The best new restaurants in Los Angeles to try right now

With a name that fittingly translates to “my dear” in Farsi, this casual Persian eatery in Silver Lake takes a page from the Pine & Crane playbook (where co-owner Cody Ma once worked) with counter service and the sort of high-quality cooking you’ll cherish time and time again. Ma and his partner Misha Sesar serve an array of delightful homestyle dishes, including a standout turmeric-braised jidori chicken (dampokhtak) and matzo-like kofte tabrizi, a giant beef meatball that hides a mix of walnuts and dried fruits at the center. Smaller mazeh plates like the classic mast-o-musir (shallot, garlic and mint oil yogurt) with housemade flatbread and Sesar’s excellent dessert program bookend a delicious meal that showcases a cozier, lighter side of Persian cuisine that’s hard to find outside of home kitchens. Just be aware the small space gets packed, especially on weekends—you’re not the only one chasing this culinary high. Outdoor dining available. Street parking.

Does L.A. need another glitzy Italian restaurant? If you ask any developer within a two-mile radius of Beverly Hills, the answer is always yes. Fortunately for those of us without bottomless expense accounts, the Italian fine-dining at Stella is actually worth ponying up for. Chef Rob Gentile and his design-oriented business partner, Janet Zuccarini (who also masterminded Evan Funke’s Felix) have created a dinner destination on par with L.A.’s best Italian restaurants. The moody subterranean level feels like a modern supper club, while the brighter first-floor dining room imparts a slightly more formal ambience. Gentile’s take on the oft-tired genre of Cal-Italian dazzles with standouts like burrata drizzled in Canadian olive oil (and caviar, if you like), branzino crudo carved tableside and su filindeu, one of the world’s rarest pastas. For dessert, splurge on the cassata siciliana—a symphony of cake, ricotta, pistachio, chocolate and amarena cherries. $22 valet parking for the first two and a half hours, plus metered street parking.

With a dazzling family-style mezze spread and other unique Middle Eastern culinary delights, this elegant, destination-worthy Lebanese concept inside the Kimpton La Peer is the best hotel restaurant we’ve visited in the last six months. Run by Top Chef Middle East winner Charbel Hayek, Ladyhawk serves the Beirut native’s winning dish—Spanish ahi tuna crudo—and other California-inspired fare, but the best parts of the concise menu draw from the chef’s heritage cuisine. Highlights include a refreshing, crunchy fattoush (pita salad), a flavorful muhammara (walnut and red pepper spread) and a butterflied dorade with a spicy zhoug (spicy cilantro sauce). Start your meal with the beautifully presented za’atar manoushe, which dresses up the traditional Levantine spiced bread with dots of tomato purée, herb purée and labneh that resemble the Lebanese flag. Outdoor dining available; $20 valet parking and limited street parking.

Run by the same team behind Park's, KTeam BBQ takes over the space that once held Ong Ga Nae, which quietly closed last year. The Vermont Avenue newcomer offers a more affordable, pork-centric Korean barbecue experience—albeit with the same meat quality, bounty of banchan and excellent prepared dishes as its older, critically acclaimed sibling across the street. Cheerful orange-and-white checkered tile tables serve as the backdrop for a reasonably priced à la carte menu that includes a phenomenal bowl of chilled spicy acorn noodles; delightfully chewy tteokbokki, served with one or more barbecue orders; and three types of beef. The star of the show, however, is the thinly sliced frozen pork belly, a cut popular in South Korea. Paired with supplemental myeonglan paste (pollack roe) or the classic trio of spicy soybean paste, garlic and jalapeño, each lettuce or perilla-wrapped bite will transport you to Seoul. Limited street parking and $5 valet. 

Hidden away on Beverly Boulevard, this impeccably designed French restaurant takes over the old Dominick’s space. True to its name, Amour conjures visions of romance with a candle-lit dining room, cozy lounge seating by the fireplace and a brick-lined, checker floored courtyard. The Japanese-inflected haute cuisine runs on the pricier side, with five-course ($150) and eight-course ($222) tasting menus, plus vegan and vegetarian options ($111). If you’d rather order à la carte, the kitchen's precise saucework translates into strong entrées, a standout steak tartare and the comte cloud, a truffle-covered cheesy poached egg. Either way, El Bullí-trained head chef Dani Chavez-Bello and owner Thomas Fuks (who also runs Hollywood nightclub Members) have crafted an upscale French dining experience worth traveling for. Outdoor dining available; $13 valet parking and metered street parking nearby.

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.

