Patricia Kelly Yeo

Over the last few years, plenty of Angelenos have discovered the beauty of ordering a premade, restaurant quality Thanksgiving meal at home. Between the cleanup, the potential for dry turkey and the possibility of forgotten ingredients, there’s plenty of stress that comes with cooking your own turkey at home, so why not leave it all to the pros? RECOMMENDED: See our full guide to Thanksgiving in Los Angeles For those who’d rather leave the house this year, some of the best restaurants in Los Angeles are taking all the hassle out of Turkey Day with out-of-the-house Thanksgiving feasts, but for those who'll be at home with family and friends, several L.A. restaurants are offering an entire Thanksgiving dinner to-go—complete with all the fixins. If you’re looking to avoid the stress of cooking for (and entertaining) your relatives, hang up your apron and order one of these premade Thanksgiving meals. Oh, and just make sure to head to one of L.A.’s best bakeries to pick up a pie, too. November 2025: I’ve updated this guide for Thanksgiving 2025. This year’s crop of new offerings include Superba, A.O.C. and Cookbook. For Caribbean-inspired and Japanese-inspired spreads, look to Bridgetown Roti and the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center.  Pasjoli, Superfine Playa/Rossoblu, Huckleberry and Agnes have brought back their popular takeout spreads, and I’ve also added a more upscale option from Citrin/Mélisse.  Time Out has also instituted a sitewide change in review policie

If you’re traveling through the Pacific Northwest, chances are your journey will take you through Seattle—and with good reason, too. The city is known for its lush surrounding forests (and the rain which keeps it so green) as well as being the birthplace of grunge. So, those paired with its quirky late-night scene and impressive art institutions make it a prime destination for a city break, and handily, we’ve compiled this guide so you can make an informed decision on the best places to stay. New inclusions for fall and winter 2025 include 1 Hotel Seattle, Lotte Hotel Seattle and Thompson Seattle, but scroll on for a freshly-curated list of Seattle’s top hotels.  Which area is best to stay in Seattle? Is it your first time in the Emerald City? Then we’d recommend opting for Downtown or Seattle Center—you’ll have all the major attractions on your doorstep, that way. If you’re traveling with your family, head to Seattle’s Waterfront or Queen Anne, but if a younger, cooler neighborhood is more your bag, go for Belltown or Capitol Hill. Oh, and if heading out of town towards the city’s dreamy greenery is on the agenda, Ballard might be the place for you.  Seattle’s best hotels at a glance: 💎 Most luxurious: Grand Hyatt Seattle 👛 Best budget: Graduate Seattle 🌃 Best view: Lotte Hotel Seattle 🧖🏽‍♀️ Best spa: Level Seattle Downtown, South Lake Union 🤩 Most iconic: Fairmont Olympic Hotel 📍 Discover our ultimate guide to the best things to do in Seattle How we curate our hote

Thanksgiving might fall rather late this year (November 27), but plenty of L.A. restaurants (especially those in hotels) are already preparing to help Angelenos and visitors celebrate Turkey Day. If you’d rather head out of the house this year, enjoy a gourmet holiday feast at one of these cozy restaurants—no dishes or kitchen clean up required. For those who’d rather snuggle up at home, plenty of restaurants are offering takeout Thanksgiving offerings. October 2025 update: It may not even be Halloween yet, but I’ve updated this guide with the first crop of restaurant menus for Thanksgiving 2025. This year’s crop of offerings include Spago, Charcoal, Dante Beverly Hills and Marelle, plus vegan-friendly offerings at Crossroads and Fia. As always, I’ve included sububrban special-occasion go-tos in the form of Castaway and Casaléna, plus more luxury hotel offerings at the Beverly Wilshire and Shutters on the Beach.  Time Out has also instituted a sitewide change in review policies. All food and drink venues included in 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.RECOMMENDED: See our full guide to Thanksgiving in Los Angeles

