Carla Torres

In a city like Los Angeles, you can miss a restaurant opening if you blink. Which makes narrowing down a shortlist of what's new and worthwhile a tall order. But lo and behold: here are the 10 best new restaurants in LA right now. All new additions have opened within the last six months and are prioritized in the rankings, with the last few spilling over from our previous update and closer to the nine-month mark. September 2026: There's a hot new number one—well, technically an old-but-new number one. We're talking about Venice's legendary Tasting Kitchen. Joining it right on Abbot Kinney are Enrique Olvera's San Damián and BADMAASH. And continuing the Westside representation, we’ve got Pizzeria Sei Palms. Picala in West Adams and Eastside gems Josephine and Amiguita fill out the ranks.

You know the saying "only boring people get bored"? Charles Bukowski—L.A.'s poet laureate of dive bars and cheap wine—lived by that ethos. He also lived in East Hollywood, drank at the same few spots (looking at you, Musso & Frank's), and probably never drove 45 minutes for tacos. If you’re reading this, you’re probably seeking more stimulation than Bukowski, and the country's most sprawling food mecca has it in spades. The best meal of your life might be in a strip mall off the 10, a Little Tokyo office building basement, or walking distance from LAX. You may have to drive, but you won’t have to fly, because generations of immigrants have turned L.A. into a city where you can eat your way around the world without ever leaving town. Our list of L.A.'s best restaurants spans the Michelin-starred, the buzzworthy, the under-the-radar, and the mom-and-pop spots you might otherwise overlook because that Law Brothers or Chris Hemsworth billboard caught your eye. If it's on the list, we think it's worth the drive, the hype, and the price—and worth coming back to again and again. We promise you won’t get bored. Best L.A. restaurants at a glance: Best for inventive Thai: Anajak – a recently renovated 44-year-old institution passed from parents down to former Imagineer turned James Beard Award–winning chef Justin Pichetrungsi. (Sherman Oaks; $100+ pp) Best place to hit up during a layover: Tomat – one of the city’s most sustainable restaurants, minutes from LAX (Westchester; $50+ pp)

August in L.A. is hot AF—which makes it the perfect time to have ice cream. Every day. Multiple times a day, even. And why wouldn't you indulge when you've got Eleven Madison Park veterans slinging pints, parlors that have been churning cream for literally a century, and plant-based scoops (rivaling the real stuff) loaded with Rocky's ceremonial matcha. Can't decide among the top 26 artisanal ice cream, gelato, soft-serve, and paleta makers in the city? Have them all! We're not here to judge. It’s hot out there! RECOMMENDED: The best restaurants in Los Angeles Updated August 2026: Since our last update, Fatamorgana Gelato in Studio City has closed, and we've opted to remove Handel's from the list. Coming in hot—or cold—are newcomers All Chill, Henry's Secret Ice Cream, and Ecco un Poco gelateria, which claim our top three spots. The rest of our rankings have shifted a bit, and Awan just introduced new seasonal flavors, so be sure to get to one of their locations pronto. Note: Capri Gelato & Coffee Bar closed its Marina del Rey location. Time Out has also instituted a sitewide change in how most listings are structured. For more on our new policies, feel free to check out how we review at Time Out.

In Hawaii, poke (pronounced poh-keh) is an everyday food. You'll find it in many permutations at the deli case at Foodland, sold by weight at local fish markets, alongside rice and mac salad at food trucks and, less often, at high-traffic tourist spots and hotel restaurants, where fresh ahi is harder to guarantee (though still advertised). Authentic poke is a simple dish in the truest sense: cubes of just-caught ahi or octopus (salmon poke is more of a mainland invention) with shoyu, white onions, green onions, sea salt and limu (seaweed). The fish is the event—everything else is meant to enhance its freshness. Which is what makes great poke in Los Angeles such a tall order. We're 2,500 miles from the water ahi loves to swim in. The window between hyper-fresh and not isn't very big. Still, the spots on this list have figured out how to stay inside that window, often by flying their fish in from Honolulu several times a week. The top picks don't bury ahi under overpowering spicy mayo, crunchy onions and a trifecta of sauces. They let the fish speak for itself. RECOMMENDED: The best restaurants in Los Angeles Updated July 2026: This annual update adds Ohana Superette, Ry's Poke Shack, and Island Rootz Cafe, along with older sibling and longtime favorite Aunty Maile's. Sweetfin is out; despite the convenience factor, the chain's consistency and freshness haven't held up. It's also worth noting that Ali'i Hawaiian Grill has closed its Torrance location. How we review at Time Out.

