The Top 100 Places to Eat Near Palihotel Hollywood
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Rank 1. Gwen
Steakhouse
Part Hollywood butcher shop by day, Michelin-starred steakhouse by night, Gwen is the rare place that pulls off both without blinking. Curtis Stone's Art Deco dining room, all crystal chandeliers and fireplace glow, fills with the kind of crowd that knows the difference between a good cut and a great one. The wood-fired steaks are the main event, sourced and aged with real seriousness, and the chef's counter is worth requesting if you can get it.
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Rank 2. Osteria Mozza
Italian
Nancy Silverton's Michelin-starred osteria on Melrose is the kind of place that's been packed since day one and shows no signs of calming down. The mozzarella bar alone is worth the trip, and the pastas are quietly extraordinary. Dark wood, marble counters, and a room full of people who booked two weeks out and dressed accordingly. Grab a seat at the bar if you can, and let the antipasti do the talking.
- 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 3. Providence
Seafood
Providence holds two Michelin stars and earns every one of them, which is a sentence you rarely get to say without cringing. It's a serious seafood tasting menu on Melrose, the kind where you dress up and surrender the evening to the kitchen. Michael Cimarusti has been doing this for years, and the sourcing of wild-caught American seafood alone would make it worth the splurge. The room is full of people who saved up for this and have no regrets.
- Michelin Guide 3 Stars
- Forbes Travel Guide Forbes Four Star
- 50 Best 2025 · Michael Cimarusti · Chefs' Choice Award
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Rank 4. The Musso & Frank Grill
Hollywood
- Esquire 2025 · Martini · The Best Martinis in America
- Esquire 2023 · Musso + Frank Martini · The Best Martinis in America
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Rank 5. Luv2eat Thai Bistro
Southern Thai
- Time Out #30 · The 40 best restaurants in Los Angeles you need to try right now
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Hospitality
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Rank 6. Meteora
Creative
Walking into this Michelin-starred tasting menu spot on Melrose feels like stumbling into a fever dream your most artistic friend designed. Moody, overgrown, and genuinely a little otherworldly, it matches the food, which is live-fire and wild-sourced and quietly unlike anything else in LA. The crowd leans creative-industry, dressed like they mean it. Go if you want a meal you'll actually remember.
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Rank 7. Pizzeria Mozza
Pizza
Nancy Silverton's Bib Gourmand pizzeria has been packing in Angelenos for years, and the room earns it. The sunny yellow exterior and casual wood tables set the vibe: this is a serious pizza spot that doesn't take itself seriously. The pies come out with those puffy, blistered edges that make you forget every sad slice you've ever eaten, and the seasonal desserts are worth staying for. Creative toppings, good sourcing, and a crowd that clearly comes back often.
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Rank 8. chi SPACCA
Steakhouse Italian
Nancy Silverton's meat-forward Italian den on Melrose is basically a love letter to fire and fat, and it's hard to argue with the logic. The menu leans hard into big wood-oven proteins and bold seasoning, with a wine list that reads like a tour of Italy. The room is small and loud in the best way, packed with people who ordered confidently and have no regrets. Dress like you mean it.
- 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 9. Petit Trois
Bistro French
A tiny French bistro that runs noon to late night and never seems to slow down. The counter is tight, the room is narrow, and somehow everyone in there looks like they're having the time of their life. The cooking is pure bistro canon, done seriously, while French hip-hop plays in the background because of course it does. The omelet alone is worth the trip. Bring cash and patience, leave impressed.
- Eater 2015 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Time Out #24 · The 40 best restaurants in Los Angeles you need to try right now
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Rank 10. Kali
Steakhouse
A Michelin-starred steakhouse on Melrose that went full Old Hollywood and somehow pulled it off. Red carpet, curtained dining room, serious cocktail bar up front, the whole bit. The crowd skews first-date and special-occasion, dressed just enough to feel like it counts. The steak is the point, the sides are not an afterthought, and dessert actually earns its place on the table.
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Rank 11. Jones
Italian American
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Rank 12. Somni
Spanish
Somni holds three Michelin stars and earns every one of them. It's a Spanish tasting menu experience tucked off Santa Monica, where the room is all calm neutrals and soft light, and the food is the opposite of calm. The chef sends out a long procession of small, wildly creative bites rooted in Catalan cooking, and each one feels like it was thought about for much longer than it takes to eat. The crowd dresses up because this is the kind of place that deserves it.