Despite the ever-rising cost of doing business, Los Angeles is still home to one of the most innovative, exciting and most importantly, culturally diverse food scenes in the country. Brick-and-mortar restaurants, Instagram pop-ups, street vendors and food trucks: No matter the form, you can find amazing food in a city whose reputation is built as much on off-the-beaten-path tacos and pop-ups as it is on classically trained chefs making quick work of farmers’ market produce and mainline access to top-notch Pacific seafood.Decades of immigration from Asia and Latin America have translated into genre-bending formats, eclectic hybrid cuisines and some of the country’s best omakase restaurants, fine dining institutions and strip mall hidden gems.  Best Los Angeles restaurants at a glance: For a great 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) For trendy, red-hot Southern cuisine: Dunsmoor – an ambitious live-fire restaurant in Northeast L.A. that attracts diners from far and wide (Glassell Park) For L.A.’s best new tasting menu: Restaurant Ki – Ki Kim’s newly Michelin-starred modern Korean fine dining experience (Little Tokyo) For the best pasta in the city: Funke – Evan Funke’s dazzling, eponymously named eatery, recently reopened after a minor kitchen fire (Beverly Hills) For classic L.A. soul food: Dulan’s on Crenshaw – a longtime, beloved South L.A.

After years of struggling through the pandemic, L.A.’s bar scene has learned to roll with the punches, and there’s always no better time than now (or this weekend) for a good, well-made drink, preferably with a side of good, old-fashioned camaraderie with slightly buzzed strangers. After all, bars, like restaurants and public parks, give rise to the sought-after sense of belonging and community that characterizes what sociologist Ray Oldenburg called “third spaces.” Best Los Angeles bars at a glance: For impeccably made cocktails: Thunderbolt – a casual, no-frills atmosphere and the best drinks in Los Angeles, hands down (Historic Filipinotown) For standout martinis with a sunset view: Dante Beverly Hills – the ritzy 90210 outpost of an award-winning NYC cocktail bar (Beverly Hills) For drinks on the Westside before midnight: Accomplice – a standout restaurant bar program with killer non-alcoholic options (Mar Vista) For a classic night out in Koreatown: Dan Sung Sa – a divey, always bustling classic known for its sprawling food menu and soju selection For Italian spritzes and a trendy crowd: Capri Club – an aperitivo and amaro specialist housed in a former red-sauce joint (Eagle Rock) Right now, L.A.’s drinking scene is back and better than ever, and we’re glad to be back at a busy bar, credit card in hand, hoping to flag down a bartender. L.A. might have cozy dives near the beach, happy hours with views of the Hollywood Hills, and plenty of buzzier new watering holes, bu

Before the Yelp ratings and “best of” accolades start to roll in, how do you know what’s actually good or not among L.A.’s just-opened eateries? Every month, I put myself through the wringer attempting to visit every new, notable restaurant around Los Angeles. Usually, I enjoy revisiting the city’s best eateries and sipping cocktails at tried-and-true bars, but scouting for the best new restaurants and bars in L.A. is, to put it nicely, kind of a grab bag. Whenever I’m out scouting for the latest openings, I’m just as likely to blow hundreds of dollars on an overhyped dud as I am to stumble upon the city’s next truly great restaurant. With Time Out’s guide to L.A.’s best new restaurants, you don’t need to sift through pay-to-play influencer videos and user-generated reviews to decide where to head next—I’ve done the work for you, from looking for parking and waiting in line to trying those ultra-pricey tasting menus, since there’s nothing worse when dining out than wasting your precious free time and, of course, money. I also strive to include valet prices and parking information for every restaurant—further taking the headache out of trying the next great new spot. Questions I ask myself before including a spot on this guide: Does this new restaurant offer something more interesting, delicious or unique than any of L.A.’s existing restaurants? Is it worth the hype (and money)? Is it worth going out of the way for? If the answer to any of these is “No,” I don’t include it. Ge

