Carla Torres

New Yorkers love to hate on L.A.’s pizza game (still), but native Angelenos are the first to tell you that the city’s Neapolitan-style pizza roots date back to the late ‘30s, when an influx of WWII soldiers returned after a taste of the holy grail overseas. Manhattan may claim Lombardi's as America's first pizzeria, but we have our own claim to pizza fame. In the '80s, Wolfgang Puck's smoked salmon pie at Spago and California Pizza Kitchen's BBQ chicken pizza made Los Angeles part of the national conversation (and, admittedly, a bit of a punchline for snarky East-Coasters). Then, Nancy Silverton’s still-going-strong (and on this list) Pizzeria Mozza opened in 2006—a pizza inflection point!—and made the rest of the country take LA seriously. Today, pizzaiolos here are flipping styles from all over the map. Detroit squares. Tokyo-Neapolitan hybrids. Indian mashups. Classic New York thin crust. Even montanara, Naples' fried-then-baked pie. You name it—it's somewhere in Los Angeles. Read on to get your fix. RECOMMENDED: The best restaurants in Los Angeles Updated October 2026: Hail Mary Pizza, Speak Cheezy, L'Antica Pizzeria Da Michele, Joe’s Pizza, and Prince Street leave the list, making space for Fiorelli’s permanent brick-and-mortar on West Third, Gjelina Takeaway (GTA), Not No Bar, Jon & Vinny’s, and yes, the new outpost of Pizzeria Sei (Palms). Not only did Pizzeria Sei rank number 5 on the 50 Top Pizza 2026 list, but it came in at number 2 on the 50 Top Pizza USA. Note tha

Los Angeles doesn't get nearly enough credit as an Italian-food city, which is wild considering how many Italian-American restaurants I can think of within a five-mile radius of my apartment alone (a few of which made this list). Sure, Little Italy no longer exists (much of it sat in what's now Chinatown), and we're a far cry from the under-€20 standout meal you can find in just about any town in Italy (vino included). But you can still throw a rock down Melrose and hit a storefront with perfectly al dente pasta, change-your-life focaccia and meatballs passed down from a bis-bis-bis-nonna. Whether you're after a Michelin-starred splurge, an Italian-ish omakase counter where no two seatings are the same, or a no-frills, all-thrills red-sauce joint you can afford every day of the week, Los Angeles is your osteria. Here's where you can find the best of them. Mangia! Updated October 2026: This update adds Donna's, Cosetta, Little Dom's, Companion, Barrique and Vesti. We've removed Pizzeria Mozza, Milo + Olive and Jon & Vinny's. All three are better bets for pizza than for a full Italian meal (and Nancy Silverton is still well represented here with Chi Spacca and Osteria Mozza). Spina has also been removed. For more on our new policies, feel free to check out how we review at Time Out.

What constitutes a classic steakhouse? So many things. Sultry lighting. Dark wood. Suited servers. Booths. A good bar. A proper martini. Potatoes. Caesar salad (even better if it's tableside). A soufflé of some sort. And of course, steak. LA's steakhouse scene goes almost as far back as Hollywood itself. Musso & Frank opened in 1919, the same decade the first film studio (Nestor) started rolling cameras. But times have changed. Today’s LA steakhouses go well beyond red booths and sundaes. (No shade to Musso—it's still an institution and the go-to spot to close movie deals.) The new guard of chophouses ranges from Michelin-starred butcher shops to fire-filled Argentine parrillas to Wagyu-only temples so exacting they've trademarked a new temperature (Warm Red™, more on that below). A great steakhouse meal is a rite of passage. And rest assured, whatever type of cut you're craving, this city's slicing it. Just don’t be caught dead ordering your steak well-done or nursing a martini.    Updated October 2026: Taylor’s, Baltaire, The Georgian Room and Charcoal rotate out, while Gwen, Alto, Fia Steak, and Baldi join the ranks—three of them rounding out the top 10. The rest of the rankings have been revised and updated accordingly.  For more on our new policies, feel free to check out How we review at Time Out. RECOMMENDED: The best restaurants in L.A.

