The best restaurants in Hollywood

With dozens of celebrity photos and "best of" lists on the walls, chef Jazz Singsanong’s Thai Town restaurant is one of the city’s cult favorites—and serves Angelenos in memory of her brother, L.A. Thai-food legend chef-owner Tui Sungkamee, who passed away in 2017. The Crispy Morning Glory Salad is an obligatory dish: a flavorful mix of crunchy, deep-fried Chinese watercress, plump shrimp, red onions, cilantro, cabbage and bell peppers marinated in the spicy house dressing. If perusing the lengthy menu leaves you dazed and confused, the green mussel curry—succulent New Zealand mussels piled high and bathed in an aromatic Southern curry flavored with lemongrass, sweet pineapples and chiles—is a good place to start on the extensive list of fiery Northern and Southern Thai specialties.

Few restaurants aim for, little less achieve, the level of culinary precision and excellence on display at Providence on Melrose Avenue every night of service. While this hushed fine dining restaurant is based around seafood, it’s really much more than a fish palace. It’s one of the best fine dining restaurants on the West Coast, with the two Michelin stars to match. Fish just happens to be its primary muse—from farm-raised sustainable caviar to Dungeness crab, Maine lobster, abalone, geoduck clams, Spanish octopus, Santa Barbara spot prawns and wild, line-caught Atlantic striped bass. It’s pricey ($295 per person, plus supplements like the signature uni egg and salt-baked prawns), but it’s also the perfect way to splurge in Hollywood, or L.A. for that matter.

This former La Cañada pop-up now has a fast-casual home in East Hollywood, and for once, the hype makes complete sense. Here, Bestia alum Lord Maynard Llera adds a chef's twist to Filipino classics, from the lucenachon (lechon-style porchetta) to buttery pieces of grilled yellowtail collar served with housemade chili oil. For two, the signature Kuya trays are the perfect way to dig into one of the city's best Filipino restaurants, but the rice bowls are just as good for solo diners hoping for a memorable takeout meal. Though prices run somewhat high for a fast-casual, the quality—and flavor—of every dish makes sure Kuya Lord is worth every penny.

The newest addition to the Sycamore Avenue culinary coterie, this stylish import from Paris offers globally inspired bistro fare and an understatedly chic atmosphere worthy of your next big night out. From starters through dessert, every dish at Mr. T lands with just the right amount of flair—particularly the mac and cheese, which even comes with its own tableside pyrotechnics show. Helping to offset all the decadent French cooking is the restaurant's playful, first-rate cocktail program, where L.A. ingredients deftly integrate themselves into well-balanced drinks that take their names from old-school rap hits. For best results, grab a table on the patio, where string-lit olive trees and high hedges lend to a surprisingly intimate dining experience out in Hollywood.

If you know, you know—Ari Kolender’s little neighborhood joint in East Hollywood is one of the most stylish places in L.A. for seafood cravings, with a couple of caveats. There are no reservations, and the wait here easily climbs past the hour mark, particularly if you’re coming with more than one other person. But good things come to those who wait: a creamy lobster roll in a sauce made of its own condensed bisque; scallop tostadas with yuzu kosho and basil; and the restaurant’s now famous raw bar selection full of creamy oysters, peel-your-own shrimp and sea urchin served straight from the shell. Paired with Found’s excellent natural wine list and the relaxed but cool ambience, a meal here is ideal for solo diners, pairs or groups of up to four (and we wouldn’t recommend rolling any deeper than that).

Serving European-style bistro fare with California influences, Horses is the infamous restaurant in the space that once housed Ye Coach & Horses—a Hollywood hideout dating back to the ‘30s. Horses takes a blended preservationist approach to its three-room interior, all while offering top-notch cocktails and lavish dishes, including fried veal sweetbreads, a cheesy, all-endive Caesar salad and a Cornish game hen dressed with dandelion panzanella. Both drinks and desserts, including a must-order dark chocolate tart with milk sorbet, are executed with razor-sharp precision, lifting the upscale Hollywood bistro from “pretty good” to the ranks of “great.”

Globally inspired wellness cuisine might be de rigueur by now, but this Hollywood rooftop restaurant provides a more refined, elevated version of the L.A. dining genre popularized by Café Gratitude. Perched atop a luxury fitness club, Mother Tongue features a glittering dining room perfect for date night, an equally striking outdoor patio and the requisite seen-and-be-seen Hollywood clientele. Though the vegan-friendly menu integrates "functional ingredients" thought to confer health benefits, the eclectic dishes stand on their own in terms of quality and flavor, from the shiitake mushroom larb to the rossejat de fideos, a pricey seafood vermicelli skillet meant to serve two.