Sure, L.A. is currently more obsessed with chicken Caesar wraps and fried chicken sandwiches, but nothing can replace the classic cheeseburger. With that in mind, I’ve set out to track down the best burgers in L.A. In the last few years, I’ve visited everywhere from classic L.A. diners to fancy French bistros—and, yes, even some nostalgic fast-food fare—to find the most delicious burgers around. What makes a great burger, in my eyes? I’m looking for the perfect balance of bread, meat and cheese, plus vegetable accoutrements and condiments that feel additive rather than distracting. I’m partial to thick burgers, but I’ve also eaten my fair share of smashburgers, and included the best of that specialty to that end as well. No matter your predilection, you’ll find a winner here on this list. For best results, add on an ice-cold cocktail (if you can!) or some golden-hued fries and enjoy this all-American meal with gusto. October 2025: After revisiting and scouting for tasty new burgers, I’ve removed Dunsmoor (which has since removed its bar burger from the menu), plus Pie ’n Burger and Love Hour from this guide. Instead, I’ve added five notable new burger destinations—Bar 109, Doubting Thomas, Darling, Doto and Softies—and included pricing information and insider tips for every burger listing. I’ve also made sure to answer the time-honored question: Does it come with fries? Time Out has also instituted a sitewide change in review policies and listing format. For more on our new p

Los Angeles has the most diverse, expansive and wide-reaching sushi scene in the country, so how does one even begin? This highly vetted guide, for starters. Over the last three years, I visited dozens of Valley strip malls, Little Tokyo shopping plazas and swanky counters in Beverly Hills in search of L.A.’s best sushi restaurants. These days, pricey omakase experiences predominate my top sushi picks (a reflection of L.A.’s changing sushi bar demographics), but you can still find a few high-quality, affordable à la carte options around the city (if you’re willing to wait, it’s still hard to beat Sushi Gen’s sashimi lunch special).Why should you trust my expertise? I’m an L.A. native who enjoyed my first set of tekka maki at Hide Sushi on Sawtelle (which is still around, by the way) and cycled through love affairs with unagi (freshwater eel), saba (mackerel) and SushiStop’s famous dynamite rolls in adolescence and college. Though it’s hard to turn down freshly pressed Edomae-style sushi, I’m still fond of a good spicy tuna crispy rice once in a while, and I’ve even sampled a few of the city’s vegan sushi options. In the last four years, I’ve tried 52 different L.A. omakases, dined at over 70 different sushi purveyors of various price points, and I’m always on the hunt for new (or new-to-me) places to try.In the high-end realm, I look for places that maximize overall wow factor; even within the upper echelons of L.A. dining, I take price, atmosphere and booking convenience int

There’s almost nothing more intoxicating that the smell of a smashburger—except, of course, the taste. Angelenos are learning this quickly, as pop-ups and even established neighborhood spots have made smashburgers a mainstay in practically every corner of L.A. You can also thank TikTok’s Keith Lee for reigniting the trend in late 2023—but you won’t find Studio City’s Easy Streets Burgers on this list, because we think the highly hyped burgers are just plain ol’ mediocre. The burger style is hardly new, but they harken back to a bygone era in food when patrons reveled in the novelty of dining in their cars and all a burger needed was a good sear and a squirt of ketchup. Seasoned vigorously to tenderize and flavor the almost pancake-flat beef patty, this variety of burger sizzles in its own juices—pressed out during cooktime—and fries on a flat-top grill, practically caramelizing a thin outer shell of crust on the meat.  I’ve got to admit, the interest in simply-prepared and gloriously greasy smashburgers is getting a little tiresome, but if you’re dead set on finding the best frilly, paper-thin patties and melted American cheese, look no further than these spots down here. July 2025: This guide adds new information on Softies’ new brick-and-mortar. All other listings have been fact-checked, with new and upcoming locations being added for Goldburger and Heavy Handed. Time Out has also instituted a sitewide change in review policies. All food and drink venues are now also accom

For lovers of vinegar, pork and fresh seafood, there’s nothing like the bright, flavorful dishes of the Philippines. The Southeast Asian island country’s culinary traditions offer everything from the crackle of the country’s world-famous lechon to the nuanced, complex flavors of kare-kare and chicken adobo. With a unique blend of Chinese, Spanish, Japanese and indigenous culinary influences, modern Filipino cuisine is an ever-changing phenomenon—and though L.A. isn’t the very best place in the country for Filipino cuisine, the sizable Filipino population in Southern California and a handful of modern chef-driven concepts ensure there’s enough lechon, halo-halo, pancit and sweet spaghetto to go around. (Note that we’re not including Jollibee here, given the fast food chain’s ubiquity throughout Southern California.) Why should you trust me? I’m an L.A. native whose parents immigrated from the Philippines, which means I’ve been eating lechon, ensaymada (cheese-covered sweet brioche rolls), sinigang (tamarind soup) and other staples of the archipelago since before I could read. Growing up, I spent a large bulk of my childhood driving to West Covina, where my family would visit Goldilocks and Red Ribbon. Most summers, I’d visit my extended family in Philippines, where I’d feast on balut (fertilized chicken or duck eggs) and usually come down with a terrible case of food poisoning. My favorite foods growing up were fried chicken and (sweet) spaghetti with hot dogs—in other words,

