Three spots serving up DIY grilling this Labor Day — without the host duties

📺 LAist 🕐 September 3, 2026 at 12:36 PM

Four raw and grilled steaks cooking on a flaming charcoal grill, two seared with grill marks and two still raw. — Diners at the Venice Room season and grill their own steaks to order.

While Labor Day is meant to celebrate your hard-earned time off from work, many people mark it with a barbecue — which often means manning the grill while everyone else relaxes with a plate and a cold beverage.

This year, let someone else handle the shopping, the setup and the cleanup — but you still get to do the grilling. We found three spots around L.A. and Orange County where the whole point is cooking your own meat, no backyard or grocery shopping required.

Venice Room (Monterey Park)

A weathered orange neon sign reading "Cocktails / Venice Room" with an arrow pointing down toward a "Steaks" sign on the building below, set against a blue sky. — The Venice Room’s vintage neon sign has marked the Monterey Park dive bar and steakhouse since 1955.

If you’re from the San Gabriel Valley/East L.A. area, there’s a good chance you know The Venice Room. Open since 1955, it’s an old-school Italian-themed dive bar/steakhouse. In other words, heaven on earth.

The move is to order an NY strip or ribeye, and they’ll hand you raw-cut beef, plus a potato and garlic bread, which you grill yourself on one of the gas grills in the back. Don’t forget the seasoning at the prep bar, ’cause no one wants a bland steak.

Vibe: Think dim lighting, warm leatherette red booths, weekend karaoke and plenty of regulars — ex-bikers and retired cops rubbing elbows — belting out their own versions of War’s “Slippin’ Into Darkness”.

Price: $25-35 for a steak dinner; “for 2” special with house wine runs about $75-79

Location: 2428 S Garfield Ave, Monterey Park
Hours: Mon-Thu 12 p.m.-11 p.m., Fri-Sat 12 p.m.-12 a.m., Sun 11 a.m.-11 p.m.

Thien An Bo 7 Mon (Garden Grove)

The exterior of Thien An Bò 7 Món restaurant at dusk, with a red neon sign reading "Thiên Ân Bò 7 Món / Vietnamese BBQ & Grill" above a glass storefront reflecting the sunset. — Thien An Bo 7 Mon has served Little Saigon’s bò 7 món for over three decades.(Courtesy Thien An Bò 7 Món )

The Little Saigon institution, Thien An Bo 7 Mon, has built a reputation around bò 7 món, the Vietnamese “seven courses of beef” tasting menu. While that kind of menu is common at similar restaurants, what makes the version at Thien An Bo 7 Mon unique are the two courses that call for a hands-on approach.

That starts with bò nhúng dấm, where you cook thin slices of beef yourself in a simmering vinegar hot pot, along with bò nướng sa tế, lemongrass-marinated beef that you grill tableside on a small cast-iron grill. Just make sure to leave room for the remaining five courses.

An overhead spread of Vietnamese dishes on a white table, including a bowl of clear beef broth soup, a plate of fresh herbs and lettuce, a papaya-style salad, grilled meatballs wrapped in betel leaf, and a rice plate with grilled pork chop and fried egg — A spread from Thien An Bo 7 Mon’s bò 7 món, the “seven courses of beef” tasting menu that’s made the Little Saigon spot a Garden Grove institution.(Ben Wishner / Courtesy Thien An Bo 7 Mon’)

Vibe: Family-owned since 1989, the warm, lively dining room is great for big groups and feeding a crowd. Expect long tables, lots of family celebrations and friendly, helpful staff who will walk you through each course if it’s your first time.

Price: The seven-course beef runs around $21.99 per person; expect a full bill closer to $30 a head once you add sides and drinks, or go the extra mile and order their famous baked catfish (which starts around $50 for a whole fish).

Location: 13518 Harbor Blvd, Ste A6, Garden Grove
Hours: Mon-Thu 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri-Sat 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Sun 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Dollar Hits (Historic Filipinotown and West Covina)

A collage of photos behind a bar has the words Original Street Food and Dollar Hits with a phone number. — Be transported to a street party in Manila.(Courtesy Dollar Hits)

The Filipino street-food-stall-meets-buffet, which has been running since 2013, is one of my favorite L.A. dining experiences. Where else can you enjoy $1.50 skewers you’ve grilled yourself in a parking lot while gazing up at the DTLA skyline, contemplating these moments of greatness as an Angeleno?

Choices include pork, chicken, offal cuts, and items such as kwek-kwek (deep-fried, hard-boiled eggs) and longaniza. The move: grab skewers from inside, pay and then head out to the charcoal grills set up in the parking lot to cook them yourself.

People grilling skewers over open flame on charcoal grills set up on a sidewalk at night, with smoke rising and red plastic stools visible in the background. — Customers grill their own skewers over open flame on the sidewalk outside Dollar Hits.( Brandon Killman / LAist)

Vibe: Long communal tables, red plastic stools, charcoal smoke drifting through the parking lot, families and big groups crowding in late — it can feel like you’ve been transported to a street party in Manila.