- Michelin Guide 3 Stars
- 50 Best #46 · North America's 50 Best Restaurants
- The Infatuation 2025 · #2 · The Top-Rated New Restaurants
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Rank 13. Ronan
Neapolitan Pizza
Ronan is a wood-fired Neapolitan pizza spot on Melrose that somehow pulls off "dive bar vibes but make it gorgeous," and the room delivers, from the black marble bar to the big patio to the two-story floral mural out front. The crowd leans creative-industry cool, looking effortlessly put-together without trying too hard. Shared plates and seasonal starters round out the menu beyond the pizzas, which are genuinely the reason to come.
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Rank 14. République
Southern European Mediterranean
République is an all-day restaurant and bakery in a stunning converted space, all soaring brick walls and skylights, that makes you feel like you stumbled into a very stylish European cathedral. Mornings bring serious pastry lines; evenings fill the room with the kind of well-dressed Angelenos who somehow look effortless. The Southern European menu is tight and ingredient-forward, and the kitchen runs it with the confidence of a place that's been around forever.
- 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 15. Kuya Lord
Filipino
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Winner · Best Chef: California · Lord Maynard Llera
- Bon Appétit 2023 · America's Best New Restaurants
- Time Out #19 · The 40 best restaurants in Los Angeles you need to try right now
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Rank 16. Zira Uzbek Kitchen
Uzbek Middle Eastern
Uzbekistan doesn't get nearly enough hype in the LA food conversation, and Zira is quietly fixing that. It's a casual sit-down spot on Melrose with tiled floors, ikat fabrics, and a room full of people who either grew up eating this food or are very glad they stumbled in. The menu hits hand-pulled noodle soups, grilled skewers, and dumplings, all rooted in the kind of cooking that fed traders crossing Central Asia for centuries.
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Rank 17. Antico Nuovo
Italian
Italian food that actually feels like a night out, not a museum piece. Antico Nuovo is a proper sit-down spot in East Larchmont Village where the centerpiece is a hand-cranked rotisserie and the booths are deep enough to linger in for hours. The crowd skews creative-industry cool, dressed casually enough to eat pasta with their hands if it came to that. Hearty pastas, big proteins, and vegetables that actually earn their place on the table.
- 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 18. Lucia
Caribbean
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Rank 19. Mae Malai Thai House of Noodles
Thai Noodles
A Michelin Bib Gourmand noodle shop tucked into a Hollywood strip mall, Mae Malai is the kind of low-key spot that earns its rep without trying. The move is the boat noodles, built on a thick, deeply savory broth, with enough customization that ordering two bowls instead of one is basically mandatory. The crowd runs toward regulars who know exactly what they want and newcomers who need a minute but leave very happy.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Esquire 2024 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · The 101 Best Restaurants in California
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Rank 20. Jitlada
Southern Thai
Jitlada is a Southern Thai institution tucked into a beat-up strip mall on Sunset, and it's been pulling in devoted regulars for years. The menu is almost comically massive, but the southern Thai specialties are why you're here: fiery curries, bold spice levels that mean business, and flavors you won't find at your average pad thai spot. Matt Groening is a super-fan, which feels about right for an L.A. legend hiding in plain sight.
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Nominee · Best Chef: California · Sarintip “Jazz” Singsanong
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Time Out #8 · The 40 best restaurants in Los Angeles you need to try right now
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Rank 21. Kismet
Persian Middle Eastern
Kismet is the kind of neighborhood restaurant that makes you wish you lived closer, a bright, vegetable-forward Persian and Middle Eastern spot that earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand and keeps earning it. The seasonal menu leans light and sharp, and nothing feels heavy even when you've overdone it. The crowd is casually stylish Los Feliz locals who actually know their server's name. Bring friends, then immediately regret having to share.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · The 101 Best Restaurants in California
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · #27 · The 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles
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Rank 22. Found Oyster
Seafood
Found Oyster is a no-frills seafood bar in East Hollywood that somehow pulls off feeling like a coastal shack despite being nowhere near a coast. The team lets the ingredients do the talking, which means minimal fuss and genuinely great fish. The oysters even come from the general manager's family farm, which is a fun detail to drop on whoever you're eating with. Expect a packed room of regulars who clearly come here way too often.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Los Angeles Right Now
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · #78 · The 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles
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Rank 23. Pizzeria Sei
Japan-Italy Pizza
Individual Neapolitan-style pies with a Japanese twist, which sounds like a gimmick until you bite into that crust. The cornicione has this puffy, mochi-like chew that you won't find anywhere else in LA, and it's genuinely worth the trip to Pico for. Counter seating means you watch the whole operation up close, which tends to attract pizza people who actually know what they're looking at. Red pies lean classic, white pies get a little weird, and both work.
