From anticipated new openings to award-winners and critical darlings, here are the tables everyone is talking about in Los Angeles.
71 Above
Up in the clouds, 71Above is a fine-dining restaurant on the 71st floor of the US Bank Tower in the Financial District, with sweeping views from Malibu to Laguna Hills.
Angler Los Angeles
This live-fire restaurant in West Hollywood from a team with MICHELIN cred serves up seafood and playful cocktails in a chic space.
Antico Nuovo
Escape to Italy via East Larchmont Village at the rebooted Antico Nuovo, with housemade pasta, wood-fired meats, vegetables, and fish alongside a deep-dive wine list.
AOC – 3rd Street
This venerable wine bar from chef Suzanne Goin was one of the first to embrace the shareable small plates style of dining—hello, bacon-wrapped dates—kicking off a trend that would define LA restaurants for years to come.
Asterid
Ray Garcia’s latest venture at the Walt Disney Concert Hall makes the Music Center area of Downtown a bonafide culinary destination through irresistible vegetable-focused fare.
Baar Baar LA
This hip Indian gastrobar comes to Downtown LA via NYC, bringing inventive fare such as sweet potato chaat and green pea kulcha.
Badmaash
This modern Indian restaurant in Downtown LA has carved out a name for itself and a loyal following through offerings such as housemade oat milk chai and chicken tikka poutine.
Bar Chelou
Pasadena’s first neo-bistro promises a modern French bistro experience with interesting wines, especially ideal for pre-Pasadena Playhouse dining.
Bavel
Eater’s 2018 restaurant of the year in Downtown LA follows a traditional Middle Eastern format (spreads, salads, small plates, large plates) but uses wholly non-traditional ingredients, such as in the cloud-like hummus with duck ‘nduja.
Bestia
Bestia is a bonafide restaurant world darling, one of the city’s hottest spots since 2012 for its buzzy Arts District industrial space with an open kitchen, killer pizzas, and refreshing cocktails.
Bicyclette
The James Beard Award-Winning Team behind Republique wrote a “love letter to Paris” in West LA with French bistro Bicyclette.
chi SPACCA
Italy and meat collide at Hollywood’s chi SPACCA, with options such as a 42-ounce Tomahawk pork chop, a 36-ounce dry-aged bone-in New York costata alla Fiorentina, and a 50-ounce dry-aged porterhouse bistecca Fiorentina.
Dal Milanese
Famed Milan restaurant Dal Milanese has landed in Los Feliz with all the classics, from veal ossobucco to risotto alla Milanese.
Dunsmoor
Dunsmoor in Glassell Park from chef Brian Dunsmoor is all about spotlighting regional American foodways, with a focus on cooking techniques from the turn of the 20th century.
Felix Trattoria
No restaurant elevates pasta to an art form quite like Felix in Venice from James Beard Award-nominated chef Evan Funke.
Flor Y Solera Spanish Tapas Bar
This lively Arts District tapas bar fans the flames of LA’s love for Spanish cooking with a menu that highlights dishes from Spain’s 17 regions.
Girl & the Goat L.A.
Top Chef winner Stephanie Izard opened an outpost of her legendary Chicago restaurant in Downtown LA in 2021 and brought along signature dishes such as sautéed green beans with fish sauce vinaigrette and cashews.
Guerilla Tacos
What started as a popular truck hailed by late restaurant critic Jonathan Gold now serves up street tacos and cheeky cocktails in a very-DTLA space decked out with vibrant graffiti.
Here’s Looking At You
This beloved Koreatown spot that was Food & Wine‘s restaurant of the year in 2017 serves chef Jonathan Whitener’s globally influenced menu that spotlights Asian ingredients and tiki drinks.
Iki Ramen – Sunset
An essential Los Angeles ramen destination, Iki Ramen is famed for its Wagyu beef ramen and large selection of izakaya fare such as soft shell crab bao and takoyaki.
Jemma di Mare
East Coast Italian favorites such as baked clams and veal parm star on the menu at Top Chef contestant Jackson Kalb’s newest restaurant, which debuted with stylish digs in Brentwood in May 2023.
Kali
MICHELIN-starred Kali has been a critical darling since it opened on Melrose in 2016 with praise directed at the contemporary California cooking of chef Kevin Meehan.
