Picking my favorites out of a group that ranges from very good to excellent is difficult. Also because the list of places I ate in Los Angeles is probably triple this list. But here we are and I will share the best ones (in our opinion).
Here is the list of the best food in Los Angeles!
great LA
- downtown Los Angeles
- $$$$ — Fine Dining
- new american
- spinach bucatini
Otium is all-in, and you know it the moment you step in. Grand and gorgeous, with huge glass windows, is the spacious restaurant attached to The Broad, Los Angeles' museum of contemporary art.
The open kitchen is the focal point, creating a social space with a unique menu, strong in ingredients such as hamachi, crab, burrata, falafel and wild rice.
Gjusta bakery
- venice beach
- $$ — Casual
- The bakery
- Fish dish
I prefer Gjusta to Gjelina. And for GTA, the takeaway version of Gjelina. Gjusta is the third part of the trifecta, a coffee/bakery/deli mix, and it has a breezy Venice beach vibe that I never get tired of.
My favorite is the fish dish, beautiful and stocked with trout, mackerel or salmon, egg, pickled vegetables, labneh and organic rye bread.
Jon & Vinny's
- fairfax
- $$ — Casual
- Italian
- spicy fusilli
This restaurateur duo has quite a list of hits under their belt: Son of a Gun, Animal, the newly opened Kismet and Jon & Vinny's itself.
Here the aesthetic leans towards the modern, but it is not tense.
Food is taken seriously, though moods are kept upbeat. The lettuce salad with pepper and breadcrumbs is one of the books, and the LA Woman with local burrata, tomato, basil, sea salt and olive oil pizza is excellent.
Angelini Alimentari
- Downtown Los Angeles and West Hollywood
- $$ — Casual
- Italian
- Pasta + Gelato
Know that Angelini Alimentari is a cafe. It's totally discreet, completely casual and very unpretentious.
This could be part of why you'll be so impressed when the food comes out. There are two locations, Beverly with a larger selection.
Order some eggs, choose some toast, and you'll be happy for the rest of the day.
Guerrilla Tacos
- Downtown Los Angeles/Arts District
- $$ — Casual
- street tacos
- Potato Tacos with Mushrooms
It may not be customary to put a food truck on a “greatest hits” list, but when the tacos that are prepared taste like Guerilla, it easily earns its spot.
This famous food truck now has a permanent restaurant located in downtown LA.
Night + Market Song by Silver Lake
- WeHo + Silver Lake + Venice
- $$ — Casual
- Thai Wine Bar
- Pad Thai
Silver Lake's Night + Market Song Thai restaurant is colorful and casual, fun and creative. The food has a kick, but not so much that it detracts from the complexity and enjoyment of the dishes themselves.
The Silver Lake location is closed, but you can also find them at WeHo and Venice.
Dip into a traditional Khao Soi, choose a spicy salad like the papaya, peanut and lemon version, and keep some sticky coconut rice on the side, just in case.
sugarfish
- west hollywood
- $$$ — Dear
- Sushi
DO NOT THINK. JUST EAT. TRUST ME.
I come back to Sugarfish over and over again whenever I'm in LA. The West Hollywood location is my favorite, but they all have the same menu and the same exceptional, simple sushi.
Order an omakase box to get the value Sugarfish is so known for.
bestia
- Downtown Los Angeles/Arts District
- $$$ — Sophisticated
- Italian
- bone marrow
Located in the slightly off-the-beaten-path Arts District, Bestia's warehouse space fits perfectly. It made a splash when it opened in 2013, and it's still very much alive and kicking.
The menu is huge, divided into traditional Italian sections of piatti piccoli, antipasti, pizze, paste, secondi and dolci.
Kismet
- Los Feliz
- $$ — Casual
- Mediterranean-Middle East
- Tah-Dig (Persian Crispy Rice)
Kismet, which means destiny, looked just like that. I went here with four people. We looked at the Mediterranean menu, looked back at our waitress, and said, "We'll have anything but that."
Our table filled quickly, laden with fresh barbarian bread, harissa olives, spiced cashews, marinated feta cheese, grilled calamari, mashed potatoes, and piles of tahini and labneh. We caught the attention of the entire staff and kitchen with our order and left ridiculously full and completely happy.