- 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 24. Nozawa Bar
Sushi
Tucked behind a Sugarfish in Beverly Hills, Nozawa Bar is its own thing entirely, a Michelin-starred omakase counter that seats just enough people to feel like you got into something. The crowd is dressed-up-but-not-trying Beverly Hills, the kind who act casual about spending real money on dinner. The chef leans traditional but keeps things interesting, and the seafood, much of it local, is genuinely exceptional.
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Rank 25. Bar Etoile
New American
A cozy wine bar and bistro on Western Ave where the wine list leans heavily French and the food actually keeps up with it. The menu is short and seasonal, the kind of place where everything on the plate earns its spot. Regulars look like they walked over from a good bookshop, which feels right. Order whatever looks fresh that week and let someone else pick the bottle.
- 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 26. Saltie Girl
Seafood
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Rank 27. CUT
Steakhouse
Wolfgang Puck's steakhouse inside the Four Seasons is where Beverly Hills power brokers go to expense things that genuinely deserve it. The room is all banquettes and low lighting, and nobody's dressed down. Beef comes from Australia, the US, and Japan, so the menu reads like a very expensive geography lesson. Bring someone you're trying to impress, or at least someone who won't flinch when the check arrives.
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Rank 28. Flavors From Afar
International
This vegetarian spot on Hollywood Blvd is part community project, part culinary passport. The kitchen works with refugees and immigrants, rotating the menu through cuisines most Angelenos have never tried, from Eritrean to Haitian to Indo-Fijian. The cooking is genuine home-style stuff, not restaurant-ified, which makes it special. It's earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand, and a cut of every meal goes to immigrant support. Come hungry and curious.
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Rank 30. Jon & Vinny's
Italian
Jon & Vinny's is a sunny, casual Italian-American café on Fairfax that's been packed since the day it opened, and it shows no signs of slowing down. The long counter overlooks an open kitchen running a wood-fired grill and blazing oven, and the whole room feels like a neighborhood spot that happened to become everybody's neighborhood spot. Order the pizza, sure, but the house-made pasta is quietly the move. Bib Gourmand, if you care about that kind of thing.
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Rank 31. Bridgetown Roti
American Caribbean
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Nominee · Emerging Chef · Rashida Holmes
- Eater 2021 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Chef · Rashida Holmes
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Rank 33. Pine & Crane
Taiwanese Chinese Cocktail Bar
Taiwanese comfort food done with real care, in a casual café that's earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand without breaking a sweat. The room is exposed brick and concrete floors, and the crowd is Silver Lake locals who know not to sleep on the vegetarian options. The mapo tofu and dumplings hold their own alongside the clay pot chicken, which arrives bubbling and deeply savory. Go hungry and order more than you think you need.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Los Angeles Right Now
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · #76 · The 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles
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- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Los Angeles Right Now
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in Los Angeles
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Rank 35. Connie and Ted's
Seafood
A lively seafood joint in West Hollywood that somehow feels like a New England fish shack, right down to the shell-littered parking lot and walls covered in nautical junk. The raw bar draws the casual-but-discerning crowd, the kind who know their oysters and aren't afraid to get their hands messy with a lobster roll. Sustainable, wild-caught fish from both coasts means the menu actually changes with what's running.
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Rank 37. Alta Adams
Southern
A Southern comfort restaurant on the west side that people genuinely drive across town for, which says everything. The back patio with string lights and climbing vines is the kind of spot that makes a weeknight feel like an occasion. Portions are generous, the crowd is mixed and happy, and the fried chicken comes with a hot sauce that earns the warning. Save room for the coconut cake.
