by The restaurant scene in Los Angeles is booming, with American chefs flocking to the city for more affordable rents and an emphasis on creativity. And it’s not all vegan fare and green juices (although there’s plenty of that too, if that happens to be your bag) – the city has one of the most diverse culinary scenes in the country, with everything from first class sushi. and upscale Italian food to good old American staples like hot dogs and burgers.
With the best menus spread across the urban sprawl, you need to be prepared to travel – but it’s worth it. Our expert shares the best restaurants in Los Angeles below, and for more inspiration, check out our in-depth guides to the best hotels, bars, attractions and shopping in the city, as well as how to spend a weekend spent in Los Angeles.
Find a restaurant by area
Hollywood
Osteria Mozza
Named after the white Carrara marble mozzarella bar that surrounds the restaurant, Osteria Mozza serves some of the best Italian food in the city. Helmed by celebrity chef Nancy Silverton (who can often be found whipping up antipasti behind the bar), this bustling, amber-lit spot is an Angeleno favorite with its dark green banquettes and starched white tablecloths . Locals can’t get enough of the homemade pasta or the grilled beef tagliata, and what this lady can do with a mozzarella ball has to be eaten to be believed. Ask for a table in front of the lively mozzarella bar.
Contact: osteriamozza.com
Prices: £££
Reservations: Necessary
Mother Wolf
If there’s one table to bag in Hollywood right now, it’s a pink leather booth at Mother Wolf, one of the latest openings from LA-born pasta maestro Evan Funke. Don’t take my word for it – just ask Michelle Obama and Beyoncé, who were spotted having a tête-à-tête in the restaurant’s back room. They were there to evoke the triumphant atmosphere and excellent cuisine inspired by the Romanians, putting it on the map not only as a first-class restaurant but also as a first-class restaurant that takes its grub seriously. Funke’s cacio e pepe is the stuff of legend and his rigatoni all’amatriciana is a must too, but the non-pasta dishes are great too. The ballroom-esque dining room has a crazy party vibe every night of the week – and trust us when we say this is one invitation you’ll want to get your hands on.
Contact: motherwolfla.com
Prices: £££
Reservations: Not surprisingly, getting a table here is like gold dust. Reservations must be made exactly a week in advance, or you can try your luck at the bar that takes walk-ins.
Pink’s Hot Dogs
Started as a pushcart in 1939, it’s now one of LA’s cult food destinations, and the intersection of Melrose and La Brea, now home to its hot dog stand, has recently been renamed ‘Pink’s Square’. There are always queues going down the block for their 30-strong hot dog menu, which features concoctions named after celebrities like the Martha Stewart 9″ stretch dog, which comes with relish, onions, bacon, chopped tomatoes, sauerkraut and cream sharp This isn’t fine dining – the plastic seats are sticky and the strip lighting is harsh – but it’s fun.
Contact: pinkhollywood.com
Prices: £
Reservations: Walk in only
West Hollywood
Cecconi on
The buzzy LA outpost of this Soho House-owned chain is one of the best places for celebrity spotting. Located on the bustling corner of Melrose Avenue and Robertson Boulevard, this is where West Hollywood movers and shakers come for breakfast and lunch meetings when they want to be seen, asking for a table on the covered terrace. Their handmade pastas and wood-oven pizzas are popular but, being in West Hollywood, it’s the inventive salads that really get people going, like the Tuscan kale salad with almond, apple, parmigiano and seeds. Try to nab a table on their bustling covered terrace.
Contact: cecconiswesthollywood.com
Prices: ££
Reservations: Recommended
Saltie girl
Saltie Girl is a Boston institution known for its excellent New England-style seafood, and the brand’s recent LA opening is just as popular. Located on bustling Sunset Plaza, it has quickly established itself as one of the most enduring restaurants in West Hollywood, with Margot Robbie and Beyoncé among its A-list fans. The restaurant is known for its oysters and range partial to canned fish, but you can’t go wrong with anything on the menu, from the lobster roll to the old-fashioned branzino. Make sure you leave room for dessert – the Sweet Boy chocolate chip cookies are a must-order.
Contact: salanniegirl.com
Prices: ££
Reservations: Recommended
Beverly Hills
Matsuhisa
Matsuhisa is the restaurant that launched the Nobu empire, having opened at Nobu Matsuhisa over 30 years ago. Unlike his other restaurants, it is not flashy inside, with cramped wooden tables and low-key décor, a gray silhouette of 38-year-old Nobu painted on the wall the only reference to the man himself. But the menu is impressively extensive, with a wide range of tempura, sushi and old favorites like black cod with miso. The sushi bar is the best place to sit, where you can watch the maestros at work.
