50+ Best Restaurants In Los Angeles

JP and I lived in Southern California together for about 8 years and he grew up living there his entire life.

On all of our weekends, we’d go try new restaurants in LA.

Every restaurant on this list is somewhere we’ve personally eaten, many more than once.

Best Restaurants In Los Angeles

So, here are all of our favorite restaurants in Los Angeles.

Check out our best restaurants in Orange County post too.

1. Don Antonio’s Mexican Food

You may recognize this restaurant if you’ve ever seen The Hills.

It’s a favorite of Heidi and Spencer Pratt, who still visit from time to time.

It’s kind of in the West LA area, right off of the 405 and 10.

With the dark interior, it makes for a romantic evening of chimichangas and flautas.

2. The Nice Guy

The Nice Guy is a celebrity hot spot near the Beverly Center.

There are no photos allowed inside (unless you’re discreetly taking photos of your food or drink), so you can see how it makes for an intimate and romantic evening.

They have a phenomenal craft cocktail list and a variety of small plates.

We had a drink called the Shake Down, which is essentially a mojito.

As an appetizer we shared some fried mozzarella.

For our meal we shared the rigatoni vodka with shrimp.

3. Father’s Office

Father’s Office has a Santa Monica and a Culver City location.

We love the Culver City location because it’s in the Helms Design District with some cool neon signs and other restaurants.

For appetizers, you should try the Chorizo Fritters.

The Office Burger is one of the best burgers in all of LA.

It has caramelized onion, bacon, gruyere, Maytag blue cheese, and arugula.

Then the side basket of fries comes with garlic parsley aioli.

4. VIPs Cafe

VIP’s Cafe is on Ventura Blvd in the Encino and Tarzana area.

John Wooden (a former UCLA basketball coach) had a favorite booth here that you can still dine in.

It still has a classic diner vibe, but it actually has only been open since 1998.

It’s very popular for breakfast and has all the staples like omelettes, hash browns, sausage patties, and biscuits.

5. Casa Vega

We actually went here specifically because they were offering a special cocktail for The Eras Tour and we were already in the area to take my sister to Universal while she was in town visiting.

Casa Vega in the Sherman Oaks area on Ventura Blvd and has been around since the 50s.

6. Johnnie’s French Dip Pastrami

Johnnie’s is a classic diner in Culver City that has been around since the 50s.

We went here one night after doing a night time Sony Studio Tour since it was on our way home and on our LA restaurant bucket list.

Like the sign says, they have French Dip Sandwiches, Pastrami Sandwiches, Hot Dogs, and Hamburgers.

We tried the pastrami sandwich, ham and cheese sandwich, and shared some onion rings.

7. Grand Central Market

Grand Central Market is a food hall in downtown LA with a little bit of everything.

The first place we went to was La Fruteria for a juice while we walked around and figured out what we wanted to eat.

For our meal, we went to Tacos Tumbras a Tomas.

We got a very well stuffed beef burrito with beans and rice.

For dessert, we took home some donuts from The Donut Man.

8. Chin Chin

We went to Chin Chin when they still had their West Hollywood location on Sunset Blvd.

Now they’re just in Brentwood and Studio City.

When we were there, there was a lot of filming going on outside on the sidewalk, so I shared some photos on Instagram and was informed it was some stars from Selling Sunset.

We were just there for a quick lunch while doing some other sightseeing, so we shared pot stickers and chow mein noodles.

9. Frisco’s Carhop

This one is a little more outside of town, over in Whittier, but it’s still LA county!

Frisco’s Carhop is a classic 50’s style diner, complete with booths inside of classic cars.

They have diner foods like burgers and sandwiches and fries.

We love the Frisco’s Patty Melt with the Parmesan Zucchini Sticks.

10. Mixt

Mixt has a few locations throughout the LA area, but we’ve only been to the one next to the La Brea Tar Pits.

It’s a great lunch spot to get something light and nutritious.

We loved the agua fresca with carrot, ginger, and turmeric.

For lunch we shared the Zesty Bowl, which is quinoa, kale, grilled chicken, feta, oranges, avocado, cabbage, pickled red onion, fresh herbs, and lemon herb vinaigrette.