- 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 38. The Belvedere
French
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Rank 39. Spago
Californian New American
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Rank 41. Rasarumah
Malaysian
Malaysian home cooking done right, which is rarer in LA than it should be. Rasarumah on Beverly is a laid-back sit-down spot where the large sharing plates make it easy to eat way too much, which is the whole point. The sambals alone set the tone immediately. Bib Gourmand-recognized and priced a little higher than your average strip-mall noodle spot, so expect tables of friends who came hungry and are leaving slow.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- The Infatuation 2025 · #9 · LA’s Best New Restaurants
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurateur · Holly Fox and Adam Weisblatt - Last Word Hospitality
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Angelini Osteria has been around forever, which in Los Angeles is basically a miracle. This cozy osteria on Beverly draws a loyal crowd of regulars who've claimed their tables for years, mixed with first-timers who finally took someone's advice. The menu is long, the service is warm without being fussy, and the cooking feels genuinely homemade rather than performed. In a city that chases the new thing constantly, the fact that nobody's moved on says everything.
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Rank 43. Budonoki
Japanese
- Eater 2024 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- Esquire 2024 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- Eater Best New Restaurant
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Rank 44. 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 45. Quarter Sheets
Pan-style Pizza
This Echo Park pan pizza spot has a Bib Gourmand, a vinyl collection, and a line out the door, which tells you most of what you need to know. The inch-thick, baked-to-order pies are the draw, but the real plot twist is that the pastries are genuinely great, not pizza-place great, just great. The crowd is exactly who you'd expect in Echo Park, and they're all very pleased with themselves for finding it first.
- Food & Wine 2023 · Best New Chefs · Hannah Ziskin
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Bon Appétit 2022 · America's Best New Restaurants
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Rank 46. Funke
Italian
Evan Funke is a celebrity chef you've probably heard of, so his eponymous Beverly Hills restaurant carries some real weight behind the name. It's an upscale Italian spot built around handmade pasta, housed in a gorgeous art deco building with red leather booths and the kind of soaring ceilings that make you sit up straighter. There's even a glass-walled pasta room so you can watch the work happen. The crowd dresses for it, and so should you.
- 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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- Esquire 2023 · Olive Drive · The Best Martinis in America
- Esquire 2024 · The Best Bars in America
- Wildsam The 50 Most Essential Bars in America
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Rank 48. Parks BBQ
Korean
Parks BBQ has been feeding Koreatown's famous and hungry for years, and the photo wall of chefs, actors, and politicians near the door makes a solid case that everyone eventually ends up here. It's a lively, grill-in-the-table Korean BBQ spot where the servers run the show, flipping and slicing so you don't have to. The meat is prime, the kimchi pancakes arrive sizzling on cast iron, and lunch is where the value really shows up.
- 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 49. Langer's
Deli American
An old-school LA deli institution that's been around forever and has earned every bit of its legend. The No. 19 hot pastrami sandwich, loaded with Swiss, coleslaw, and Russian dressing, is the reason people fly in from other cities, full stop. The menu runs deep, breakfast is served all day, and the booths are full of regulars who've been coming since before you were born. Wear whatever you want.
- 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 50. Lalibela Ethiopian Restaurant
Ethiopian
Lalibela is a Bib Gourmand Ethiopian spot on Fairfax in the heart of Little Ethiopia, and it feels less like a restaurant than someone's warm, unpretentious living room. The team lets the food do the work, arriving on big silver platters lined with injera and best attacked by a group. Bring friends, order widely, and eat with your hands like everyone else in the room is already doing.
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Rank 52. Voodoo Vin
Natural Wine Bar
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Rank 53. Liu's Cafe
Chinese
A Bib Gourmand Chinese diner tucked into a half-address on 6th, which tells you everything about its vibe before you even walk in. Order at the wood counter, steal a look into the kitchen, and try not to eat three things you didn't plan on. The pastries up front will get you, and the chili oil noodles will keep you coming back. The crowd figures it out fast, so get there early.
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Rank 54. Azizam
Persian
- Bon Appétit 2024 · America's Best New Restaurants
- The New York Times 2024 · The Restaurant List
- Esquire 2024 · The Best New Restaurants in America
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Rank 55. Pijja Palace
Indian/Italian
- Bon Appétit 2023 · America's Best New Restaurants
- Eater 2022 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in Los Angeles
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Rank 56. Vespertine
Contemporary
If you want dinner that feels more like performance art than a meal, this two Michelin-starred tasting menu in Culver City is your place. The chef runs the whole thing inside a building locals call "The Waffle," which looks like a set piece from a film nobody greenlit yet. Inside, the food is visually stunning and genuinely strange in the best way. The crowd is dressed up and trying very hard not to look impressed.
