The Top 100 Restaurants Near Ramen & Tsukemen TAO
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Rank 1. Ramen & Tsukemen TAO
Noodles
A modest storefront in an open-air mall houses bowls of ramen made with uncommon care. The spicy red miso arrives rich and creamy, noodles snappy beneath the surface; the chicken broth runs lighter but no less purposeful. Twenty seats, no pretense, every visit a reason to return.
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Rank 3. Albaraka Restaurant
Palestinian Middle Eastern
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · The 101 Best Restaurants in California
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · #32 · The 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles
- Eater The 38 Essential Orange County Restaurants
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Rank 4. Amor y Tacos
Mexican
Thomas Ortega brings fine-dining precision to his native Cerritos, where handmade tortillas and house-made salsas meet unexpected flourishes—Coca-Cola glaze on pork belly, Doritos scattered across chilaquiles. His tacos range from crisp beer-battered cod to charred al pastor, each one executing a playful fusion of Mexican tradition and American invention.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Los Angeles Times 2024 · Short rib taco · The 101 Best Tacos in Los Angeles
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Inside a nondescript mall corridor, Chef Ben and Ayako Sato run an intimate sushi counter where the menu changes nightly by hand. Kanpachi arrives barely kissed with heat and finished with yuzu; firefly squid yields to tender flesh beneath nori and scallion. What matters here is not the setting but the deliberate care—warm service, precise technique, a kitchen that understands restraint.
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Rank 6. Angel's Tijuana Tacos
Tijuana-Style
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Rank 7. Sababa Falafel Shop
Middle Eastern
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Rank 8. Kareem's Falafel
Middle Eastern
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Rank 10. PhởHolic
Noodles
At this Westminster pho shop, beef broth simmered with anise achieves an almost meditative sweetness, drawing everyone from grandparents to Gen Z devotees. The kitchen forgoes shortcuts despite gentle prices, sending out massive bowls of uncomplicated, deeply satisfying comfort.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · The 101 Best Restaurants in California
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · Fifty Under $50
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Rank 11. Rajdhani Restaurant
Traditional Indian
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Rank 12. Phở 79
Noodles
Phở 79 has been ladling oxtail-enriched broths since the early eighties, earning its reputation as a Southern California standard. The spartan room with its yellow walls fills nightly, a small price for broth that justifies the wait.
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Rank 13. Perro Exquisite Taco
Sonoran-Style
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Rank 15. Tacos Los Cholos
Mexican
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Rank 16. Koi Japanese Cuisine
Japanese
In a Seal Beach strip mall, experienced chefs command a spare sashimi counter where regulars arrive like family. Orange clams and pristine kampachi give way to delicate nigiri—seabass kissed with yuzu kosho, scallop crowned in uni—while tempura-fried zucchini flowers stuffed with scallops bridge the meal like a palate-cleansing interlude. The place trades trend for craft and rapport.
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Rank 18. Forn Al Hara
Middle Eastern
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Rank 20. Brodard Vietnamese Cuisine
Traditional Vietnamese
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · The 101 Best Restaurants in California
- Eater The 38 Essential Orange County Restaurants
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Rank 21. The Ranch
Steakhouse
An urban steakhouse playing cowboy without irony: beef-forward, but anchored by vegetables from their own farm. The prime rib arrives impossibly tender with cast-iron potatoes and horseradish; popovers come with homemade tomato jam. A place built for sharing and for appetites that match its generous portions.
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Rank 23. Tiendita
Mexican
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Rank 25. Selva
Colombian-Inspired
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Rank 26. Khan Saab Desi Craft Kitchen
Pakistani Indian
Chef Imran Ali Mookhi wields spices with precision, letting beef sirloin kebabs and Khan biryani sing on a menu that respects carnivores and vegetarians alike. The bright, hip dining room and craft mocktail bar make this South Asian outpost a welcome anomaly on a Mexican-dominated stretch.
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Rank 27. Tacos Lionydas
Mixe-style
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Rank 28. Sushi Nikkei
Nikkei
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Rank 29. Poppy & Seed
Modern Southern
Inside a greenhouse bar overlooking citrus trees and herbs, Michael and Kwini Reed compose dishes from local farms and waters—shrimp over creamy grits, charred eggplant with steak tartare, Brussels sprouts candied with bacon jam. The setting enforces what the kitchen already knows: restraint and regional sourcing can feel like luxury.
