The best new restaurants in Los Angeles to try right now

The quintessential Sichuan flavors of numbing and spicy are just right at Mala Class, a tiny restaurant in Highland Park run by a pair of alums from NYC’s Chinese dining scene. Peruse the small, vegan-friendly menu and zero in on Sichuan-born chef Michael Yang’s phenomenal take on dandanmian, which features a light, subtly flavored peanut sauce, springy noodles, (optional) ground pork and spicy chili oil. A selection of mostly fried appetizers includes craveworthy mushroom fries, pepper-rubbed tofu, and cucumber and bean curd salad. The beef noodle soup and pork dumplings add welcome twinges of heat to two Chinese classics, while those in search of milder, more familiar fare will enjoy the cold sesame noodles and garlic sauce shrimp. Despite having only opened in June, Mala Class’s mapo tofu is easily my favorite version in Los Angeles—and I’ve tried almost everywhere else in town you could possibly imagine. Metered street parking.

This Caribbean-Angeleno lockdown pop-up has finally opened its long-awaited brick-and-mortar in East Hollywood. Founded by Rustic Canyon and Botanica alum Rashida Holmes, Bridgetown Roti now serves a brightly flavored fast-casual mix of rotis, patties and sides, plus an all-new menu of “Caribbean tings” like cod fish cakes, honey jerk wings and chickpea doubles (the last of which is only served on Sundays and Mondays). The tiny space fills up quickly during peak lunch hours, but the excellent rotis—served as either a wrap or in a bowl—and wealth of vegan options make Bridgetown a worthwhile citywide dining destination for lunch or an early dinner. On my visit, I particularly enjoyed the decadent oxtail patty, curry shrimp aloo (potato) roti and red pepper goat with peanut sauce, which I ordered as a bowl for maximal enjoyment with the many house sauces. In truth, however, you can’t really go wrong at Bridgetown Roti, since almost everything is delicious. Metered street parking.

After four years, Belle’s Bagels has finally opened its hotly anticipated Highland Park brick-and-mortar, and the wait was well worth it. Vintage memorabilia and at-scale dioramas behind the bar add a sense of style to the space. You’ll have to wait some more, however, regardless of when you visit this new-school deli: As of writing, long lines form daily for breakfast and lunch, though they tend to thin in the evenings, when the menu winnows down to latkes, pickles, schnitzel and other light bites that accompany the affordable, Jewish-inspired cocktail menu. In the morning, grab one of L.A.’s best bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches and scallion latkes, but pastrami sandwiches, matzo ball soup and patty melts are only available after 11:30am. After nightfall, order the briny Pickle Martini and delightfully herbaceous Cel-Ray Chaiball, which comes with an entire stalk of fresh dill. Outdoor dining available. Metered street parking.

With Eastern European flourishes, moderately priced cocktails and some of the only pierogies in town, this all-day eatery in Atwater Village is the kind of stylish, affordable Swiss army knife of a restaurant I wish I had in my neighborhood. Unfortunately, everyone else seems to have the same exact thought—which is why this tiny watering hole is jam-packed at all hours with Angelenos from all over jonesing for those excellent potato and cheese pierogies (available only after 5pm), the standout bistro-style burger and a rotating selection of tasty tartines. Before 11am, Bar Sinizki also serves a simple breakfast menu, including pastries and cardamom French toast. If you’re planning to come here for lunch or dinner, I recommend arriving early and steeling yourself for the wait. Outdoor dining available. Metered street parking.