- Michelin Guide 2 Stars
- Bon Appétit 2018 · America's Best New Restaurants
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · #33 · The 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles
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Rank 57. Guelaguetza
Oaxacan Mexican
Guelaguetza is the Oaxacan spot that commits so hard to mole that their website is literally ilovemole.com, which should tell you everything. The orange building is impossible to miss, and inside it's vinyl tablecloths, happy families, and the smell of blistering peppers from the grill. The moles are the real reason to show up, dark and complex and impossible to reverse-engineer. Michelin agreed, which tracks.
- 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 58. Dante
Upscale Italian
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Rank 59. Carlitos Gardel Argentine Steakhouse
Argentine Steakhouse
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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 62. Morihiro
Sushi
The chef here is a genuine LA sushi legend, and his Michelin-starred omakase on Sunset earns the reputation. It follows a cha-kaiseki structure, so you'll ease through composed dishes before the nigiri begins, the pacing deliberate and unhurried. He mills his own rice and throws his own ceramics, which sounds like a lot, but in context it just feels like someone who cares about every inch of the meal. The crowd knows exactly where they are.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · The 101 Best Restaurants in California
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · #7 · The 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles
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Rank 63. Ototo
Japanese
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Winner · Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
- Wine Enthusiast 2023 · Forward 50 Restaurants
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Rank 64. Pollo a la Brasa
Peruvian
A Peruvian rotisserie spot tucked into Koreatown that's been around forever, and the wood smoke hits you before you even find parking. This is a casual, no-frills chicken joint where families and neighborhood regulars know to call ahead because the wait is real. The bird comes out with crispy, marinated skin, and the twice-fried fries and spicy green aji sauce are the kind of sides you end up ordering extra of. Bib Gourmand, deservedly.
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Rank 66. Saffy's
Middle Eastern
Saffy's is a lively Middle Eastern restaurant in East Hollywood where the open fire isn't just for show, and the smell of charcoal hits you the second you walk in. Kebabs are the main event, but everything coming off those coals earns its place. Reservations disappear fast, which means the room is full of people who planned ahead and feel smug about it. Worth every bit of the effort to get in.
- Esquire 2022 · #8 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · #28 · The 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles
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Rank 67. La Dolce Vita
Italian
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Rank 68. Dha Rae Oak
Korean
A Koreatown Korean restaurant where the whole roasted duck, slow-cooked in a clay pot and stuffed with chestnuts, sweet potato, and rice, is the only reason you need to show up. The catch: you have to order it a day ahead, so this is a plan-with-your-crew situation. Walk-ins aren't left out, since a smoked version is always on. Bib Gourmand recognized, generously portioned, and genuinely worth the forethought.
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Rank 69. Din Tai Fung
Taiwanese Chinese
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A Michelin-selected seafood spot on Melrose where sustainable sourcing and clean technique do the heavy lifting. The menu looks casual until the food arrives and you realize everyone in the kitchen actually knows what they're doing. Beachy-casual crowd, natural wines, and service that pays attention without hovering. The fried fish sandwich alone is worth the trip, though dinner gets a little more adventurous if you're staying for it.
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Rank 71. Corridor 109
Seafood Japanese
An 11-seat counter hidden behind a door inside Bar 109, this is the kind of place where you book weeks out and show up ready to pay attention. The chef runs a focused Japanese-leaning seafood tasting, mostly raw fish sourced from Japan, with real finesse and nothing wasted. The room is small enough that everyone's on the same quiet adventure. Dress like you care a little.
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Rank 72. 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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Rank 73. n/naka
Kaiseki Japanese
Getting a reservation here is its own achievement, so wear something nice. n/naka is an intimate Michelin-starred kaiseki tasting where Niki Nakayama blends Japanese technique with California produce across a long, quietly dazzling procession of courses. The room is understated and warm, filled with people who planned this dinner weeks ago and are savoring every quiet minute of it. She comes out to greet you at the end, which somehow makes the whole thing feel personal.
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Nominee · Outstanding Chef · Niki Nakayama
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Nominee · Outstanding Chef · Niki Nakayama
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
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Rank 74. Ardor
Californian New American
Ardor is the hotel restaurant at the West Hollywood EDITION, and it looks exactly like what would happen if a luxury spa decided to get into the dinner business: white velvet booths, soft neutrals, enough plants to make you feel virtuous before you've ordered anything. The menu leans vegetable-forward but still feeds a real appetite, and the room fills with the kind of guests who genuinely can't tell you what things cost.
