Where to eat
The restaurants locals actually recommend.
Mediterranean restaurant from the team behind Bestia, featuring spreads, flatbreads, and their signature lamb-neck shawarma that has become one of the city's defining dishes. Located in the Arts District in a thoughtfully designed space.
Leading the culinary renaissance in Downtown LA with amazing Italian food that's driving the neighborhood's transformation. A must-visit destination for serious diners seeking exceptional pasta and regional Italian cuisine.
Pretty pink restaurant with flower-filled aesthetic on Main Street in Santa Monica serving amazing South Asian dishes. Popular enough to expect a line, but worth the wait.
LA's most reliably excellent Italian restaurant for over three decades, where celebrities gather by 8pm in a small, cramped space that feels like a hometown restaurant. Known for refined Italian cuisine and exceptional wine selection in Santa Monica's most exclusive dining scene.
Two-Michelin-starred kaiseki restaurant with only seven seats per night, offering an intimate and precise interpretation of Japanese fine dining. Chef Brandon Go's deeply personal tasting menu is among the most difficult reservations to secure in Los Angeles.
Authentic Thai restaurant in Santa Monica with a focused menu of curries, stir-fries, and traditional dishes. Located on Santa Monica Boulevard near the beach area, offering both lunch and dinner service.
Two Michelin Star modern kaiseki restaurant with only 26 seats, offering a 13-course tasting menu emphasizing California seasonality. Chef Niki Nakayama's precisely executed courses showcase traditional Japanese technique reimagined for the West Coast.
Nearly twenty years strong, this Michelin-starred Italian restaurant ranked 26th on North America's 50 Best Restaurants in 2026—the highest placement of any restaurant in the city. Chef-driven Italian cooking that hasn't coasted.
Soban delivers unforgettable Korean dining with an exceptional banchan spread and phenomenal braised dishes. Every meal arrives with generous sides; braised short ribs and kimchi jjigae define the neighborhood's best Korean food.
A 12-seat counter Korean restaurant in the Arts District with only one seating per evening at 6:30pm, founded by Kwang Uh and his wife Mina Park. Named Los Angeles Times Restaurant of the Year in 2024.
Upscale Middle Eastern restaurant in the Arts District serving wonderfully flavorful mezze and large-format entrees meant to be shared. A destination dining experience.
Upscale Korean BBQ with granite tabletops, koi ponds, and expansive outdoor patio that evokes a rainforest setting. One of Koreatown's most sophisticated grilling experiences featuring premium cuts and traditional preparations.
Refined Mexican cuisine in a repurposed Arts District warehouse, offering elevated preparations of traditional dishes with modern sensibility. A standout for serious contemporary Mexican cooking.
A West Hollywood institution since 1964 with red booths, checkered tablecloths, and consistently excellent East Coast-style Italian food. Celebrity sightings are frequent, and the phone-only reservation system maintains old-school exclusivity.
Standout Korean BBQ in Koreatown, America's Korean food capital. Part of a thriving scene where Seoul food experts marvel at the neighborhood's exceptional quality and variety.
A James Beard Award-winning Oaxacan restaurant with nearly 30 years in Koreatown, known for unparalleled mole flights and live mariachi bands. One of the most significant restaurants in Los Angeles regardless of category.
A legendary LA taco spot born and raised in the Arts District, known for superb braised lamb tacos and yellowtail tostadas at reasonable prices. Fresh cuisine served casual and quick.
Two-Michelin-starred Taiwanese restaurant ranked 25th in North America's 50 Best Restaurants. Intimate tasting menu format in the ROW DTLA district showcasing refined contemporary technique.
Tasting menu restaurant by chef Ki Kim in Koreatown offering fine dining with Korean flavors and ingredients, rivaling upscale French and Scandinavian Michelin-starred restaurants with its culinary sophistication.
From Dave Chang and Momofuku, this restaurant showcases California's bounty through knockout large-format dishes like whole plate short rib and smoked bossäm. A sleek, industrial setting with a sun-soaked patio serves groups of all sizes.
Two Michelin-starred restaurants under one Santa Monica roof: Mélisse at two stars for the full French tasting menu, and Citrin at one star for something looser. Run by chef Josiah Citrin.
Chef Niki Nakayama's intimate Michelin-starred kaiseki experience draws on seafood, meat, and produce sourced across Japan and California. The most personal fine dining experience in Los Angeles, booked solid for over a decade.
The standard-setter for Korean BBQ in LA, Park's sources beef like a steakhouse and grills it tableside with meticulous attention to doneness. When Korean chefs visit LA, this is where they get taken.
Pastry-forward, ingredient-obsessed breakfast in Silver Lake with standout bowls, toast, and baked goods that transcend typical brunch fare. Long weekend waits, but arrive early for the reward.
West Adams neighborhood gem reopened in 2026with Keith Corbin's take on Southern Californian cooking featuring suya-spiced bone marrow, wood-grilled picanha, and West African osso buco informed by his grandmother's cooking.
Located in an Arts District warehouse, Damian elevates Mexican cuisine with fine dining presentation and an industrial-chic aesthetic. The contemporary menu pays homage to Mexico City roots, making dinner here feel like a complete experience.
Located in a warehouse in the Arts District with Mexican fine dining, industrial-chic feel, and contemporary menu that pays homage to its Mexico City roots.
Inventive, seasonal, locally-sourced Californian cooking with scrumptious pizzas and pastas on Abbott Kinney Boulevard. Bookings essential on weekends.
San Gabriel Valley's top pick for Vietnamese food enthusiasts, representing the region's exceptional Asian restaurant scene. Outstanding pho and traditional Vietnamese dishes.