From a nature perspective, Los Angeles has it all: ocean, mountains, forests, the Hollywood sign (that’s nature, right?). While there’s a certain set that is willing to hike miles upon miles for insane views, gourmands would much rather do so with the help of an air-conditioned elevator, sitting pretty on a beautiful perch with a cocktail in hand and a delicious dish on the way. For a city as sprawling as L.A., you’d think we’d have an endless list of rooftops that’d take you years to get through. Nope. For that reason, many spots skip going above and beyond (pun intended) and charge a premium just for the sunset view. That said, here are the rooftops we think are worth getting dressed up for. To be clear: it's better to leave the athleisure at home for most of these. Do bring your sunglasses, though.   RECOMMENDED: The best rooftop bars in Los Angeles Updated August 2026: Since our last update, the beloved downtown rooftop restaurant Cha Cha Chá has closed, as well as The Rooftop Beverly Hills. Also coming off the list are 71 Above and The Penthouse at The Huntley since they’re technically not rooftops (though they offer incredible views of L.A.). As for new blood: Westchester hidden gem Tomat, Calabra at the Santa Monica Proper, The Roof at EDITION and the recently-opened Sushisamba and Gemma all join the ranks. Worth noting, too, that Catch has had a face-lift and menu refresh for its 10th anniversary. Gotta stay tight to be relevant in a city like LA! How we review at Tim

Hot take: Los Angeles is the best taco city in the country. California is home to more people of Mexican descent than anywhere else outside of Mexico. Our taco evolution predates our freeway system—the 110 wasn't built until 1940, but by the 1930s, tamale and taco wagons were already a Sunset Boulevard fixture, and by the 1950s, L.A. was producing taco innovations of its own that would, decades later, get co-opted by one of America's most notorious fast-food chains. Yep, the hard-shell taco, popularized at Mitla Cafe in San Bernardino (opened in 1937), was the original Glenn Bell inspiration for what would become Taco Bell. Then came the regional waves: Sonoran-style flour tortillas, Tijuana-style adobada al pastor, Sinaloan-style mariscos, Oaxacan tlayudas, Yucatecan cochinita pibil… all of which contributed to a regional Cal-Mex style that would eventually spread across the country. And yes, any self-respecting Angeleno will tell you Cal-Mex is superior to Tex-Mex. But that's not what this is about. RECOMMENDED: The best Mexican restaurants in Los Angeles This is about the taqueros (and taqueras!) who have made tacos part of L.A.’s DNA. The ones grilling over mesquite in industrial parking lots, hand-stretching Sonoran tortillas to impossible diameters, and quietly outclassing $15 chef-driven tacos with $3 sidewalk ones. No matter where in L.A. you are, there's a good taco nearby, guaranteed. Read on for where to find them.  Updated June 2026: This update brings in two Son

When it comes to sushi, Los Angeles is (unsurprisingly) a sea of options. It's no wonder when you consider that the first sushi bar in the U.S., Kawafuku, was established in L.A. in the mid-1960 and, according to historians, was responsible for the sushi boom that would change the way Americans looked at and ate raw fish. It may come as no surprise that the California roll was also an L.A. invention, or that Studio City is the birthplace of tuna crispy rice (credited to Katsuya Uechi). RECOMMENDED: The best restaurants in Los Angeles Given our sushi legacy, every Angeleno has at some point asked: Where can you find the best sushi in L.A.? And like everything in this city, the answer is: it depends. Are we talking omakase? À la carte Edomae-style? How much are you trying to spend? Are you a purist or a modernist (e.g. how do you feel about truffle oil on sushi)? The list below is our guide to all things sushi in Los Angeles. We’ve front-loaded the high-end omakase spots ($250 and up), though there are many ways to play without sacrificing quality. From the Valley to the South Bay, prepare to leave no nigiri unturned.  How we review at Time Out