- Spirited Awards 2024 · Regional Honoree · Best U.S. Hotel Bar – U.S. West
- Spirited Awards 2024 · Regional Honoree · Best U.S. Hotel Bar – U.S. West
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
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Rank 75. Holbox
Coastal Mexican
A Michelin-starred seafood counter tucked inside a food market isn't something you expect to find anywhere, but this is Los Angeles. The coastal Mexican cooking here is deceptively simple and genuinely excellent, with ceviches and aguachiles that taste like someone squeezed the whole ocean into a bowl. The crowd ranges from curious tourists to regulars who clearly planned their week around this. Grab a stool, order generously, and don't skip the tacos.
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Nominee · Outstanding Chef · Gilberto Cetina
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- 50 Best #26 · North America's 50 Best Restaurants
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Rank 76. Tsubaki
Japanese
Echo Park's favorite izakaya keeps things unfussy and shareable, which means a table of four can do some real damage without anyone having to negotiate over the menu. Exposed brick, sake your server actually wants to talk you through, and small plates that punch well above their price point. The crowd skews neighborhood-cool and unhurried. One warning: when the Dodgers are playing, getting a reservation feels like a playoff ticket.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · The 101 Best Restaurants in California
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · #37 · The 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles
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Rank 77. Lapaba
Korean-Influenced Italian
Koreatown's most logical yet unexpected idea: a pasta bar where Italian classics get a Korean rewrite that actually makes sense. The room is dim and cozy, bar seating wrapping around so everyone feels like a regular, even on their first visit. The kitchen mashes the two cuisines together without apology, and it works. Go with a group so you can order more of everything and argue about which dish wins.
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Rank 78. Jeong Yuk Jeom
Korean
Korean BBQ spots line this stretch of Western Ave, but this sleek, cavernous butcher-shop-turned-restaurant earns its lines with premium dry-aged beef and the kind of attentive tableside service that actually improves your cook. The meat arrives on a tray ready to hit the grill, kept simple with soy and salt so nothing gets in the way. It draws a well-dressed crowd who know exactly what they're ordering before they sit down.
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Rank 79. Juliet
Contemporary French
Culver City's answer to a proper French bistro, Juliet pulls off that rare trick of feeling genuinely chic without making you feel underdressed. The patio alone is worth the trip, and the open kitchen keeps things lively. The crowd leans creative industry, nice jeans, maybe a blazer. The menu runs classic French with a light California touch, and the wine list is deep enough to keep things interesting all the way through dessert, which you should not skip.
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Rank 80. Crossroads Kitchen
Plant-Based Mediterranean
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- James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Bakery
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: California · Gaby Maeda
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Rank 82. Etra
Italian
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Rank 83. Orsa & Winston
Italian-influenced Japanese
A Michelin-starred prix-fixe spot in downtown LA where Japanese and Italian cooking genuinely make sense together, which sounds like a pitch meeting but actually works. The open kitchen keeps things lively, and the crowd skews curious and date-night-dressed. The chef plays with seasonal ingredients in ways that feel exploratory rather than gimmicky, and the satsuki rice porridge finished with parmesan and uni is exactly as weird and good as it sounds.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- Time Out #12 · The 40 best restaurants in Los Angeles you need to try right now
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · #25 · The 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles
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Rank 84. Quarters Korean BBQ
Korean
Quarters is an upscale Korean BBQ spot in Koreatown where the line out front tells you everything you need to know before you even walk in. The menu is built around quarter-pound portions, which means you and your crew can work through a serious spread of marinated cuts without committing to a single thing. Make a reservation or show up early, because the after-work crowd fills this place fast and they are not messing around.
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Rank 85. Danbi
Korean
Danbi is a modern Korean restaurant in Koreatown with an industrial edge, concrete floors, dark wood, and a bar crowd working through cocktails like a kimchi mule. The menu is built around big, shareable plates, the kind that make the table feel like a collective project. The pastry program is genuinely worth saving room for. Dress like you made an effort but didn't stress about it.
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Rank 86. Chosun Galbee
Korean
Chosun Galbee is the Korean BBQ spot you take people when you want them to understand what the fuss is about. Servers in traditional dress with earpieces somehow nail the vibe perfectly, upscale without being stuffy. The banchan alone justifies the trip, and the short ribs cooked tableside in the house soy sauce are genuinely the move. Bring a group, clear your evening, and don't fight over the last piece.
