Every year, The New York Times sends reporters zigzagging across the country—76 flights, 200 meals, 33 states—to crown the 50 best restaurants in America. And this year, three Los Angeles spots were named among those 50: Baby Bistro, Mori Nozomi and RVR. Each one fits the Times' bill with delicious food, mastery of craft, generosity of spirit and a point of view you won’t find anywhere else.
Hidden inside a leafy L.A. bungalow, Baby Bistro is as charming as it is unpredictable. Chef Miles Thompson and co-owner Andy Schwartz run a menu so tight you’re better off ordering everything. The ever-changing plates and under-$100 wine list keep things spontaneous and democratic. “It feels inviting, unpredictable and alive,” declares writer Tejal Rao—and we couldn’t agree more.
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At Mori Nozomi, sushi omakase is just the starting point. Chef Nozomi Mori builds her menus with produce straight from the Santa Monica Farmers Market and makes tender mochi filled with red bean paste fresh every morning. The fish is pristine, and the knife work flawless, but the Times calls the real thrill “the way Ms. Mori builds on the structure and flow of the omakase in her own distinct style, moving you from one captivating bite to the next.” As we know, this is a one-of-a-kind meal, grounded in tradition but entirely personal.
If Abbot Kinney feels like the stage for endless openings, RVR (pronounced “river”) is the rare spot with staying power. Chef Travis Lett (of Gjelina fame) teams up with Ian Robinson for a Japanese izakaya that’s deeply L.A. in sensibility: vegetable-forward, seasonal, effortless. “The kitchen is focused, technically precise,” writes Rao, with dishes like sweet, briny clam ramen and grilled duck tsukune. But the surprise here is how thrilling the vegetables are—this section of the menu “goes longer than some restaurants’ entire menus.”
L.A.’s dining scene has never been short on ambition, but these three prove it still has the power to surprise—and to set the pace for the rest of the country.