The best restaurants in Los Angeles right now

With remodeled dining rooms, extravagant tasting menus, and stunning food ranging from wood-fired meals to down-home fried chicken, Los Angeles restaurants continue to exceed expectations. Many new trends have emerged in the dining culture of the city. These include chef-driven dining concepts in upscale hotels, regional Italian and Mediterranean cuisines translated with fresh California ingredients and a fondness for simple yet refined French techniques. As a result, there is always something new to taste and experience.

Did you know that the MICHELIN Guide awarded 11 restaurants in Los Angeles with stars? To say the least, the city’s ever-changing food sector has a lot to offer.

Below are some of the best restaurants in Los Angeles you need to check out.

Camphor, Arts District

Camphor is an industrial-chic bistro setting with high ceilings and just 65 seats, including eight on a street-side terrace. Run by two young chefs, Max Boonthanakit and Lijo George (Ducasse), the restaurant combines classical French training with a diverse South Asian influence. 

The menu combines each chef’s culinary history with a distinctly LA viewpoint. You will find usage of spices from George’s native state of Kerala, India, and enhancing classic dishes like Dry-Aged Dover Sole with a tableside filet. You also get to taste a house-made Grenobloise sauce, as well as lobster with Coral Bisque. 

Bar Director Andrew Paniagua (Lock & Key) is in charge of the cocktail menu. This includes artisan concoctions like Opéra, made with Japanese Whiskey, Vermouth Blanc, Amaro, and Peach and Mole bitters, as well as wines from Burgundy and around Europe that are hard to get elsewhere in LA.

Osteria Mozza, Hollywood

When it opened in 2007, Osteria Mozza revolutionized Italian cuisine in Los Angeles. James Beard Award winner and Chef’s Table documentary star Nancy Silverton leads the restaurant. The creators of this unique restaurant, strive to remind Angelenos of the joys of fresh cheese and homemade pasta. They have also introduced relatively unknown items, such as bitter Italian amaros and chicory salads that are now on menus across the city.

The restaurant, like the food, has a timeless quality that helps it to remain current. Silverton may still serve antipasti at the house’s most famous table: the mozzarella bar. All of this has earned the restaurant a MICHELIN star.

MIAN, West Adams

Chef Tony Xu is credited for popularizing Sichuan cuisine in Southern California. He opened the Chengdu Taste in the San Gabriel Valley in 2013 and is also a James Beard Award nominee. MIAN specializes in Sichuan-style noodles and classic Sichuan dishes, and is called after the Mandarin term for “noodle.” 

Be alert, hesitant diners: the flavors are strong, pungent, and tongue-numbingly hot, yet every bite is worth it. After just one visit, late writer Jonathan Gold from Los Angeles Times culinary observed, “There is nothing quite like Mian”. The MICHELIN Guide awarded the restaurant the coveted Bib Gourmand award in 2019.

Gracias Madre, West Hollywood

This elegant Mexican eatery specializes in small-batch agave spirits and plant-based cuisine, that demonstrates Los Angeles’s imaginative and tasty vegan culinary scene. Even if you are a non-vegetarian, you wouldn’t want to miss the tasty and hearty jackfruit carnitas tacos, potato pimento flautas, and mushroom fajitas.

Executive chef Diana Briscoe believes in sourcing local ingredients. Her healthy and sustainable approach to food extends to the bar program too. Zero-waste margaritas (made with leftover lime juice, lime, and orange peels) and mezcal slushies are popular orders at the bar. 

This is one of the best restaurants to see celebrities in Los Angeles. Hollywood celebrities such as Natalie Portman, Ellen DeGeneres, Selena Gomez, and Jessica Alba are regular visitors.

Park’s BBQ, Koreatown

Chef Jenee Kim, a native of Seoul, began by serving USDA Prime and American wagyu beef at Park’s BBQ restaurant. His establishment quickly became known as the finest Korean barbecue in the city.

You can order one of their specialties “Taste of Park’s” barbecue platters to sample the full range of offerings, including perfectly marbled Ggot sal prime beef and boneless short ribs marinated in the restaurant’s beloved garlic, soy, and brown sugar mixture, all served with an assortment of banchan, including marinated vegetables, tofu, and more. 

