LOS ANGELES
An American sports bar serving a sort of Italian-Indian mash up menu? Welcome to LA where creativity and freedom underpin what’s one of the world’s most exciting restaurant scenes. Leave all preconceptions at the door of Pijja Palace, a perennially packed joint in Silverlake and get ready for the dish you never new you needed in your life – the malai curry rigatoni. We have have become unofficial London ambassadors for Pijja, and this dish in particular, telling anyone that will listen to us of its genius, twisting up a classic tomato vodka sauce with malai curry spices to create one hell of a rigatoni pasta. The green chilli chutney pizza is also epic, as are the dosa onion rings. Our only regret is, owing to huge American portion sizes, we didn’t get to try more. Go with a group, or go extremely hungry, and try as much of the menu as you can – Pijja Palace is one of our all-time LA faves.
Found Oyster is a seafood bar in East Hollywood from Last Word Hospitality, who also have several other great LA spots as well as a couple in Joshua Tree, including the excellent Copper Room. Found Oyster is a beauty, the kind of place you can easily spend $200 in 45 minutes without really caring as they just nail it on every level. It’s a pretty tiny room, with a long bar and a handful of hightop tables, plus some outdoor seating, so come down early at 4/5pm if you want to avoid the big queues that build up at night. We loved the scallop tostada topped with yuzu kosho, basil and apple; the smoked trout dip with pickled red onions and smoked roe; and the fried oysters with sake lees mayo. There’s always a revolving list of fresh oysters too, including some from general manager Joe Laraja’s family oyster farm in Orleans, Massachusetts, plus do not miss the incredible lobster bisque roll. To drink, there’s crisp pet nats, sake, and cool beers.
Another prime example of the freewheeling, genre-defying nature of LA’s restaurant scene is Yangban, a Korean-American spot in the Arts District. Run by husband-and-wife chefs Katianna and John Hong, who have worked at some of the finest Michelin starred restaurants in the States, their food is creative melting pot of influences from their upbringing and experience, and is never less than absolutely thrilling. It’s another menu where you’d do well to be in a big group as you’ll want to order all of it, but we’d definitely advise you not to miss the Golden Hokkaido Scallop Toast and the Wagyu Stuffed Perilla Leaf from the starters – we also tried the acorn beignet but wasn’t such a fan of this. Definitely go for the banchan selection, little pots of ‘drinking snacks’ ranging from honey glazed carrots to kimchi. Then there’s the excellent Sujebi Dumplings with white kimchi buerre blanc, poached ocean trout, and trout roe; the Tteok with king trumpet and shimeji mushrooms, doenjang cream, and preserved black truffle; and the must-order signature Yangban wings with cucumber and Korean radish pickles, kimchi hot sauce, and black rice. There’s much much more to try too, so definitely get this one on your hitlist.
There’s a lot of great Thai food in LA, and the current hotspot is Anajak, located way up in Sherman Oaks. Justin Pichetrungsi, chef and owner of Anajak, took over the business from his father Ricky in 2019, and has succeeded in preserving its traditional legacy while also bringing it bang up to date – natural wines, Thai Taco Tuesday, and even a 14 course ‘omakase’ menu at weekends. The menu switches up fairly regularly but you can be sure of a spicy feast across dishes like hamachi crudo with palm sugar, chilli and lime; laab tot (northestern pork meatballs) with jaew dipping sauce; grilled cabbage with garlic chutney and chilli crisp; and haw mok – a steamed fish curry custard. It’s well worth the journey but make you sure you have a booking as this is one popular spot, even at 4pm on a Wednesday.
GJUSTA
Gjusta, Sunset Avenue, Venice, CA, USA
Set in a huge warehouse space, Gjusta is a bakery come deli come restaurant that serves up everything from freshly baked goods to homecured meats and smoked fish, fresh pasta and all kinds of take home pickles, condiments, cheeses et al. Grab a seat on the terrace out back, order some of their incredible pasta, charcuterie boards and massive slices of freshly made pies. No booze, but man, this place is good.
The original Holy Basil in DTLA (there’s a new one in Glendale which opened in 2024) is another exciting LA Thai restaurant that goes its own way, paying little heed to any expectations of authenticity – take for example the yellow curry rigatoni, which isn’t quite as successful as Pijja Palace’s malai curry pasta, but delicious and creative nonetheless. Elsewhere, chef Wedchayan “Deau” Arpapornnopparat offers up his own interpretaion of Bangkok (where he used to live) street food across dishes like wok fried eggplant and kabocha squash; wagyu beef gra pow; organic super food jasberry rice; and pork egg rolls. It’s absolutely one of the best Thai places in LA and well worth stopping by, especially if you’re staying in Downtown.
