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mozzarella sticks at Cosa Buona
Photograph: Courtesy Cosa Buona/Dylan + Jeni

The 75 best dishes and drinks in Los Angeles 2017: Appetizers and small plates

Mix and match your way to a meal or simply start your dining experience off right with our favorite apps and small plates of 2017.

Written by
Stephanie Breijo
&
Time Out contributors
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One is the loneliest number—which is why we stand beside ordering a sampling of small plates, or at the very least, kicking off your meal with an appetizer or two. From tableside tofu to some of the best dumplings in K-town, here are our favorite small plates and appetizers of the year—old and new—that are stealing the spotlight from entrées.

RECOMMENDED: The best dishes and drinks in L.A. of 2017

L.A.’s best appetizers and small plates of 2017

  • Restaurants
  • Italian
  • Echo Park

Easily one of L.A.’s most iconic new dishes, when these thicc mozz sticks break apart they spill cheese that pulls like Stretch Armstrong’s limbs. Zach Pollack’s no-frills Italian spot—sibling, of course, to Alimento—serves up house-smoked mozzarella encased in a perfectly crunchy shell just begging for a dip in the accompanying marinara. I once craved these so badly that I called in an order for pickup and requested only these. The host on the other end of the line was clearly serving some judgment but I didn’t care because he was also serving these mozz sticks. (They barely survived the ride home.) $11. — Stephanie Breijo

  • Restaurants
  • Downtown

The Freehand’s full-service restaurant is eclectic, energetic and vibrant, and fittingly, so is the fare. Chef Alex Chang’s menu kicks off with a selection of Israeli salatim—dips, salads and spreads—that more than hold up to anything else on offer, entrées included. Go for the platter and pick three, then enjoy with fresh-from-the-oven pita. (Heads up: You’re going to want to order extra pita.) Be sure to select the grated tomato, which floats atop tahini with fresh basil and California olive oil. $25. — Stephanie Breijo

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  • Restaurants
  • American creative
  • Venice
  • price 2 of 4

Jason Neroni’s Rose Café has yet to steer me wrong, and lord knows I could eat my weight in the kale salad alone. But what I think about often—months after eating them—are the raw bar’s bay scallops, which sit pretty in their purple-streaked shells. It’s the yuzu kosho vinaigrette that really makes them shine, a tart brightening agent for an already so-fresh shellfish. I could eat 1,000 of them. (And I honestly maybe already have.) A half-dozen for $21, a dozen for $42. — Stephanie Breijo

  • Restaurants
  • Contemporary American
  • West Hollywood

Perhaps it’s odd to peruse the menu at a place like Norah—a gorgeous, contemporary restaurant in WeHo—and come away saying, “Get the cornbread.” But that’s how good this cornbread is. It comes hot in a cast iron skillet, with rosemary-infused honey butter that melts on contact. $9. — Juliet Bennett Rylah

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  • Restaurants
  • Japanese
  • Downtown
  • price 3 of 4

Shibumi’s cast of delicacies is nothing short of masterful. The chinmi appetizer, which translates to “rare taste,” almost always includes a five-week-fermented uni—which settles into a briny, marigold-hued bite with soup-like consistency—and a dab of Shiokara-fermented  prawns. Chef David Schlosser’s chinmi requires time, care and effort, which are of course all found in abundance throughout the menu of his Kappo-style restaurant. This dish just means you’ll be getting a taste of it right at the outset. The portion is small, so be sure to savor. $18. — Stephanie Breijo

  • Restaurants
  • Chinese
  • Chinatown
  • price 1 of 4

It’s easy to gravitate toward Eddie Huang’s meatier bao when there’s braised sweet pork belly and 24-hour-brined fried chicken on offer, but what you're going to want to do is look toward the sea. On the ocean floor of Far East Plaza, Huang’s fried fish bao is a tender, flaky, funky bite that stuffs fried garlic, a bright lemon-and-cabbage slaw, fresh cilantro, Taiwanese red sugar and house-made tartar sauce between the NYC chef’s cult-followed steamed buns. $4.55. — Stephanie Breijo

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  • Restaurants
  • Mexican
  • West Hollywood

I’m four years late to the party at this offshoot of the famed taco stand (don’t start yelling—I just moved here), but goddamn have I ever boarded this train, visiting the spot three times in as many days this year. My go-to’s have become these beauts (the Tinga de Pollo, pictured, is a soupy, tender number with just enough chipotle punch, and the mole a hearty, chicken-filled beast topped with cooling sour cream), both nestled between warm, handmade tortillas. $2.95 each. — Tim Lowery

