Always-packed California burger stand sitting right under the LAX flight path. Suitcases pile around the outdoor tables as low-flying jets roar overhead during rounds of Double-Doubles and Animal Style fries.
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.
Family-run South LA kitchen turning out hearty plates of homestyle Belizean cooking. A bright back counter stacked with Caribbean breads slings slow-cooked oxtails, stew chicken, and plantains to just four booths.
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.
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.
Romantic courtyard restaurant serving rustic Mediterranean food behind a discreet West Hollywood entrance. The intimate, candlelit garden is a longtime favorite for date nights and special occasions.
Wood-fired Italian restaurant serving handmade pastas and hearth-roasted meats from an open kitchen. The focaccia is essential, and the freshly churned ice cream is the only way to finish.
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.
Dimly lit Art Deco dining room with caramel wood paneling and a long, buzzing bar. The menu elevates American classics; the signature burger and dedicated martini list are the essential orders.
Sprawling Art Deco complex that was once a famous Southern California bakery. Today, its industrial halls house high-end design showrooms, an art bookstore, and the destination gastropub Father's Office.
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.
Moody Caribbean dining room dominated by a glowing white palm tree bar. Wagyu patties and oxtail arrive in scalloped booths before the space shifts to a loud, DJ-led party.
Family-owned Bangladeshi restaurant on Western Avenue serving homestyle cooking. The kitchen runs on its own unhurried clock, turning out 12-hour beef bone marrow stews and fresh flatbreads.
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.
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.
Busy Sawtelle specialist serving Kyoto-style beef and pork cutlets in a compact room. Rare wagyu sets arrive with personal hot stones for searing each slice at the table alongside endless rice and cabbage.
Century City hotel brasserie filled with vintage furniture and salvaged French antiques. Plates of steak frites, French onion soup, and tall seafood towers land on tables across the main dining room and a large garden courtyard.
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.
Distinctive Culver City A-frame serving casual modern Mexican small plates. Tables fill with duck albondigas, homemade tortillas, and salt-foam margaritas.
Bustling Mar Vista corner bistro serving relaxed French classics and seasonal Californian plates. Seating wraps around an open kitchen sending out signature roast chicken and fries dusted with savory chicken salt.
Open-kitchen osteria serving house-made pastas and specialties from Puglia. The main event is the cacio e pepe – prepared tableside in a massive wheel of pecorino cheese.
Ranch-to-table brunch spot where house-made bacon and sausages are serious business. But the main event is the Oatmeal Griddle Cakes – a family recipe with crispy edges, served simply with maple butter.
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.
Lively, opulent dining hall in a landmark Art Deco building, dedicated to the traditions of Roman cooking. Handmade pastas are the focus – specifically the four classics – alongside wafer-thin, wood-fired pizzas.
Cash-only Thai diner in a motel lot, serving Bangkok-style breakfasts of rice porridge and fried crullers. The TVs are tuned to Thai newscasts, and a second clock on the wall is always set to Bangkok time.
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.
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.
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.
Snug Highland Park storefront serving hearty dishes that merge Mexican and Italian cooking. The compact dining room runs warm, spilling out onto a back patio for elote agnolotti and masa-laced pasta.
Black-walled El Sereno taqueria running to a heavy metal soundtrack. The open kitchen slings dark-marinade al pastor on black tortillas, dessert flan tacos, and a full vegan menu out to counter seats and a small back patio.
Raucous counter in Far East Plaza slinging Nashville hot chicken to a perpetual line. The energy is loud and fast, with heat levels on the signature Sando climbing from mild to reaper.
Lush plants soften an industrial Arts District warehouse serving Enrique Olvera’s modern Mexican cooking. Tables fill with seafood tostadas and duck carnitas alongside small-batch agave spirits.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Sinaloan-style taqueria focused on wood-grilled carne asada served in tacos and mulitas on handmade tortillas. The simple space has a self-serve bar for loading up on fresh beans, radishes, cilantro, and salsas.