From the impish Ted Lasso-inspired “RELIEVE” sign in the bathroom to the menu’s various cheeky asides, this cozy, Austrian-accented bistro in Culver City manages to put “fun” and “fine dining” in the same sentence. Chef Bernhard Mairinger’s dinner menu is full of global influences, but the former BierBeisl chef is at his best with pan-European dishes like chicken liver profiteroles with dark chocolate and a classic veal wienerschnitzel with lingonberry-yuzu chutney. Cheaper dishes like the curry fries and spelt sourdough pizzas appeal to a locals’ crowd, while destination diners will appreciate touches like an excellent bread basket, Austrian wine pairings and Lustig’s eau-de-vie selection. Standout desserts include the Kaiserschmarrn (scrambled pancakes) with blueberry compote and apple strudel cigars with housemade sorbet. A newer late-night menu features housemade sausages, and you can also stop in now for more casual lunch service. Outdoor dining available; free two-hour parking in Helms Bakery District lots and metered parking on nearby Washington Boulevard.

This fast-casual walk-up in Silver Lake is the long-awaited original project of Mini Kabob’s Armen Martirosyan. Here, the second-generation chef combines Armenian and Mexican foodways in one of the most tantalizing, exciting mash-ups we’ve seen in a long time. Familiar vehicles—tacos, quesadillas and burritos—pair perfectly cooked meats and falafel with delicious sauces like chile de arbol toum (garlic sauce) and fire-roasted pico de gallo. For a lighter lunch, we recommend ordering two to three tacos; the heavier burritos and quesadillas just might require an afternoon nap. These days, Martirosyan has flipped to serving tacos on handmade corn tortillas. Paired with Mini Kabob’s famous, Aleppo pepper-dusted home fries and Armenian sodas, a meal here is an everyman’s ticket to an only-in-L.A. culinary rollercoaster you’ll want to ride over and over again. Outdoor dining available; metered street parking.

Though the narrow space is almost suffocatingly intimate, expansive flavors and unique seafood dishes make a visit to Holy Basil’s long-awaited second location extremely worthwhile for those who appreciate a more nuanced take on Thai cuisine. Atwater locals are already lining up nightly for a taste of Wedchayan “Deau” Arpapornnopparat’s dinner menu, which includes lemongrass mussels, wild shrimp aguachile and beef tataki. For a slightly quicker meal, head here during lunch, when the eight bar seats and handful of tables don’t go quite so fast. (Just don’t bring more than a friend or two—this location isn’t conducive to large parties.) In the next few months, the Thai-Chinese chef and co-owner Tongkamal “Joy” Yuon also plan to unveil a brunch menu, so follow along on Holy Basil’s Instagram for the latest menu and opening schedule updates. Outdoor dining available; street parking.

For some odd reason, Westfield Century City is now home to three different Japanese noodle shops. The newest is Ramen Ochi, the first international outpost of a Japanese restaurant group with outposts in Saitama, Chiba and Tokyo. While Ramen Nagi is still the most destination-worthy of the upscale mall’s three ramenyas (and the food court’s Ramen King Keisuke is just plain bad), Ramen Ochi offers a unique soup base made with chicken, pork and beef that’s topped with soy-braised pork belly and a raw egg yolk—or soft-boiled, if you prefer. The end result is vaguely reminiscent of a sweet sukiyaki, though the red onions and minced garlic on top cut through the thick, fairly decadent broth. Ramen Ochi also serves rice bowls, gyoza, karaage and a vegan ramen made with seaweed, shiitake mushrooms and tomatoes. There’s also a tsukemen (dipping) broth and two kinds of tamago kake men—cold ramen noodles topped with your choice of meat, seasoned soy sauce and freshly cracked raw egg. Outdoor dining available; 60 minutes free on-site parking, $2 each 20 minutes thereafter.

If not for the charming, well-heated patio and decent hors d’oeuvres, we wouldn’t necessarily give this new West Hollywood bistro our stamp of approval. That being said, the second location of this Venice cocktail joint fills a solid niche within the upscale neighborhood—a stylish date night spot with excellent drinks, decent, not-too-expensive bar bites and weekend brunch service. It all makes for an easy slide from drinks into dinner at Coucou, where Bouchon Vegas alum Jacob Wetherington offers a cheese-covered “l’haute” dog, a vegan-friendly French dip made with king oyster mushrooms and other straightforward, slightly salty fare that gets the job done. Our suggestion? Skip the mains, go all in on appetizers and order Coucou’s popular soft-serve for dessert—it comes with a delicious housemade chocolate magic shell. Outdoor dining available; $20 valet and limited metered street parking.