11. Maria’s Italian Kitchen

Maria’s Italian Kitchen also has a few locations throughout LA, but we’ve only been to the location in Calabasas.

We went here specifically we had seen it on an episode of The Kardashians and decided to give it a try.

We shared a side salad and a plate of chicken fettucine alfredo.

12. L.A. Full House Seafood Restaurant

This is a Chinese restaurant in LA’s Chinatown.

We went here one night for dinner before being hosted on a ghost tour through the area, which I highly recommend.

We had the wonton soup, juicy pork dumplings, bbq pork fried rice, and then when they brought out the fortune cookie they also brought some orange slices and nuts.

13. Boo’s Philly Cheesesteak

There’s a Silver Lake location and a Koreatown location – we’ve only been to the Koreatown location, which is on Wilshire Blvd.

They have really cheesy Philly Cheesesteaks with a really soft bun and they’re loaded up really well.

I couldn’t find a picture from when we went, but if you look up their menu they have photos on it!

14. The Original Tops

Tops is an old-school diner from the 1950s in Pasadena.

They have really great patty melts and pastrami sandwiches.

As a side, I recommend their zucchini sticks.

15. Nobu Malibu

Nobu Malibu is a celebrity hot spot for a very good reason.

The ocean views and atmosphere just cannot be beat.

I’m not a martini drinker at all, but they have a melon sake martini that is as smooth as juice.

Their Old Fashioned is also delicious.

A great appetizer to snack on is their Edamame.

Getting sushi rolls for the table is also a great way to sample the menu.

We tried the spicy tuna roll, baked crab roll, California roll, and vegetable roll.

16. Broad Street Coffee Co

This is a great coffee shop to do some work on the go.

It’s in Malibu, not too far from the pier.

We loved the French Toast Latte.

17. Vicky’s Doghouse

Vicky’s Doghouse is a gourmet hot dog kitchen at the USS Iowa in San Pedro.

We got to eat here as part of a hosted event when they were launching a new escape room style scavenger hunt on the USS Iowa, which I highly recommend!

Since we had a group of 4 we were able to try a little bit of everything.

You can choose a regular Nathan’s hot dog or upgrade to others like an Italian Sausage or Polish Sausage.

18. San Pedro Fish Market

That same night, we also went over to the San Pedro Fish Market for dinner.

It’s right on the water, so the sunset views are great.

It gets very busy, especially when they’re doing karaoke!

The portions are massive and your meal is served on a whole tray.

19. Green Acres Market

This is all the way up in Simi Valley, which is still sort of the LA area.

It’s pretty low-key and it’s good for taking food to go.

I personally love their mac n cheese, but they also have good burritos, which is what JP gets.

I think the one in the photo is a tri-tip burrito with rice and beans.

20. The Alamo

The Alamo is a great place to go for Taco Tuesday specials in Thousand Oaks.

JP and I have been here a handful of times, but I somehow never got any photos of the actual food.

They have a great variety of margaritas and a great chorizo bean dip.

21. Smoke House

Smoke House is a classic steakhouse in Burbank just across the street from Warner Brothers Studios that is an all-around great dining experience.

Celebrities and industry professionals have been dining here for decades and it’s possible that you might recognize someone!

It’s a great place for prime rib and you have to try their world famous garlic cheese bread.

We went for lunch one time after touring the Warner Bros Studio and also tried the tri-tip sandwich.

Then we went on another visit for a graduation dinner and had the typical full course dinner.

22. Paty’s Restaurant

Paty’s is one of the best retro diners in the area.

It’s also a popular place for celebrities to have business meetings.

When we went here we saw Julia Garner.

Now for the food.

I had a patty melt with sweet potato fries that was so good!

I believe JP had a Philly Cheesesteak (which I don’t see on their menu anymore) and we also shared a cup of their famous chili and beans.

23. Bob’s Big Boy

Just one block over is the best Bob’s Big Boy location.

When you go, ask if you can sit in the booth that The Beatles sat in when they visited!

The food and menus are the same as Frisch’s Big Boy, which is in the Midwest, except for one tiny detail.

The burgers at Frisch’s are served with tartar sauce and the burgers at Bob’s are served with mayo.