A good sandwich is like sex. When done right, you feel completely satisfied, daydream about it for days after, and can't wait to have it again. Lucky for us, Los Angeles is one of the great sandwich cities in the country. In fact, the French dip was (ironically) birthed here over a century ago, or at least that's the tale according to Philippe Mathieu of Philippe the Original, which you'll find on this list. Also on this list: a newer player who's reimagined the French dip sans-roast-beef—boy do we hope that thing sticks for the next hundred years. Of course, there's so much more to discover when it comes to iconic sandwiches in the City of Angels. You'll find Vietnamese shops slinging incredible banh mi, old- and new-school Jewish delis honoring (and reinventing) pastrami, and Italian subs in every conceivable form. Simply put, our sandwich game is on lock. For your mouth-watering pleasure, here are L.A.'s very best sandwich shops (excluding the bagel and fried chicken varieties, which deserve lists all their own). Updated June 2026: For this update, we’ve removed the now-closed Gwen / The Pie Room as well as All'Antico Vinaio and Uptown Provisions. Joining the list are Henrietta, Sogno Toscano, and Gjusta. We've also reformatted each entry to make the most useful info easier to find at a glance. For more on our editorial policies and ethics, feel free to check out how we review at Time Out.

Los Angeles is renowned for its weather. It can get chilly in the evening (always pack a sweatshirt!), but alfresco dining is a delight year-round. Whether you're surrounded by oak trees, staring out at the Pacific Ocean, or nestled among ivy and string lights, L.A. puts on a show when it comes to patio flair. While Angelenos don't need many bells and whistles to have a fantastic meal outdoors (shoutout to good old-fashioned tables on the sidewalk, Crudo e Nudo and Little Dom’s to name a few), the L.A. restaurants below are worth a special trip for the setting alone. A handful lean harder on ambiance than on food, and we've noted where that's the case. Updated May 2026: There have been lots of closures since our last update, sadly. Namely, Amour, Stephanie Izard’s Cabra, Michael Mina’s Mother Tongue, Melody, and downtown darling Cha Cha Chá. We’ve also opted to remove Gracias Madre, Perilla LA, Zizou, and Spago Beverly Hills from the list—the food-and-ambiance math simply didn’t add up, as far as we’re concerned. Newcomers include Cosetta, Cobi’s, Beethoven Market—give it up for the Westside, am I right?—and Inn of the 7th Ray in Topanga. We’ve also revised the order to account for taste as much as the visual experience. How we review at Time Out. RECOMMENDED: Full guide to things to do outside in Los Angeles

It’s widely agreed upon that Los Angeles is the best Korean barbecue destination outside of Korea. Most of the gems are packed into a few blocks of Koreatown, where you can't walk down the street without whiffs of beef and pork enticing you toward a nearby sizzling tabletop grill. You know the drill: red meat comes to the table, you (or a server) work the tongs, and small bowls of banchan keep showing up while the soju flows. More often than not, the meal also includes a bubbling stew, a pile of corn cheese, and a finale of kimchi fried rice scraped tableside. It's no wonder KBBQ is the city's default dinner move. RECOMMENDED: The best restaurants in Los Angeles For this guide, I've rounded up the spots worth the drive, the wait, and the dry-cleaning bill. On the list, you’ll find many Koreatown institutions, plus a few key picks farther afield. Whether you're hosting out-of-towners, celebrating a birthday, or planning a meaty date night, there's a spot here for you. Updated April 2026: This update welcomes MUN Korean Steakhouse and Patio, Pigya, Dae Sung Ro, and Baekjeong to the list. We've also said goodbye to Mapo Chicken and Jae Bu Do—while both are delicious, KBBQ purists would argue that chicken stir-fry and a seafood grill aren't quite the same as barbecue. Rankings have been revised with authenticity in mind. Park's BBQ remains the gold standard, but factoring in price, Soowoon Galbi delivers a comparable experience without punishing your wallet, so it’s been promoted

