217 Best Restaurants in Los Angeles, California

Remote workers, local celebrities, and unpretentious Angelenos all converge at All Time, a neighborhood café and breakfast spot known for its egg sandwiches and breakfast burritos. It’s a cozy option for some quick coffee and hot breakfast items before heading out to see the more touristy attractions that Los Feliz has to offer.

This creative farm-to-table eatery uses all local ingredients to whip up fine cuisine in a chic environment. Savory musts include the shaved brussels sprout salad with toasted pine nuts as an appetizer, followed by the outstanding Mediterranean sea bass. Upon entry you'll notice a wood-beam ceiling, brick-laden bar, and hanging Edison lights that set the stage. Open for dinner with a revolving weekly special, the Arbour's cocktail menu includes a spicy mezcal margarita emblematic of its Pasadena roots. Happy hour doesn't disappoint, with sub-$10 offerings like yellowfin tuna crudo.

One of L.A.'s finest sushi restaurants, Asanebo is a no-frills establishment serving a wealth of innovative dishes made with top-quality raw fish and A5 Wagyu to an A-list clientele and monied business men. For more than three decades the downright giddy sushi sensei Tetsuya Nakao has whipped up succulent scallop yuzu with caviar, halibut truffle sashimi, and lemon basil salmon. There is also a full range of soups, salads, tempura, and charcoal-grilled seafood and meats. If you want to try a little of everything, sign up for the omakase.

Azizam is introducing Silver Lake to a casual way to enjoy comforting stews, punchy yogurt dips, and many other seasonal dishes that are often found in the comfort of an Iranian home. The all-day café is ideal for a quiet, leisurely lunch with a book or a friend. Standout items include Maman’s fried potatoes and the savory-and-sweet kofteh tabrizi, a beef and rice dish that socks up the savory tomato broth that collects at the bottom of the plate.

Not even a year into operation, Bar Sinizki has put Atwater Village residents and food critics into a frenzy with its beautiful east European charm. Boasting royal blue checkered tile floors and a curved bare with a Calcutta marble top, the all day café excels at harmonizing simple ingredients to create exquisite dishes with Ukrainian and Polish inspirations. The zucchini salad and brown butter pierogi, alongside the rye tartines, are must-haves for the table. A solo lunch at Bar Sinizki is indulgent while also affordable; be prepared for a wait, but luckily the café shares the block with plenty of interesting storefronts.

This gem of a restaurant, tucked into an unassuming strip mall, has taken Hermosa Beach and L.A. at large by storm; even the focaccia bread has a cult following. Diners love the revolving seasonal menu, with its eclectic mix of European, Mexican, and Asian influences reminiscent of the city's own diverse makeup. While many dishes come and go, the most-beloved classics stay. The decor—with its rustic-yet-industrial touches and black Chesterfield-inspired banquettes—is effortlessly hip. The menu can range from gnocchi nero with king crab to banh mi toast with steak tartare, and the owners have hosted guest chefs for short residencies. Some items like pasta, sausage, and breads are made fully in-house by executive chef Tyler Gugliotta's team, while many ingredients come from his own family farm. More than 40 craft beers are available, along with a good wine list. On weekends, Baran's offers killer "secret" breakfast burritos to take to the beach.

Just because Bea Bea’s is a no-nonsense kind of place, it doesn’t mean the food (of which they have a lot, like 23 different takes on pancakes a lot) isn’t special. This diner serves breakfast food that is about as close to extraordinary as the most important meal of the day can be. Plates are piled high but chances are you'll have worked up an appetite during perpetually long waits.

One of the most exciting and popular Italian restaurants in L.A. is housed inside a converted warehouse in the Arts District Downtown. Exposed air ducts and brick dominate the enormous space as in-the-know eaters chow down on spicy lamb sausage pizza and spaghetti Rustichella with Dungeness crab. Thirtysomethings flock to this hot spot with an ever-bustling bar and patio. If you want to impress a date, bring them here—you may want to valet, as the area can feel a bit seedy, although it's not.

If sandwich-making was an art form, Bodega Park is a culinary gallery. The Korean-owned café has made a buzz in Silver Lake for its ingenious offerings such as their Peruvian chicken breakfast burritos and juicy pork bulgogi rolls. Bodega Park knows how to keep it light as well: the minimalist environment also makes for a great space to meet a friend over a cup of hot nurunji latte.

