Lakewood Square, Lakewood Center, and now Lakewood Galleria? Shopping centers are a plenty in the…read moreCity of Lakewood, and in this case, all within or around the same city block. While Lakewood Center is vast and spacious, it can be confusing to tourists which business belongs to what shopping center. Let's see if I can help.
Lakewood Galleria is the smallest of the three, perched on the northeast corner of Clark and Candlewood. Just on the other side of Clark is Outback Steakhouse, which is part of Lakewood Center. Lakewood Center is entirely east of Lakewood Blvd whereas Lakewood Square is entirely west of Lakewood Blvd. Got it? Good! Let's move on.
Since Lakewood Galleria is significantly smaller than the other two, it wouldn't be fair for me to compare the two shopping centers; if I were to do that, I'd be comparing apples to avocados, both fruits, but certainly not of the same type! I also personally find it difficult to review a plaza like Lakewood Galleria as it'd be more expository compared to a business located within, but my Yelp friend, Lilah J, continues to encourage me to take on this FTR endeavor with an additional prod from another Yelp friend, Te-see B.
If you're familiar with Lakewood Center, you should know about Restaurant Row, which spans as far west as IHOP/Chipotle to as far east as Outback Steakhouse. Since they're on the north side of Candlewood, I would argue that you can extend the row past Clark and add a few more eateries from Lakewood Galleria: Ohana Hawaiian BBQ, Corner Bakery Cafe, Pick Up Stix, Cold Stone Creamery, Rubio's Coastal Grill, and the most recently added Mlem Mlem Crab Cajun Seafood.
For eats, my go tos are Corner Bakery Cafe and Rubio's Coastal Grill, sometimes on the same trip when I want to eat a nice, delicious meal from Rubio's, and then treat myself to a nice beverage afterwards from Corner Bakery. I personally think Corner Bakery Cafe is on the decline and do not see a bright future ahead for this cafe that has already closed its doors in nearby Long Beach and Whittier. Rubio's is a better choice, offering a wider variety of eats on their menu, though they're not open all three meals of the day. I reviewed three other Rubio's nearby, awarding each of them two stars. This one, however, is superior, and I always appreciate being welcomed by the recently promoted manager whenever he's there. My visits to this Rubio's have been consistently good, though with a few one-offs here and there.
The spot occupied by Mlem Mlem Crab seems to be cursed. In a span of 15 years, it went from It's A Grind Coffee House to The Dog House, then to Dickey's Barbecue Pit, and now Mlem Mlem Crab Cajun Seafood. Besides Locks & Lather Hair Salon, which used to be a Fantastic Sam's, I don't recall any other spot in Lakewood Galleria having a changeover like that. I suppose that's why CityTV decided to do a feature on Mlem Mlem to encourage denizens of this city to try something different. They also have a location in nearby Hawaiian Gardens, so hopefully, they are here to stay.
I have witnessed the same person in the parking lot of Lakewood Galleria multiple times offering to wash customers' car windows. I usually get wary of stuff like that, so I stay far from him, though I've seen him come inside, and he's never posed a threat to anyone. I generally feel safer here than at Carwood West Shopping Center, and I haven't heard any stories of the likes of what I mentioned in that review, which Lilah also encouraged me to write.
While there's not really a doctor here, you can find The Joint, which can cater to your chiropractic needs. There is also Serene Dental Care that can cater to your dental needs. But like I said, no doctor, although I saw that MemorialCare is opening a location on Restaurant Row very soon where Men's Wearhouse used to be!
No grocery stores here, but there is an Albertsons just one block south of Lakewood Galleria. The post office is about halfway in between, and there's not a whole lot of parking in front, so if you really can't find a spot to park, I'd suggest parking here instead. The parking lot is large enough that I've never had an issue finding an open spot.
Similar to Lakewood Square, Lakewood Galleria serves as a good respite from the hustle and bustle of Lakewood Center. You won't find the best eats here, but there's a good variety for the size of this plaza that it shouldn't be difficult to agree upon a gathering place here. Corner Bakery comes to mind first only because of how empty the cafe has been on my recent visits, though do bear in mind the decline I mentioned earlier in this review. Also, Mayfair Park is a few hundred feet north, just south of South lol. It'd make for a good place to walk off your calories after your meal here.