Los Angeles has one of the most dense concentrations of incredible restaurants in the world. From the most affordable street or truck food to the fanciest white table cloth, award-winning restaurants, LA has world-class dining full of excitement and creativity with chefs innovating and pushing the dining scene forward.
Traffic is often rough and varies wildly based on time and day of the week, and the city’s limits span far east and west. Since we are lucky to live only 30-60 minute drive from Los Angeles (see our Orange County restaurant list), we visit LA often and are able to time our visits to dodge traffic on slower days and hours.
After 20+ years of living a stone’s throw away from Los Angeles, we’ve dined here countless times. We have a never ending list of restaurants to visit in LA, with more being added every month. There’s no way to ever catch up, and that’s a great problem to have. Here’s our current list of the best restaurants in Los Angeles, at all price points:
1. A Tí (Echo Park)
One of our family meals of 2025 was A Tí in Echo Park. This contemporary Mexican restaurant is tucked inside a plaza with its own parking lot (a HUGE win for any LA company, especially off of Sunset). A Tí is unassuming but serves many delicious, affordable meals in the city.
We had to visit after realizing Chef Andrew Ponce had worked at our beloved [now closed] Taco Maria, and eating at A Tí satisfied that craving. A Tí and Taco Maria has just about the best tacos and Mexican food we’ve ever had.
They offer a small menu and a full bar of beers and cocktails. Some favorites are the fresh tuna tostada with salsa negra, which is super flavorful and spiced; the mushroom taco had such a hearty, meaty flavor; and the crispy duck mole, with tender meat falling off the bone, and the 500-day mole, full of rich, layered, earthy flavors.
Type of food: Mexican, contemporary
Price: $$ ($40 pp)
What to order: tuna tostada, mushroom taco, duck confit with mole
Address: 1498 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026
Website | Yelp
2. Pizzeria Sei (Pico Robertson)
I was sincerely skeptical about the patate (potato) pizza at Pizzeria Sei, but it’s now my favorite pizza I’ve ever had in California. I know, these bombastic types of statements always sound so inauthentic, but it’s true. And I still think about this pizza weekly, even though we eat lots of other pizza spots. Pizzeria Sei was originally recommended to me by a chef friend who said it was one of his favorite spots in the city.
Pizzeria Sei specializes in Neopolitan-style pizzas coming straight out of a wood-fire burning oven with traditional flavors like margherita, marinara, and napoleatana. They also offer a pizza omakase occasionally that they market on their Instagram. It’s 8-10 courses and about $150 per person.
We ordered the Patate (potato) pizza that has creamy blend of cheese (mozzarella, ricotta, pecorino romano, parmesan, and provolone), sweet yukon gold potatoes, and flavorful shallot cream. This pizza is super rich, savory, and buttery. We also loved the caesar salad because it had super crisp lettuce leaves and a bold, homemade sauce with actual anchovy pieces! Don’t skip out on the very simple, but delicious tiramisu for dessert.
This casual dining spot is small but was packed with a full bar of patrons and a few tables when we dined. So we recommend trying to get a reservation (max 4 ppl online or 6 ppl via phone) ahead of time for a coveted spot. Diners are asked to limit their experience to one hour because it can get so busy! You can also order pizza to-go (although you’re limited to only 4 pizzas per order). Parking is as expected in LA, so try your luck at street parking meters.
Type of food: pizza
Price: $$ ($40 pp)
What to order: potato pizza, Caesar salad, tiramisu
Address: 8781 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90035
Website | Yelp
3. Hangari Kalguksu (Koreatown)
Hangari Kalguksu offers Korean comfort foods that warm your stomach and your vibes. They specialize in kalguksu, which is a soup made with knife-cut noodles and a hearty broth filled that can be filled with a variety of mix-ins, like octopus, chicken, kimchi, and more; and bossam, tender slices of braised pork served with spicy radish kimchi and cabbage leaves on a hangari (clay jar) lid.