The homestyle cooking of this Thai Town joint attracts traditionalists citywide. You won't find fusion or overly sweet noodles at Sanamluang Café—only some of the best Asian comfort food (and slightly intimidating waitresses). Start with the classic tom kha kai, a spicy coconut soup with plump chicken, mushrooms, lemongrass, lime juice and fresh chili for a refreshing starter. Then take a menu detour with the khao pad krapow gai, a satisfying and fiery chicken-basil-rice stir-fry topped with an optional egg, and khana moo grob: This crispy and juicy chunks of pork paired with broth-wilted Chinese broccoli is a must. Wear relaxed clothing and dig in.

No matter how or what you order, you won’t be bored at Saffy’s in East Hollywood. Run by Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis, the couple behind citywide favorites Bavel and Bestia, this upscale-casual eatery offers mouthwatering kebabs and the sort of stylish ambience that’ll win you major cool points on a date. Though the tightly curated menu contains few, if any, missteps, the must-orders here are the kebabs, the hummus and the desserts—particularly the soft serve. Similar to its Arts District siblings, you’ll very likely need a reservation to dine here; technically, Saffy’s does take walk-ins, but the spontaneity-inclined might often find themselves turned away on busier nights or an hour-plus long wait for a table. If you find yourself in the area on a weekend morning, check out the Arabic breakfast starting at 9am. During the week, the coffee shop also serves excellent foccacia sandwiches.

Angelenos rhapsodize about Thai Town’s Ruen Pair with a fervor that borders on obsession. At this round-the-clock favorite, the enticing Southeast Asian menu is full of beer-friendly, shareable plates like fish cake pad ka prow, spongy, light rounds sautéed in basil leaves and vibrant chilies, which justifies a visit on its own. Stir-fry with Chinese olive and ground pork is served with crispy bits of flavorful meat and fresh garlic paired alongside a bowl of steaming rice. Another must order: the sautéed morning glory. Ask for it with crispy pork belly for the ultimate late-night Thai combo.

Are you willing to wait in line at 7am? No matter the hour, there's always a line at this buzzy Montreal-style bagel shop in Virgil Village. Even on weekdays, the wild-yeasted, slightly chewy bagels have remained in high demand ever since the New York Times labeled Courage Bagels one of the best bagels in America. Whether they actually are or aren't, the chewy, slightly crispy bagels are addictively delicious, especially when topped with sustainably farmed lox or farmers' market veggies. Note: Unlike other bars and eateries that dot the trendy dining corridor that straddles East Hollywood and Silver Lake, this joint is daytime only—and offers limited seating. 

This tiny, upscale brick-and-mortar Virgil Village restaurant isn’t your average Thai restaurant when it comes to price point, ambience or heat level. Instead of garden-variety pad thai and curries, chef-owner Nan Yimcharoen serves a unique seafood-centric tasting menu with Thai and Japanese influences. Currently, Kinkan offers a travel-inspired experience known as “where are we going,” where she cooks up a range of dishes inspired by her world travels. You’ll also find a more casual tapas menu Tuesdays through Thursdays and weekend-only lunchtime bento boxes—immaculate, jewel box-like arrangements that first put Yimcharoen on the map during 2020's lockdown era. In our humble opinion, first-timers shouldn’t skip the prix fixe experience. To keep up with Kinkan's menus and hours of operation, follow along on Instagram.

The longtime 101 Coffee Shop now has a fresh coat of paint, a well-stocked pastry case and similar old-school fare in the care of Zack Hall and the team behind Clark Street Bakery, and that's exactly how we like it. Here, no-frills egg dishes come carefully cooked and seasoned, the three-high stack of blueberry pancakes are dripping in real maple syrup and, of course, the bread in every hot sandwich (including a vegan burger) is first-rate—and it's all available until 3pm. While Clark Street Diner might strike some as more breakfast than brunch, the heavy weekend crowds right until close beg to differ. Besides, who can resist the lure of perfectly flaky kouign-amann alongside a cup of hot coffee and some soft-fried eggs?

Inside the Tommie Hollywood, steps away from other notable newer openings like Bar Lis, Ka’teen channels sceney Tulum resorts with a reed tunnel entrance, a lush outdoor dining room and an expansive, Yucatan-inspired menu by Wes Avila, who also runs Chinatown’s Angry Egret Dinette. Here, Guerrilla Tacos’ former head chef offers plenty of crowd-pleasing small plates, though larger format dishes like lamb neck barbacoa and pescado zarandeado (grilled whole fish) easily steal the spotlight at Ka’Teen. For those who can snag a reservation, the beautifully designed space is perfect for a dressy girls’ night, a stylish date night and, well, any night for the typical area crowd.

San Francisco's famous Tartine bakery continues its L.A. expansion with Tartine Sycamore, a café and coffee shop located just steps from Gigi’s and Sightglass Coffee. Selling house-made bread, sandwiches, pastries, rice porridges, quiches and, of course, Tartine's signature smørrebrød toasts, this location is the daytime cafe that keeps the neighborhood around it well-fed until Gigi’s opens for dinner. We also love their swoon-worthy morning buns—though they’re also available at their Silver Lake and Santa Monica locations across town.