Two days ago, Sarah Stewart went to dinner at Panda Inn in Pasadena. Since then, more than 140,000 people have watched her eat it. The Los Angeles food creator, who posts as @sarahstewart17, has about 1,100 followers, and she walked in to try “the original Panda Express.” The video took off because it’s what she does best: a little history, an honest take on every dish and a reason to go yourself. She is the first creator in The LA Note’s new Foodies section, our home for the people showing LA where to eat.
At a glance
- Name: Sarah Stewart
- Based in: Los Angeles
- Hometown: Fillmore, Ventura County
- Creates: LA restaurant reviews, food tours and lifestyle videos
- TikTok: about 1,100 followers, 46,300 likes
- Series: Crown Jewels & Bar Stools
- Handle: @sarahstewart17
Who is Sarah Stewart?
Sarah Stewart’s TikTok name says it plainly: “LA foodie.” Her bio adds “lifestyle,” and her feed has room for both. There are Trader Joe’s seasonal finds, Marshalls hauls and a mini dachshund puppy whose shopping list drew 90,000 views. But food is the main event, and in 2026 she has posted more than 170 videos.
Her reviews have a style you notice. She tells you what she ordered, what to put on it and how it compares to something you already know. At The Hat she ran a ranch test on the fries (“Ranch passed my test”) and announced, “We’re mustard girls.”
What happened at Panda Inn?
On October 29 she posted her dinner at Panda Inn, the Pasadena restaurant that, as she explains in the video, opened in 1973. A decade later, the same family started Panda Express. She ordered across the menu: cucumber salad, pork pot stickers, Mongolian beef, chicken fried rice, string beans “for a whisper of health,” lo mein and Kung Pao chicken.
The orange chicken is the line people are sharing: “If you love Panda Express’s orange chicken, this is an elevated version that’s so much better.” She was just as honest about the lo mein, which “made me miss Panda Express’s chow mein.” The staff sent her home with a bag of fortune cookies. The video passed 140,000 views and 11,900 likes in two days, more than a hundred times her follower count.
What is Crown Jewels & Bar Stools?
In October Sarah launched a dining series with a mission. “We’re gonna be trying everything from trendy restaurants to local mom and pop shops that deserve the spotlight,” she said in the first episode. That one went to The Arepa Stand in Mar Vista, which she said spent seven years at the Mar Vista Farmers Market before opening its own spot about a month earlier. She tried yuzu-tamarind and white peach-basil agua frescas, a Red Queen arepa with garlic sauce and the Venezuelan quesillo de mano cheese being made fresh in the back. “You guys have to come support a local business,” she said.
Episode two, which she called Hidden Jewels & Bar Stools, went to Dama Grill in Culver City for Syrian-style chicken shawarma wraps with pomegranate molasses, a beef kofta plate and fries she called “perfectly seasoned.”
Reader poll
Where should Sarah eat next?
Where does Sarah Stewart eat?
Her home base is the Westside. She has filmed a Too Good To Go surprise bag from SusieCakes in Brentwood (46,400 views), the opening of Go Greek in Brentwood (31,800), Tasty Noodle House and the crème brûlée crepe at Millet Crepe on Sawtelle, Mimi Creamery, Don Antonio’s in West LA and Beethoven Market in Mar Vista.
Lately she has been crossing the county. In the last two weeks of October she drove to The Hat in Glendora for the pastrami dip the chain has served since 1951, with chili cheese fries “as big as my head.” She also joined Daisy’s Black LA Food Tour, which took her to Tav’s Kitchen for an oxtail mac-and-cheese quesadilla, Chinese Combo for its viral orange chicken fries, a wing truck on the Venice boardwalk and Brown Sugar Bakery for peach cobbler lemonade and hummingbird cake.
What’s her favorite food back home?
Sarah grew up in Fillmore, a small Ventura County town north of LA, and she has a standing order there: the carne asada burrito “with everything” (asada, beans, rice, onion, cilantro and salsa) from At Chihuahua, with the tomatillo salsa. “If you’re in Fillmore or Ventura County, do yourself a favor and try this burrito,” she said. It’s one of her most-watched videos. She has also named Spencer Makenzie’s a “strong contender for best fish taco in Ventura.”
Where to find Sarah Stewart
- TikTok: @sarahstewart17
- Email (from her bio): sarahlstewart17@gmail.com
Know an LA food creator we should feature next? The LA Note’s Foodies section is just getting started. Tell us who to feature.
Sources
- Sarah Stewart’s TikTok profile, video captions and spoken audio through October 29, 2026; follower, like and view counts as of October 31, 2026.
Image credits: all three photos are from Wikimedia Commons and are illustrative, not Sarah’s own: The Hat pastrami and chili fries by Rgen (CC BY-SA 4.0), Sawtelle Boulevard by Cbl62 (CC BY-SA 3.0). Videos are embedded through TikTok’s official player.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Sarah Stewart?
Sarah Stewart (@sarahstewart17 on TikTok) is a Los Angeles food and lifestyle creator. She reviews restaurants across LA, from Westside spots in Brentwood, Sawtelle and Mar Vista to classics like The Hat and Panda Inn, and grew up in Fillmore in Ventura County.
What is Crown Jewels & Bar Stools?
Her LA dining series, launched in October 2026. She described it as trying “everything from trendy restaurants to local mom and pop shops that deserve the spotlight.” The first episode visited The Arepa Stand in Mar Vista and the second Dama Grill in Culver City, where she called it Hidden Jewels & Bar Stools.
What did Sarah Stewart say about Panda Inn?
In her October 29, 2026 video, which passed 140,000 views in two days, she said the Pasadena restaurant opened in 1973 and that the same family went on to start Panda Express a decade later. Her verdict: if you love Panda Express’s orange chicken, Panda Inn’s is “an elevated version that’s so much better.”
Where is Sarah Stewart from?
She calls Fillmore, California, in Ventura County her hometown. Her favorite thing to eat there is the carne asada burrito “with everything” from At Chihuahua.
What are Sarah Stewart’s most popular food videos?
Panda Inn in Pasadena (about 140,500 views), a Too Good To Go haul from SusieCakes in Brentwood (46,400), Go Greek in Brentwood (31,800), her hometown burrito in Fillmore (26,000) and Tasty Noodle House on Sawtelle (16,600).
How do I contact Sarah Stewart?
Her TikTok bio lists sarahlstewart17@gmail.com, and she asks viewers to comment where she should eat next on TikTok.
Mara Alcantara is a tech-savvy writer with a creative eye who tends to see life in color. Pairing an analytical mind with a knack for spotting talent, she covers music, voice acting, and entertainment for The LA Note. Outside of writing, she’s busy raising her kids and hiking with her family.
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