The Local Place Bakery and Cafe — Restaurant in Torrance

BIRTHDAY MONTH=BIRTHDAY COUPONS=HAPPY RODNEY

Free entrée & slice of paradise cake coupon

Having been to the OG King's Hawaiian Restaurant & Bakery, I haven't visited their nearby sister location, The Local Place. The Local Place is a fast casual eatery, with most of the bakery products available at the restaurant, offered at this location, too.

Perusing the various menu options, my eye spied a sign stating "Oxtail Soup - Only Served During The Weekend". Being a soup aficionado, and noting the oxtail soup being the most expensive item on the menu, the star aligned and oxtail soup was what was in store for me.

Oxtail soup w/ rice, macaroni salad & ginger/cilantro (only served on weekends) Highly reminiscent of tinola, a beloved Filipino soup, the oxtail soup was adorned with thick, unctuous cuts of the namesake item. Tender, fatty, fall of the bone, the oxtail was cooked immaculately, with slices of cabbage embellishing the salty, but not too salty, broth. The macaroni salad was creamy & cool, the steamed rice fluffy & moist. A must get item on the weekend, the oxtail soup filled me up & satisfied.

Paradise cake Probably King's Hawaiian's most popular bakery item, save for the Hawaiian bread, the paradise cake is, indeed, a trip to paradise. Chiffon cake, composed of a layer of guava, a layer of passonfruit & a layer of lime, topped with whipped cream & guava/passionfruit/lime glaze, the paradise cake is almost ethereal in it's consistency. If left to my own, I could finish a whole sheet of this wonderful dessert treat.

I had a Dole Whip for the first time! And...........I didn't like it. Sugar overload to me. I'm glad I tried it, but it's not for me.

Service was good. The staff was ready when we asked for extra plates and to-go containers. A fair amount of seating, The Local Place can get quite busy, not to mention loud. Don't expect to have deep, meaningful conversation here, unless shouting at the top of your lungs.

Parking is in a private lot. The Local Place is right off the 405 freeway.

The Local Place is the main place for me when I'm craving King's Hawaiian. Cheaper prices, quick turnaround on food & almost all of the same baked goods available, The Local Place is simply more accessible, not to mention casual. Wanna impress? Visit King's Hawaiian Restaurant & Bakery? Wanna eat & go, for less? Then, visit the Local Place & be off on your...

This is where you can get a Dole whip without going to Disneyland or the Dole plantation in Honolulu! Why is this dessert so popular? It is a perfect blend of refreshing pineapple soft serve sherbet that is a little creamy and not too sweet. If you see a long line at the Tiki bird house at Disneyland it’s for this, and the show which is all animatronic birds singing is honestly boring but we go there to take a break, in the hot summer this Dole whip is so good. But here at the Local Place you don’t have to wait in a long line and the food is very good, it is a quick cafe version of the larger King’s Hawaiian Restaurant on Sepulveda. The light airy chiffon cakes here have been my favorite for decades. The Dobash is a light chocolate chiffon cake with chocolate pudding and a chocolate frosting that is so light you can almost eat a whole cake by yourself. It’s so amazing if you are in Torrance or Gardena you must try the cakes. I have a secret, they won’t make cakes with real fruit so I get a cake and then decorate it with fruit in season. They have a Peach Bavarian cake that’s like a strawberry shortcake but has canned peach slices inside with whip cream frosting, if you get that and add your own fresh white peach in the summer on top or fresh strawberries in the spring, just a warning you will be a cake snob and won’t be able to eat any other cake. So if you don’t live near by where you can buy from them again you will start shaking and crying for this cake so just be prepared to be a King’s Hawaiian cake addict. The muffins are also pretty good, they have a few mochi donut flavors and it is ok but I only get the cakes and if I’m driving by I just get a slice of Dobash for later. The Paradise cake is also very popular it’s a tropical flavor cake but I like Dobash better! You don’t have to get a whole cake. They sell just the chiffon Bundt so you can make your own too. Smother it in fresh whip cream with fresh fruit. Enjoy! This local place will not take reservations for birthday cakes you have to go to the larger...

Me and my coworker were driving by around lunch time. We went inside seeking a unique experience worthy of the delicious King Hawaiian dinner rolls. Unfortunately, this place lacks taste and service. First of all, forget about getting a lovely King Hawaiian roll with your order. We both ordered plates, and we didn't get any rolls. Second, the food was 3 out of 10 @ the best. I had beef teriyaki and Hawaiian chicken (apparently just some fried chicken dry pieces). No real taste.

And third, the service is terrible. While we were @ the store (we dined in), none of the workers/servers came to ask if we needed anything. Then, I asked for a cup of water, to be told that due to Covid-19, I had to purchase a bottle of water. No problem, Covid-19 safety rules ought to be applied. Then, our server (they bring the food to your table) never brought the bottle of water, or even extra napkins. And when I asked for some sauce, she was quick to tell me "$0.50 ... actually $0.55" (10% extra for taxes). So, she was happy, joyful and eager to charge me for the sauce, while providing the least amount of service as possible. Did I mention that the water bottle was for $1.95 plus tax?

In conclusion, the only good thing was a piece of dessert that I took back to the office (it wasn't what I asked for, but it was great and amazingly fresh). Maybe this restaurant was amazing prior to Covid-19 and its impact on the labor market; still, there was a manager (I spoke to her before we left), and she never bothered to walk around to check on the wellbeing...