HOWLIN' RAYS
Howlin' Ray's, North Broadway, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Nashville fried chicken is the name of the game at this small spot in Chinatown. Originally a food van, Howlin’ Rays is the only spot to score proper Nashville fried chicken in LA. The small menu features fried chicken served a number of ways, solo, in a sando or with waffles and a bunch of sides. No matter what you order you’ll need to decide on your level of spice… and F*CKING HELL, hot means HOT. We queued for over an hour to get our greasy fingers on this fried goodness – don’t worry it’s all natural chicken fried in peanut oil so it’s *technically* healthy… right? The sando is a butter bun filled with fried chicken breast, slaw, pickles and come back sauce. It brought tears to our eyes, no really. Like we said hot is HOT & when you touch your face with your hot seasoned fingers there ain’t no pickle juice that’s gonna save you. Do order the pickles though, and the fries. Be sure to sit inside too and enjoy the banging Hip Hop tunes and attractive male staff who are clearly having a great time serving the birds (aspiring actors apparently). Well worth the wait.
Mother Wolf isn’t going to wow you with culinary invention, but if you’re looking for a fun, vibey spot that feels very LA then Mother Wolf is an excellent shout, particularly if you’re in a big group / celebrating. It’s a beautiful, and huge, dining room in Hollywood, where all the staff come across like they’re actors (sometimes annoying, sometimes charming, but nearly always entertaining) and you might even spot a celeb or too. The chef is Evan Funke, who also has the very popular Felix in Venice Beach and Funke, and the menu is pretty straight up crowd-pleasing Italian goodness executed very well. We loved the squash blossoms stuffed with ricotta and the oxtail meatballs in tomato sauce from the starters, and we’d definitely recommend the pizzas too, especially the Diavola – topped with spicy salami and pepperoni – and the Mortazza, a folded pizza stuffed with mortadella, pistachio and fresh ricotta. We were less taken with the large secondi dishes, so stick to pasta for mains: the cacio e pepe and the rigatoni alla’amatriciana were winners. Don’t miss the strawberry-stuffed maritozzi for dessert either.
Out in Alhambra in East LA, you’ll find Yang’s Kitchen, serving Chinese-inspired California cuisine made using local, organic ingredients. Visit at dinner and you can try dishes like smoked pork jowl and mussel claypot stew – or come for the famous brunch where you can get stuck in to the epic Cornmeal Mochi Pancake, undoubtedly one of the best pancakes we’ve ever had. Elsewhere on the menu you’ll find cold sesame noodles; smoked salmon hash with preserved meyer lemon crème fraiche, salmon roe, dill, and chives; and chicken liver mousse with house orange marmalade, and pickles.
BAVEL
Bavel, Mateo Street, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Bavel is the new Middle Eastern restauratn from the guys behind Bestia, which is often named the top Italian restaurant in LA, although we personally weren’t so impressed. Bavel however was pretty epic. Ndjua duck hummus, flat bread with chicken liver and an entree of perfectly cooked slow roasted lamb neck shawarma full of intense meaty flavour and bread soaked in meat fat finished us off. Go hungry or with a crowd if you want to try a few things as the dishes although meant for sharing are massive for two people.
MAJORDOMO
majordōmo, Naud Street, Los Angeles, CA, USA
David Chang’s LA restaurant Majordomo is located in Chinatown, an area that’s definitely on the foodie up. Like most of Chang’s places the food is Asian-influenced with fresh bing breads, noodles and a whole plate short rib for a casual 190 dollars. It’s reputation preceded itself and we heard rumours of 2 hour wait lists and 3 month advanced rezzies. Luckily whilst planning our 5pm arrival, 30 mins prior to opening, we were told that actually turning up at 8:30pm was the best bet. It was, and we were escorted straight to the chef’s counter. Don’t miss the spicy lamb served with oven fresh bing bread, the peppers stuffed with juicy sausage and the mouth rave inducing cherry tomatoes with tofu, shisho & yuzu. BIG flavours, great service, an innovative menu, insta gold (hello racelette shaved at the table over chuck short rib) and great wines means there’s more than a few reasons to make sure Majordomo is on your map.
Open for breakfast and lunch until 4pm seven days a week, All Day Baby is one of our favourite LA spots. This is where to come for the big American breakfast of your dreams, where you can order biscuit sandwiches stuffed with scrambled eggs, cheese and bacon, or breakfast burritos and hot cakes. At lunch there’s massive sandwiches like smoked turkey club or the hot fish with dill onions, plus epic salads, and waffle fries. Get down early for the pastry selection too, with things like the banana cream pie, peanut butter pie, or brown butter chocolate chip cookies on the counter in limited quantities – when they’re gone, they’re gone!