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: California · Michael Reed
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
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Rank 30. Chiang Rai
Northern Thai
Inside a forgettable storefront lies a colorful, quirky dining room where Northern Thai specialties shine. The khao soi arrives as thin egg noodles topped with raw ribeye, then blanketed in hot curry broth that cooks the beef to silken tenderness—a dish that justifies the detour to Tustin.
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Rank 31. Fuoco Pizzeria Napoletana
Neapolitan Pizza
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Rank 32. Kaori Sushi
Sushi
Lanterns crowd the intimate dining counter at Kaori Sushi, tucked into a Fullerton strip mall where the chef's nigiri—golden eye snapper, toro with wasabi, saba layered over shiso—proves the setting irrelevant. The focused menu balances sashimi's clarity with cooked experiments like mara udon and crab risotto, each plate executed with restraint that rewards close attention.
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Rank 33. Nep Cafe
Modern Vietnamese
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: California · Viet Nguyen
- Eater The 38 Essential Orange County Restaurants
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Rank 35. The Attic
Refined Southern
A Craftsman bungalow on East Broadway shelters dining rooms appointed with brick fireplaces and floral wallpaper, where Chef Cameron Slaugh's plates marry Southern tradition with restless technique. Fried chicken and gumbo anchor a menu that pivots toward refinement—bubble and squeak, roasted cauliflower with cracked oats—before closing with powdered beignets and strawberry compote.
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Rank 36. Knife Pleat
Contemporary French
Nestled above the fashion boutiques of South Coast Plaza, this third-floor dining room glows with the warmth of an open kitchen and a sheltered patio. Chef Tony Esnault's French foundation—steelhead with fennel, barley risotto with chestnut—yields gracefully to global inflection and composed desserts that taste of clarity.
- AAA Four Diamonds
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · The 101 Best Restaurants in California
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Rank 37. Ammatoli
Modern Middle Eastern
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Hospitality
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: California · Dima Habibeh
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · The 101 Best Restaurants in California
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Rank 39. Nettuno
Coastal Italian
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Rank 40. Taco Nazo
Ensenada-Style
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Rank 41. Kato
Taiwanese Chinese
Jonathan Yao's tasting menu at Kato announces itself with conviction: fish maw arrives with crab-shell vinegar and caviar; spice-crusted duck nestles into fluffy bao; pig ears blaze with chili oil. The Row DTLA dining room, all polished concrete and open kitchen, becomes an austere stage for cooking that draws boldly from his Taiwanese roots and refuses restraint.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- 50 Best 2025 · #26 · North America's 50 Best Restaurants
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Nominee · Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
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Rank 42. CHAAK Kitchen
Yucatán Mexican
Smoke and spice from the Yucatán arrive in Tustin through careful hands and an understanding of the peninsula's layered culinary traditions. Charred habanero salsa clings to crisp corn empanadas; cochinita pibil, marinated in citrus and achiote, yields to a fork beside fresh tortillas. It's cooking that takes its ingredients and history seriously, without performing either.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · The 101 Best Restaurants in California
- Eater The 38 Essential Orange County Restaurants
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Rank 43. Nardo
Southern Italian
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Rank 44. 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 45. Restaurant Ki
Contemporary Korean
Chef Ki Kim's ten-seat Korean tasting menu hides behind an unmarked entrance in downtown Los Angeles, rewarding the hunt with playful dishes like truffle gimbap and charred snap peas with fish roe. Confident cooking threads global ingredients through refined courses, from barbecued squab to mushroom ice cream.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Nominee · Best New Restaurant
- World Culinary Awards 2025 · Nominee · North America's Best New Restaurant
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Rank 46. Ellie's
Southern Italian
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Rank 47. 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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- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: California · Michael Procaccini and Stefano Procaccini
- LAist 2023 · Totti · Best Bites
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Rank 50. Vaca
Rustic Spanish
Amar Santana's rustic tapas bar in Costa Mesa pairs an extensive Spanish wine list with consistently executed small plates in a quirky dining room where the semi-open kitchen holds court. The bikini sandwich—jamón ibérico, Manchego, truffle oil on grilled bread—and golden croquetas de pollo suggest a place more interested in precision than spectacle.