While L.A.’s devotion to sushi and ramen are so extreme you’d think they’re the only type of Japanese cuisine in town, the vast array of barbecue, shabu-shabu, soba and kaiseki are equally worth checking out the next time you’re in the mood for a taste of Japan. Taking into account both old favorites and newer hot spots, as well as price point, we’ve rounded up the city’s best Japanese restaurants. This list is as equally handy for your next special occasion as it is your next cozy meal out in sweatpants—so take heart in the fact that yes, four-dollar-sign transportive sushi and booze-laced izakayas make an appearance, but food court favorites and South Bay mom-and-pop shops do, as well. October 2025: This update adds bang-for-your-buck Kojima (recently featured in a review), Izakaya Tonchinkan, Hakata Izakaya Hero, Wagyu Butcher and Tsubaki; after revisiting and further evaluation, Nobu Malibu, Azay (temporarily closed), Shunji, Shirube and Yazawa have been removed. Furthermore, I’ve included new information on n/naka, Sushi Kaneyoshi, Morihiro, Otafuku and Hannosuke; I’ve also noted price increases at Sushi Sonagi and Mori Nozomi. At a global level, Time Out has also instituted a sitewide change in review policies and listing format. 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, f

For a city obsessed with youth, it was surprisingly hard for me to track down three emerging chefs in Los Angeles under the age of 30—a testament to the fact that most chefs who have made waves in the L.A. dining scene are hospitality veterans (as they should be, if you ask me). I suspect it’s because many young culinary talents are choosing, instead, to work as private chefs, and who can blame them? The hours are better, the pay higher, even if you’re only really feeding the rich. It takes a certain kind of personality and inner strength to choose to feed the masses, with all the headaches of running a brick-and-mortar operation and the restaurant industry’s razor-thin profit margins.Thus, I find it even more special to announce the Los Angeles class of Time Out’s Best Young Chefs. Despite the challenges of the restaurant industry and the current economic climate, all three upstarts have managed to carve their own path and make a name for themselves, sometimes with the help of social media virality and content creation. Their routes to success have taken on various forms: a viral Pasadena bakery, a Smorgasburg pop-up (with a West L.A. residency) and a high-profile pastry chef gig at one of the city’s best restaurants, now parlayed into a chef de cuisine role at one of L.A.’s buzziest fall openings. Get to know their stories below, and you’ll quickly understand why these emerging chefs are poised for culinary greatness.

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

Now under new ownership by the team behind Jon & Vinny’s, this longtime micro-grocery with locations in Echo Park and Highland Park still offers an array of cookbooks, fresh produce and other locally sourced specialty foods, including Gardena’s Meiji Tofu, Sightglass coffee and Straus Family Creamery dairy products. Cookbook also sells a few prepared deli and frozen items made in-house, plus French cooking knives, imported tinned fish and cured meats, and plenty of other high-quality, painstakingly sourced grocery items. The newest outpost in Larchmont also offers a full-service café.

From the get-go, Superba Food + Bread has been the sunny, crowd-pleasing all-day bakery and café you wished you had in your neighborhood. Now, you proably do—the Venice original has expanded to Hollywood, Calabasas, North Hollywood and Pasadena, but the bulk of the local chain’s excellent pastries and loaves of bread are still baked inside an enormous commissary kitchen across the street from the original outpost on Lincoln Boulevard. In practice, this means Super Food + Bread Venice has access to the freshest baked goods. The straightforward food menu includes avocado toast, salads, sandwiches, grain bowls and pastas, plus a cinnamon roll only available during weekend brunch. 