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

Pizzeria Sei's original Pico-Robertson shop is now Sei Pizza Bar, and Pizzeria Sei Palms is the bigger and, quite frankly, better outfit from husband-and-wife partners in life and pizza, William Joo and Jennifer So. It's the evolution of the Tokyo-style Neapolitan pizzeria that took L.A. by storm—now with an expanded kitchen, menu and even more palate-bending pies. Here, the pies transcend the Neapolitan style that made Pizzeria Sei one of the city's best pizzerias, a reminder that to evolve, you have to change. Joo's career is proof, having worked in the kitchens of Providence, Ronan, and Pizzana before venturing out on his own. His maturation shows in the dough of his signature Neapolitan, now slightly lighter. The Sei Margherita adds buffalo mozzarella and just a bit more tanginess than the traditional Margherita. But it's the new pizza styles—fried montanara and thin, crispy Roman-style scrocchiarella, both of which Joo spent serious time perfecting—that make Pizzeria Sei among the most exalted pizza experiences one can have. The 4 Culture Diavola, which Pizzeria Sei opened with and is rumored to be swapped out sometime this fall, should be at the top of your to-eat list. On it: gochujang romesco, bits of maple-candied guanciale, 15-year-aged balsamic, stracciatella, basil, and thinly sliced Iberico chorizo. A beautiful pie, both visually and in execution, it's a rainbow of flavors in perfect balance—yet each of the five basic tastes still gets to shine. The current (th

This first-come, first-served Santa Monica cocktail and pizza bar was a top-10 honoree for Tales of the Cocktail's Spirited Award for Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar. Taking over the former Little Prince spot on Main Street, it's cocktails first and foremost here, but Dudley Market alums have put the wood oven to good use, flipping Neapolitan-style pies that eat just as good as the cocktails drink. That green drink you see in every other hand? It’s the Soy Del Rancho (tequila, yuzu, poblano) and it’s damn easy to put down. Inside, the music is way louder than it needs to be (there’s a DJ on select nights), and it's hard to have a conversation of any real substance, but if you're trying to make eyes at someone, Not No Bar is a fine place to spend a Friday or Saturday night out. The indoors is filled with twenty-somethings on the prowl, while the outdoor communal table is a bit more subdued, with dates cozying up next to one another, and groups of friends sharing pies and swapping date stories worthy of Overheard LA. Pizzas rotate every month and a half or so, so don't get too attached to anything but the margherita (order a side of dill-packed ranch to go with it). If you like to take risks when it comes to pizza, this is a good spot to do so. Think Caesar piadina, which is exactly what it sounds like (i.e., a Caesar salad pizza); a clam and cream pie with crispy garlic; and a peach pie with hot Calabrese, fresh mozzarella, balsamic, and quince. A fun salad, ultra-fresh crudo (bay

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re probably well aware that Gjelina has been slinging fantastic pizza for nearly two decades. For those who want to quell a pizza craving without the foresight of a reservation or the punishment of an absurd wait, there’s Gjelina’s Take Away right next door. Otherwise known as GTA, Gjelina’s over-the-counter offering dishes from much of its prettier sibling's menu, plus pizza by the slice. Its three-day fermented dough results in a thin, crispy, Neapolitan-style crust robust enough, without being dense, to hold the glorious base of tomato confit you’ll find on all its red pies. Here, you’ll almost always find pomodoro and margherita—plus a few more elaborate pies on rotation—by the slice. The rest of Gjelina's pies—save for one or two which aren’t served at all, like the anchovy and Magic Myrna potato—come as whole pies (either 12-inch individual or 20-inch large). I love the fennel salami and the guanciale. Of course, the squash blossom pie is a testament to both Gjelina’s pizza and vegetable prowess. Pair your slice with market greens, escarole salad when it’s in season, beef cheek orecchiette, or chunky-in-the-best-way braised meatballs. Then pull up a seat at the window counter where excellent people- and dog-watching is guaranteed.