Walking inside this restaurant, where the walls have images of celebrities like David Chang and Anthony Bourdain.

(abeautifullife) Jamaican Kitchen, Little Tokyo

Since its inception in 2013, (abeautifullife) has been a popular location for its uniquely Californian twist on Jamaican cuisine. Its light and tropical-themed interior is the ideal setting for its cuisine, which mixes island traditions with a dedication to ethical business practices. 

Jerk bone broth, oxtail ragu, and a variety of bowls such as jerked wild-caught fish with rice and peas, sautéed cabbage, and fried plantains are some popular offerings. The restaurant now has two locations, a food truck, and a line of jerk-themed clothes.

Bacari, Silver Lake

Bacari’s creators have built five more sites to their shared plates idea since opening their first branch in West Adams in 2008. Executive chef Lior Hillel and co-owners Robert and Danny Kronfli cater to the locals, with each location reflecting the essence of the town. 

Their newest Silver Lake restaurant debuted in June 2021 and was an instant hit. It serves Cicchetti-style treats like signature fries topped with a fried egg as well as larger meals like gorgonzola spaghetti and exquisite lamb-stuffed eggplant. In order to foster a sense of togetherness, food distribution is among everyone at the table. There is live music every weekend at the Silver Lake location as well as a late-night bar program selling small-production offbeat wines.

Felix Trattoria, Venice

There is no lack of fresh pasta in Los Angeles these days, but no restaurant does it quite like Felix. Chef Evan Funke creates a rainbow of patterns in a temperature-controlled noodle “lab” with glass walls. Diners may eat their way around Italy, from the north to the islands, on the restaurant’s menu. The restaurant has regionally structured pasta such as linguini with lemon and asparagus smothered in pecorino.

Felix has earned a reputation as one of the city’s defining restaurants because of Funke’s unwavering pursuit of pasta perfection. This also earned him a cookbook contract, and a position on Eater’s best new restaurants list in 2017.

Bicyclette, West Los Angeles

The chefs behind LA’s internationally acclaimed French-inspired bakery and cafe République, Walter and Margarita Manzke, built this cozy 80-seat restaurant with mosaic tiles, massive armor, and vintage European posters. 

Warm baguettes with Rodolphe Le Meunier butter from Normandy are the ideal start to a sumptuous meal. Classic Gallic meals like tuna “steak” tartare, duck leg confit, and Bourguignonne-style beef short ribs are cooked using locally sourced meats and seasonings. Add in the charming Maison-inspired furnishings and the polished oak tables created by Walter Manzke, and you’ve got yourself a little taste of Paris in West LA.

Rossoblu, Fashion District

Head downtown to Rossoblu for perfect renditions of regional Italian cooking. Chef Steve Samson draws on his childhood memories of visiting his grandparents’ house in Bologna to recreate dishes of such high quality that it is named in the Los Angeles Times’ 101 Best Restaurants list for several years. 

Diners may sample meals like erbazzone, a savory pastry filled with swiss chard, bitter greens, and cheese, or the now-famous minestra nel sacco, and a bowl of Parmigiano Reggiano dumplings in brodo.

Gjelina, Venice

The city’s obsession with all-day cafés and avocado toast has become a cliche today. However, Gjelina has been the pioneer of the genre. There was nothing else like it in the city when it started in 2008. The restaurant’s wooden communal tables, industrial-chic chairs, and effortlessly fashionable clientele continue to urge indulgence in the California cool illusion. 

Gjelina also pioneered the style of dining that Angelenos now take for granted, with a wood-burning oven cranking out inventive pizzas alongside a range of vegetable-forward small dishes like charred romanesco cauliflower laced with anchovies, capers, Fresno chilies, and mint.

Bavel, Arts District

Bavel is a Middle Eastern restaurant from the same team that brought you Bestia. It maintains the typical format (spreads, salads, small dishes, large plates) but uses completely unconventional ingredients. The cloud-like hummus, served in a dish slick with olive oil and topped simply with a slug of green zhoug or, more imaginatively, with duck ‘nduja, distinguishes it as one of the city’s best eateries. 