Republique – LA
- Wilshire
- $$$ — Sophisticated
- modern french
- to brush
Located in a beautiful high-ceilinged building that looks like it used to hold medieval banquets and balls, the Republique is great for any time of day.
Go for the bubbly shakshuka for breakfast, the lobster spaghetti with uni for dinner, or the huge slice of chocolate cake with salted caramel for dessert.
Petit Trois
- Hollywood
- $$$ — Sophisticated
- French
- Big Mec Burger
This is a professional operation brought to you by the aforementioned award winning Chef Ludo. There are only about 20 seats available, all lined up against two different bars that span the length of the small space.
Petit Trois gave me the Parisian omelet of a lifetime, filled with peppered Boursin cheese and sprinkled with chives. Other menu highlights are the walnut, avocado and endive salad, the French onion soup, the double cheeseburger and, of course, those fries.
Here's looking at you
- Koreatown
- $$$ — Sophisticated
- new american
- share plates
Here's looking at you is amazing. It's fun, it's seductive, it's different, and while it's a proper restaurant in the heart of Koreatown, it feels like a funky bar you'd be happy to spend the entire night in.
The shishito peppers in a bed of tahini sauce and the stracciatella cheese on nuggets bread were particularly memorable.
destroyer
- Culver City
- $$ — Casual
- modern european
- American Wagyu Beef Tartar
Oh my God Destroyer, you are one of a kind. Your dishes look like the future, but I want to be in the present with you now and forever.
Bread seasoned with creme fraiche and black currant may be the dish of the year.
Malibu Seafood
- $$ — Casual
- Seafood
- fish and chips
“The reason we don't open for breakfast is that we are having lunch.” If you want to eat somewhere where that's the motto, Malibu Seafood is for you.
Located literally next to the PCH, I've never been or been through here without seeing quite a considerable amount of people waiting to place their order. The queue moves quickly, and any waiting time turns out to be worth it.
Dishes are served simply and in abundance, served at whatever picnic table you can get your hands on. Choose from salads, fried or grilled sandwiches, fish and chips variations, soups and freshly grilled seafood dishes with side dishes.
Bavel
- Downtown Los Angeles/Arts District
- $$$$ — Fine Dining
- Middle East
- Oyster Mushroom Kebab
Bavel is next, and I think it's an even better iteration of Bestia. Also located in the fast-developing, warehouse-stocked Arts District, where you'll find a focus on the Middle East rather than Italian.
The menu features creative twists on staples, bringing old classics to life in exciting ways. The farmhouse cheese with za'atar and olive oil alongside a warm buckwheat bread and the grilled prawns on top of a zucchini tzatziki sauce are combinations that will surprise you.
The space is bright and colourful, with a large and charming inner courtyard if you prefer to dine al fresco. Any one of them will be the perfect setting for a meal you'll want to have over and over again.
Osteria La Buca
- Southeast of Hollywood
- $$ — Casual
- Italian
- Short Rib Ravioli
I eat out all the time. Usually several times a week. If something stands out for weeks, months, even years after you've eaten it, I know it's good.
Osteria La Buca's spaghetti cacio pepe is one such dish. It's perfectly al dente, perfectly creamy, and when eating it in the lovely candlelit room upstairs, the combination is a big highlight.
Food
- silver lake
- $$$ — Sophisticated
- Italian
- Chicken Liver Crostoni
Every city has “that” restaurant that looks super laid back and neighborhood but offers the highest quality food. For LA, Food in Silverlake is that spot.
It's the kind of place you can easily revisit monthly, order a little different each time, and walk away happy and satisfied over and over again.
Food is Italian at its core, but the variety of dishes goes beyond pasta. The menu is quite large, and a healthy variety of them must be sampled.
Start with the tasty cracked farro salad or a lighter crudo, followed by the octopus with charred carrots or yellow tail-collar affumicato, and then dip into these delicious carbs in sauce.
What are your favorite restaurants in LA? Did I leave any off this list that deserves a mention?
Enjoy and also read:
10 things to do in Los Angeles