Thai restaurant with a focus on flavor and atmosphere. As much a place to enjoy social drinks with friends as it is to indulge in pad thai and curries. A single venue in its origin, there are now three locations on the West Coast.
Bar Amá is a restaurant and bar that specializes in Tex-Mex and tequila cocktails. Visit for a dinner of queso and enchiladas, or better yet; stop by during their Super Nacho Hour for signature cocktails and snacks.
Local institution with tons of history, Chez Jay is a go-to for burgers, steak, live music, and drinks. Located right by the beach and has been lauded by the Wall Street Journal. Eat in the restaurant and then drink in The Backyard.
Intimate Inglewood spot serving a fusion of West African, Californian, and Latin flavors. Dishes like crispy catfish over jollof rice and root beer braised short ribs pack the small, lively dining room nightly – reservations are essential.
South LA kitchen dishing up Jamaican-soul food platters from a covered outdoor patio. The menu changes daily on a whiteboard – expect generous portions of oxtail, jerk chicken, and standout mac & cheese.
Long-standing Creole restaurant run by the same family since 1969. The menu is classic New Orleans – filé gumbo, crawfish étouffée – served in a dining room filled with old jazz posters and family photos.
Loud, festive Oaxacan institution serving complex, family-recipe moles and a deep list of mezcals. Live music from the bandstand fills the sprawling dining room most nights.
Family-run Koreatown strip-mall kitchen serving a tight four-item menu of traditional Korean stews and braised cod. Most orders go out the door, leaving just three tables to sit and eat slow-simmered ginseng chicken soup.
Homey Koreatown dining room serving rural-style Korean set menus centered around barley rice. Tables quickly crowd with up to 25 side dishes, building a massive, shared feast of clean, traditional flavors.
Loud, smoke-filled Koreatown restaurant buzzing with the constant sizzle of tabletop grills. Marinated short ribs and pork belly cook over open flames alongside heavy stone bowls of stew and endless small plates.
Airy Beverly Grove pasta bar serving fresh, handmade Sardinian dishes behind an open garage door. The menu runs on a simple mix-and-match format of daily shapes and sauces, with baskets of warm focaccia to mop the plates.
Dim, compact Koreatown sool jib pouring craft soju and makgeolli alongside modern Korean small plates. The loud room runs on 90s hip-hop and shared plates of kimchi vodka rigatoni and uni tteokbokki.
Intimate, wood-lined dining room on Melrose running weeknights only for natural wine and shared plates. The open stainless steel kitchen works right alongside the tables, slicing cured hams and sending out daily crudos and snacks.
Warm, eclectic Argentinian restaurant in South LA serving classic empanadas, choripán, and steaks. The romantic dining room runs steady into the evening, while the industrial-chic bar next door pours Latin American wines.
Lodgelike restaurant in Mar Vista featuring hearty, meat-centric dishes and a hidden spirits bar. Known for expertly mixed cocktails, cornbread, and a stylish interior with taxidermied animals.
Family-run Inglewood dining room serving fiercely spicy Nayarit-style aguachiles and mineral water micheladas. Charcoal smoke from the whole grilled snook often fills the casual space.
Unfussy dining room serving traditional Sichuan food with intense, numbing heat. Tables fill with large, shared orders of toothpick lamb, mapo tofu, and wontons drenched in chili oil.
Sichuan-style ramen shop where diners set the spice and numbness levels for each bowl of Tantanmen. Choose between the rich Tokyo Style with a pork-sesame broth or the original soupless version.
Warm, elegant dining room and a large heated patio serving authentic Persian cuisine. The menu is traditional – focus on the scratch-made kebabs, especially the famously tender Juicy Chicken.
Westwood bistro and cooking school set in a historic brick building. The brick-paved courtyard sees the most traffic, filling with steak au poivre and French onion soup under string lights.
Melrose Avenue dining room with pale stucco walls, a skylight, and colorful ikat fabrics. The family-run kitchen serves hearty Central Asian staples like slow-cooked plov, lamb-filled samsas, and fresh obi non bread.
Compact Melrose Avenue burger counter from Nipsey Hussle’s Marathon brand. Loud hip-hop plays over a dozen stools while the open kitchen slings double Wagyu smash burgers with spicy Fresno peppers and house pickles.