So the must try’s here are the chili spaghetti (which is another Midwest specialty – specifically from Cincinnati, Ohio) and the Big Boy Burger.

Also their side salad with honey mustard just hits the spot every time.

24. Ribs USA

Ribs USA is a low-key and affordable spot just across from the Walt Disney Studios.

I’ve never actually dined inside the restaurant, but we’ve gotten meals to go plenty of times.

I don’t actually eat ribs, so I opt for the mac n cheese usually and sometimes the pulled pork sandwich if I’m feeling especially hungry.

JP always gets the ribs though and he says they always just fall right off the bone.

25. The Daily Grill

The Daily Grill is right outside of the Burbank Airport.

They have a few other locations near LAX, Palm Desert, and in Houston.

We shared the Panko Crusted Trout with sides of Risotto and Mac n Cheese.

Then for dessert we had the Chocolate Lava Bundt Cake and a slice of Key Lime Pie to go.

26. TAP

TAP is a quick service Asian restaurant near the Burbank Town Center (mall).

You get to build your own Asian rice bowls with tons of toppings to choose from.

I had Thai purple rice, teriyaki glaze, chicken satay, grilled vegetables, curry spiced corn, cucumbers, red onions, and bean sprouts!

27. Frontier Wok

JP took me here one afternoon because we happened to be driving by and he had completely forgotten that it existed until he saw the sign.

He used to eat there quite a bit when he worked in the area, so we decided to give it a try again.

It’s on Olive Ave, kind of situated right in the half way point between the Walt Disney Studios area and the Burbank Town Center area.

For starters, I personally love the wonton soup, but JP prefers the hot and sour soup.

For our meals we had the bbq bao buns and I think we had the Chow Fun noodles.

28. Granville

Granville has a few locations in the LA area, but the Burbank one is the only one we’ve been to.

I don’t remember what I had to drink, but their handcrafted cocktail list is extensive!

As an appetizer, I love the butternut squash soup.

The uptown mac n cheese is great for sharing.

It comes with aged cheddar, gruyere, certified humane chicken, asparagus, and peas.

For a little bit more protein, I recommend the Santa Barbara chicken sandwich.

This one comes with certified humane chicken, smoked mozzarella, roasted peppers,

caramelized onions, basil pine nut pesto, and garlic aioli on ciabatta.

31. Yamashiro

Yamashiro offers mostly Japanese dishes, but there some other signature items as well.

I recommend starting your dinner with a hot, green tea.

We visited on a cold, rainy day in the middle of Winter and this tea just hit the spot.

For appetizers, I recommend starting off with the pork bao buns.

The veggies and sauce really brighten up an otherwise dense and heavy appetizer.

For your meal, sushi lovers, this place is for you!

There are seemingly endless possibilities.

But if you want to try something different or if sushi isn’t really your thing, there are some hot dishes that are worth trying.

The Japanese A5 Wagyu Steak Garlic Noodles are a bit spicy, but still good overall.

The Crab Fried Rice also pairs well with these noodles.

As a side, I recommend adding the Miso Creamed Corn.

It’s a little spicier than I like, but other than that it is so good!

Now for the desserts!

Yamashiro has a few unique options.

The banana doughnuts are served with a chocolate dipping sauce and they reheat well in an air fryer if you need to take them home.

The Sticky Toffee Cake is also really good.

It’s a little denser than you’d expect, almost like a brownie or chocolate cake, but the combination of walnuts, toffee sauce, and crème fraiche is phenomenal.

Lastly, since we were celebrating during our visit, our server gifted us each a glass of champagne and we shared a small cheesecake for dessert.

They also offer Smash Cakes in milk chocolate, dark chocolate, pink, and red.

To really enhance the romance, you can get a heart cake with chocolate and candy filling for $70.

The views and the setting here really cannot be beat.

32. The Formosa Cafe

The Formosa Cafe has been an LA staple since the 1930s.

There are tons of photos of celebrities that have visited over nearly 100 years.

Dine in the rail car for an even more romantic and cozy experience.

I recommend their soup dumplings and their chow mein.

JP and I like to eat here when we do movie studio tours and tv show tapings since they’re not too far away!