When Josiah Citrin reimagined his Michelin-starred Santa Monica fine dining menu, he carved out space for another, slightly more casual affair. At his eponymous eatery, you'll find comforting but wholly gourmet takes on classics we could eat every night: pitch-perfect roast chicken coated in garlic and breadcrumbs; refreshing oysters under sorrel and cucumber; and, of course, Josiah Citrin's cult-classic lobster bolognese under truffle foam. Look to the happy hour for a slightly more budget-friendly experience.  

Housed within the short-lived Best Bet space, Broken Spanish Comedor is the triumphant revival of Garcia’s signature “authentically inauthentic” Mexican restaurant. Unlike the Downtown original, the bulk of Broken Spanish Comedor’s menu consists of more accessibly priced dishes in the $15 to $22 range. The additional name modifier nods to Mexico’s classic comedores: small, typically mom-and-pop restaurants and street stalls serving homestyle cuisine. During my meal, I loved the pesto-like fideo flavored with avocado and hoja santa and classic enchiladas verde inspired by Garcia’s childhood meals. The critically acclaimed Mexican American chef has also brought back a handful of signature dishes, including the refried lentils (an earthy, flavorful mashup between dal and traditional refried beans) and the must-try crispy, crackly chicharrón in garlic mojo, which comes with a beautiful red cabbage slaw and a fiery salsa morita. Given the price point and wealth of memorable dishes, there isn’t another new opening I can recommend more highly in Los Angeles right now than here.

This phenomenal Australian-inflected bistro in Mar Vista is the rare Westside restaurant worth coming out of the way for. Perth native and chef-owner Craig Hopson first wowed me nearly a decade ago at the Butcher, the Baker, the Cappuccino Maker in West Hollywood with his spaghetti pomodoro and other daytime fare. Now, the veteran of NYC’s famed Le Cirque has finally opened his own restaurant in the form of Electric Bleu—and the results are quite simply fantastic. Genre classics like roast chicken and steak au poivre are cooked with utmost precision; there’s also an elegant pate en croute that would satisfy any Francophile. Hopson also brings a bit of autumnal flair to the menu with seasonal fare like butternut squash soup and a take-home spread for Thanksgiving geared towards neighborhood locals. Best of all on my comped media visit were the housemade “electric” fries, dusted with chicken salt, a slightly esoteric delicacy from Down Under. On the beverage side, you’ll also find a compelling list of unique, predominantly French wines and Japanese sake—a remarkable find anywhere, but especially on the Westside.

This Thai-style grilled chicken joint is one of four independent concepts inside Maydan Market, a glitzy new food hall in West Adams built around an enormous live-fire hearth. Yhing Yhang BBQ comes from Wedchayan “Deau” Arpapornnopparat, the chef behind Holy Basil. Here, the brilliant Thai-Chinese chef offers an exceptional fast-casual menu built around grilled chicken as well as a newer reservation-only $65 tasting menu, available only at the counter. On a comped media visit, I was able to preview the latter, which included a standout, deeply smoky version of khao soi—exclusive to the tasting menu—plus a Thai-style egg salad tartine and a general sampling of most other dishes. Compared to Holy Basil, which has locations in Downtown and Atwater (plus Santa Monica, opening this December), the streamlined menu caters to the spice-averse. Arpapornnopparat still manages to turn up the heat and funk in the condiment department, however, with a “holy sauce” (essentially a cross between a tomatillo salsa and a classic nam jjim) and a fermented chili garlic. Whether you’re grabbing a $23 combo plate to eat within the larger food hall or pulling up at the counter for the tasting menu, Yhing Yhang is still one of the best places I’ve eaten at this fall—and if you’re planning on taking a peek at Maydan, I recommend eating here first.