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Rank 51. Marché Moderne
Modern French
The Marneaus' dining room glows with the confidence of a place that knows exactly what it is: a modern kitchen fluent in French tradition, where coq au vin and lobster flambéed in Courvoisier emerge from an open kitchen with the same precision as the house charcuterie sliced on a vintage Berkel. Seasonal cocktails and generous wine pairings bracket meals that feel both familiar and alive.
- AAA Four Diamonds
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Eater The 38 Essential Orange County Restaurants
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Rank 52. Baroo
Modern Korean
At a sleek concrete counter in downtown Los Angeles, Kwang Uh and Mina Park orchestrate a tasting menu that pivots between Korean tradition and precise technique. A seared Hokkaido scallop swims in watercress sauce studded with seaweed jelly; silky black cod arrives in a wide bowl where buttermilk is poured tableside. The meal reads as composed and assured, uninterested in noise.
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Nominee · Best Chef: California · Kwang Uh
- Eater The All-Time Eater 38
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: California · Kwang Uh
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Rank 53. Tacos Los Cholos
Mexican
- LAist 2023 · Tacos · Best Bites
- Los Angeles Times 2024 · Filet mignon tacos · The 101 Best Tacos in Los Angeles
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Rank 54. Firstborn
Contemporary Chinese
Anthony Wang remixes Chinese-American tradition with disciplined technique—tender tofu dumplings, aged duck with persimmon—in a bright, open kitchen designed for sharing. Desserts like vanilla sponge with red bean sauce suggest a chef thinking beyond the obvious.
- 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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- LAist 2024 · Smashburger · Best Bites
- Eater The 38 Essential Orange County Restaurants
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · #91 · The 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles
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Rank 56. Sonoratown
Sonoran-Style
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Rank 57. Fable & Spirit
Californian
Overlooking Newport Harbor, this bistro marries seaside elegance with unfussy cooking, from inventive vegetable dishes to a showstopping 12-hour Kurobuta porchetta. The room crackles with the energy of diners who come for more than the views.
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Rank 58. Lola Gaspar
Mexican
Downtown Santa Ana gastropub where Chef Luis Perez's streamlined menu—handmade tortillas, masa-based quekas, churros—reflects a deliberate turn toward quality. Grilled tomato and dried chili salsa tops tacos filled with carnitas and shrimp; vegan mushroom quekas come with confit potatoes and guacamole, cheese optional. The editing is ruthless, the execution isn't.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Los Angeles Times 2024 · Citrus marinated chicken taco · The 101 Best Tacos in Los Angeles
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Rank 59. Sushi Ii
Sushi
A spare coastal room overlooks the highway while the chef moves through kaiseki's ceremonial rhythms: tofu crowned with Bafun uni, belt fish paired with dashi-simmered tomato, nigiri of wild flounder and baby sea bream rendered with surgical precision. Seasonal Japanese imports and local catches arrive meticulously composed, each plate a small argument for restraint and timing.
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Rank 60. Damian
Mexican
A converted warehouse in the Arts District with polished concrete and exposed brick, softened by leather seating and trailing plants. The kitchen reads Mexican tradition through a lens of precision—corn tamales, uni tostadas on blue corn, fish tacos that feel both classic and startling. Industrial bones, refined technique, and a terrace that draws crowds.
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Emerging Chef · Jesus "Chuy" Cervantes
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Time Out #7 · The 40 best restaurants in Los Angeles you need to try right now
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Rank 61. Sea Harbour
Cantonese Chinese
The dim sum arrives from the kitchen rather than a cart, each dumpling and bun steaming with purpose at this Cantonese standby in Rosemead. The preserved salty egg bun breaks open to reveal a molten yolk; the seafood dishes earn their reputation through exacting technique. What might coast on nostalgia instead commands respect through consistent execution.