Ah, Santa Monica. The muscle beach from Rocky III. The iconic pier from Forrest Gump. The place where Barbie enters the real world. A beautiful, sun-blasted, deeply vibes-forward beach city within a city. But what you really need to know about Santa Monica is that there's an overwhelming amount of good food to be had here, beyond the pier and promenade tourist traps, cooked by chefs who live and breathe Santa Monica and can be spotted at the farmers' market every Wednesday. RECOMMENDED: The best restaurants on the Westside From Southeast Asian to omakase to Italian to Californian and everything in between, Santa Monica is a culinary destination in its own right. This guide is by no means exhaustive, but these are the Santa Monica restaurants we think you shouldn't miss. Updated March 2026: Birdie G’s, Berbere, and Socalo have closed their doors and have been removed from our list. Huckleberry has also been removed. Holy Basil and Cosetta, which opened in the last year, have been added, as well as Jyan Isaac Bread, Tartine, and Fia Steak. We’ve also revisited many of the restaurants on the list, reordered and revised them, and added a slew of new tips.  Food and drink venues included in most guides now have star ratings, with five stars corresponding to “amazing,” four to “great” and three to “good,” and we’ve also standardized how most listings are structured. For more on our new policies, feel free to check out how we review at Time Out.

There's no better setting to spill the tea than over an actual pot of it. The English pastime of afternoon tea might just be the city's most underrated excuse to gather your friends, settle into a plush chair and gossip for two hours straight over finger foods á la sandwiches and scones, rare teas, and—at most spots—a glass of something bubbly. What was once the domain of a five-star hotel lobby has bloomed (pun intended) into a full-on tea scene, stretching from Beverly Hills to the San Gabriel Valley. Whether you're after a confectionery interpretation of Hollywood award season’s red carpet, a psychic tea reading, or a harpist serenade, there's a version of afternoon tea for every mood and budget. Here's the tea on afternoon tea in Los Angeles.  Updated April 2026: Sugarbird Sweets Cafe in Glendale has shut its doors and therefore has been removed from the list. Price points and seasonal offerings have been revised. Our rankings reflect where to get the most steep for your spend. For more on our new policies, feel free to check out How we review at Time Out.

As diverse as LA’s dining scene is, Spanish restaurants para picoteo are few and far between. For the uninitiated: picoteo is the art of eating small plates (i.e. tapas). Rising Spanish star Picala in West Adams (from the restaurant group behind Santa Barbara’s beloved Loquita) and chef Luis Sierra (formerly of Lulu at the Hammer Museum) are out to change that with a menu of about 20 tapas plus paellas and a handful of entrées—but before we get to the food, we need to talk about the drinks. Picala pours some of the best NA cava I’ve yet to find. The house-made sangria is excellent—the rosé is the sleeper hit, minty and herbaceous with subtle tempranillo and vodka. If Brandy and Allspice is your thing, the red sangria has your number. From the cocktail list, La Mancha mixes passionfruit, manchego-washed tequila, and orgeat and comes with a literal wedge of manchego, which I now want with all my cocktails. The saffron-bourbon-bitters number is a simple but elegant twist on an old fashioned.  As for foodstuff, traditionalists will appreciate the prerequisite citrus-marinated olives and plate of jamón ibérico with baguette. Crispy ham croquettes oozing with decadent, silky béchamel rival the ones I just had at one of Barcelona's best taperías. Tuna crudo gets a piquant mojo verde treatment that demands to be drunk off the plate. I love it when a place woos me with its mixed greens, and Picala's iteration—date vinaigrette, toasted nuts—has me thinking about it days later. Same go

