The Top 100 Places to Eat and Drink Near Cento Pasta Bar
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Rank 1. Cento Pasta Bar
Contemporary Italian
In a West Adams courtyard strung with lights, Chef Avner Levi's Italian-contemporary pasta bar balances refinement with ease. Beet pasta twirled in brown butter and poppy seeds, topped with whipped ricotta, arrives as both visual statement and genuine pleasure, while a Key lime pavlova offers tart-sweet closure. The food is careful without pretension.
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Rank 2. Alta Adams
Southern
A string-lit patio draped in vines sets the stage for soulful cooking that rewards group dining—golden fried chicken arrives juicy and spiced, alongside sweet potatoes and herb-touched black-eyed pea fritters. The buttery coconut cake tastes like an heirloom recipe, unpretentious and complete.
- Eater The All-Time Eater 38
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · #44 · The 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles
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Rank 4. Lugya’h
Mexican
At a counter inside Maydan Market, Chef Alfonso Martinez hand-presses tortillas and cooks them over live fire in cast-iron comals, then loads them with beans, cheese, cabbage, and salsa. The moronga—a blood sausage that tastes of spice and depth—elevates these tlayudas into something substantial enough for two, and the casual, convivial setup makes them feel like a gift.
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Rank 5. Johnny's
Jewish-Influenced
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Rank 6. Leo's Tacos Truck
Mexican
- Time Out #17 · The 40 best restaurants in Los Angeles you need to try right now
- Los Angeles Times 2024 · Al pastor taco · The 101 Best Tacos in Los Angeles
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- Spirited Awards 2024 · Top 10 Nominee · Best U.S. Restaurant Bar
- Spirited Awards 2024 · Regional Honoree · Best U.S. Bar Team – U.S. West
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Rank 8. Providence
Seafood
Michael Cimarusti's tasting menu at Providence draws from pristine wild-caught seafood and classical technique, each course arriving with the fastidiousness of a jeweler arranging stones. A soft-poached egg trembling with uni, a lobster mousse tartare set in crab beurre blanc—the meal never falters in its commitment to clarity and restraint.
- Michelin Guide 3 Stars
- Forbes Travel Guide Forbes Four Star
- 50 Best 2025 · Michael Cimarusti · Chefs' Choice Award
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Rank 9. République
Southern European Mediterranean
A sprawling bakery and restaurant with soaring brick ceilings that pulses from dawn pastries through evening service, République channels a bustling European market hall. The Southern European menu pivots on impeccable ingredients—warm beignets, silky risotto, braised beef—executed with unfussy precision.
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Winner · Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker · Margarita Manzke
- World Culinary Awards 2025 · Nominee · North America's Best Brunch Venue
- Time Out The best bakeries in America
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Rank 11. Tacos Tamix
Mexico City-Style
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Rank 12. The Belvedere
French
The dining room at The Belvedere maintains the formal grandeur of old Hollywood without apology, all starched linens and architectural restraint. It is the kind of place where the ritual of a long meal feels less like indulgence than inheritance.
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Rank 13. Vespertine
Contemporary
Jordan Kahn's avant-garde tasting menu unfolds in a striking red-steel structure, each plate a visual and technical marvel—scallop with passionfruit and horseradish tuile, flowers suspended in tomato water. The meal sustains its invention through dessert, with zero-waste ethos woven throughout.
- Michelin Guide 2 Stars
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · #33 · The 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles
- Bon Appétit 2018 · America's Best New Restaurants
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- Sprudgie Awards 2025 · Finalist · Best New Cafe
- US Coffee Championships 2025 · #2 · U.S. Brewers Cup · Christian Bak
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Rank 15. CUT
Steakhouse
Inside the Four Seasons on Wilshire, Wolfgang Puck's steakhouse commands a polished dining room built for high-stakes dinners. Creekstone filet mignon arrives with Armagnac peppercorn béarnaise; the wagyu tallow fries linger in memory long after. A temple to beef and power meals, unapologetically expensive.
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Rank 16. Holbox
Coastal Mexican
Gilbert Cetina works a counter inside Mercado La Paloma with the precision of a jeweler, coaxing impossible brightness from aguachile and ceviche with seafood so fresh it arrives still trembling. His grilled lobster and house-made tortillas, dressed in an arsenal of salsas, suggest that restraint and impeccable sourcing need no fanfare.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- 50 Best 2025 · #42 · North America's 50 Best Restaurants
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Nominee · Outstanding Chef · Gilberto Cetina
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Rank 17. Somni
Spanish
Chef Aitor Zabala has restored Somni into a Catalan dream of meticulous small plates—mussel escabeche, gazpacho, shiso tartare tempura—where kitchen and service move in perfect synchrony. The hushed dining room, anchored by a colorful bull's head, channels Spain through endless textural invention and restrained elegance.