For a certain type of well-to-do L.A. diner, there’s nothing more appealing in a restaurant than a Michelin pedigree, high-quality ingredients and an ever-changing seasonal menu. Bay Area chef Joshua Skenes—founder of Saison and the now-closed Angler Los Angeles—checks all these boxes and more in his new “casual” neighborhood pizzeria, if one considers an average multi-course dinner bill of $100 per head, pricey cocktails and supplemental osetra caviar casual. The cost of entry at Leopardo is worth it, however, for those who view pizza as an art form, or anyone jonesing for Angler’s famously creamy soft-serve. The black-spotted, crust-dominant pies give the city’s best neo-Neapolitan pizzas a run for their money, with a chewy, high-hydration crust and accoutrements like housemade giardiniera and stracciatella cheese. Equally compelling raw dishes and wood-fired mains, plus a superb dessert selection, make it easy to run up your bill, but the pizza is still the star of the show—and the cheapest way to enjoy a meal here.

It’s hard to deny the cool-kid vibes at Zizou, a French-Moroccan wine bar in Lincoln Heights. The indoor-outdoor space is lined with plenty of foliage and mood lighting, there’s an excellent sound system inside and the interior design is nothing short of immaculate. Even if the cuisine were bad (which it isn’t), you’d still probably find this place packed to the gills every weekend with see-and-be-seen types sipping on Aperol spritzes and natural wine. Fortunately for those of us who care about what we eat, not just who we’re sitting next to, straightforward dishes like steak frites and almond-apricot tagine are delicious enough to satisfy anyone’s craving for Middle Eastern cuisine. Most people come here for the drinks and ambience, and I recommend that you follow their lead. Outdoor dining available. Metered street parking.

One of Japan’s most popular ramen chains has finally landed in a South Bay strip mall after opening several locations in the OC. Unlike most of L.A.’s tonkotsu joints, Kitakata’s specialty is a clear, flavorful pork-based shoyu broth paired with shina soba—a wavy, softer Chinese-style noodle—and tender slices of chashu. For a spice kick, order the green chili shio ramen, which swaps the soy base out for salt and adds a pile of scallions on top. The tiny strip mall joint also serves excellent gyoza and other sides, plus plain and spicy miso, tan tan and vegan broth options. In our eyes, however, what makes Kitakata a countywide destination is the signature shoyu bowl, as well as the unique tsukemen, which uses a sesame-inflected dashi shoyu in place of a usually fatty dipping broth. On weekends, add yourself to the Yelp waitlist ahead of time to cut down on your wait. On-site lot parking.

In the narrow, high-turnover spaces that line the ground floor of Sawtelle’s One Westside shopping center, the newest player to enter the ring is Tigawok, a Chinese fast-casual concept powered by automated woks, a.k.a. “robot chefs.” (In reality, they look more like washing machines.) Each tiny, snack-size bowl costs between $3 and $6, with 18 unique entrées to choose from. As of writing, lines already form early and last throughout the day, with diners happy to line up for fairly well-executed, affordable Chinese cuisine. On my visit, I tried every single item on the menu (a feat that requires only about $85), and while not every dish won me over, I would recommend Hunan spicy beef, “Tiga cola” chicken and any of the vegetable sides, as well as the soy-braised Wagyu rice bowl and astonishingly good soup dumplings. Where Tigawok does distinguish itself, however, is on cost—and at a time when dining out is more expensive than ever, I’m more than happy to come back. Outdoor dining available. Two-hour parking on-site and metered street parking.

With affordable bansang sets built around proteins and straightforward sides, Kisa Sikdang is already making waves in Koreatown’s ultra-competitive dining scene. The casual but sleekly appointed restaurant takes over the former Oyabun space and is modeled and named after South Korea’s kisa sikdangs, a type of casual roadside eatery primarily favored by taxi drivers. Lunch sets go for $19 (11am–3pm), while dinner tops out at $24 (5–9pm), though you can also opt for a $17.99 bowl of spicy naengmyeon, a $20 cozy bowl of spicy fish stew and $21 yukjeon, or pan-fried battered beef patties. Given the rising cost of going out to eat, we consider the opening of Kisa Sikdang a major win for L.A.’s budget-friendly dining scene. The fare here is tasty and straightforward, there’s beer and soju on offer, and you can get out of here after tax and tip for under $40—what’s not to love? Limited street parking.