Handmade tortillas, slow-cooked carnitas, and perfect salsas made just like mom used to make it. Started in Boyle Heights and now has multiple locations across LA—this is how Angelenos experience authentic Mexican food.
The first market stand in Los Angeles to earn a Michelin star, located inside Mercado La Paloma in Boyle Heights. Specializes in fresh ceviche and seafood prepared with contemporary technique.
Downtown's most ambitious Asian-inflected cooking with Two Michelin stars and World's 50 Best One to Watch designation. An elevated dining room experience showcasing innovative pan-Asian cuisine.
Widely considered one of the best Korean BBQ restaurants in the country, known for premium cuts of beef and attentive tableside service that makes the meal feel ceremonial.
The quintessential Santa Monica restaurant embodying slow food philosophy since 2006 under James Beard-nominated Chef/Owner Jeremy Fox. The hyper-seasonal menu changes daily with everything made from scratch and sourced locally and sustainably.
Breezy Venice space where ceviche serves as both stunning opener and manifesto—sweet rockfish, impeccably sliced avocado, and broth of emulsified olive oil and lime juice sourced from California producers.
Wolfgang Puck's flagship restaurant earns two Michelin stars for dishes like crispy-scaled black bass with lobster and sauce américaine. The epitome of celebrity-fueled glamour and sophisticated French cuisine.
An upscale Middle Eastern restaurant in the Arts District designed for communal eating. Serves wonderfully flavorful mezze and large-format entrees, with za'atar lamb and wood-fired bread as standouts.
From the team behind Bestia, Bavel serves sophisticated Middle Eastern cuisine in one of the city's most coveted dining rooms. Booked solid for years, the better room of the two restaurants.
Silver Lake neighborhood favorite serving natural wines and inventive small plates in a creative, eclectic setting. Perfect for those seeking trendy, Instagram-ready dining with serious culinary chops.
Handsome neighborhood bistro from Joshua Whigham (José Andrés Group and Bazaar alum) where the coca—Iberian flatbread with blistered edges, oyster mushrooms, and salsa verde—is a must-order.
Michelin Bib Gourmand-recognized restaurant featuring vibrant curry, Asian street food, and soul and reggae beats. Hot pink exterior with flower-filled interior; expect a wait but reservations help.
Modern South Asian cuisine in a beautiful, flower-filled pink space on Main Street Santa Monica. The photogenic aesthetic draws you in, but the amazing dishes keep you returning; expect lines.
A new-school shack with serious East Coast vibes, sourcing sustainable wild-caught seafood from both Atlantic and Pacific. The lobster roll packed with tail and claw meat is a gem, and the chowder flight offers three regional styles.
Contemporary Mexican fine dining in a warehouse setting in the Arts District, featuring creative interpretations of traditional Mexican cuisine with an industrial-chic atmosphere and Mexico City-inspired menu.
James Beard Award-winning Oaxacan restaurant in Koreatown featuring mole flights and live music nights. One of the most significant restaurants in Los Angeles with authentic regional cooking.
James Beard Award-winning Oaxacan restaurant with mole flights and live music nights. One of the most significant restaurants in Los Angeles regardless of category.
One of LA's best Iranian restaurants specializing in succulent charbroiled meats and hearty stews, with standout beef koobideh. Generous portions and lively neighborhood energy make it a true West LA institution.
A contemporary bistro from chef Nyesha Arrington featuring classic French technique infused with cross-cultural accents from her own family heritage. Signature dishes include wagyu beef tartare inspired by her Korean grandmother and lamb meatballs with plantain chips and piri piri.
Chef Kris Yenbamroong's loud, fun, party-plastic-tablecloth room built around fiery northern Thai dishes and a serious natural-wine list. The opposite of takeout pad thai.
One Michelin star Korean fine dining in Little Tokyo, opened January 2025. Chef Kim elevates traditional Korean technique in a modern, intimate space with seasonal preparations.
A tiny taqueria doing San Luis Río Colorado-style tacos and burritos with flour tortillas made from Sonoran flour and mesquite-grilled carne asada. Cheap, specific, and beloved — order the Burrito 2.0.
Chef Vittorio Lucariello's Southern Italian restaurant featuring handmade pastas and fire-grilled seafood with uninterrupted ocean views. A beachfront destination rooted in Cucina Napoletana tradition overlooking the Pacific.
Chef Adam Perry Lang draws inspiration from nostalgic chophouses with sophisticated renditions of old-school staples. Begin with an iceberg wedge or shrimp cocktail before moving to Lang's signature short rib and prime steaks.
A Roman trattoria-inspired restaurant in Echo Park serving farm-driven dishes with California sensibility. The Focaccia Ebraica has developed a cult following among locals in this stylish wood-framed dining room.
A legendary deli on Lincoln Boulevard in Santa Monica famous for its exceptional Italian sandwich. Expect a line and grab a number at the counter, but the wait is worth it.
Modern French restaurant bringing classic technique into a contemporary LA register with refined execution. Located in an Arts District warehouse setting.
The best Thai restaurant near Venice Beach, serving authentic pad see ew and other favorites. A rare genuine neighborhood spot that avoids the tourist traps dominating the Venice boardwalk area.
Three decades on Channel Road in Santa Monica, this small, loud, family-run Italian restaurant is where the industry eats when it does not want to look like it is trying. Intimate and consistently excellent.
Popular lunch or dinner spot on Abbot Kinney Boulevard with a quaint patio, known for delicious pizzas and salads that capture the Venice bohemian spirit.
Historic downtown food hall with neon signs and bustling crowds that feels like a slice of New York transplanted to LA. Multiple vendors offering diverse cuisines in one vibrant space.