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.
Intimate tea room with pink walls and floral decor, a popular weekend spot for bridal and baby showers. Fixed-price service brings tiered trays of tea sandwiches, scones with Devonshire cream, and seasonal desserts.
Restored Art Deco pawn shop running as an upscale sports bar with an 80-seat central counter and wall-to-wall screens. The kitchen serves pickle-brined fried chicken, tomahawk steaks, and caviar alongside live games.
No-frills 24-hour Koreatown strip mall spot running on tight tables and rapid turnover. Massive cauldrons of spicy braised short ribs arrive bubbling under blowtorched cheese next to slow-simmered ox bone broths.
Casual slice shop serving foldable New York-style rounds and thick Sicilian square pies. The counter runs steady with quick slice orders, whole pie pickups, and hot garlic knots.
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.
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.
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.
Casual Momofuku spot in the Century City mall serving Korean-American comfort food under electric orange lights. Tables fill with spicy tuna kimbap, beef tallow fries, and ssäm platters.
Chic Korean-American bistro with the soul of a retro French cafe and the style of an upscale Seoul spot. The menu reinterprets comfort food – steak tartare arrives sizzling in a hot stone pot like bibimbap.
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.
Sprawling open-air mall mixing upscale retail with extensive outdoor lounging. Multi-level walkways run past luxury storefronts and restaurants into landscaped plazas with fire pits, olive trees, and shaded seating.
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.
Pre-order-only bagel spot selling hot dozens for scheduled pickup times. The model is simple: rip-and-dip bagels paired with a rotating weekly menu of inventive cream cheese schmears.
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.
Tiny Thai Town storefront serving rich gelato and massive, bingsu-style shaved ice. The small room stays busy with orders of candle-smoked salted egg yolk and mango sticky rice bowls large enough to share.
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.
Silver Lake sports bar dedicating every screen to women’s athletics. The inclusive room gets loud for Angel City FC matches, slinging mango habanero wings and margaritas out to the dog-friendly patio.
Neighborhood dining room with white tablecloths serving a concise menu of modern British fare. The cooking is soulful – expect battered sea bass, bangers & mash, and a standout sticky toffee pudding.
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.
Sprawling Arts District back patio with string lights, picnic tables, and a full-length bocce court. The menu is simple and direct – craft cocktails, buttermilk biscuits, and a standout cheeseburger.
Downtown mezcal bar pouring hundreds of agave spirits in a loud room lined with rough wood and wrought iron. Live Latin bands and DJs play late into the night while tacos cook on the back patio grill.
Inventive scoop shop where lines move slowly because tasting is half the point. Staff hand over endless samples of Sea Salt with Caramel Ribbons or Arbequina Olive Oil before packing generous waffle cones.
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.
Unassuming Koreatown strip mall spot serving massive plates of home-style Pakistani and Indian cooking. A small television plays in the corner as tables fill with fresh garlic naan, sizzling kabobs, and heavy lamb biryani.
Sun-drenched studio with floor-to-ceiling windows, running a packed schedule of intensely hot yoga and sculpt classes. The post-class cool-down is a signature ritual – a chilled, eucalyptus-infused face towel.
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.
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.
Second-floor downtown whiskey bar lined with heavy mahogany, leather booths, and mounted taxidermy. Bartenders pour from hundreds of bottles to mix classic Old Fashioneds while live bands play and pool games run late into the night.
Spanish tapas bar serving classics like pan con tomate and jamón ibérico alongside California produce. The lively room stays busy, pouring natural Spanish wines and vermouth from behind a terracotta-tiled bar.
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.
Watts front yard serving Palestinian fusion and boba as a permitted home kitchen. Weekend walk-ups grab falafel nachos and mint lemonade boba in the garden, while weekdays are reserved for private tented dinners.