Leona’s
Japanese-Peruvian dishes including ceviche are the focus at this restaurant in the San Fernando Valley with sushi stalwart Shigenori Fujimoto at the helm.
Lingua Franca
The Wax Paper sandwich team’s new riverside restaurant has been years in the making and serves hyper-seasonal fare such as rich trout confit with saffron-infused cream cheese and crunchy lavash chips.
Manuela
This stunning restaurant inside the Hauser & Wirth gallery has been an Arts District staple since 2016 with chef Kris Tominaga serving Southern food with California twists.
Marouch
Lebanese-Armenian icon Marouch is a must-visit Los Angeles destination not just because it has been open since 1982, but also because its iterations of muhammara, baklava, and other staples remain stellar.
Meteora
Vespertine chef Jordan Kahn’s newest restaurant is a multi-sensory thrill ride focused on a slower, more contemplative dining experience.
Musso & Frank Grill
Musso & Frank traces its origins to 1919 and is the oldest operating restaurant in Hollywood with a tried-and-true menu of prime cuts, daily specials, and a very beloved martini.
Orsa & Winston
Downtown’s Orsa & Winston has established itself as one of the city’s most creative restaurants, earning a MICHELIN star and rave reviews for chef Josef Centeno’s inimitable mash-up of Japanese and Italian flavors.
Osteria Mozza
The jewel in the crown of renowned LA chef Nancy Silverton, Osteria Mozza is a MICHELIN-starred stunner that continues to dazzle Angelenos with upscale Italian fare 16 years after its opening.
Paloma Venice
Tulum-inspired vibes take center stage at this verdant Mediterranean restaurant on the bustling corner of Abbott Kinney and Venice Boulevard.
pasjoli
Famed chef Dave Beran’s intimate bistro in Santa Monica has been wowing diners with its elevated French fare since 2019.
Pizzeria Bianco
James Beard Award-winning pizzaiolo Chris Bianco’s blistered, wood-fired pizza magic arrived at The Row in Los Angeles from Phoenix with the opening of this restaurant in 2022.
Pizzeria Mozza
Acclaimed chef Nancy Silverton’s Hollywood pizzeria has been a Los Angeles staple for more than a decade and remains a favorite among Angelenos for its wood-fired pizzas.
Providence
Two-MICHELIN-starred Hollywood seafood restaurant Providence has consistently ranked among Los Angeles’s best restaurants for nearly 20 years.
Redbird
This Downtown LA hit serves New American fare in the breathtaking, historic space previously occupied by the Cathedral of St. Vibiana.
Republique
Republique’s award-winning pastries and French brasserie fare created by chefs Walter and Margarita Manzke are still the talk of the town after nearly a decade in Mid-City.
The Rose Venice
This neighborhood favorite is an all-in-one space operating as a market, bakery, coffee shop, and craft cocktail bar with modern California cooking from chef Jason Neroni served both indoors and outside.
Rossoblu
At this Fashion District restaurant, chef Steve Samson draws upon childhood memories spent at his grandparents’ house in Bologna to thrill Los Angeles diners with regional Italian cooking.
Saffy’s
Los Angeles culinary world darlings Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis’s East Hollywood restaurant serves traditional Middle Eastern dishes such as kebabs and shawarma with the multi-layered flavors for which the chefs are known.
Socalo
Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken are well-known for their devotion to Mexican food, and their canteen-syle Santa Monica restaurant serves comfort foods such as chicken poblano enchiladas and pork carnitas with roasted garlic citrus sauce.
Spago Beverly Hills
Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant has been a sensation since its opening in 1982, and his signature dishes such as the smoked salmon pizza are stuff of legend.
Superfine Playa
From the hit team behind Rossoblu comes this Californian Italian Playa Vista restaurant with dishes such as coal-roasted beets and casarecce pasta with braised lamb.
Sur Le Vert Wine Bar
The wine mavens at Tabula Rasa debuted this emerald green wine bar in 2023 serving up family-owned wines and global fare.
Yangban
Yangban is an award-winning, one-of-a-kind Arts District establishment from chefs Katianna and John Hong featuring a modern Korean restaurant, a deli, and a minimart.