Izakayas are few and far in between in L.A., but this Osaka-style skewer specialist in Echo Park scratches the itch with brisk service, an extensive selection of beer, whiskey, sake and shochu and over 20 varieties of kushikatsu, or deep-fried and battered skewers. Sip on a shiso-inflected gin martini as you enjoy drinking food like Wagyu corned beef and chilled housemade tofu topped with a peanut-forward chili crisp. A $20 set meal gets you five kushikatsu and some raw seasonal veggies, which serve as a palate cleanser after feasting on surprisingly filling deep-fried mochi, vegetables and meat on sticks. Kissed with a touch of salt, hot mustard or tonkatsu sauce (available at every table or bar seat), the skewers offer a satisfying diversity of texture and flavor. Open from 4 to 11pm, Wednesday to Sunday, Kushiba has set its sights on capturing the pre- and post-Dodger game crowd—and while the tiny menu isn’t all that exciting, it’s a great option for Echo Park locals or whenever you find yourself in the area. Outdoor dining available; private lot and nearby metered street parking.

Florence’s most famous sandwich shop has opened up on Abbot Kinney and Koreatown (3923 W 6th St), and honestly, this is a rare case where the hype is justified. Filled with prosciutto, mortadella, pistachio cream and any other high-quality Italian import you can imagine, All’Antico Vinaio’s schiacciata creations puts most of L.A.’s imitation focaccia sandos to shame. The crusty, slightly oily Tuscan flatbread is the perfect canvas for everything from lardo and gorgonzola (the truffle honey-adorned Dolcezze d’Autunno) to the signature La Paradiso, which combines mortadella, stracciatella, pistachio cream and toasted pistachios into a must-try sandwich. Of course, lines get longer on the weekends, but arrive early—10:30am is when they begin serving sandwiches, with pastries and coffee served from 7am—or try your luck on a weekday to cut down on your wait time. Outdoor dining available; Street parking and nearby private lots.

Some of L.A.’s best pies and cookies can now be found on the Westside, where award-winning pastry chef Nicole Rucker has opened a long-awaited café expansion on the edge of Culver City. A seriously delicious savory menu includes freshly made paninis and a trio of filling seasonal salads. There’s also coffee, tea and pastries as well as a small retail section towards the back. While café and bakeries don’t normally make it onto our L.A. openings guide, Rucker’s baking (and cooking) is just that good—and if you live within a reasonable travel time of Fat + Flour Culver City, consider this a must-visit. Metered street parking.

Ignore the upscale-casual price point and a fancier area code: This cozy Japanese restaurant in Beverly Hills just might fill the Curry House-shaped hole in your heart. Run by the Wagyu-obsessed hospitality group behind Downtown specialist Niku X, Chubby Curry offers a slate of rich, flavorful curries paired with the likes of dry-aged duck (available after 5pm), a vegan-friendly oyster mushroom skillet and, of course, top-quality beef. The $18 Wagyu burger made with curry aioli and caramelized onions has already made our guide to L.A.’s best burgers, but even simpler offerings like chicken katsu, sizzling steak hamburg and waffle fries shine thanks to flavorful sauces made with a chef’s attention to detail. During lunch hours, hungry diners can ball on a budget with a $28 unlimited Wagyu curry and rice special. Outdoor dining available. Two-hour free parking at the public lot across the street, plus metered one-hour street parking.

After a year of street vending next to Radna Silom, Malai Data’s amazing boat noodle soup pop-up has found a permanent home just five minutes’ walk from its original location. Step into the bare-bones space for $9 bowls of the best boat noodle soup we’ve ever had. Bits of carefully prepared green onions, pork cracklings, bean sprouts, meatballs and your choice of mixed pork or beef offal arrive in each traditionally small bowl—so order two, or even three, if you’re feeling extra hungry. There’s also larger $15 bowls of tom yum noodle soup and an expanded menu that includes pad thai, krapow and housemade Isaan-style sour sausage. For dessert, order the kanom tuay; the delicate steamed pandan-coconut custards are the perfect way to cap off an affordable meal here. Free lot parking plus limited street parking.

Downtown’s Pez Cantina trades its chips and guac (and margs) approach for more of a California-meets-Mediterranean affair at this similarly seafood-focused outpost in Old Pasadena. The beachy dining room brings some welcomed buoyancy to this formerly pubby street corner, though Pez Coastal Kitchen feels like more of an upscale neighborhood joint than destination-worthy Union and Perle. Load up on starters and crudo for the menu’s most inventive entries, like the “ravioli,” a pasta-free dish of scallop-wrapped ahi tuna in a delicious ponzu bath. Cocktails emphasize gin, tequila and mezcal (we particularly liked the Lady Bug, a beautiful-and-balanced mix of tequila, amaro and blackberry), while the hyperlocal beers are practically begging to be paired with the crispy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside yam skins. Street parking, $12 valet across the street and a nearby public lot (171 North Raymond Avenue.)