  • Restaurants
  • Italian
  • Beverly
  • price 3 of 4

It’s been weeks and I can’t stop thinking about Cal Mare’s version of a bread program: an enormous cinnamon-bun-inspired focaccia loaf that layers pesto—and not cinnamon and sugar—inside its curved dough, and in lieu of icing, comes drizzled with parmigiano fonduta. It’s doughy and crusty and rich and herbaceous and, somehow, absurdly affordable: The best part—aside from the dish itself—is that your $6 directly benefits Hunger Is, a charity that raises awareness and funds to fight childhood hunger. $6. — Stephanie Breijo

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  • Restaurants
  • Japanese
  • West Third Street
  • price 2 of 4

Robata Jinya has long spurred a small army of ramen shops since its 2010 opening, but it’s only at this 3rd Street originator where you’ll find one of the brand’s most long-running dishes. Brought to your table is a large bowl, which fills with organic soy milk poured from a teapot held by your server. Resist the temptation to dive right in, because the tofu must set for five or so minutes; once ready, this silken small plate can be spooned out and topped with a sampling of accoutrement: ginger, bonito, yuzu, scallion. You could order it for the theatrics alone, but you should order it because it’s always delicious. $7.50. — Stephanie Breijo

  • Restaurants
  • Delis
  • Silver Lake
  • price 2 of 4

These Whitefish Cigars can be found in a modern Jewish deli that’s but a few weeks old. No matter—these striking, spring-roll-inspired starters are so fantastic it leaves me wondering what other goodness we can all expect from this new Silver Lake spot. Woefully only available at dinner, these rolls of fried French pastry dough come stuffed with smoked sablefish, cream cheese and shallots, then get rolled in caraway and covered with a champagne vinegar and honey sauce that’s more than worth the sticky fingers. $9 per order of four. — Stephanie Breijo

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  • Restaurants
  • Japanese
  • Fairfax District

If I were to build a house out of meat, the building blocks would be these perfect bricks of wagyu. In reality, they may not lay the foundation for a home, but they do for a good meal. Blue Ribbon’s menu can be intimidating in its breadth, but don’t get distracted; order these perfect cubes of wagyu drizzled in garlic truffle oil and be prepared for a slightly funky, melt-in-your-mouth starter that sets a high note for the sushi, fried chicken and/or udon to follow. At four bites for $26 they’re a bit of a splurge,  but they’re well worth it. $26. — Stephanie Breijo

  • Restaurants
  • Chinese
  • Koreatown
  • price 1 of 4

One of K-town’s hidden gems, Dumpling House is a mecca for dumplings and buns steamed or fried. The parking lot of this strip mall is tiny and always packed—so it can often feel like a Thunderdome situation—but once you’re inside this unassuming spot, place your order for potstickers and shumai, and especially for the pork-filled pancakes. The doughy,  slightly chewy flour wrapping gets pan-fried on each side for a crispy outer coating, while the inside is all garlic, green onion and fall-apart pork. 5 for $9.99. — Stephanie Breijo

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  • Bars
  • Cocktail bars
  • Downtown Arts District
  • price 2 of 4

Once you’ve tasted ERB's Single Burger it’s hard to believe there’s much else that can complete, but the food menu here is consistently stellar, especially given its simplicity. Fewer than 15 items comprise the bar bites, and you can’t go wrong with any—which is exactly why you should order beyond the burger. (Go on, live a little! There’s a big food world out there.) The barbecued chicken thighs are moist and slightly smoky, two boneless pieces spiced perfectly thanks to a Peruvian ají panca paste. Served with fresh lime and grilled green onions, it’s a bright, perfect small plate to complement those grade-A cocktails and branch out beyond your regular order—but go ahead and order one of those burgers, while you’re there. You know you’re going to anyway. $10. — Stephanie Breijo

  • Restaurants
  • Indian
  • Downtown Historic Core
  • price 2 of 4

What happens when India and Canada combine? First and foremost, chef Pawan Mahendro and his sons, Arjun and Nakul. Secondly, Badmaash. Both countries helped inform the family’s colorful Bollywood-meets-DTLA restaurant that dabbles in cross-culture inspiration to bring us some of L.A.’s most fun takes on Indian street food. Exhibit A: masala-spiced fries slathered with beef gravy, the cheese curds fast melting under the weight of the sauce, and generous chunks of tandoori chicken and a drizzle of cilantro complete the meal for a meaty, hearty, comforting take on one of Canada’s finest exports (Mahendros aside). $15. — Stephanie Breijo

Still hungry?

Best dumplings under $10
  • Restaurants

From traditional xiao long bao to international versions from Russia, Nepal and Korea, these dumplings stuff as much value as they do flavor. 

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