A marisquería is exactly what Abbot Kinney has been missing since always. Enter Enrique Olvera’s mariscos-forward follow-up to Damian on the Westside. You may have been here when it was Atla, Olvera's unfussy Mexican spot from the same group behind Pujol in Mexico City and Cosme in New York. San Damián is his ode to the seafood bounty of the Pacific. Sure, you'll find potato flautas, pollo frito and carne asada on the menu, but you'd be remiss not to make it a full-on mariscos outing when there are bright queen clams, lip-smacking poached shrimp aguachile, and vermilion rockfish ceviche crowned with uni to choose from. There's also tuna or crab tostada and octopus cocktail—and that's just the starters. As for mains, the head-on prawns taste of ocean and garlic in the best way. Olvera has reinvented al pastor yet again—this time swapping the duck you'd get at Damian for a gorgeous achiote-glazed kanpachi fillet that—cliche oncoming—melts in your mouth. Take the first bite unadulterated, then layer it onto a fresh tortilla with a spread of pineapple butter underneath and thinly sliced pineapple on top. My only complaint is that there isn't more of it (I could easily put away a serving solo). The palo santo tepache is perfect for the new-age Venice crowd that's strongly represented here. If you want a drink drink but keep it healthy-ish, the carrot-cucumber-poblano mezcalita is as vegetal as it is spicy. When it comes to dessert, the clear winner is strawberries and (chantilly)

Housed in the former Bowery Bungalow—a Craftsman-style cottage—Josephine is another delightful Eastside neighborhood bistro with an old-lady name (looking at you, Henrietta)—in this case, the grandmothers of childhood friends and owners Marco Gagliardi and Anthony Dragotto. Chef Marco Gagliardi honed his chops at places like Zahav in Philly and Bon Délire in San Francisco, so it's no wonder his first solo venture is as cool as it is sophisticated. The space conjures the feel of the restaurant you'd dream up as a kid playing pretend at home (guilty, anyone, or just me?). You can sit by the open windows at a bar table, in the quaint dining room where you and your neighbors compete to talk over the rock music, or on the romantic, string-lit back patio. It took Gagliardi and Dragotto a minute to figure out what Silver Lake wanted from Josephine—it started as a tasting menu with à la carte only at the bar, before they quickly pivoted to fully à la carte and found their groove rotating a good number of dishes every month or so. Mainstays worth repeat visits include the citrus-forward fennel salad with olives and pine nuts; whatever local crudo is on deck; and a bold beef tartare in a pool of jus with beef-fat aioli for good measure. On my visit, the perfectly al dente duck tortellini (on its way off the menu) with cherries and mustard seeds left me wanting more—so if there's duck pasta on offer, order it. I'm never one to push chicken as an entrée, but it's Josephine's signature m

While TV reboots should be put to bed (hot take), restaurant reboots—namely on Abbot Kinney—are reinvigorating the famed boulevard. See RVR (formerly MTN), the new and chicest location of BADMAASH, Damian's seafood-forward follow-up, San Damián, and now the second coming of The Tasting Kitchen. The iconic tasting-style Venice restaurant—a Jonathan Gold favorite and four-time James Beard semifinalist—shuttered in 2023 after a fire. And like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the restaurant is back stronger, and chef Casey Lane wiser. The vibe: Olive trees are resilient, and The Tasting Kitchen's living centerpiece is a testament to that. The original tree was salvaged and preserved after the fire, and it grounds the light, airy space. Depending on where you sit, the energy shifts—the bar and communal dining area buzz, while the close-together tables in the dining room trade cross-talk about the food and LA's dining scene at large. Upstairs it gets quieter and more romantic, a lovely perch to watch it all unfold below. Come early enough to catch the natural light bouncing off the floor-to-ceiling drapes, marble and earthy tones. Later is its own thing—the lighting turns moodier, the vinyl or live DJ set (Thursdays and Saturdays) gets louder, and the energy ticks up a notch… into sexy territory.  The drink: You've got Blake Antrobus—an alum of Monsieur Dior by Dominique Crenn and the Michelin-awarded team at Manzke—leading the cocktail charge, and the list naturally follows Lane's