Retro-futuristic West Hollywood diner and Supercharger station running 24 hours. Kiosks handle orders for burgers and shakes while two large screens play movies for the lot and rooftop.
Family-run anchor of Little Armenia serving Lebanese-Armenian feasts since 1983. Big groups fill the tables to pass house-made soujuk and endless meze spreads.
Thai Town counter focused on a single, perfected recipe for roasted duck with impossibly crispy skin. The tiny space has just a few tables – most orders are served over jade noodles and packed to go.
Candlelit Los Feliz restaurant serving seasonal Californian plates on a walled wooden patio. Dinner runs on a daily chalkboard menu, pairing house-made pastas and dry-aged ribeye with a tight list of natural wine.
Courtyard grill turning out Persian kabobs, saffron rice, and stews at tightly spaced tables. Open-air seating and the scent of charred meat fill the block just off Glendale’s main drag.
Horseshoe-shaped bar with a fresh oyster display sits at the center of this Southern seafood spot. The menu is pure Lowcountry: she-crab soup, shrimp & grits, and simply grilled fish from the wood fire.
Warm dining room built around a soot-painted brick hearth that burns embers all night. The menu explores early American cooking, with family-style dishes like sour milk cornbread and grilled oysters.
Old-school Eagle Rock parlor running unchanged since 1955 with red-checkered tablecloths and a heavy garlic scent. The cash-only room stays loud with orders for thin-crust pies and house-made sausage.
Modern Korean pub on Figueroa slinging craft cocktails and the rich drinking food to match. Hip-hop and R&B play over tables full of wagyu corn cheese and pork belly bossam.
Loud, two-story Downtown LA Indian restaurant playing hip-hop over tightly packed tables. The menu mixes classic family recipes with heavy fusion plates like chicken tikka poutine and butter chicken samosas.
Family-run pizzeria serving authentic Chicago deep-dish in a cozy, bohemian dining room. The signature pizzas have a 45-minute bake time, turning dinner into a long, leisurely affair.
Counter-service Iranian restaurant in Silver Lake serving homestyle stews, braised meatballs, and fresh saffron milk bread. Vintage records play by the front register, with most seating out on the shaded patio.
The greatest hits of Taiwanese cooking in a hip corner of LA's Silver Lake.
Bustling Silver Lake counter service turning out Taiwanese staples and family-farm greens. Crowds for beef rolls and dan dan noodles pack the communal tables and adjacent plaza.
Cozy and understated, Found Oyster's seafood and wine are served up at a cool bar with counter seating.
Walk-up counter in Downtown LA serving thick, hand-pulled Shaanxi noodles. Cooks bang fresh dough to order, sending bowls of spicy Szechuan garlic and tingly cumin out to a casual back patio strung with lights.
Casual Korean restaurant serving massive bowls of spicy brisket soup and bubbling stews. The cozy space stays busy on chilly nights, with tables full of steamed pork belly and house-made kimchi.
Homestyle Korean spot serving the bold, rustic stews and braised dishes of Gyeongsang province. The signature mackerel comes simmering in a battered silver bowl – a deliberate nod to the old country.
Bright Silver Lake sports bar serving Indian-spiced pizzas and malai rigatoni beneath glowing flat screens. Games play on loop over rounds of cocktails and shared plates of dosa-battered onion rings.
Creative Korean restaurant from Seoul serving modern soul food in the Arts District. Signature dishes reinterpret the classics – think deconstructed galbi and truffle-infused potato pancakes.
Modern Indian restaurant reinterpreting regional classics with California produce. The bar is a main draw – mixing cocktails inspired by Bollywood films and hosting a popular Sunday brunch with a live DJ.
South Central backyard pop-up grilling massive Oaxacan tlayudas over open mesquite coals. The informal Friday night operation serves huge, crispy portions loaded with meat and quesillo, built to share alongside a BYO bottle of mezcal.
Unassuming strip mall joint serving Central Texas barbecue, with prime brisket sliced to order on parchment paper. This family-run spot uses picnic benches for seating and frequently hangs a "sold out" sign on the door before dinner.
Colorful mariscos spot in Inglewood serving Nayarit-style ceviche, aguachile, and heaping seafood platters. Banda musicians play on weekends while tostadas and micheladas stack up across packed tables.