If you want a filling meal to share with friends, Hangari Kalguksu is the spot because these servings weren’t a joke. We came with a small group of three and couldn’t finish a small-size bossam and kalguksu. The braised pork was perfectly tender and still very well-seasoned, and I really loved the tangy radish kimchi and fresh pieces of cabbage. The fresh-cut noodles in the kalguksu were also perfectly cooked–this is the perfect meal for a cold night, even though it’s apparently eaten during the summer season.
Hangari Kalguksu is located in Koreatown and the small parking lot makes it difficult to find parking. However, we recommend parking in the parking structure across the street or getting lucky and finding street parking. It’s first-come, first-serve, so we recommend coming in between lunch and dinner.
Type of food: Korean, noodles
Price: $$ ($40 pp)
What to order: kalguksu, pork belly / bossam
Address: 3470 W 6th St Ste 9&10, Los Angeles, CA 90020
Website | Yelp
4. Rasarumah (Filipinotown)
If you’re a big fan of Chef Johnny Lee’s late restaurant, Pearl River Deli, then you’ll definitely need to hit up Rasarumah. This new restaurant features Malaysian-inspired dishes that the Chef experienced during his month-long travels in Asia, which I seriously envied watching on Instagram.
We ordered the shrimp chips which came with a flight of sambal, a chili condiment commonly used in Malaysian and Asian dishes. They pair perfectly with any appetizers or dishes that you pick. My favorite dishes were the Wagyu beef cheek rendang with a side of roti and the mushroom clay pot with crispy jasmine rice and tangy nước chấm seasoning. The beef rendang was super tender from a long, slow braise, and when you added it on top of the handmade roti with pickles and creamy raita sauce, each bite was so satisfying.
For a sweet treat, we tried the cendol sundae with coconut pandan ice cream, jellies, red beans, and palm sugar syrup, topped with crunchy puffed rice. It reminded me a lot of Filipino halo-halo or Vietnamese chè ba màu, refreshing and not too sweet!
Rasarumah is located in Historic Filipinotown, and parking is limited to street parking. The restaurant is decorated in a contemporary yet homey Asian cafe, with its checkered linoleum floors, tons of vegetation, wooden details, and, my favorite part, a custom marquee with welcome signs and happy-birthday greetings for the night’s guests. If you need a place to celebrate someone, definitely make a reservation at Rasarumah!
Type of food: Malaysian
Price: $$$ ($60 pp)
What to order: wagyu beef cheek rendang, mushroom clay pot, cendol sundae
Address: 3107 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026
Website | Yelp
5. Camelia (DTLA Arts District)
From the same group as Ototo and Tsubaki, Courtney Kaplan and Chef Charles Namba’s new restaurant, Camelia, features Japanese and French-inspired dishes in a midcentury bistro in Downtown LA. Camelia blends two of my favorite cuisines, and some of my favorite dishes are the uni otoro toast (yes, I know this sounds basic, but the quality of both uni and otoro is perfect), chicken liver mousse toast, the beef cheek, and the market salad (a beautiful plate of fresh seasonal veggies).
Don’t forget to try some cocktails! There’s a beautiful bar, and they offer seasonal drinks as well as non-alcoholic drinks that are very interesting, like a clarified tomato mocktail that was savory!
Much like their other restaurants, the stylistic details in the interiors and menus are just as elegantly executed as they are welcoming, with rustic wooden furniture, warm iridescent lighting, and sleek Sabre utensils. It’s a great spot for a celebration because there are plenty of seats, and reservations are available on OpenTable. I would recommend indoor dining for the vibe. Camelia offers valet parking, but you can also find street parking.
Type of food: French, Japanese, Asian
Price: $$$ ($115 pp)
What to order: uni otoro toast, chicken liver mousse toast, beef cheek, market salad
Address: 1850 Industrial St., Los Angeles, CA 90021
Website | Yelp
6. Holbox (South Central)
If you want a really, really good meal that’s affordable and at a Michelin-starred restaurant, then eat at Holbox. Tucked inside a South Central food hall, Holbox offers plenty of fresh, delicious seafood on tostadas, tacos, and more. My favorite is the uni tostada, where you get 20 grams of uni in one dish! It’s super fresh and tastes delicious. We also had the baja fish taco, pulpo taco, aguachile, guacamole and chips, and everything was incredible.