- Michelin Guide 3 Stars
- The Infatuation 2025 · #2 · The Top-Rated New Restaurants
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · #50 · The 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles
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Rank 18. Pizzeria Sei
Japan-Italy Pizza
At Pizzeria Sei, a handful of counter seats frame the kitchen where chefs shape individual pies with a Japan-Italy hybrid sensibility—the cornicione puffed and mochi-tender, the Bismarck topped with a poached egg, the Margherita faithful. Gas and wood fire finish them equally well. Pizza as shape-shifter, refined and playful at once.
- 50 Top Pizza 2025 · #2 · 50 Top Pizza USA
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Time Out #23 · The 40 best restaurants in Los Angeles you need to try right now
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Rank 19. n/naka
Kaiseki Japanese
Chef Niki Nakayama's intimate tasting room presents a graceful interpretation of kaiseki that moves between delicate broths and grilled wagyu, drawing on Japanese and California sources with a light hand. Her signature abalone spaghetti with cod roe and black truffle never leaves the menu, a flourish that signals her vision even as each course shifts.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Nominee · Outstanding Chef · Niki Nakayama
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Nominee · Outstanding Chef · Niki Nakayama
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Rank 20. Sonoratown
Sonoran Mexican
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Rank 21. Komal
Mexican
In the Mercado Del Paloma, Chef Fátima Juárez coaxes depth from heirloom corn nixtamalized in-house, each quesadilla and tlacoya a small study in restraint and smoke. The fried plantain in black mole and short-rib tacos demand salsa applied with purpose, not timidity.
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Nominee · Emerging Chef · Fátima Juárez
- Bon Appétit 2025 · America's Best New Restaurants
- Esquire 2025 · The Best New Restaurants in America
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Rank 23. Lalibela Ethiopian Restaurant
Ethiopian
Light pours through the windows of this family-run spot in Little Ethiopia, where a warm team presides over a spare, homestay-like room. Oversized silver platters arrive lined with injera, their vegetable dishes alive with berbere and turmeric, their finely chopped kitfo—particularly the spicy Somali version with prime beef and jalapeño—revealing an unshowy mastery of technique and seasoning.
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Rank 24. Osteria Mozza
Italian
Dark wood and white marble frame a counter where antipasti come together in real time. Nancy Silverton's team treats bread and mozzarella as separate languages within Italian cooking, moving with equal confidence through crispy chicken legs and orecchiette studded with sausage. A rosemary olive oil cake with brittle and olive oil gelato closes the meal with understated elegance.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- Wine Enthusiast 2024 · Forward 50 Restaurants
- Time Out #11 · The 40 best restaurants in Los Angeles you need to try right now
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Rank 25. Borit Gogae
Korean
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · The 101 Best Restaurants in California
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Los Angeles Right Now
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · #66 · The 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles
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Rank 26. Antico Nuovo
Italian
Backlit booths and a hand-cranked rotisserie grill set the scene at Chad Colby's compact Italian restaurant, where pastas stuffed with rabbit and roasted vegetables dressed in bagna cauda share space with focaccia topped in whipped ricotta and pistachio. The kitchen balances restraint and indulgence, the kind of place that takes its housemade ice creams as seriously as its proteins.
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurant
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · The 101 Best Restaurants in California
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Rank 27. Destroyer
Contemporary
Jordan Kahn's Destroyer strips the room down to white walls so the plate becomes the only spectacle: avocado confit with onion ash, rice porridge layered with restraint and texture, chocolate crémeux dusted in frozen cucumber cream. Each dish reads as a small architectural problem solved.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · #14 · The 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles
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Rank 28. Gwen
Steakhouse
By day a butcher shop dealing in humanely raised meats; by night, a glittering dining room where crystal chandeliers and a fireplace preside over wood-fired steaks and house-made charcuterie. The kitchen moves with purpose—lobster ravioli with confit leeks, smoked beets with leek ash yogurt—and a seat at the counter puts you in its thrall.
