Carla Torres

Fact: L.A. County is home to the most diverse, high-quality array of Chinese cuisine in the country. While many of the area’s best Chinese restaurants are in the San Gabriel Valley—and technically outside city limits—you’ll still find plenty of excellent, more centrally located options in Chinatown, West L.A. and Silver Lake, among other neighborhoods. In recent years, a newer generation of chefs has also expanded the definition of Chinese food, blending old family recipes with seasonal, high-quality ingredients and uniquely L.A. flourishes.  L.A. has plenty of Cantonese, Taiwanese, Shanghainese and Sichuan heavyweights, plus dim sum options and cross-regional specialists that wear multiple hats. For the purposes of this guide, I looked for destination-worthy bangers, and I found them in spades, albeit only in certain styles and categories.  Whatever you’re in the mood for, you’ll probably find something to love in my carefully researched guide to the best Chinese restaurants in L.A.—from a farm-to-table Chinese eatery to the best no-frills, cash-only storefronts. For planning purposes, I’ve indicated with an asterisk (*) all places located within city limits—so you can find a great Chinese meal even when where you live, work and play isn’t all that close to the SGV. Updated February 2026: With Chinese New Year fast approaching, there's no better time to explore L.A.'s vast and unrivaled Chinese dining scene. This year, we've trimmed the fat off our guide, removing a few spot

The Los Angeles food scene is hard to keep up with. How do you know when to prioritize something new over something tried-and-true? Maybe you have a celebration that demands a Michelin Star splurge (check out our comprehensive Michelin Star guide), or maybe you're working your way through our list of L.A.'s Best Restaurants and don't want to get sidetracked. Either way, that's what we're here for—to log the miles across the 88 towns that make up Los Angeles County and seek out the new spots that actually demand an investment of your time and coin.  Updated March 2026: For this update, we’re featuring the brick-and-mortar return of the beloved Fiorelli, the hotly anticipated Larchmont diner Max & Helen’s from Phil Rosenthal and Nancy Silverton (clocking one of the longest waits in L.A. dining history), and Holy Basil’s migration to the Westside. Plus, Hermon residents (approximately 3,500) just got their first namesake neighborhood restaurant. All the new restaurants on this list have opened within the last 6 to 9 months, most closer to the six-month mark. That said, there's plenty on our shortlist we haven't made it to yet (and the pedigree speaks for itself): Wilde’s, the new Los Feliz home of Sarah Durning, one of our Best Young Chefs; Corridor 109, Brian Baik’s long-awaited Korean-inflected fine dining experience in East Hollywood; and the other Nancy Silverton affiliated-project Koreatown pasta bar Lapaba. Ready, set, eat! 

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 most sprawling food mecca in the country 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 first bite of the city: Mariscos Jalisco – a no-frills mariscos joint whose signature shrimp tacos dorados live up to the hype (Mid-City, Boyle Heights, Downtown, Pomona; $20+pp) Best new tasting menu: Restaurant Ki – Ki Kim’s newly Michelin-starred modern Korean fine dining experience (Little Tokyo; $300+ pp) Best pasta: Funke –

Valentine’s Day falls on a Saturday this year, which means many of L.A.’s most desirable restaurants have been booked solid for weeks—spontaneity rarely pays off in this town. But before you resign yourself to a sad prix fixe of charcuterie, Caesar salad, and filet mignon, take heart: there are still great last-minute tables to be had. You’ll find panoramic city views, a candlelit canyon hideaway, and multi-course feasts that feel like a true special-occasion splurge. Because Valentine’s Day should be an excuse to shake things up, not settle for blasé—nor stay in and rewatch Heated Rivalry. You’ve got the rest of the year for that. RECOMMENDED: The best bars in L.A. to toast to your sweetheart 

Chefs Wedchayan "Deau" Arpapornnopparat and Tongkamal "Joy" Yuon can’t-stop-won’t-stop expanding their famous DTLA window Holy Basil. First came Atwater Village. Now they're bringing authentic street-style Thai food made with hyper-local ingredients to a part of town that could use more of it—and boy, do they already have a devoted following of Westsiders.  The vibe: Busy, bright, and boisterous. Communal tables and little-to-no separation (save for counter seating) between the dining room and open kitchen, where flames from the wok fly high every few minutes, is part of the thrill. With approximately 30 seats (a handful of which are at the counter), the house packs an eclectic crowd—double-dates trading notes on sitters, actors running lines, a group of girlfriends dropping one-liners worthy of Overheard LA. Outdoor seating is more family-friendly and far quieter—sure to be desirable in the summer months. Hidden among the custom tile-work designed by Deau himself—graphic icons and childhood images from his upbringing—there's even an easter egg referencing the infamous broken window at the original Downtown location. The food: The menu is ever-evolving, built around what's fresh, sustainable, and in season—and there isn't a single dud on it. Right now (early March), that's Baja scallops, which get an aguachile treatment. Or a crackling whole fried sea bream swimming in a tangy, citrusy fish sauce. A crisp, acid-forward Thai rendition of a Caesar comes with generous amounts of

You know how some people just ooze hospitality? That’s the case for Michael Fiorelli and Liz Gutierrez, friends turned business partners and the duo behind some of L.A.’s best pizza. Bold statement, we know.  What started as a pop-up at Cook’s Garden on Abbot Kinney has now evolved into a permanent home in Beverly Grove. At 750 square feet—500 of which is kitchen—and with only seven indoor seats, you're basically eating in the kitchen. That's part of the charm, and so is the butcher block table that doubles as a dough-making station in the mornings.  Fiorelli and Gutierrez met while working at Boujis Group (Olivetta)—Gutierrez was an HR director and Fiorelli was in charge of culinary operations. They simultaneously reached their corporate breaking point. Fiorelli, a Long Island native, is low-key and uninterested in the spectacle, which is why when the chance to honor his Italian roots with a brick oven arose, he simply couldn’t resist. He and Gutierrez poured their life savings into Fiorelli’s pop-up. No business plan, no investors, no staff. They'd prep and wash dishes at home, then show up and sling pies to whoever wandered in. For months, that was no more than a handful of people (at best) daily, till word got around about his pies—a Neapolitan-New York hybrid (i.e., no flop at the center). Fiorelli’s devotion to perfect pizza is why their Westside regulars make the drive to West Third and bear gifts in the form of orchids for Liz and Michael. If a pizza doesn’t come out

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