- Chinese Restaurant Awards 2025 · #6 · Elite 30 Canada
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: California · Tony Ho
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- Time Out #13 · The 40 best restaurants in Los Angeles you need to try right now
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · #75 · The 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles
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Rank 64. Sushi Sonagi
Omakase Sushi
An eight-seat counter open weekends only, where Chef Daniel Son orchestrates a tightly choreographed omakase that moves from delicate ankimo to minimalist nigiri. The dolsot sekogani—female snow crab heated in a stone pot until the rice crisps—arrives as the evening's fulcrum, its richly seasoned meat a brief, perfect argument for limitation and focus.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Time Out #20 · The 40 best restaurants in Los Angeles you need to try right now
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Rank 65. Haven Craft Kitchen + Bar
Californian New American
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Rank 66. Pizzeria Bianco
Pizza
Chris Bianco's Los Angeles outpost draws lines through ROW DTLA with a spare menu of impeccable pizzas, each one a small argument for precision over novelty. The margherita alone justifies the wait, though the biancoverde and wiseguy suggest he's thought carefully about what pizza should be.
- Foodist Awards 2025 · Food Pioneer · Chris Bianco
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · Fifty Under $50
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Rank 67. Gabbi's Mexican Kitchen
Regional Mexican
The cooks honor regional Mexican traditions through refined dishes like citrus-kissed achiote pork panuchos, refusing substitutions because they know what they're doing. An open storefront spilling onto Orange's antique-lined street and backlit tequila shelves create an warm, unpretentious setting.
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Rank 68. Alta Baja Market
Mexican
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Rank 69. Henry's Cuisine
Cantonese Chinese
A modest storefront on Valley Boulevard where homestyle Cantonese cooking persists with quiet confidence, lobster painted silver and gold adorning the walls as a hint at what the kitchen does best. Salted-egg shrimp arrives delicate and bright; the deep-fried pig's feet crackle like chips; mustard greens with garlic offer a soothing counterpoint. This is cooking for people who know what they want.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · The 101 Best Restaurants in California
- Time Out #34 · The 40 best restaurants in Los Angeles you need to try right now
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Rank 70. Yang’s Kitchen
Asian-American
- Time Out The best Chinese restaurants in America
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: California · Christian Yang
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Los Angeles Right Now
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Rank 71. Sushi Inaba
Sushi
Chef Yasuhiro Hirano works in near-anonymity behind a counter in a shuttered room, aging exotic fish with the precision of someone still discovering what sushi can be. Soba with uni, baby eel "udon," kombu-cured kasugodai—each course arrives as a small argument for silence. One seating nightly, a handful of seats, the kind of place you hear about in whispers.
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Rank 72. Camphor
French
An open kitchen hums with purposeful energy as Max Boonthanakit sends out French bistro dishes sharpened with unexpected invention—sea bream crudo meets green apple ice, scallop pasta swims in truffle-chive beurre blanc. The steak au poivre arrives classic and assured, its Cognac cream and crisp frites a reminder that reinvention works best when it knows what it's disrupting.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- Esquire 2024 · Provence Martini · The Best Martinis in America
- Time Out #18 · The 40 best restaurants in Los Angeles you need to try right now
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Rank 75. Evil Cooks
Mexican
- Food & Wine 2025 · McSatan · Best Dishes Our Editors Ate This Year
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: California · Alex Garcia and Elvia Garcia
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: California · Elvia Garcia and Alex Garcia
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Rank 76. Bavel
Middle Eastern
- Time Out #4 · The 40 best restaurants in Los Angeles you need to try right now
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · #16 · The 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in Los Angeles
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Rank 77. Bestia
Italian
A warehouse-sized room with copper bar and suspended booths frames the cooking of Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis, whose kitchen moves easily between grilled prawns with serrano pesto, blistered pizzas touched with Sichuan peppercorn and wildflower honey, and truffle-laden pastas. The place hums with the contentment of both diners and staff, a dining room that feels genuinely loved.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Time Out #37 · The 40 best restaurants in Los Angeles you need to try right now
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · Fifty Under $50
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Rank 78. LSXO
Vietnamese
Tucked within Huntington Beach's Bluegold, LSXO trades ocean views for a cooler, louder energy—a speakeasy with real conviction. Pork, shrimp and crab dumplings arrive with a peanut-spiked black vinegar that catches fire; the cháo, a silky broth of crab and white fish, justifies the difficulty of getting a table.