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Rank 29. Spago
Californian
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Rank 30. Parks BBQ
Korean
A room of framed celebrity snapshots and the low hiss of tabletop grills mark one of Los Angeles's steadiest Korean barbecue houses, where servers tend meat with practiced efficiency. Prime beef—from standard cuts to pricier American Wagyu—arrives lightly marinated, balanced by crisp kimchi pancakes and cold noodles that anchor each bite.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · The 101 Best Restaurants in California
- Time Out #29 · The 40 best restaurants in Los Angeles you need to try right now
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Rank 31. Pizzeria Mozza
Pizza
The bright yellow façade signals Mediterranean ease, but inside Pizzeria Mozza, opened in 2006, the care runs deep. Puffy-crusted pies arrive topped with leeks and lemon zest or mozzarella and Fresno chiles, while the salads show the same precision in sourcing. A seasonally rotating lineup of cakes and gelato rounds out a place that transcends neighborhood pizzeria entirely.
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Rank 32. chi SPACCA
Steakhouse Italian
The wood-fired kitchen at chi SPACCA channels old-school steakhouse swagger through a modern Italian lens, with focaccia di recco and pollo alla diavola that improve with each return. Bold seasoning, live flame, and an Italian wine program of real depth make this intimate room feel both convivial and serious about meat.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · The 101 Best Restaurants in California
- Time Out #14 · The 40 best restaurants in Los Angeles you need to try right now
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Rank 33. Petit Trois
Bistro French
A narrow counter perpetually cramped with diners, where French hip-hop plays against a canon of classical bistro dishes—garlicky escargots, steak frites, an exceptional omelet. The "Big Mec," a double cheeseburger with bordelaise, justifies the squeeze and the wait.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Time Out #24 · The 40 best restaurants in Los Angeles you need to try right now
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · #81 · The 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles
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Rank 34. Nardò Culver City
Southern Italian
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Rank 35. Liu's Cafe
Chinese
Liu's Cafe fills quickly with regulars drawn to its counter-service rhythm and glimpses into a compact kitchen where house-made wontons swim in chili oil and braised pork belly arrives steaming over rice. Pastries—from morning arrival to citrus curd tart at close—anchor a menu that asks little of you except to arrive early and steep yourself in tea.
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Rank 36. Meteora
Creative
The dining room unfolds like a fever dream—tangled vines, low light, hypnotic sound—but Chef Jordan Kahn's cooking grounds you in something real: live-fire technique married to sustainable sourcing, zero waste, wild ingredients transformed into dishes of real grace. Charred yam with smoked trout roe and hazelnut, scallops with burnt onion jus and plantain—each plate balances primal and precise.
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Rank 37. Lucia
Caribbean
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Rank 38. Pasta Sisters
Italian
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Rank 39. Guelaguetza
Oaxacan Mexican
Guelaguetza celebrates Oaxacan mole with the fervor of a convert, its complex negro and rojo varieties layered with spices that defy decoding. The tlayudas and pozole satisfy, but the moles—darkly rich, unapologetically intense—are what compel return visits.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Time Out #39 · The 40 best restaurants in Los Angeles you need to try right now
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Rank 40. Dulan's On Crenshaw
Southern
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · Fifty Under $50
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · #56 · The 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles
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Rank 41. Kali
Steakhouse
Kevin Meehan's Kali resurrects the old-school Hollywood steakhouse—red leather, divided dining room, full bar—with enough architectural precision that the nostalgia feels earned rather than forced. The Creekstone Farms beef anchors a menu of classics (tartare, risotto, potatoes fried to order) that trusts tradition while the meringue gelato with cured egg yolk suggests someone's paying attention.
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Rank 42. Nozawa Bar
Sushi
Tucked behind a Sugarfish storefront, this intimate counter serves omakase with quiet precision: jellyfish with ponzu snap between your teeth, snapper is sliced tableside, halibut fin dissolves on the tongue. Chef Osamu Fujita respects tradition while mining novelty, letting impeccable local seafood speak without ceremony.
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Rank 43. Funke
Italian
In a 1930s art deco shell with soaring ceilings and red leather booths, Chef Evan Funke showcases handmade pasta through a glassed-in kitchen, each shape a small architecture lesson. Agnolotti filled with taleggio fonduta and finished in brown butter sauce announces an Italian restaurant confident enough to let its craft speak without apology.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · #19 · The 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles
- Time Out #21 · The 40 best restaurants in Los Angeles you need to try right now
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Rank 44. Bar Etoile
New American
At Bar Etoile, a compact bistro on Western Avenue, Chef Travis Hayden builds a streamlined menu around what the market offers: snap peas laid over smoked ricotta with nettle gremolata, striped bass with crispy skin and salsa macha, chocolate tart brightened by passion fruit. The wine list, French-leaning and vast, matches the cooking's philosophy that good ingredients need little interference.