This stunning terrace restaurant atop Dior’s Rodeo Drive flagship is helmed by Dominique Crenn—the first, and thus far only, female chef in the United States to earn three Michelin stars. Given the area code, it should go without saying that you’ll be paying upwards of $150 to enjoy a three-course lunch here—but surprisingly, I found the service, cuisine and atmosphere to be well worth the money. The restaurant features Dior-branded everything, from the silverware to the table linens, plus the typical Golden Triangle clientele of flashily dressed tourists and 90210 locals. The dishes here are technical marvels, and I appreciated the inclusion of amuse-bouche and mignardises. All of the savory items I tried during a recent leisurely lunch were tasty, if slightly safe, and beautifully presented. Where Crenn truly distinguishes herself is in the pastry department. Each meal begins with a complimentary bread course accompanied by a rose-shaped pat of butter; I sampled both options (sourdough and laminated brioche) and found both to be exemplary. The dreamy coconut rose tart comes with two concentric circles of rose-stamped white chocolate, destroyed with a few delightful cracks of one’s spoon. And while I’ve yet to experience the dinner service, I can decisively say Monsieur Dior is the ideal ritzy new place to splurge on lunch or run the company card.

This broadly Middle Eastern and North African restaurant is the namesake anchor concept of West Adams’ Maydan Market. Originally from Washington D.C., Maydan pulls from all over the culinary region with an approachable array of dips, kebabs, vegetables and mains guaranteed to please picky eaters and large groups with conflicting allergies and dietary restrictions; the restaurant even serves certified halal meat. To be honest, I can’t say that the fully hosted meal I had at Maydan was on par with Bavel, Saffy’s or even Skaf’s (which is technically purely Lebanese), but the sprawling, slightly more accessibly priced dinner menu and bustling atmosphere fills a particular price-quality niche that L.A. has long been missing. The $95 per person family-style tawle menu—Arabic for “table”—offers first-timers and overthinkers a dizzying, but thorough spin through the menu, with the option to try the Syrian seven spice lamb shoulder for an additional $20. I also enjoyed the restaurant’s take on mahalabia (milk pudding), which came topped with mixed seasonal citrus and finely crushed rose petals. It’s also worth noting that Maydan is the only concept within Maydan Market that offers full-service dining—so if that’s important to you, then I recommend dining here.

Since 2011, this no-frills counter has served some of L.A.'s juiciest, best-tasting burgers from inside an unassuming liquor store in Redondo Beach. (There's also a newer location in Torrance.) The Napoleon—a mix of hand-packed patties topped with bacon, caramelized onion, three kinds of cheese, fried egg, short rib AND a tangle of Parmesan fries—might win in the over-the-top category, but we prefer the Cash, which gilds the lily with bacon, shishito peppers, “only” two kinds of cheese, gochujang aioli, hoisin barbecue sauce and a crispy peppered onion ring. Not only is it easier to eat, but the flavors gel together better. Then again, you can't go wrong with a classic burger here, or the Chance (jalapeño, sautéed chili onion and habanero cream coleslaw).

Irv's Burgers has been through a lot. The roadside Santa Monica Boulevard stand, which first opened in 1946 and was relocated in 2014, was thought to be closed for good in 2018. But Sonia Hong, who's operated the shop since 2000, wasn't ready to give up the fight. With the help of new business partner Lawrence Longo and Oui Melrose chef Armen Piskoulian, Irv's Burgers made a miraculous comeback in 2022. Since then, Longo has expanded the business to another location on La Brea, plus further-flung outposts in Malibu and Torrance. Most people order the cheeseburger inspired by The Menu (2022), but I’m still loyal to Irv’s Original Roadside, which consists of two pressed-to-order patties, American cheese, housemade sauce, iceberg lettuce, tomato, raw onion and pickles on a brioche bun. The no-frills burgers here still deliver, especially with a side of fries and a milkshake or float. If you don’t like lettuce or tomato, the Best Burger on “The Menu” nixes these vegetable add-ins, swaps raw onions for grilled and utilizes a sesame bun for yet another leanly built L.A. cheeseburger. Can’t decide? You can also customize with the Just For You, the standard version of which comes simply dressed with pickles and housemade sauce on a sesame bun.

This metal-themed, meat-slinging burger shop in Long Beach doesn’t serve a single patty that’s not obscenely dressed, and the Napalm Death ($16) tops them all. A medium-rare, half-pound patty gets drenched in gooey pepperjack, pickled jalapeños and cream cheese, then it's all topped off with fried jalapeño poppers and habanero aioli. It’s what we’ll dine on when the valkyries carry us over the rainbow bridge to Valhalla (which may be because it kills us as we’re eating it). Other interesting menu items include the Dee Snider (peanut butter, strawberry jam, bacon, Sriracha) and the jet-black Ozzy Osborne (chimichurri, garlic aioli, blue cheese, onion frizzle, field greens). The new storefront—Grill ’Em All used to be in Alhambra—is also located just steps from the beach, making it the perfect place to take a day trip and unwind with an over-the-top burger.