In 2017, the year Rose Previte opened Maydan in Washington D.C., her husband, NPR journalist David Greene, took a job in Los Angeles co-hosting Morning Edition. Call it the first sign that Maydan was always headed west. The coincidences kept coming: her D.C. landlord happened to show her a 10,000-square-foot West Adams space right as Maydan D.C. earned its Michelin star in 2019. In a former factory for coin-collector pages (you know, those hole-punched pages with tiny slots for coins), Previte saw Maydan Market—an amalgamation of stalls celebrating the city's immigrant cultures and cuisines in the spirit of a global night market—with Maydan and a gargantuan live-fire hearth at its heart. It took six years to get Maydan open, but the mezze alone, from silky hummus to walnut casik, makes the case that it was worth the wait and an incredible addition to L.A.’s dining scene.  The vibe: Warehouse industrial-meets-bazaar. Maydan occupies the back corner of Maydan Market. A mirrored and tiled bar with hanging lanterns is a great place for solo diners (and to meet someone), as is the hearth counter seating. Out back, Bedouin-inspired tents seat six to ten diners craving a special Moroccan-style experience or seclusion. It’s best to come with a group if you can, so you can have the three-pound, seven-spice Syrian lamb shoulder and still try other things.  The food: Previte’s Lebanese heritage and extensive travels shape a menu that leans Middle Eastern, North African, and Caucasus. Si

Genelle Brooks-Petty and her husband Julian didn't need to open a scoop shop. She's an interior designer and Leimert Park neighborhood council member; he's an entertainment lawyer at Warner Music. Plus, they've got two daughters (busy bees!). But the husband-wife team who met attending business school at Howard University aligned early on their core values: culture, community and cream. So naturally, servicing the community Genelle grew up in—Leimert Park, a historic Black neighborhood that happened to be lacking a decent ice cream shop—wasn't just a no-brainer, it was a necessity. In many ways, their fate was written on Genelle and Julian's wedding day when they were given an ice cream machine as a gift. Lucky for everyone, this wholesome inspiration resulted in an ice cream shop that consistently churns out the most unique and mouthwatering scoops in all of L.A.   It wasn't all chill opening up All Chill. The city and the state put up roadblocks. It was a true community effort, which included support from an encampment that originally occupied a good chunk of the sidewalk out front (before it was rebuilt). Genelle walked over and said, "Hey guys, we're opening up an ice cream shop, would you mind scooting over?" Before you knew it, the encampment residents were working together to clean the sidewalks, brooms in hand, while also spreading the good word to anyone walking by: "we got a new ice cream shop!" Five years later, All Chill is more of an ice cream bakery than it is a

Bradley Ray walked into Eleven Madison Park cold, staged for a day, and left with a job as a pastry cook. By the time he opened NoMad in New York, he'd risen through the ranks to pastry sous chef at EMP. At NoMad, he spent seven years perfecting the legendary dessert dubbed "Milk & Honey." It's also where he met colleague and best friend Henry Molina, who died of cancer in 2022 and after whom Henry's Secret Ice Cream is named. The two were obsessed with ice cream, spent thousands of hours churning out the good stuff (at NoMad, most desserts had ice cream), and moved to LA together to open NoMad. Despite NoMad not working out, Ray fell in love with the sunshine and produce and never looked back. Ray had stints at Antico Nuovo (where he began spinning pints of ice cream to accompany pizza-to-go during the pandemic), and Etta and Asterid, before tiring out altogether and doing the private chef thing for a while…till he got sick of that too. So he started doing what any former EMP pastry chef would do: slinging pints out of his trunk in an Arcadia Vons parking lot. A nudge from Lawrence Longo (Prince Street Pizza, Bar Next Door) encouraged Ray to use the facilities of the shuttered Hall Pass Ice Cream space to do his drops. Word caught on fast, and Henry's Secret Ice Cream is still trying to keep up with growing demand. (At this point they're looking for a bigger production facility and have the vision to turn the current spot into a liquor store, but for pints of ice cream.) As