Put on your bib and prepare to get messy, because this crab shack is not for stodgy eaters. Choices of blue, Dungeness, snow, and king are brought out in plastic bags where you can rip, tear, twist, and yank the meaty goodness out of their shells. At the end of your meal, your table will look like a murder scene---but that's just a sign that you've done things correctly. Wet naps abound.

With its extensive and eclectic breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus, coupled with the fantastic cocktail menu and charming little marketplace, you can easily spend all day eating at Bon Vivant. Patrons at this Atwater Village staple tend to adopt a slow pace, staggering orders of coffee, luscious crepes, small plates, and delicious entrées, all while embracing the laissez-faire attitude that is encouraged here. It’s a good thing they’ve got plenty of seating. There's live music on Sunday afternoon.

Borekas, barely more than a walk-up takeout window and some patio furniture run by a husband-and-wife team, proves less is often more by doing five or six variations on one dish extremely well—the namesake Sephardic Jewish pastry. Choose from savory or sweet versions of this Israeli staple, which are all vegetarian, flaky, and filling, and pair well with coffee, herby iced tea, or a sweet-and-salty limonana slushy. The latter is a special—if they have it when you go, do not skip it. Savory options, whether they are stuffed with cheese and za'atar or mushrooms, onions, and truffle, comes with pickle chunks, a soft-boiled egg, tomato pulp, and schug.

This whimsical egg-and-chicken-theme breakfast and lunch diner is a family favorite. On weekends you may have to wait for favorites such as cinnamon roll pancakes, a variety of eggs Benedict, and shrimp and grits. They also serve Breakfast Republic Prosecco wine in-house, fresh-squeezed orange juice for mimosas, plus bottomless coffee, iced tea, four different types of Bloody Marys, and local So Cal craft beer to complement many of the creative unique dishes they serve. 

Opened by local Christie Lujan in 2009, CaCao Mexicatessen was one of the first places in town to showcase the creative potential of the street-style taco, offering options such as sea urchin and pork crackling as fillings. With handmade tortillas and a serious commitment to the flavors of Mexico, CaCao has embedded itself as one of the go-to places for Mexican food in Northeast L.A.

A humble taco shack on the side of the road, Cactus offers up $4 tacos with all types of meat you could imagine, even beef tongue. They also have carne asada and chicken for the less adventurous. This spot dishes out other Mexican favorites, but plowing through cheap tacos is the main reason to come here.

Of L.A.’s long list of vegan restaurants, this is among the best, with luscious dishes that are also social media worthy. But it’s more than just gourmet, plant-based dining—Café Gratitude is also about leading a sustainable lifestyle full of positivity and (obviously) gratitude. This philosophy is encapsulated in its bright Larchmont location (just south of Hollywood), its spiritually named dishes (Humble, Gracious, Precious and Awesome are but a few), and the requisite dose of daily positivity that comes in the form of a chalkboard question that you’re encouraged to answer before you leave. Cynics, be warned.

Available only during the day, this coffee shop shares its beautiful, green space with Tenants of the Trees, a popular nighttime destination for weekend revelers. In the warm Los Angeles sun, Cafe Nido stuns visitors with its charming patio that evokes the tree-lined streets of Roma Norte. Enjoy simple sandwiches and crisp iced teas while escaping into a book. Cafe Nido is a perfect getaway spot for a weekday afternoon.

One of L.A.'s finest fast casual restaurants offers rotisserie chicken, flavorful salads, and fulfilling wraps. You can order on their app and drive by to pick it up on the sidewalk. They sell whole rotisserie chicken and cuts of dark and white meat. Choose from a handful of salads, wraps, and cold or hot side dishes. They also have beverages and cookies available to complete your meal.

This family-owned iconic L.A. delicatessen opened in 1931, and is a local and celebrity favorite. The chefs continue to make their own corned beef and pastrami, plus bakery items and delectable desserts. Besides a variety of classic sandwiches, locals love the omelets and flavorful hot soups. The dining space is huge, so wait times are short.

Brewing caffeinated concoctions using Sightglass Coffee and Art of Tea products since 2018, this woman-owned café and breakfast/pastry pit stop is at its best when adding Latin flair to classics to create drinks like dulce canela chai, tamarind cold brew, or horchata (oatchata for the dairy intolerant) lattes. The vibe is a little mid-century mod, a little boho between the orb light fixture, angular couch, and displays selling crystals, handmade soap, and fresh flowers. Enjoy breakfast burritos and café de lola's alongside your pooch on the sunny patio or frijoles on toast with a flat white at the communal table up front.