Through December 31, the focaccia sandwich slingers at Vesti are running an all-you-can-eat, Italian-ish Eating Menu from an eight-seat counter at Maydan Market in West Adams. Next Food Network Star alums Adam Gertler and Shane Lyons are behind it, and it helps that Lyons, a former cast member of Nickelodeon's All That, is a natural entertainer. A meal here mirrors a night at the Groundlings: the chefs riff, the guests play along, and you leave feeling better than when you arrived. There are, however, a few ground rules if you're going to partake in what might just be the best-tasting, best-priced degustation (sorry, “Eating Menu”) in L.A. ($70 per person, gratuity not required).  Rule number one: No one is chef. This is a non-hierarchical kitchen, so don't you dare call Adam or Shane anything other than their first names. Rule number two: don't call the Eating Menu a tasting menu. There's no set number of courses, and no two experiences (even back-to-back seatings) are the same. Instead, there are three seatings a night, at 4pm, 6pm and 8pm, and the kitchen keeps firing courses until the clock runs out or you wave the white napkin, whichever comes first. Not full by the end? Say the word and they'll fix that. Getting full? Grab a "memory box" and take home as much as you want. Rule number three: keep your preferences to yourself (dietary restrictions are, of course, welcome). Not a fan of something, like, in my case, blue cheese? You'll still get the dish, and you can choose

Practically every restaurant opening in 2026 is a self-proclaimed neighborhood restaurant. Then there's Little Dom's, the Los Feliz local haunt with nearly two decades of staying power that looks, feels and tastes like a corner trattoria in South Philly or New York’s Little Italy. The old-school red-sauce joint is the type of place you can frequent several days a week without it hurting your body or your wallet. Every time I have a meal here (be it lunch, dinner or brunch), I leave feeling great, like I've had the next best thing to a home-cooked meal (a nonna's, specifically), despite the carbs, and the wine. The vibe: There's a reason Jon Hamm has been a regular for years. It might have something to do with how oddly reminiscent Little Dom’s feels to the opening scene of Mad Men—sans the suited servers and Lucky Strike cigarette smoke. The crowd is as eclectic as LA gets: Teamsters, could-be-mob-types, hipsters, families, seniors, and Ryan Gosling all under one roof. It’s tough to find an empty seat in the house on any given night at 8pm, and someone somewhere in the restaurant is always talking way too loud about the script they’re writing, yet Little Dom’s never fails to feel cozy and romantic, even with the butcher paper covering the white tablecloths during dinner. Something about the sectioned-off areas, classic red leather booths, and 1930s salvaged wooden bar makes you want to sink deeper into your seat and order another martini. Speaking of… The drink: Most patrons

A decade in, Aussie celeb chef Curtis Stone’s European-style butcher shop by day, glamorous Michelin-starred steakhouse by night, remains a Hollywood hotspot and the place to meet your meat needs. Like produce, animals have seasons, and Gwen moves with them, priding itself on unique cuts of beef, pork, veal, lamb—you name it—when they're at their prime. Animals arrive in complete, carcass-y form and are broken down to the smallest parts. Case in point: that powdery mountain giving cocaine vibes atop a grilled cipollini onion—served alongside a pristinely marbled, medium-rare flat iron Wagyu—is powdered beef tallow. And that Wagyu? The Stone brothers opened an import company to bring Australia's Blackmore Wagyu from the motherland to LA. One bite and you’ll understand why. If Wagyu ratings are your thing, you'll be salivating to know Gwen's is MBS 9+. For the non-geeks, that's an insane amount of intramuscular fat. Wagyu aside, Gwen’s packing plenty more meat in its floor-to-ceiling glass dry-aging locker, which only men seem to waltz over to view—the long-dormant instincts of the ancient hunter still smoldering in the subconscious. Worth mentioning that Gwen was just awarded Gold Certification by The Beef Advocate, a first for any restaurant in North America. Depending on the nightly specials, you'll have your pick from Kansas's Creekstone Farms, Tasmania's Cape Grim, and Australia's O'Connor—anywhere from 30- to 120-day-aged ribeye, short loin, T-bone, New York, porterhouse,