Contact: matsuhisabeverlyhills.com
Prices: £££
Reservations: Recommended
Downtown
Redbird
Coming here is an event: the restaurant is located in the rectory of the former Cathedral of Saint Vibiana. Well-dressed locals flock in droves to sample Neal Fraser’s inventive dishes, such as shisito peppers with bottarga and crispy quinoa or lamb belly with rock egg, pickled walnuts and mint, while sitting under the stars in the dining room with retractable roof. As well as the warehouse space of the main room, the restaurant has several smaller private dining spaces, including an olive tree garden with a pizza oven, the painted cardinal’s quarters upstairs and the cathedral next door, now the wedding venue more popular in LA.
Contact: red bird.la
Prices: £££
Reservations: Necessary
Baleal
This beautiful, plant-filled restaurant in the Arts District is one of the few places where you can get great Middle Eastern food in LA – which explains why it’s always so hard to get a table here. Housed in a light-filled former warehouse, the menu features a wide variety of dishes, from Israeli and Tunisian delicacies to Yemenite staples. Make sure you order the signature dish – the malawach – a flat fried arban with grated tomato, dill crème fraiche, strawberry zhoug and a soft-boiled egg. The bowls of creamy duck nduja hummus, slow roasted lamb neck shawarma and grilled oyster mushroom skewers are also not to be missed.
Contact: baveldtla.com
Prices: £££
Reservations: Highly recommended – as long as you can get one. If you can’t, the bar has reserved some spots for walk-ins.
Venice
The Butcher’s Daughter
This New York City transplant has become one of Venice’s most popular spots since opening, especially for brunch. Located on the hip of Abbot Kinney Boulevard, the vibe here is pure LA, with hanging pot plants, an impressive range of cold-pressed juices and plenty of vegan specialties on offer (the restaurant refers to itself as a ‘vegetable slaughterhouse’). But confirmed meat eaters will find a lot to love here too – a chorizo Substitute
Contact: thebutchersdaughter.com
Prices: ££
Reservations: Walk in only
Santa Monica
Michael
One of the pioneers of California cuisine since it first opened in 1979, Michael’s is an LA institution. Amazingly, they’ve managed to stay relevant, bringing in a roster of young chefs to freshen up the menu. Their shareable, family-style dishes focus on seasonal local produce: in the summer you might find a zingy heirloom tomato salad with green peanuts and a dusting of black olive powder; in autumn, earthy sunchoke gnocchi. Expect a visit from the larger-than-life Michael McCarty, who still likes to make the tables in the leafy garden. Ask for a table in the jungle-like garden.
Contact: michaelssantamonica.com
Prices: £££
Reservations: Recommended
Malibu
Geoffrey’s
Geoffrey’s is a magical place, perched high above Malibu beach with stunning views of the Pacific Ocean. It attracted Hollywood lights like Frank Sinatra and Lana Turner in its previous form as a Holiday House hotel and still houses some of Malibu’s most famous residents, who come for the laidback atmosphere and fresh seafood. Every table on the open air terrace (which they use almost 365 days a year) has an ocean view – come at sunset, order a plate of day boat scallops and watch the moon set and the moon rise from the Pacific Ocean. .
Contact: geoffreysmalibu.com
Prices: £££
Reservations: Recommended
LAX
In-N-Out Burger
There are many LA branches of this fast-food burger chain, but the most famous is the one at LAX airport, which was always the first stop of the late Anthony Bourdain upon arrival in the city (he even once it as your favorite restaurant in LA) . Celebrities including Tom Hanks have said they love the burgers and Vanity Fair’s Oscars after-party caters to its A-list guests at In-N-Out. With its palm-tiled walls and booths red and white, it looks more like a vintage restaurant than a regular fast food joint; order a Double burger (two beef patties, American cheese and their secret sauce) and see what the fuss is all about.
Contact: in-n-out.com
Prices: £
Reservations: Walk in only
How we choose
Every restaurant on this curated list has been tried and tested by our destination expert, who visited to provide you with their insider perspective. We cover a range of budgets, from neighborhood favorites to Michelin-starred restaurants – to suit all types of travelers – and consider food, service, best tables, atmosphere and price in our recommendations. We update this list regularly to keep up with the latest openings and provide up-to-date recommendations.