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Rank 80. Mariscos Jalisco - Boyle Heights
Jalisco-Style
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · The 101 Best Restaurants in California
- Time Out #15 · The 40 best restaurants in Los Angeles you need to try right now
- Los Angeles Times 2024 · Tacos dorados de camarón · The 101 Best Tacos in Los Angeles
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Rank 81. El Barrio Cantina
Mexican
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Rank 82. Arturo's Puffy Taco
Tex-Mex
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Rank 83. Terrace by Mix Mix
French/Italian/Filipino
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Rank 85. Carnitas Uruapan
Mexican
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Rank 86. Moo's Craft Barbecue
Barbecue
In a handsome Lincoln Heights room outfitted with craft beers, Andrew and Michelle Muñoz smoke briskets to a mahogany crust and stuff sausages with cheddar and jalapeños in the style of Austin pitmasters. The sides—creamed mac and cheese, banana pudding—fill out the plate with the same care applied to the meat. Come early; the best items disappear.
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: California · Andrew and Michelle Muñoz
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: California · Andrew Muñoz and Michelle Muñoz
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
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Rank 87. Tacos La Carreta
Mexican
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in Los Angeles
- Los Angeles Times 2024 · Chorreada mixto · The 101 Best Tacos in Los Angeles
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Rank 88. Eat Joy Food
Taiwanese Chinese
Tucked behind a Rowland Heights shopping center off the Pomona Freeway, this Taiwanese restaurant pairs soft piano and generous spacing with a tome of a menu dense in seafood and delicate consommés. The three-cup chicken and salty fish fried rice arrive glossy from the wok, their flavors precise and unhurried.
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Rank 89. Populaire Modern Bistro
Modern French
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Rank 91. Manuela
Southern
In a stark gallery-like room within the Hauser & Wirth complex, the open kitchen channels Southern restraint through locally sourced ingredients and house-made cocktail components. Biscuits arrive warm and laminated; a roasted duck breast arrives bronzed and spare, balanced on smoked onion purée with peaches—the work of a kitchen that knows when to stop.
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Rank 92. San Laurel
Modern Californian Spanish
A tenth-floor dining room with views of Disney Concert Hall serves modern California cuisine inflected with Spanish tradition, including a tomato tartare that subverts expectation. Chef José Andrés's team executes with precision across savory and dessert courses, the latter ethereal and balanced.
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Rank 93. 715
Japanese
At an eight-seat counter bathed in ambient music, chef Seigo Tamura works in concentrated silence, aging larger fish in-house and building each nigiri with Osaka-style firm rice and a whisper of sugar. The seafood arrives from Japan—monkfish liver arrives excellent, beltfish gets a char and sansho pepper—while the sake list rewards lingering over a carafe.
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Rank 94. Macheen
Mexican
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Los Angeles Right Now
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · #93 · The 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles
- Los Angeles Times 2024 · Brisket taco · The 101 Best Tacos in Los Angeles
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Rank 95. Sora Craft Kitchen
Seasonal Turkish
- Esquire 2025 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · #39 · The 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles
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Rank 96. Baby Bistro
French
- The New York Times 2025 · The Restaurant List
- Wine Enthusiast 2025 · Top 50 New Restaurants
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · #51 · The 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles
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Rank 97. Bistro Na's
Manchu Chinese
Behind a strip-mall facade in Temple City, an expansive dining room in red and gold serves royal Manchu cuisine from the Qing dynasty's imperial kitchens. Signature dishes—shrimp fried whole and crisp, black pepper Angus beef—suggest the place favors opulence over restraint, best tackled with a group.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in Los Angeles
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · #88 · The 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles
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Rank 98. Morihiro
Sushi
Chef Morihiro Onodera's sushi counter in a contemporary space traces LA's omakase lineage back through composed dishes and nigiri, with rice milled on-site and fish sourced from Japan. The meal closes with matcha and sweets served in ceramics he threw himself—a gesture that transforms ingredient precision into something intimate.
- 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 99. Chengdu Taste
Chinese
No temperance here: Chengdu Taste brings uncompromising Sichuan heat, where toothpick lamb arrives cumin-dark and chili-bright, crispy beef stakes its claim as rival, and even shredded potato sings with precision and fire. The kitchen doesn't dial it back, and neither should you.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Time Out #36 · The 40 best restaurants in Los Angeles you need to try right now
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Rank 100. Hook & Anchor
Seafood