They have a build your own lunch box special too that is great if you’re there in the middle of the day.

33. Chris n Eddy’s

JP and I first visited Chris n Eddy’s as part of their grand opening where they invited local food bloggers and vloggers.

They have smash burgers and waffle fries and tater tots.

It’s a great place to go on Sunset Blvd for something quick, flavorful, and relatively cheap.

34. Pizza Worx

Pizza Worx is right along the main strip of Hollywood Blvd where you would go to see the Chinese Theater and the Walk of Fame.

It’s a great place to grab a quick bite to eat while you’re sightseeing.

35. Doughbrik’s Pizza

If you’re traveling with any Gen Z’ers, they will probably ask you to go to Doughbrik’s Pizza.

That’s what happened to us when my sister visited for The Eras Tour!

But, it is actually great pizza, so definitely check it out.

It’s on the West Hollywood portion of Sunset Boulevard.

They have the square, thick Sicilian style pizza slices and the thinner, longer, NY style pizza.

36. Marmalade Cafe

Marmalade Cafe has multiple locations around the Greater Los Angeles area.

We love to go for a late night patio dining experience to enjoy our favorite pasta dishes and a glass of wine.

Our favorite location is actually the one in Calabasas though.

I recommend the spaghetti and meatballs or blackened chicken penne.

They have a great complimentary bread service too.

37. Du-par’s

Du-par’s has been an LA staple since 1938!

It is located at the Original Farmer’s Market and they are known for their hotcakes which are available 24/7.

Don’t just take our word for it though, they were voted the Best Pancakes in the US by Esquire Magazine.

They are also our favorite pancakes too!

It can get pretty busy, but they get the line moving pretty quickly, so you usually won’t have to wait too long.

38. Canter’s Deli

The first time JP and I went to Canter’s Deli was for Richard Sherman’s 90th birthday party (he’s 1/2 of the Sherman Brothers that wrote all those classic Disney songs back in the day).

We went a couple more times over the years, like when friends were visiting from out of town.

It’s been around since 1931 and it’s a classic old Hollywood diner that’s open 24/7.

I think the sandwich pictured below is from when we had the Matt’s Special, which is Oven-Roasted Turkey, Muenster Cheese, Cole Slaw, and Canter’s Russian Dressing on Grilled Challah Egg Bread.

39. Swingers Diner

Swingers is a classic looking diner, which is what caught our attention immediately when driving by, but it actually didn’t open until the 90s.

When you walk inside, you’d never know!

I love their hummus and pita chips plate and JP loves their cheeseburger with onion rings.

They have large chocolate chip cookies for dessert too.

40. French Crêpe Company

This place is one of the vendors at The Original Farmer’s Market.

They have lots of crepe options, but we went with our favorite, which is Nutella and Banana.

We also got a bottle of Orangina, which surprisingly JP had never tried before.

I always like to get it whenever I come across a place that has it since it’s pretty much a novelty here.

When I took my high school trip to France I had Orangina every day.

I’m pretty sure I also had a Nutella crepe on a daily basis as well!

When you visit, take the time to browse everything else in the area because there are tons of food and drink options.

41. Lawry’s Beverly Hills

Lawry’s is a prime rib chain with a handful fine dining locations, one of which is in Beverly Hills.

We actually got married at a different Lawry’s owned restaurant (Five Crowns in Corona Del Mar), so we were on their highest tier of loyalty rewards for years!

Since we had all the rewards, we made sure to try out all of their other restaurants.

For starters, JP always orders an Old Fashioned and I always get a glass of a sweeter house wine.

Lawry’s also offers their own complimentary bread service, which is usually like a thick cut of sandwich bread.

As an appetizer, we decided to try their Famous Original Spinning Salad, which has a little bit of everything, and of course the presentation of making the salad is all part of the experience.

Another great appetizer is the Crab and Avocado, which is more like a dip instead of a solid crab cake.

For the main course, JP always gets Prime Rib, since that is what Lawry’s is known for.

It comes with mashed potatoes and gravy, Yorkshire pudding, and you can choose between creamed corn and creamed spinach.