She may have yet to open Lapaba, her hotly anticipated Koreatown pasta bar—though it’s slated to debut by end of year—but L.A. culinary icon Nancy Silverton has already announced plans for another high-profile culinary venture. This time, the James Beard Award-winning chef is betting big on the still-recovering Pacific Palisades with Spacca Tutto, a more casual Chi Spacca spinoff inside Rick Caruso’s yet-to-reopen Palisades Village. Rather than Mozza Group, the restaurant will be in partnership with River Jetty, a primarily Orange County-based hospitality group behind A PCH, a new-school steakhouse in Long Beach. It’s a notable choice for Silverton to sign a lease with Caruso, who also recently attempted a run for mayor in 2022. During the devastating Palisades Fire last January, the billionaire real estate developer hired private water tankers to protect the ritzy outdoor shopping mall—a controversial decision that likely led to Palisades Village being one of the few major commercial structures in the area to survive the wildfires. The commercial complex is slated to reopen sometime in 2026. Photograph: Courtesy Laura GrierFrom left to right: Joseph “McG” Nichol of River Jetty, Nancy Silverton and Rick Caruso. “The name Spacca Tutto reflects resilience, creativity, and courage—the same qualities driving the Palisades community to come roaring back in 2026,” said Rick Caruso, speaking via press release. In Italian, “spacca tutto” roughly translates to “go for it” or “give

Time Out L.A.'s 2025 class of Best Young Chefs, Yazeed Soudani, Ashley Cunningham and Sarah Durning are three of L.A.’s most exciting rising talents, all under the age of 30. They helm buzzy and popular concepts, and have made an impact on the city’s restaurant scene with less than a decade of experience under their belts. We sat down with the chefs to find out their favorite places for sushi and tacos—arguably, two of L.A.’s most iconic food groups—plus their top picks for a good cup of matcha. Here's what they told us. Favorite tacos in Los Angeles? Tacos Los Cholos (South L.A.) and Taqueria Frontera (Cypress Park) Photograph: Patricia Kelly Yeo for Time Out “I would have went for Ricky’s Fish Tacos as well, but he disappeared. I need to make sure they hear about Ricky’s Fish Tacos, because that was the GOAT.” – Yazeed Soudani Villa’s Tacos (Highland Park) and Angel’s Tacos (Sylmar) Photograph: Stephanie Breijo for Time Out “Number one, Villa’s Tacos. Number two, Angel’s Tacos. I specifically love the Sylmar location. Those are my two favorites.” –Ashley CunninghamMariscos Jalisco (multiple locations), Tacos Guelaguetza (East Hollywood) and Brothers Cousins Tacos (West L.A.) Photograph: Patricia Kelly Yeo for Time Out “Mariscos Jalisco, number one. Tacos Guelaguetza outside of Pavilions on Melrose and Vine. Brothers Cousins on the Westside. I watched that place blow up and it is so good. I’m never over there anymore, but I crave it all the time.” –Sarah Durning Favori

The first time I walked into RVR (pronounced “river”) last fall, I felt the usual rush of excitement that accompanies visiting a well-regarded chef’s newest culinary concept. In many cases, a proven name’s follow-up effort more than delivers—the cadence of the menu familiar yet novel enough to inspire newfound delight. Highs are all but guaranteed, lows are few and far between.  This has not been the case at Travis Lett’s new-but-old seasonal “izakaya” on Abbot Kinney, which just celebrated its first year in business on October 1 and has garnered recognition from the New York Times. Every time I’ve visited RVR in the last year—now four times over—something or the other has gone terribly awry. Here, within the same cramped space that held Lett’s all-but-identical Japanese concept, MTN (pronounced “mountain”), Gjelina’s founding chef applies the same breezy-yet-upscale, distinctly Californian approach to Japanese cooking as he once did for Italian cuisine back in 2008. Unfortunately, Lett hasn’t been nearly as successful this time around. Photograph: Patricia Kelly Yeo for Time OutThe ambience at RVR during a reservation later in the evening. Pork gyoza arrives cloaked in a delicate skirt, but the dumplings themselves completely disintegrated on more than one occasion. Coursing between dishes lag with no apparent explanation; the harsh cacophony of the dining room, at least at peak hours, all but ensures you have to yell out your order. A “jammy” strawberry shochu highball ta