Walk past Alto Fire to Table in Studio City without knowing about it and you might just miss it, unless the Pampas Omakase experience happens to be taking place on their terrace, for which they haul out an entire asado. A whiff of short ribs or pork is all you need to draw you inside the unique Uruguayan-Argentine steakhouse focusing on the Rioplatense traditions of open-fire cooking and sobremesa—the art of lingering after a meal, perhaps in their ski-lodge-esque drinking den complete with a cozy fireplace. Chef-owners Esteban Klenzi and Juana Castellanos met while working at Mugaritz, just outside San Sebastián, and while Alto certainly leans theatrical, most of its menu stays grounded. Klenzi is Argentinian, Castellanos is Uruguayan—both tracing back to the same colonial homeland along the Río de la Plata. Today the river divides the two countries, though much of their culinary tradition overlaps. Alto is a testament to that shared past: asado, empanadas, bread, dulce de leche—all daily staples of Rioplatense cooking, and all at the forefront of the Alto experience. Bread is so central that it takes up the first section of the menu. Each of the four wildly different breads is an adventure in its own right and worth the indulgence, but you'll want to pace yourself—unless you come with a group, which, in my opinion, is how Alto is best enjoyed. If you're here on a date, it's a tough call between the modernist take on the cheesy chipa and the buttery, flaky-yet-fluffy criollo

If you’re looking to go all out, you’ll be in good company at Baldi, where corporate cards and one-percenters reign supreme. Welcome to the Tuscan steakhouse on the ground floor of the Waldorf Astoria from Edoardo "Edo" Baldi, of the Baldi family legacy behind Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica and e.Baldi in Beverly Hills. Dinner here is quite the spectacle, and it’s one worth splurging on if your business is paying or you’re celebrating a special occasion. First things first: The restaurant is a stunner. Though it’s inspired by Chef Baldi’s countryside home, there isn’t much countryside about it besides the olive trees, a lovely touch to ground the cavernous space. Luxury Italian villa is more like it. Gargantuan UFO-like woven lanterns loom overhead, casting a glow that extends to most guests. A green marble bar is a fine place for more than a drink, and the semi-enclosed terrace with a soothing fountain provides less of a see-and-be-seen scene. On that note, there’s a whole lot of status on display, and it’s hard to tell the actual models and rock stars from the ones who just want you to think they are.  Service is the type you’d expect from the Waldorf Astoria: white-glove. Cocktails lean heavily into aperitivo hour while the wine list highlights Italy’s high-end labels (nothing in the red department is under $36 a glass). Food-wise, the menu touts the Etruscan philosophy of less is more. Think a shaved fennel, artichokes, and pecorino salad; steamed spinach with nothing but

This Wagyu specialist in Beverly Hills and Brentwood comes from the team behind Sugarfish, Kazunori and Uovo. The story goes that when searching for the perfect grass-fed beef for what would become Matū and Matū Kai's signature product, it was measured against Kobe beef cooked by chef Kazunori Nozawa himself. Not only did it win out, but apparently that was "the last time Nozawa ate Kobe beef." True or not, we can vouch for the high-quality, 100% grass-fed Wagyu that makes Matū one of the best places to enjoy steak in Los Angeles, without all the pomp and circumstance (or surcharge) of a traditional steakhouse. You won't find suited servers or silver trays showing off the raw cuts. What you will find is guests in flip-flops and caps right next to the date-night set, enjoying highly marbled First Light Farms beef from New Zealand in all shapes and cuts. You can go à la carte or, drawing inspiration from Sugarfish's wildly successful "Trust Me," opt for the thoughtful, coursed-out steak omakase, which begins with a rich 24-hour bone broth and might include steak tartare, 8-hour braised beef cheek, center-cut filet, ribeye, picanha, NY strip and more. If you have trust issues when it comes to the temperature of your steak, Matū is the perfect place to let go of them. Its trademarked Warm Red is the product of thousands of hours of testing and somehow threads the needle between rare and medium rare, but with an exterior char a level down from black-and-blue. Simply put, it's inef

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

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