When we got married they said like 80% of people choose creamed spinach which is an absolutely disgusting statistic because creamed corn is superior in every way.

For my entree, I went with the Filet Mignon, which is always my go-to and I always add a side of mac n cheese.

For dessert, we had ordered the Pineapple Upside Down Bundt Cake but since we were celebrating my birthday, they also brought out another dessert with a birthday candle for me.

42. Four Seasons Hotel Bar – The Lounge

On our last night living in California before we moved to Ohio, we spent the evening at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills.

The hotel bar is an insane place for people watching by the way.

In just the span of a couple hours we saw Lori Laughlin, John Malkovich, and someone from a tv show that JP knew, but I didn’t.

And that was without intentionally people watching.

So the yellow smoky drink pictured below is called “Introspective“.

It’s made up of Leblon Cachaca, Chinola Passionfruit, Fernet Branca Lychee, Tonka Bean Bitters, and Lime Juice.

The other drinks are more traditional – Martini, Old Fashioned, and I think the other one might just be a Coke?

We also got a cannoli!

43. Four Seasons Hotel Restaurant – Culina Ristorante

Earlier that same day we had lunch at the hotel restaurant.

Their Caesar Salad actually has full anchovies, so I just ate around them.

My top recommendation though is the Rigatoni alla Bolognese.

The difference in high quality pasta versus what you’d get at like Olive Garden is not even comparable.

The restaurant also has small-ish, personal sized pizzas and this one is the Salumi di Calabria pizza.

Save room for dessert too because they have a great selection.

44. The Rooftop by JG at Waldorf-Astoria Beverly Hills

JP and I stayed at the Waldorf-Astoria in Beverly Hills one time when I worked for Hilton and we had some dining credits to use, so we decided to check out the rooftop bar.

It’s a great outdoor bar where you can even enjoy the views at night time, seeing the city lights and the lights from the homes in the hills.

There’s not really anything super unique or special about their food or drink menus honestly, but it’s high quality and high vibes, so that’s what makes it worth visiting.

We went before I started blogging, so I unfortunately don’t have any photos of what we ordered.

45. Beverly Wilshire Hotel Room Service

One thing you should probably splurge for if you ever stay at the Beverly Wilshire is the Pretty Woman Breakfast.

We were just staying one night for New Year’s and leaving in the morning, to drive home, so we didn’t have the time for breakfast.

But I don’t love breakfast foods all that much, so I wouldn’t be a good judge of it, so instead we ordered in dinner.

It came with rolls, which was a pleasant surprise.

The sandwich was STACKED.

I’m glad we had decided to share a meal once all the food showed up.

We had the DTLA Avocado Club, which came with fries and then for dessert we had Chocolate Mousse Cake.

46. Tam O’Shanter

Tam O’Shanter is themed to an old British inn and tavern style.

It’s also part of the Lawry’s Prime Rib dining group, which has a nearby location in Beverly Hills.

We actually got married at another Lawry’s restaurant, called Five Crowns down in Orange County!

The claim to fame here is that it has a booth that Walt Disney loved to dine in that you can still dine in today!

JP and I went a few times over the years and have a few favorites.

The Old Fashioned here is great and that is JP’s go-to drink.

The Deviled Eggs and the Wedge Salad are great appetizers to share and start your meal with.

JP always gets the Prime Rib here since that is what they’re known for, so I let him eat that and then I eat some of his sides, but I also get my own side of Mac n Cheese too.

We’re usually too full by the end of the meal to enjoy a dessert, but sometimes we take one to-go, so we can enjoy it later.

47. The Great White Hut

The Great White Hut is a local chain with locations throughout the Glendale, Burbank, and Hollywood areas that has been around since the 1940s!

Even though they’re known for being a burger place, they also have great breakfast burritos, which are served all day.

I recommend going during lunch though so that you can try their burgers and their carne asada loaded fries.

48. Porto’s Bakery

Porto’s Bakery is another local chain with locations in Glendale, Burbank, Northridge, Buena Park, and a few others.

They really offer a little bit of everything.

Some of their more popular items are their Potato Balls and Ham & Cheese Croquettes.

I had a Guava filled pastry at their Northridge location and loved it!