- Wine Enthusiast 2025 · Top 50 New Restaurants
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · #59 · The 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles
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Rank 45. Pasta Sisters
Italian
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Rank 46. Dan Sung Sa
Old-School Korean
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Rank 48. Rasarumah
Malaysian
Chef Johnny Lee's Malaysian kitchen greets you with a battery of sambals and moves into shareable plates of pork jowl satay, charred okra, and beef rendang that arrives in a deep, creamy curry with buttery roti. The prices sit above neighborhood casual, but the portions and technique justify it—this is cooking that respects ingredients and tradition without apology.
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurateur · Holly Fox and Adam Weisblatt - Last Word Hospitality
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- The Infatuation 2025 · #9 · LA’s Best New Restaurants
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Rank 49. Two Hommés
West African/Californian
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · The 101 Best Restaurants in California
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in Los Angeles
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · #29 · The 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles
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Rank 50. Meals by Genet
Ethiopian
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Rank 51. Kuya Lord
Filipino
- Bon Appétit 2023 · America's Best New Restaurants
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Winner · Best Chef: California · Lord Maynard Llera
- Time Out #19 · The 40 best restaurants in Los Angeles you need to try right now
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Rank 52. Langer's
Deli American
A sprawling deli counter that has been ladling matzoh ball soup since 1947, Langer's commands booths and a national following with its encyclopedic menu of latkes, blintzes, and chopped liver. The No. 19 pastrami sandwich—Swiss cheese, coleslaw, Russian dressing—is the irreducible point.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · The 101 Best Restaurants in California
- Time Out #40 · The 40 best restaurants in Los Angeles you need to try right now
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Rank 53. Casa Gish Bac Cocina Oaxaqueña
Oaxacan Mexican
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · Fifty Under $50
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · #83 · The 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles
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Rank 55. Dha Rae Oak
Korean
At this Koreatown spot, a whole duck roasted in clay—stuffed with chestnuts, sweet potatoes, rice, and herbs—emerges bronzed and crackling, carved tableside and served with spicy sauce and herbaceous broth. Order ahead for the full ceremony, though walk-ins find solace in the signature smoke and meat. It's the kind of dish that rewires your sense of occasion.
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Rank 56. SomiSomi
Korean
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Rank 57. Darling
Southern
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- Forbes Travel Guide Forbes Recommended
- World Culinary Awards 2025 · Nominee · North America's Best Brunch Venue
- World Culinary Awards 2025 · Nominee · United States' Best Hotel Restaurant
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Rank 60. Pollo a la Brasa
Peruvian
The smell of wood smoke announces this Koreatown institution before you reach the door. Peruvian rotisserie chicken, cooked over live fire and finished with a family-secret marinade, arrives with skin that cracks under your fork; the twice-fried fries and spicy green aji sauce are worth the wait alone.
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Rank 63. Soban Los Angeles
Korean
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Rank 64. The Serving Spoon
Soul Food
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Rank 65. Thunderbolt
Southern-Inspired
- The Pinnacle Guide 2 Pins
- 50 Best 2025 · Sustainable Bar Award
- Spirited Awards 2026 · Top 10 Nominee · Best U.S. Cocktail Bar
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Rank 66. Fat + Flour
Bakery
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker · Nicole Rucker
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker · Nicole Rucker
- LAist 2023 · Cookies · Best Bites
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- Spirited Awards 2026 · Regional Top 10 Honoree · Best U.S. Bar Team – U.S. West
- Punch 2025 · Real Charmer Daiquiri · Our Favorite Cocktails
- Spirited Awards 2025 · Regional Top 10 Honoree · Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar – U.S. West
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Rank 69. Harriet's Rooftop
Asian-Inspired
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Rank 70. Jon & Vinny's
Italian
Sunlight floods through skylights onto a long counter facing the wood-fired grill at this Italian-American café, where Shook and Dotolo have maintained an easygoing charm since 2015. Pizzas arrive with lightly charred edges and thoughtful toppings; spaghetti limone with breadcrumbs and house-made pastas show equal care. The kitchen moves with the ease of a place that knows what it's doing.