Price: Most skewers run $1.50 each; easy to eat well for $10-15 a person, though it adds up fast if you’re loading up a table for a crowd. The L.A. location also offers cafeteria-style lunch combos under $12 before 2 p.m.

Location: 2432 W Temple St, Los Angeles / 1559 E Amar Rd, Ste C, West Covina
Hours:
L.A. location: Tue-Sun, 7 a.m.-11 p.m., closed Mondays — self-grill BBQ specifically starts at 4:30 p.m. nightly.
West Covina: BBQ available during regular store hours.

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Three spots serving up DIY grilling this Labor Day — without the host duties.

Diners at the Venice Room season and grill their own steaks to order.While Labor Day is meant to celebrate your hard-earned time off from work, many people mark it with a barbecue — which often means manning the grill while everyone else relaxes with a plate and a cold beverage.This year, let someone else handle the shopping, the setup and the cleanup — but you still get to do the grilling. We found three spots around L.A. and Orange County where the whole point is cooking your own meat, no backyard or grocery shopping required.Venice Room (Monterey Park) The Venice Room's vintage neon sign has marked the Monterey Park dive bar and steakhouse since 1955.If you're from the San Gabriel Valley/East L.A. area, there's a good chance you know The Venice Room. Open since 1955, it's an old-school Italian-themed dive bar/steakhouse. In other words, heaven on earth.The move is to order an NY strip or ribeye, and they'll hand you raw-cut beef, plus a potato and garlic bread, which you grill yourself on one of the gas grills in the back. Don't forget the seasoning at the prep bar, 'cause no one wants a bland steak.Vibe: Think dim lighting, warm leatherette red booths, weekend karaoke and plenty of regulars — ex-bikers and retired cops rubbing elbows — belting out their own versions of War's "Slippin’ Into Darkness”.Price: $25-35 for a steak dinner; "for 2" special with house wine runs about $75-79Location: 2428 S Garfield Ave, Monterey ParkHours: Mon-Thu 12 p.m.-11 p.m., Fri-Sat 12 p.m.-12 a.m., Sun 11 a.m.-11 p.m.Thien An Bo 7 Mon (Garden Grove) Thien An Bo 7 Mon has served Little Saigon's bò 7 món for over three decades.(Courtesy Thien An Bò 7 Món )The Little Saigon institution, Thien An Bo 7 Mon, has built a reputation around bò 7 món, the Vietnamese "seven courses of beef" tasting menu. While that kind of menu is common at similar restaurants, what makes the version at Thien An Bo 7 Mon unique are the two courses that call for a hands-on approach.That starts with bò nhúng dấm, where you cook thin slices of beef yourself in a simmering vinegar hot pot, along with bò nướng sa tế, lemongrass-marinated beef that you grill tableside on a small cast-iron grill. Just make sure to leave room for the remaining five courses. A spread from Thien An Bo 7 Mon's bò 7 món, the "seven courses of beef" tasting menu that's made the Little Saigon spot a Garden Grove institution.(Ben Wishner / Courtesy Thien An Bo 7 Mon')Vibe: Family-owned since 1989, the warm, lively dining room is great for big groups and feeding a crowd. Expect long tables, lots of family celebrations and friendly, helpful staff who will walk you through each course if it's your first time.Price: The seven-course beef runs around $21.99 per person; expect a full bill closer to $30 a head once you add sides and drinks, or go the extra mile and order their famous baked catfish (which starts around $50 for a whole fish).Location: 13518 Harbor Blvd, Ste A6, Garden GroveHours: Mon-Thu 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri-Sat 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Sun 11 a.m.-10 p.m.Dollar Hits (Historic Filipinotown and West Covina) Be transported to a street party in Manila.(Courtesy Dollar Hits)The Filipino street-food-stall-meets-buffet, which has been running since 2013, is one of my favorite L.A. dining experiences. Where else can you enjoy $1.50 skewers you've grilled yourself in a parking lot while gazing up at the DTLA skyline, contemplating these moments of greatness as an Angeleno?Choices include pork, chicken, offal cuts, and items such as kwek-kwek (deep-fried, hard-boiled eggs) and longaniza. The move: grab skewers from inside, pay and then head out to the charcoal grills set up in the parking lot to cook them yourself. Customers grill their own skewers over open flame on the sidewalk outside Dollar Hits.( Brandon Killman / LAist)Vibe: Long communal tables, red plastic stools, charcoal smoke drifting through the parking lot, families and big groups crowding in late — it can feel like you've been transported to a street party in Manila.Price: Most skewers run $1.50 each; easy to eat well for $10-15 a person, though it adds up fast if you're loading up a table for a crowd. The L.A. location also offers cafeteria-style lunch combos under $12 before 2 p.m.Location: 2432 W Temple St, Los Angeles / 1559 E Amar Rd, Ste C, West CovinaHours: L.A. location: Tue-Sun, 7 a.m.-11 p.m., closed Mondays — self-grill BBQ specifically starts at 4:30 p.m. nightly. West Covina: BBQ available during regular store hours.

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