You can also get more savory foods here like sandwiches.

I think we had a Cuban sandwich.

We used to live about 5 minutes from the Buena Park location so we’ve been an insane amount of times!

I tried to get a Mardi Gras king cake from here one year but they only make them stuffed with the different cream cheese filling flavors, rather than just a plain cake, which is the only kind I like, so that’s my only complaint about Porto’s Bakery.

49. Yoshinoya

Yoshinoya is another local chain that is all over LA and Orange County.

It’s the perfect cold or rainy weather fast food restaurant.

They’re open pretty late too, so JP and I would usually go here when we were getting out of late tv show tapings like The Masked Singer.

You want to get their Original Gyudon Beef bowl on white rice!

I’ve had the brown rice and the noodles too, but the combo of this kind of beef with the white rice is the best.

50. Diddy Riese Cookies

This is going to be the cheapest snack you ever eat in your life.

Cookies are just 50 CENTS EACH!

They are made from scratch all day, everyday.

Flavors include candy chocolate chip, chocolate chip, chocolate chip walnut, chocolate white chocolate, double chocolate, oatmeal raisin walnut, peanut butter, sugar cinnamon, white chocolate, and white chocolate macadamia.

In addition to just cookies, you can also build your own ice cream sandwich and ice cream sundae

You can pick any of the cookie flavors mentioned above and choose from the following ice cream flavors:

butter pecan, chocolate, chocolate chip, cookie dough, cookies & cream, espresso chip, mint chocolate chip, peanut butter cup, rocky road, strawberry, mocha almond fudge, and vanilla bean.

If you don’t want cookies or ice cream, they also have fudge brownies and Hawaiian Shave Ice.

51. Lamonica’s NY Pizza

Here at Lamonica’s they make their dough in Brooklyn, so that it’s made with New York tap water, which makes all the difference in the world.

I personally love their Sicilian style pizza, which is the square pizza with a thick crust.

They also obviously serve traditional NY style slices of pizza and we always get one sausage slice and one pepperoni slice.

52. Barney’s Beanery

JP and I would go here to watch UCLA football games whenever they had an away game, so we’ve tried quite a bit of their menu.

It’s more of a college sports bar than anything, so I wouldn’t go too fancy with the drinks, but they make a great hot toddy and their Old Fashioned is pretty good.

We’ve also tried just a typical beer and a typical wine.

Some of our go-to’s are actually just a variety of appetizers and share-able foods.

We like their side salad, pretzel bread, Irish Nachos, onion rings, and mac n cheese wedges.

53. Prince of Venice

The pizza and the pasta are both good here.

I’ve had the cacio e pepe and the sausage and pepperoni pizza.

It’s much more low-key than any of the other restaurants here, so it’s a good hidden gem.

54. Rocco’s Tavern

Rocco’s is another great sports bar in Westwood.

We love their fried zucchini, wings, mac n cheese, and pizza.

I tried a can of spiked cactus water vodka seltzer that was also pretty good.

At night it turns into a night club though for the college students, so be ready to dip out once the games are over!

Fun Things To Do In Los Angeles

We have a blog post of some of our favorite Secret Spots In Los Angeles and they are located all over.

If you’ve never been, Universal Studios Hollywood is perfect for a full day visit and they have a ton of new attractions in the last few years.

If you’re visiting in the Fall, there are a couple popular night time events including Nights of the Jack in Calabasas and Carved at Descanso Gardens.

If you’re visiting in the Winter, check out the LA Zoo Holiday Lights.

Where To Stay In Los Angeles

We’ve stayed in a few hotels in the LA area, including the Waldorf-Astoria in Beverly Hills, but our favorite place we’ve stayed is the iconic Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel.

You might know it as the hotel from Pretty Woman with Julia Roberts!

We stayed once for New Year’s and absolutely love it.

It’s in walking distance to all the Rodeo Drive shops and restaurants too.

Click Here To Book Your Beverly Wilshire Stay Today!

Conclusion: Best Restaurants In Los Angeles

LA is massive and there are an insane amount of restaurants, making it hard to narrow down exactly where to go.

We tend to stick to the classics that are on all the must-do lists, while also trying a few newer, trendy ones too.

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