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Rank 87. Restaurant Ki
Contemporary Korean
There's no sign, just instructions emailed ahead of time, and ten seats inside a tucked-away space in the Arts District. Restaurant Ki has a Michelin star and earns it with a contemporary Korean tasting menu that borrows freely from everywhere without apology. The crowd is small by design, adventurous by choice, and everyone is in on the same secret. Book well ahead and follow the directions carefully.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- World Culinary Awards 2025 · Nominee · North America's Best New Restaurant
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Nominee · Best New Restaurant
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Rank 88. Firstborn
Contemporary Chinese
A Chinese American restaurant in Mandarin Plaza where the chef uses his first-gen background as a creative license, not a constraint. The result is a lively, sharing-style dinner spot that feels personal in a way most places don't. The crowd skews young and curious, the kind who actually read the menu before ordering. Get a cocktail first, and if aged duck is on the rotating mains, just say yes.
- Esquire 2025 · Bartender of the Year · Kenzo Han
- World Culinary Awards 2025 · Nominee · North America's Best New Restaurant
- Punch 2025 · Best New Bartenders · Kenzo Han
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Rank 89. Avra
Greek
Avra brings Greek island energy to Beverly Hills without trying too hard, which is somehow the most Beverly Hills thing possible. It's a big, airy seafood restaurant where you pick your fish from the day's catch and they cook it how you want, and the whole room feels like it's full of people who know a good thing when they see it. The kind of crowd that orders confidently and never checks the price.
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Rank 90. Courage Bagels
Montreal-Inspired Bakery
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Rank 91. Matū
Wagyu Steakhouse
Wagyu at prices that won't make you put the menu down and quietly leave, that's the move at Matū, a Beverly Hills steakhouse that manages to feel romantic without being ridiculous about it. The beef comes from New Zealand, it's wood-fired, and it's genuinely as good as it sounds. The crowd leans date-night rather than expense-account, which keeps the whole vibe warmer than you'd expect for 90210.
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Rank 92. Leona's
Fusion Japanese
Leona's pulls off the rare trick of being genuinely good-looking and genuinely good to eat at, which in LA is basically a miracle. It's a high-end Japanese fusion spot on Ventura that draws the creative-class crowd, the kind of people who look like they're in the industry but you're not sure which one. The menu mashes up Japanese technique with whatever it feels like that day, and it works.
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Rank 93. Little Fish
Seafood
A tiny breakfast and lunch spot sharing space with a mini market in Echo Park, and somehow it holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand. The seafood-forward menu is the draw, especially a fried fish sandwich that earns genuine devotion from the regulars who clearly planned their whole morning around it. The crowd looks like they biked over and feel very good about that. Non-fish options exist and are also quietly great.
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Rank 94. Iki Ramen
Noodles
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Rank 95. Sushi Kaneyoshi
Sushi
Finding Sushi Kaneyoshi is half the adventure, tucked into a basement in Little Tokyo where you'd genuinely never expect it. Once you're inside, though, it's all calm wood and quiet intention, and the omakase earns its Michelin star without breaking a sweat. The chef makes some of the pottery himself, which tells you everything about the attention to detail here. Dress like you respect the room.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · #24 · The 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles
- Time Out #16 · The 40 best restaurants in Los Angeles you need to try right now
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Rank 96. IMA
Japanese
A Beverly Hills hot pot sanctuary where the whole point is A5 Wagyu cooked at your table, sukiyaki and shabu-shabu style. The room is sleek and quietly intimate, the kind of place where couples and expense-account regulars alike settle in for the long haul. Meals unfold in courses, from delicate cold starters to rich, silky beef, with a truffle rice porridge at the end that makes you deeply glad you saved room.
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Rank 97. Asanebo
Sushi
Asanebo is a longtime Studio City sushi spot that's earned its loyal following by simply being reliably good, which turns out to be harder than it sounds. The menu is massive, almost comically so, but your move is to skip the five pages of decisions and let the chef guide you through omakase. The room mixes spare Japanese minimalism with Hello Kitty on the shelf, and the crowd looks exactly like people who've had a standing reservation here for years.
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Rank 98. Yong Su San
Traditional Korean
Yong Su San serves royal Korean court cuisine, the kind of food that was literally too good for commoners back in the day, and it leans into that history with hanbok-wearing servers and a maze of private dining rooms that feel like a special occasion even when it isn't one. Groups come for the set menus, but à la carte works fine too. Expect generous banchan, beautifully composed dishes, and a crowd that dressed up for this.
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Rank 100. Soban Los Angeles
Korean