Those who normally skip vanilla ice cream because it's so—well—vanilla should shelve their preconceptions and order a scoop of Carmela's beloved brown sugar vanilla bean. But this local fave also encourages a dive into more complex flavor profiles like carrot orange ginger sorbet. The toothsome ice cream sandwich will make you feel like a kid again.

In 1956, Ray Vega, who grew up in his parents' lauded Olvera Street café, headed to the Valley to make a name for himself by serving Cal-Mex hits—burritos, tacos, enchiladas, fajitas, and tamales. Regulars appreciate the cuisine consistency, the big portions, plethora of apps, killer mole, and the staff that treats you like family whether you come in every Sunday, you're visiting from Wisconsin, or you are Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio shooting scenes in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (Quentin Tarantino has a drink named after him). Apparently, the folks behind the James Beard Awards concur as they designated Casa Vega, now run by Vega's daughter who has smartly modernized it only subtly, as an American classic.

Mediterranean-inspired Casaléna, a bi-level maze of large luxe dining rooms, pretty patios and rooftop spaces decked out with dramatic chandeliers, modern art, potted trees, and fireplaces, is another example of the second generation successfully breathing new life into the family business. Befitting the space, the menu is also big, plucking ideas from Italy, Spain, and Greece and putting them through a California filter which results in mostly pasta, pizza, seafood, share-sized salads, and pricey cuts of beef. With a strong bar program, weekend brunch, and special occasion pricing, it's quite popular for date nights and big-group celebrations and, given the scope of the restaurant, it can get pretty busy and then noisy. Never enough however to keep you from the beet salad, the whole branzino in chimichurri, or fried squash blossoms.

Since 1948, Cassell’s has been grilling up some of the city's best burgers and remains on just about every top burger list in town. In-the-know burger lovers come here for the reliability of a perfectly cooked patty, a toasted bun, and fries with the right amount of crunch. The simple diner features barstools, a dozen or so tables, and large windows looking out onto the street. Nothing fancy, Cassell’s just gets burgers right in a city that’s known for them.

This rooftop restaurant has great views and a Hollywood crowd. Sit at the large bar or get cozy in one of the teal brushed-leather booths for seafood and sushi. Signature favorites include truffle sashimi and Japanese Wagyu cooked table side on a hot rock. 

Inspired by the original Mayfair location in London, this modern classic Italian restaurant offers a menu filled with small Italian appetizers called ciccetti, ethereal handmade pastas with delicious sauces, and wood-fired pizzas and proteins.

In a city full of restaurants touting all things trendy and gimmicky, Centanni and its chef Marin Santos (who came up at posh pasta powerhouse Valentino) focus on executing traditional, comforting fare to perfection. From start (juicy meatballs) to sweet finish (cannoli), this dinner spot delivers la dolce vita on a plate.

Hearty home cooking may not be a big part of L.A.'s dining scene, but that doesn't mean you can't have it when you're visiting the city. Tucked in the heart of Burbank, this diner-style spot serves chili everything, from traditional chili bowls to open-faced chili burgers. Of course, this being Los Angeles, ingredients are locally sourced from organic and sustainable farms.

Monique King and Paul Rosenbluh, the husband-and-wife team who took over Cindy’s in 2014, simply want to make great, accessible food for their Eagle Rock community. By doing so, they've established a neighborhood restaurant with reasonable prices and back-to-basics food in a retro diner atmosphere. Another reason to love Cindy's: they make almost everything in-house, including the smoked and cured meats.

This mid-century modern coffee shop serves today’s culinary hits along with tasty fresh baked goods. Classic diner decor is found in the 1960s-details like the lava rock wall, vinyl booths, counter seating, colorful wall tiles and terrazzo floors. Expertly prepared breakfast items are served all day: eggs and coffee are hot and pancakes are fluffy. Owned by Clark Street Bakery, the diner's artisanal bread and pastries are made daily. The avocado toast on organic sourdough is a satisfying start; hot sandwiches, like the patty melt and grilled smash burger, are paired with a choice of hand-cut fries or the best potato salad in town. Look for Hollywood creative types packed into the booths weekdays and families on weekends. Dinner Wednesday through Sunday nights features hearty plates, salads, pastas and breakfast choices including the popular diner breakfast and those fluffy pancakes.