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Rank 71. KazuNori
Japanese
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Rank 73. Din Tai Fung
Taiwanese
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Rank 74. Chosun Galbee
Korean
Servers in traditional dress move through a sleek dining room with the formality of a ceremony, tending to tables where diners grill their own meat over tabletop flames. The galbee—short ribs glazed in house-made soy sauce and finished with charred onions—arrives impossibly tender, a statement of what meticulous sourcing and preparation can achieve. Worth the wait, especially in a crowd.
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Rank 75. Fuegos La
Argentinian
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Rank 76. Jikoni
Kenyan/Nigerian
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Rank 77. Mori Nozomi
Omakase Japanese
Chef Nozomi Mori conducts an eight-seat omakase with the restraint of someone who trusts her ingredients—flown weekly from Japan, paired with Santa Monica produce—to speak without ornament. From the silken chawanmushi that opens service to the final matcha, each piece arrives as evidence of her knife work and her conviction that refinement lives in what you leave out.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- The New York Times 2025 · The Restaurant List
- Esquire 2024 · The Best New Restaurants in America
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- Wildsam The 50 Most Essential Bars in America
- Esquire 2024 · The Best Bars in America
- Esquire 2023 · Olive Drive · The Best Martinis in America
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Rank 79. Lasung House
Korean Comfort Food
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Rank 80. Iki Ramen
Japanese
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Rank 81. Budonoki
Japanese
- Esquire 2024 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- Eater 2024 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- Eater Best New Restaurant
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Rank 82. Sticky Rice
Thai
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Rank 83. Sushi K
Japanese
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Rank 84. Bridgetown Roti
American Caribbean
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Nominee · Emerging Chef · Rashida Holmes
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Chef · Rashida Holmes
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Best New Restaurant
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Rank 85. Tev's Kitchen
Caribbean
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Angelini Osteria has anchored Beverly Boulevard since 2001 with unshowy Italian cooking that refuses to fade. Grilled calamari with pomegranate and sea urchin linguini exemplify a menu that rewards regulars without chasing trends.
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Rank 88. La Descarga Hollywood
Cuban Cocktail Bar
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Rank 90. Somerville
Progressive New American
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Rank 91. Jeong Yuk Jeom
Korean
The brothers Son run this cavernous Korean barbecue room with the polish of a steakhouse and the generosity of a butcher's shop—which is what the name means. Premium beef arrives on trays for tableside grilling: tomahawk steaks that feed a crowd, dry-aged prime rib, marbled short ribs finished with nothing but salt and soy. The setting is sleek, the service attentive, the banchan abundant.
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Rank 92. Lapaba
Italian Contemporary
In a Koreatown dining room lit low and lined with bar seating, McKenna Lelah and Matthew Kim serve Italian pasta reimagined through Korean flavors—bulgogi meatballs in truffle tomato sauce, radiatore with short rib ragu—with an intimacy that rewards lingering. The portions invite group dining, and even tiramisu bows to tradition's subversion, layered with misugaru and makgeolli.
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Rank 93. Found Oyster
Seafood
A sparse corner bar in East Hollywood where impeccably sourced seafood—sea urchin, razor clams, Maine scallops from the owner's family farm—needs only olive oil and lemon to speak for itself. The kitchen understands restraint, letting lobster rolls and trout dip announce their own excellence. No ocean view, no pretense, just a full house every night.
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurateur · Holly Fox and Adam Weisblatt - Last Word Hospitality
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Los Angeles Right Now
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Rank 94. Mdk Noodles
Korean
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Rank 95. Surawon Tofu House
Korean
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Rank 96. Kusano
Omakase Sushi
Chef Kusano works his counter alone, pouring drinks and plating nigiri with equal focus in this pocket-size omakase. The fish arrives spare and direct—mostly nigiri glazed with nikiri, though uni arrives dressed under squid and seaweed, a moment of theater in an otherwise austere meal. What emerges is omakase stripped of pretense, efficient and reasonably priced.
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Rank 97. Juliet
Contemporary French
The patio at Juliet glows with the ease of a Parisian afternoon transplanted to Culver City. Chicken liver mousse in a delicate tart, sea bream with ratatouille and pistou, éclairs that justify their own course—the kitchen executes French fundamentals with quiet confidence, wine by the glass chosen with care. This is cooking that knows what it is and trusts you to notice.
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Rank 98. Bludso's BBQ
Texas-Style
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Azim Rahmatov's dining room—pale stucco walls, ikat textiles, the casual warmth of the Fairfax District—opens a corridor to Uzbekistan's crossroads cuisine. Lagman with hand-pulled noodles, shashlik, manti: the menu traces a Silk Road spice route that feels less museum piece than living inheritance.