SON OF A GUN
Son of a Gun, West 3rd Street, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Part of the Jon & Vinny restaurant group, Sun of a Gun specializes in seafood and like all of their other restaurants, it’s on point. We’ve worked our way through the whole menu – not a dud dish on there, but take our advice and order the uni, burrata, button mushroom and yuzu from the raw bar, load with Tabasco and let the flavour party begin. Other highlights include the yellowfin tuna, leche de tigre, avocado, tortilla which comes in a weird looking ball shape, and the shrimp toast sandwich. Decent cocktails and crisp wines make this a must visit.
LITTLE SISTER
Little Sister Downtown, 7th Street, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Vietnamese joint Little Sister now has three locations in LA. The menu is a mash up of authentic Vietnamese dishes with on trend modern ingredients or “east-meets-west” as they call it. We haven’t had a bad dish but our highlights are the pork, shrimp and crab dumplings, the punchy Asian salads and the pho banh cuon rice rolls filled with thinly sliced beef and pickled onions. A decent soundtrack, 80s movies playing behind the bar add to the hipster appeal. Book or expect to queue.
The original Dante is an icon of Greenwich Village and one of out favourite New York spots. And now you can get a taste of Dante all the way out in LA, at its new breezy west coast sister on the rooftop of the Maybourne Beverly Hills Hotel (part of the Claridge’s family). It’s a beautiful room, with huge circular blue banquettes in the centre, opening out on to a terrace that has great views over to the Hollywood Hills – a far cry from the charming but cramped New York original. To drink, there’s classic Dante cocktails, including dedicated (and lengthy) negroni and martini menus, as well as seasonal specials to choose from. For food, we can recommend the mare misto, a huge bowl of fried seafood served with spicy aioli, as well as the steak tartare. There’s also an excellent line up of pizzas cooked in the big poolside outdoor oven, plus fresh pastas, but we couldn’t resist the signature Dante burger with smoked bacon, beetroot, and cheese in a brioche bun. Round off the meal with a caffe negroni and a tiramisu.
ROSSOBLU
Rossoblu, San Julian Street, Los Angeles, CA, USA
This new Italian turned up in a fair few of the emails we set around asking for recs before our trip to the sunshine state. Located downtown, in the old fashion district with not much else around it’s a bit of a strange destination. It’s a big space, like many restaurants in LA, and on our trip it was jam packed. The food focuses on the Bologna region of Italy. We ate pillow light gnocchi fritti, alongside a board of delicious cured Italian meats and cheeses, followed by Nonna’s tagliatelle al ragu bolognese and sausage ragu pappardelle washed down with negronis. When in Rosso! Definitely worth scouting out.
GRAND CENTRAL MARKET
Grand Central Market, South Broadway, Los Angeles, CA, USA
As one of the oldest food markets in LA it’s impressive that Grand Central Market is still standing, having been around since 1917. The indoor streetfood market features an epic selection of traders, nearly 40, with everything from noodles to tacos and seafood to ice-cream . We went a fair few times and our highlights include EGGSLUT, the purveyors of the best egg sandwiches in the city, BBQ chicken, rice and papaya salad from Sticky Rice and all the ice-creams from McConnell’s. Go morning, noon or night (it’s open from 10am – 10pm) and there’s usually a good amount of vibes thrown in too.
POLO LOUNGE @ THE BEVERLY HILL HOTEL
9641 Sunset Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90210, United States
The iconic signage has lit up the Beverly Hills Hotel for generations. It is an old Hollywood classic, the inspiration for The Eagles’ ‘Hotel California’, and a hangout for the rich and famous, where you are likely to spot a celeb or two. The hotel’s restaurant The Polo Lounge is the place to be seen, but it does come with a big price tag (not that that’s an issue for most people that come here). The decor is amazing, with rich green and white stripes, pristine white table cloths and outside space that is like a magical garden. You don’t necessarily come here for the food, but it is solid enough – the rigatoni bolognese is a veal and beef ragu that is deeply rich and satisfying. The crispy skin seabass, with summer squash, leeks and romesco sauce is a fairly light and healthy option, and the fried chicken comes with rainbow chard, homemade biscuit and hot sauce: be warned, this is damn hot so if you can handle your spice, then dive on in.
THE LINE HOTEL
The LINE Los Angeles, Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA, USA
There’s a lot of hotels in LA but one of our faves is The Line located in Korea Town. Whilst that might seem like a random location it’s actually opposite the subway line which is super effecient and clean – hooray for not sitting on the freeway in traffic. There’s also some incredible Korean resturatn’s such as Park’s BBQ close by. The rooms all have floor to ceiling windows so feel massive even though they are pretty compact and minimal, albiet filled with the essentials and plenty of quirky touches. There’s a decent pool, The Commisionary, a super instagrammable greenhouse restaurant and a hidden club behind a vending machine. Be sure to ask for a view of the Hollywood Hills!