Stumble into this West Third gelateria, and you'll be tempted to ask about the large framed photographs of corgis posing in front of In-N-Out, Handy’s and other iconic California joints. This will lead to husband-and-wife team Alessandro Restelli and Alejandra Unger possibly telling you all about their love affair, which began in Buenos Aires. He's Italian and she's Mexican, and when they considered where in the world they should open a gelateria, Los Angeles was at the top of the list.  You’d be remiss to come to Ecco un Poco and not get the Bronte pistachio, made with special pistachios from the volcanic slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily, where mineral-rich soil and a certificate of origin—champagne rules, essentially—give the nut a flavor you simply cannot reproduce anywhere else. The hazelnuts, too, come straight from Piedmont, another protected geographical indication producing “the best hazelnuts in the world.” Purists will appreciate the traditional and milky fior di latte (sweet cream), and those seeking novelty will appreciate sorbets centered around seasonal fruits. During my last visit, that included watermelon, melone (cantaloupe), and peach. What sets the sorbet here apart is the maximalist treatment: made with 45 to 50 percent real fruit when most shops settle for 15 to 25 percent. In other words, you can really taste the fruit. And look out for granita (Italian ice), only available during the summer months. Recently, strawberry, lime and almond were on deck. Come

You know what they say: good things come to those who wait. That's true for Ohana Superette fans who had a poke-shaped hole in their heart after the concept (originally housed inside sandwich shop Black Hogg) shut down during the pandemic. Well, after a five-year hiatus, husband-and-wife team Eric and Miriam Park resurrected the Silver Lake poke shop in its own dedicated space—right next door to their cafe Bodega Park—and our hearts (and bellies) are full of poke once again. The Parks have a standing annual family tradition: Christmas in Hawaii. It's no wonder, then, that their poke shop is an homage to the Hawaiian value of family (which is what "ohana" translates to). Here, yellowfin and bigeye tuna are flown three to four days a week from Honolulu (they also use local fishermen to supplement when necessary), and poke is made to order. The ahi gets a very traditional, very minimal treatment. Exhibit A: alaea (red volcanic sea salt), shiso, green and white onion, and sesame let the fish do the talking. It’s a wonderfully herbal alternative to classic shoyu, though we have no notes on the classic, either. Folks who like their poke hot will delight in the Thai chili ginger or the spicy mayo blend with Sriracha and masago. Neither is too overpowering. Chilled sweet white shrimp with Thai chili and cilantro is a delightful underdog—for when you've had too much tuna, if that's even possible. Bowls come in regular and large sizes, with rice and your choice of two banchan. About th

You used to need to fly to Oahu's North Shore to try Ry's Poke Shack—the poke shop Netflix made famous on Street Food USA. Now you just need to wait in line. The Hawaiian transplant has locations in Huntington Beach and Pasadena, both serving made-to-order poke with fish flown in from the island five days a week. All you really want from poke is ultra-fresh fish and solid rice, and Ry's excels on both counts. There's salmon, but you're here for the ahi, which gets various treatments. I like the classic shoyu, the gingachurri (think a gingery chimichurri) and the garlicky, gently spicy Lao style. You could go for the Mayjah bowl, which gets you two poke styles, but if variety is what you're after, the way to play is to get poke by the pound—a quarter-pound of each style you want to try, with a side of rice. If you're in the South Bay or on the Westside and don't want to make the drive, you can stop by the newly opened Ry's Fish Market in Lomita—though be warned: the poke there is scooped out of the display case, not made to order like in Huntington Beach or Pasadena.

