There are many cities that one food guide can’t do justice to. Los Angeles is one, a proliferation of neighborhoods and a mirepoix of various cultures that all deserve their own deep dive, as former LA Times food critic Jonathan Gold so famously tried to do. But you have to start somewhere.
It’s one of my favorite food cities anywhere, not despite of but precisely because of the massive sprawl. It’s not Hollywood or the beaches that have the most dazzling food, but rather the humble neighborhoods that dot the city, each with their own voice to offer–and yet this city also sports some excellent fine dining, tucked away in strip malls and nondescript buildings you might drive by without ever noticing. As such, I’m doing this city guide a bit differently: it will feature one casual spot and one more upscale or buzzy spot for various cuisines that can be found in the city. Hopefully, this can do at least some justice to the myriad of culinary delights LA has to offer.
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Lasita: The type of restaurant that I’d go to constantly if it was in Portland or Minneapolis. Lasita is many things–a Filipino rotisserie, a natural wine bar, at times a brunch & pastry pop up–but here all those parts work together in ways that make the concept seem obvious, natural. Dishes are understated yet very inventive (I’m still thinking about the sausage-stuffed squid and the whole branzino with tamarind demi-glace), wine list goes crazy, service is top notch, merch is to die for, etc etc etc.
Kuya Lord: For lunch, head here, and come hungry. Kuya Lord serves fairly standard Filipino fare (lechon, pancit, laing, a selection of Americanized rice bowls) but does it so well that they won a James Beard award two years back and we’re named one of Bon Appetit’s Best Restaurants the year prior. Order a selection of items to share, here, to be treated to the traditional yet inventive cooking of Chef LordMaynard and his team. Expect full on Filipino flavors, and ample grilled meats and head-on shrimp.
Baroo: give me only five dinner reservations I could make across the country and I’m probably putting Baroo on my list. I’ve been a fan for a long while, since my cousin took me here back when they had only recently opened, and the two Korean chefs coming from Michelin starred restaurants in Spain had improbably decided to open a fermentation & grain bowl spot in an L.A. strip mall. A friend there loved it so much she volunteered to help them run the register, as they were getting busier and busier and needed some extra hands. Fast forward a decade and they are now serving one of the most exciting tasting menus in the city, getting back into fine-dining while maintaining the humility and traditional recipes of their older menus.
Dan Sung Sa: for a very different sort of Korean dining experience in the city, head to K-town. The options there are limitless–and there’s some really outstanding KBBQ to be sought out, but for a simple, casual, excellent meal head to Dan Sung Sa. It’s Korean drinking food, from banchan to an assortment of grilled meats to kimchi stew and more. Look for the smoke billowing up from the building to know you’re in the right place.
Komal: Komal isn’t necessarily fine-dining, nor is it trying to be. Instead, it’s applying all the ethos of a top-tier restaurant (sourcing, dedication to craft) in a food court setting of all places. Mexican heirloom corn is nixtamalized and milled onsite, and the resulting masa is the base for everthing they do, from quesadillas bursting with squash blossoms to hefty huaraches and vibrant tamales. Just a couple days ago, they got a three star review from the NYT! It’s that good. Find it, and other great Mexican eats, in the Mercado la Paloma.
La Azteca: Get the chile relleno burrito. It’s so good. I had it years ten years ago now and still think about it often, like some long ago separated friend or crush. It’s a textural masterpiece, the silky handmade flour tortilla giving way to the crispy stuffed and fried poblano inside.
Rocio’s Mexican Kitchen: an extra entry for Mexican food because L.A. has endless good options for it. On the south side of the city–say, on your way to/from LAX?--lies a place that is Oaxacan through and through, run by a person locals call the goddess of moles. To the rest of us, that’s Rocio Camacho, whose long tenure in the city’s culinary scene helped expose the broader L.A. population to not only moles but pipians, tlayudas, and more Oaxacan favorites. At her original solo spot, Rocio’s Mexican Kitchen, the cooking is just as straightforward and relevant as it was when it opened a decade ago.
Kato: More and more, I find that the one-star Michelins are the fine dining option for me. It’s often said in restaurants, in fact, that it’s seeking that second star that destroys a restaurant. There’s plenty of counterexamples to that, but in general I just find that places like Kato can cook freely, unburdened by the pressure for absolute perfection. Here, the team is taking many traditional Taiwanese dishes and presenting them in a refined setting. Technique is spot on here, precise but not without flair–soy-glazed quail, egg and crab custard, plenty of fish caught off the coast of California. Fermentation and preservation take center stage here, an ode to Taiwan’s own rich culinary traditions.
Liu’s Cafe: simple, thoughtful, delicious Taiwanese cooking, the kind of place I want to be a regular at. Tables fill up quickly here, with staples like braised pork belly rice and beef noodle soup being crowd favorites. The pastries are supposedly amazing as well, and everything here gets served with a pot of Taiwanese tea.
Wilde’s: Perhaps the buzziest new restaurant in the city happens to highlight…British food? I’m of the belief that London is one of the better food cities anywhere at the moment, blending British ingredients and technique with influence from the rest of Europe and beyond, so to me there’s a lot to discover beyond the fish and chips. At Wilde’s, that looks like poached tuna with saffron and romano beans, or terrine with cherries and cheddar. Still, Wilde’s does give a strong nod to British classics like the Sunday roast, with a whole section of the menu being devoted to heartier cuts of meat served with the likes of beans, potatoes, or onions.
Sqirl: A casual British restaurant to suggest in relation to Wilde’s? I don’t know of one, but I will pair the city’s modern buzziest restaurant with one of its longtime sceney spots. Sqirl is an all-day cafe that rose to popularity under Jessica Koslow’s capacity to craft a modern American casual spot centered on vegetables as much as meat and potatoes. That, and some whopping breakfast toast options. Food is fresh and vibrant, verdant with herbs, richly red with tomatoes and peppers. They now offer a slightly more upscale dinner option too.
Anajak Thai: Anajak should be at the very top of anyone’s food list for L.A., and frankly has been now for quite some time, racking up awards and recognition year after year for its beloved Thai food and sensational wine list. You’ll find some curries and noodle dishes here, of course, but the menu goes far beyond that, making the most of California seafood and vegetables. Can’t recommend it enough.
Mae Malai Thai House of Noodles: a diner that also happens to serve the best boat noodles in the city. This place is beloved by locals and the Michelin guide alike for its dedication to a few classic thai noodle dishes, and the food here is the real deal, not holding back on fish sauce or sweetness or spice. As in, don’t order the highest spice level unless you want to leave in tears.
n/naka: Niki Nakayama gained fame internationally years back when her Japanese tasting menu in LA was featured on Chef’s Table. Her acumen was this: taking the Japanese dining concept of Kaiseki, which is a paced out meal of small plates centered on microseasonality and regional ingredients, and applying it to SoCal. While most of us might look at the region and think it’s devoid of seasons, Nakayama was attuned before most chefs of the region were to what fish were available when, what veggies thrive in spring and which in fall. A decade later, her restaurant hasn’t lost a beat. Come here to slow down, to savor, to remember the finer details.
Kettl: The Japanese tea importer is based in New York, but operates one tea shop on the west coast in the Los Feliz neighborhood. For those into tea, I’d highly recommend the tasting experience here, which requires booking in advance. You’ll be able to taste your way through a variety of teas from various regions of Japan, and learn quite a bit in the process from the highly knowledgeable staff. The rest of the cafe is a more casual, sit-down space, perfect for a quick matcha in between meals elsewhere.
