A guide to the Downtown Arts District

To say that you'll need a reservation for Bestia is an understatement—as one of the most talked about (and as a result, packed) restaurants in LA, securing a table months in advance is a necessity. Chef Ori Menashe is the brains behind Bestia’s thoughtful, ingredient-driven Italian menu. His house-cured salumi is superb, whether it's part of a charcuterie board or atop a puffy pizza with mozzarella, black cabbage and fennel; and housemade pastas come tangled together with lobster and sea urchin or tossed with lamb ragu and saffron. Menashe's wife, Genevieve Gergis, is Bestia's phenomenal pastry chef, and you'd be wise to order her chocolate budino tart to end an unforgettable meal.

Located in the loading dock of the Biscuit Lofts in DTLA's Arts District, chef Tony Esnault's French bistro serves classic fare—steak frites, escargot, steak tartare and more—to Angelenos with big budgets and a taste for nuanced interiors (think: white subway tiles and leather banquettes). Start with a seasonal cocktail and oysters on the half shell, then progress to housemade charcuterie and savory tartes. Don't miss the weekday meal-deal: a three-course lunch for a steal at $21. With a French-heavy wine selection, proper fromage option and alfresco dining, it's a little slice of Paris in the middle of Downtown.

The concrete exterior of this downtown Arts District haunt seems intentionally non-descript. A bold neon sign above the door reads simply “BAR”—the small plaque beside it, “everson royce bar, est. 2015,” verifies the bar’s identity. Inside, the bar is bustling and bright, and a spacious patio out back offers ample seating for drinking, dining and stargazing. Varnish alumn Chris Ojeda adds a whole lot of credibility to the cocktail list, like the Infanté, a tequila tipple with lemon, almond, nutmeg and rosewater. The Business is another favorite that Bee’s Knees fans should enjoy—lime replaces lemon in this delightful mingling of gin, citrus and honey. To eat, Osteria Mozza chef Matt Molina cooks up bites like the steamed buns, made with melt-in-your-mouth roasted pork belly, cucumber pickle and hoisin wrapped in pillowy warm bao.

Live music, burgers, beer, cocktails—what more could you want in a casual neighborhood bar? This friendly hangout hosts a steady stream of blues, rock and bluegrass musicians that perform inside the steampunk space almost every night of the week. A fantastic grilled cheese, beer battered fish and chips and more hearty eats satisfy hungry patrons, while a list of creative cocktails and craft beer fills out the drink menu. The best part? No cover.

This family-owned café, whose interior consists of a few basic wooden picnic tables and chairs, offers homemade pies deemed by many as the best in LA. Made from scratch every morning, popular pie options include Mexican Chocolate, Earl Grey and a savory Mac and Cheese hand pie (if that's not a match made in heaven, we don't know what is). To accompany your slice, Pie Hole's coffee selection is top-notch, including their own fare trade organic blend. Craving something a little more funky? The shop also offers cold brew nitro iced coffee—one of the few places in the city to do so.

The hand-tossed, thin crust pies at this Downtown pizza joint show off local ingredients like arugula, tomatoes, cage-free eggs and ethically-raised pork-and-beef meatballs. Aside from the standard pepperoni, margherita and veggie options, Pizzanista offers inventive slices like macaroni and cheese (available on Sundays only), along with gluten-free and create-your-own pies. A selection of beer and wine is available, but if you want to drink elsewhere, order your pizza and take it next door to Tony's Saloon.

With a menu that includes Peruvian ceviche, orange chicken wings, Asian-spiced pulled pork sandwiches and tacos de barbacao, there's no question that Cerveteca embraces fusion and experimentation. Offering brunch, lunch and dinner, the restaurant serves as a popular hangout for neighboring Sci-Arc students ready to wind down with a couple drinks. Beers come from both local and international breweries; French, Portuguese, Chilean and California wines are all available; and specialty drinks like maragaritas, mojitos and sangria are served throughout the day. Mimosa fans should plan on stopping by for brunch, where they can indulge in a "Build your own" bottomless mimosa bucket for $15.

Cousins Tyler Wilson and Joseph Pitruzzelli transformed a triangular space on the corner of E 3rd St and Traction Ave into Wurstküche, a contemporary "sausage kitchen" (a second Wurstküche is located in Venice). The cousins' crew will gladly grill sausages like Polish-style Kielbasa or more adventurous Rattlesnake & Rabbit to pair with a "groot" worth of skin-on frites; in case you didn't know, that amounts to a lot of fries. Wurstküche primarily pours Belgian and German beers from (surprisingly) brand-free tap handles. Try the notoriously tart Duchesse de Bourgogne or sweet Aventinus Eisbock that packs a punch.

Located next to Pizzanista, Tony's Saloon is a favorite for Arts District denizens who come to play a few rounds of pool, down a couple well-crafted drinks and indulge in cheesy slices from the pizzeria next door. For those looking to challenge their drinking buddy to some friendly competition, there's darts and table tennis in addition to pool. And if you're hungry? Pair your Peroni with a piece of pizza (you can either order from the bar or pick it up at Pizzanista to bring into Tony's), then head to the back patio for some fresh air under twinkling lights.

The Factory Kitchen, a Northern Italian eatery made noticeable only by red neon signage above its door, focuses all of its efforts on the food and almost none on the decor. Cement floors and peeling pillars blend into the background as servers in checkered-shirt uniforms bring out one excellent dish after another. There are many stand-out options to start with, but the focaccina calda di recco, a heavenly flatbread, should be at the top of your list. When it comes to pasta, a fan favorite is the mandilli di seta, a delicate handkerchief option with pesto, though an oxtail ragu spooned over beautiful ribbons of pappardelle is just as excellent. And to finish? The dessert list is short, but let us narrow it down for you further: ask for the cannoli.

This industrial space has a bare-bones, beer-hall feel, with plenty of room to spread out among picnic tables beneath a renovated mezzanine. But the main focus is the well-lit bar with 12 coveted bar stools, clean copper taps and an Art Deco-inspired backdrop. Plus, Angel City also hosts regular trivia, bingo and game nights, along with fests and performances in its front lot and renovated shed.

If ever there was a bar to geek out in, this one is it. Los Angeles' first barcade (that's bar + arcade for you noobs) boasts more than 40 classic consoles, from Centipede to Ms. Pac-Man—all fixed with cup holders for endless booze-fueled sessions. An entire section of the bar is dedicated to vintage pinball machines.

Is it a restaurant? A juice bar? A yoga studio? A spa? At the Springs, a wellness center housed in a former office supply warehouse in Downtown's Arts District, it's all of the above—a multi-purpose space meant to heal your body from the inside out.