Going through 220 pounds of ahi in your first week of business is a major flex, especially when you're still in soft-opening mode, switching from manual ordering to digital POS and a menu that changes on a whim. Welcome to Island Rootz, the low-key strip mall Hawaiian spot from the husband-and-wife team behind Big Island transplant Aunty Maile's. The vibe is family-forward in the most literal sense: owners of neighboring restaurants drift in for a post-shift meal and hang, Aunty Maile's employees bring their mom on her day off, and strangers get treated like they’ve been coming for years. Poke is made fresh daily, with more than double the options of its older sibling. Beyond the Hawaiian, shoyu, sesame and furikake styles you'll find at Aunty Maile's, there are also spicy garlic, wasabi with masago and limu, kimchi and dynamite (a surprisingly light spicy mayo with masago). Expect new options to pop up at any given time based on what co-owner Jun Tsukiyama is cooking up in her head. Poke aside, there are just as many musubi evolving options, including a hash brown and ketchup iteration that has no business being as good as it is, plus chicken katsu, garlic shrimp and other plate lunches. Poke bowls and plate lunches are served with rice and mac salad. Bookend your meal with something sweet—lilikoi fruit tea to start, pandan pudding to finish. 

Catch is a paradox. You’ll find A-listers, finance bros, tourists, families, and date-nighters all at neighboring tables. The variety of clientele is part of the fun. It also looks and feels like nothing you remember pre-April 2026, when Catch celebrated its 10th anniversary with a top-to-bottom overhaul. Gone is the yin garden-greenhouse aesthetic. Instead, Catch has entered its yang era. Think dark wood, gold frames encasing portraits of dogs dressed to impress, floor-to-ceiling auburn velvet curtains, and a tri-color marble bar where you'd half expect to find a suited-up Barney Stinson ready for a night on the town. This incarnation feels more like a steakhouse than a place for fresh catch, but don't be fooled—tuna is still flown in five times a week from Tokyo's Toyosu Market. The menu has changed, too, but the quality hasn’t. Crudo di Catch—salmon, tuna, and hamachi in a yuzu vinaigrette—delights as a new signature cold dish, served alongside the forever-favorite truffle sashimi. It takes a lot for me to get excited about a salad, but the baby bok choy with muscat grapes, candied sunflower seeds, and creamy sesame vinaigrette well exceeded my expectations. Other exciting new additions include cornflake-crusted chicken and Kaluga caviar bao buns with wasabi-avocado ranch and house pickles, bluefin tuna and Kaluga caviar nicoise rice cakes with whipped egg yolk and Castelvetrano olives, and Wagyu gyoza. Speaking of Wagyu, don’t you worry—the signature hot stone Wagyu fried

Chef Debbie Lee's new-school take on a Korean gastropub in Highland Park—a fusion of her Northern Korean heritage, Southern upbringing, and decades in Los Angeles—is as unconventional as it is deeply personal. Photograph: Stan LeeYi Cha The chef-owner, who has appeared on Food Network Star, Chopped, and Morimoto's Sushi Master, darts around the long, narrow dining room delivering platters of jangjorim (wet beef jerky) and fish jerky to tables, sharing her story in the process. Kimchee is made with salt and shrimp, the Northern Korean way, as opposed to the fish-and-oyster style down south. Paired with tofu and crispy pork belly, it's a delectable dish—best with a side of barley rice, which holds sentimental value for North Koreans since the communist regime banned white rice at markets (barley’s the next best thing). RECOMMENDED: The best restaurants in Los Angeles Debbie's not trying to do Korean the OG authentic way; there are plenty of great restaurants in Koreatown for that, she'll tell you herself. At Yi Cha, she's putting a modern spin on what Korean food looks like. This, of course, earns her the occasional side-eye from Korean aunties, but also a devoted Korean couple who drives from Venice, orders the whole menu, and calls their leftovers meal prep for the week. Photograph: Stan LeePick Me Up cocktail from Yi Cha A lineup of cocktails and Korean spirits pair well with the food, which, as you can imagine, has a lip-smacking quality to it. The menu is sectioned off