Parking can be annoying here because the lot can fill up, but we were able to find street parking nearby. They’re open all day and are an “order and find a seat” type of everyday spot that’s perfect when you just want to grab a snack. There’s also plenty of tables and chairs in the food hall, so it’s a great place for large parties to eat together.
Type of food: Yucatan-style seafood
Price: $$ ($20-40 pp)
What to order: baja fish tacos, pulpo, uni tostada
Address: 3655 S Grand Ave Ste C9, Los Angeles, CA 90007
Website | Yelp
7. Olive & Rose (Long Beach)
Olive & Rose is the sister restaurant of Michelin-starred Heritage, but stands on its own very well. When we first visited Olive & Rose, we were taken aback by how simple the menu descriptions were and, honestly, very surprised by how much we ended up liking all the dishes.
During the day, they offer a different lunch menu like kanpachi tostada, lobster salad, and coffee curated by Play Coffee (one of our fave spots in Orange County, or anywhere really).
And for dinner, we like to order octopus and potato pimento appetizer because it has the most tender pieces of octopus, sourdough bread and cultured butter, aged rib cap (this was cooked perfectly), and any dessert, seriously.
You’ll find Olive & Rose near downtown Long Beach, attached to the revamped City Center Motel. You won’t be able to miss it because of its bright pink-and-green exterior. There is street parking, but they recently acquired a paid parking lot in the back. We love eating here because the food is so well done, and it won’t break the bank.
Type of food: French, American
Price: $$$ ($100 pp)
What to order: bread and cultured butter, aged rib cap
Address: 255 Atlantic Ave, Long Beach, CA 90802
Website | Yelp
8. Dunsmoor (Glassell Park)
Dunsmoor is an open-fire restaurant that cooks its menu over an open fire and coals. Surprisingly, you don’t smell the smoky fire pit in the open kitchen when you’re inside, but rest assured that your dishes will be grilled on an open fire when you taste your food.
The beauty of open-fire cooking is that the smokiness adds another layer of enhanced flavor you can’t achieve without such heat. Fat caramelizes on the crispy skin of Mt. Lassen rainbow trout and its tender meat. And even nonmeat items like Edna’s sour milk cornbread are cooked over a fire, but not overpowered by its cooking method. Instead, the cornbread’s savory cheese and hatch chile mix-ins were enhanced by the fire’s smokiness and contrasted well with its sweet honey drizzle and fermented, cultured butter topping.
The next time we go, we’ll definitely try their most popular beef ribeye, which comes at a whopping 32 oz. We had a table for two, but mid-meal we realized our fatal mistake: we hadn’t brought our friends, so we could try more of the menu together!
Type of food: American, open-fire cooking
Price: $$
What to order: Edna’s sour milk cornbread, MT. Lassen rainbow trout
Address: 3501 N Eagle Rock Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90065
Website | Yelp
9. Verse (Toluca Lake)
Verse is a special place to take anyone who loves music and good food. Verse is a supper club created by Chef Paul Shoemaker and Manny Marroquin, a Grammy award-winning sound mixer/engineer, and owner of Larabee Studios. Right above the Hollywood hills is where you’ll find a live band playing while you indulge in American dishes that are equally contemporary and comforting at the same time.
Some of my go-to dishes are the milk buns (straight out of the oven, warm and soft), pork belly risotto (tender, thick-cut pork over creamy butternut squash risotto), and the aged yellowtail crudo (swimming in a milky broth with tangy winter citrus). They also have a standout bar that serves cocktails such as the refreshing Moonlight Sonata, made with gin, pineapple juice, and blueberries.
If you follow Verse on Instagram, you might even see tickets for exclusive events that feature Grammy-award-winning artists (Stevie Wonder, Jason Mraz, and more) playing at Verse! We’ve only been able to dine here a handful of times because of its distance, but if we lived closer, it would definitely be a monthly ritual. It is popular, and I always recommend reservations because it fills up quickly. Parking is valet, but there’s plenty of free street parking.
