this site (I’m not Shaun; this site is independent and unofficial).
Shaun Lyon 10:35 am on February 9, 2011 Permalink |
I don’t at this point, but I will see if we can find out. Nevertheless I do know it’s a buffet, and it will have both meat and vegetarian entrees, as well as dessert included.
Nightingale 7:35 am on February 25, 2011 Permalink |
As a first-timer at the con, I’ll share some experiences. Took advantage of RM’s grocery run and got fresh avocados and bananas to snack on. Thanks, RM! Also, the fitness center has apples and bananas, so I would take one each morning to snack on during afternoon sessions. One night I was hungry and had only 45 minutes before the Masquerade, and Room Service had my Cobb Salad there in 20 minutes. It was yummy, though expensive. Had the breakfast buffet at Latitudes Monday morning, and saw John Leeson and Peter Davison while there. 🙂
Brewster North 11:15 am on February 7, 2013 Permalink |
Fellow con-goer @xanister recommended yummy.com – a grocery mini-chain that delivers to the LAX hotels – for folks who would like their groceries (including food) to come to them. According to their site they’re open 8am-12midnight, and will deliver in about 30 minutes. Orders can be placed by phone or online. $17.50 minimum order; orders over $100 deliver for free.
SuTheCoder 6:09 pm on February 7, 2013 Permalink |
I’m bringing food this year to get me through lunch because I found I had no time to stop and eat: granola/protein bars, pears or apples (firm!), and jerky or landjäger. I’m also bringing an empty water bottle to fill at the water coolers placed around the con. (The snacks will also get me through the stinking no-meal cross-continent flights.) Last year my roomie and I had good luck with eating a big breakfast to get us through the morning, light lunch, and then taxing to a restaurant.