These novel ingredients, which are always executed beautifully, will tempt diners to try every dish on the menu. The Eater named Bavel LA’s restaurant of the year when it initially opened in 2018.

Q Sushi, Downtown

Head downtown to MICHELIN-starred Q Sushi for the greatest traditional omakase meal in the city. Chef Hiroyuki Naruke prepares every single piece of fish here, avoiding imaginative flourishes in favor of excellent slices of fish. It is a well-executed, straightforward preparation using some uncommon species like black abalone or Hokkaido scallops. 

Only two seatings each night are available in the small, unused dining room, both for $300 per person. However, when compared to the cost of a plane ticket to Tokyo, it’s a bargain to sample some of the city’s finest seafood. 

71Above, Downtown

This swanky modern American eatery on the 71st floor of the 1,018-foot U.S. Bank Tower surely reaches for the stars. Drinks like the Hollywood, a strong combination of jalapeno vodka, fortified wine, and grapefruit cordial, and the Downtown, a blend of bourbon, cognac, and apricot liqueur, are named after Los Angeles neighborhoods. 

Thankfully, the plates are just as stunning as the views from the summits. Start your evening with caviar before sampling a variety of seasonal specialties,  including heritage ham with garlic-cherry purée and delicate handkerchief pasta with mushrooms. Pro Tip: Take a seat at one of the two chef’s tables to get a better view of the action in the kitchen.

Birdie G’s, Santa Monica

Chef Jeremy Fox has switched on to global comfort cuisine at his huge Santa Monica establishment,  Birdie G’s. This is where he earned a Michelin star and essentially wrote the book On Vegetables: Modern Recipes for the Home Kitchen. 

The handmade cavatelli comes with Calabrian chili and kimchi garnishing, while the southern noodle kugel is a homage to the Eastern European meal Fox’s grandmother used to make. This version of that special dish includes ricotta, chow-chow, walnuts, and sage brown butter. 

There’s also a fantastic children’s menu, which includes potato-crusted chicken fingers that adults will like. Birdie G’s has become an immediate sensation just two years after opening, thanks to a unique blend of nostalgia and fine dining expertise.

Fishing With Dynamite, Manhattan Beach

Fishing With Dynamite delivers perfectly shucked bivalves with globally inspired fish dishes only steps away from the Pacific Ocean. It is one of the best seafood places in Los Angeles.

Chef and owner David LeFevre offer a variety of raw bar platters that showcase the restaurant’s carefully sourced shellfish, including the “Mothershucker,” which features bicoastal oysters on a tray alongside a whole lobster. The Alaskan king crab and signature Peruvian scallops served in their shells with a hint of citrus are also popular.

The rest of the menu at this little place is essentially an encyclopedia of seafood dishes from across the world. These include New England-inspired “chowda” bowls and El Salvador-inspired “salad” bowls.

Key Takeaways

• Los Angeles is home to not just Hollywood stars, but also celebrity chefs.

• As the country’s second-largest metropolis and a real melting pot of worldwide cultures, LA’s eating options are as numerous as they are diverse.

• You’ll discover everything from hidden treasures to opulent steakhouses, California fusion to classic Old World traditions in LA.

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FAQs

Q1. What is Los Angeles known for?

Answer – Los Angeles is one of the most well-known cities in the world. The city is recognized across the world for being the home of the rich and famous, Hollywood, the headquarters of major entertainment firms, swanky restaurants, busy traffic, and ethnic diversity, and is America’s second-largest metropolis.

Q2. What is the most iconic food in Los Angeles?

Answer – Los Angeles is renowned as the United States’ burger capital. Unlike other regions of the country, Burgers fit a demand that is still peculiar to drive-thrus in Los Angeles.

Q3. Which is the most expensive restaurant in LA?

Answer – Urasawa is one of the most costly and best restaurants in Los Angeles, according to sources. Before drinks, tax, and tip, meals cost $400 per person.