Type of food: Supper club, seafood, steakhouses, cocktail bars
Price: $$$
What to order: aged yellowtail crudo, pork belly risotto, and moonlight sonata cocktail
Address: 4212 Lankershim Blvd., Toluca Lake, CA 91602
Website | Yelp
10. Baroo (DTLA Arts District)
Baroo is a modern Korean restaurant founded by Kwang Uh and Mina Park, with a focus on fermentation and on Kwang’s background in temple dishes and fine dining. This is the second iteration of Baroo, so our experience is only based on this new location and menu. We visited shortly after Baroo opened in 2023 with a small group for their tasting menu.
Everything else was well executed and simple, even if not super adventurous. The cod and its sauce stood out. The short rib (extra cost on top of the pre-fixe) was very good, and the kimchi that comes with that entree. The side of rice for that was very herbaceous and full of texture, a great side for the protein. Their dessert was most surprising, with a bitter and slightly astringent bingsoo, until you realize there are multiple layers of flavors in there, which all pair nicely with the green ice part.
Baroo also hosts interesting events, such as a fermentation workshop with Jeong Kwan Seunim, where you learn to make homemade gochujang. It’s best to follow Baroo on their social media accounts to get notifications about upcoming events and snag these hard-to-get tickets.
When we first visited, Apple Maps didn’t show it in the right place, but Tesla Maps did, so we ended up parking a bit farther. Make sure you don’t search for their old address, but their new location in the Garey building. Baroo is located in the Arts District in the Garey building, and you can park in the visitors’ garage or find nearby street parking.
Type of food: modern Korean American
Price: $$$ ($70 pp)
What to order: tasting menu, special events
Address: 905 E 2nd St, Ste 109, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Website | Yelp
11. Sampa, Popup (DTLA Arts District)
We originally tried Sampa as a pop-up at Melody LA, and we are so happy that Chef Josh Espinosa opened his dedicated restaurant in the Arts District. Sampa offers unique dishes that blend Chef Espinosa’s background growing up Filipino American. The menu is filled with reimagined recipes, like kare kare tamales–a fusion of Filipino and Mexican influences that features braised oxtail stuffed into a soft masa tamal, drizzled with peanut butter sauce, and sprinkled with tangy, fermented bagoong dust.
We also ordered the pasta palabok–a Filipino party staple, but this time with Italian-inspired agnolotti and stuffed with shrimp and tofu instead of traditional rice noodles. It surprisingly reminded me of the chao tom in Vietnamese cuisine. Chef Espinosa’s dish plating also adds another level to the experience, as it’s unlike any palabok I’ve ever seen, with shavings of cheese, chives, and petite violet flowers on top of the pasta.
Type of food: Modern Filipino
Price: $$ ($75 pp)
What to order: kare kare tamales, pasta palabok
Address: 449 S Hewitt St, Los Angeles, CA 90013
Website | Yelp
12. Manuela (DTLA Arts District)
We needed a group dining option in DTLA and went with Manuela because they were able to accommodate large tables for 10 guests at the last minute during the week. Manuela is tucked inside the Hauser and Wirth building, and you’ll quickly notice that half of the restaurants sprawl out into the gallery courtyard. Since it’s a farm-to-table concept, there are also garden beds you can walk through nearby where they grow some of their herbs and vegetables.
Manuela has a rotating menu based on the season, so keep that in mind when visiting. They have a large menu of mainly New American dishes, including their popular cast-iron cornbread with a slightly crispy exterior and a rich interior (maybe one of the best cornbreads I’ve had), fresh trout tartare with spiced fennel, and a cucumber burrata salad with creamy burrata. Don’t skimp on their cocktails, because our table ordered multiples of “Do the Drapes Match the Curtain,” which had a savory carrot base and spicy tequila.
Definitely make a reservation here on the weekend, because it fills up. Note that because Manuela is in DTLA, parking is either street parking or valet.
Type of food: New American, farm-to-table
Price: $$$$ ($125 pp)
What to order: Do the Drapes Match the Curtains cocktail, cucumber burrata salad, cornbread
Address: 907 E 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90013
Website | Yelp
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