Over the last few months, word has slowly trickled out about Kojima, a new no-frills omakase counter on the second floor of Sawtelle Place. Run by Hayato Kojima—previously of Tokyo’s Michelin-recognized, now-closed Nishi-Ogikubo Hayato—the West L.A. restaurant’s signature offering, a $200 omakase, is a bit of a misnomer, at least here in the U.S., where the term has largely become synonymous with high-end sushi. The boorish omakase bro in search of an endless cavalcade of nigiri and a hand roll or two to finish is likely to be disappointed.  What Kojima offers, instead, is something far more quietly thrilling, especially for those of us who actually glance at the bill after dining. Although untethered from the form’s rigid constraints, the restaurant presents a dozen courses that are loosely but distinctly inspired by kaiseki—the traditional Japanese multi-course dining experience emphasizing seasonality and harmony. In both spirit and substance, if not always pacing, the meal bears more than a passing similarity to two-Michelin-star Hayato in the Arts District ($450) all for a fraction of the price.  Photograph: Patricia Kelly Yeo for Time OutHayato Kojima with a gohan course in late August. Aside from a lone server, Kojima-san singlehandedly pulls off a tasting menu that may contain, at any given moment, creamy whorls of shirako with fried taro and ankake, a thick, velvety sauce made with dashi; the best grilled chicken heart you’ll ever have in your life; chilled housema

On the face of it, Tomat is an unlikely place for some of the city’s most interesting new California cuisine. Hidden inside a sprawling shopping complex, the four-month-old London-inspired restaurant is located less than a mile away from LAX. A giant tomato decorates the exterior of the three-story building; Tomat derives its name from a childhood nickname coincidentally shared by married owners Harry Posner and Natalie Dial. After dark, the bright red neon sign draws in hungry neighborhood locals and in-the-know diners from across the city hankering for an eclectic, unforgettable combination of global flavors most Angelenos have never seen or tasted before. While Posner and Dial’s intentions might sound fairly common—they want Tomat to be an upscale neighborhood fixture, worthy of date nights and the like—the painstaking efforts that went into the making of Tomat, along with each meal, reveal a restaurant that is anything but. Five years ago, the couple moved to L.A. from London, abandoning careers in medicine (Posner) and global health (Dial) in order to take advantage of an unmissable lease opportunity in Westchester, where in the late 1940s Dial’s late grandfather started Drollinger Properties, the area’s oldest, largest commercial real estate group. (Her mother now presides over the company today.) The couple have pored over every aspect of the fully renovated building, from the open kitchen to the dining room’s pale wood, dark green and burnt-orange color scheme. Photo

If you know the ins and outs of Los Angeles’ sprawling food scene, you probably know and love Kato, Holbox and Providence. At a September 25 awards ceremony in Las Vegas, all three critically acclaimed L.A. restaurants were the awarded spots on the inaugural edition of North America’s 50 Best Restaurants list—a brand-new regional offshoot of World’s 50 Best Restaurants recognizing restaurants in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. (Mexico is represented on Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants list.) They’re also, according to us over here at Time Out, some of the best restaurants in Los Angeles,  After being awarded the Resy One to Watch award by the World’s 50 Best organization last year, Kato was ranked the 26th best restaurant in North America—the highest ranked restaurant in L.A. and thus all of Southern California. Chef Jon Yao’s Taiwanese fine dining restaurant in the Arts District also possesses a Michelin star and, if you’re asking me, one of the best cocktail programs in Los Angeles, courtesy of bar director Austin Hennelly. The critically acclaimed tasting menu spot has also been named the No. 1 best restaurant in L.A. on the Los Angeles Times’ 101 Best Restaurants list for the last two years in a row. Photograph: Courtesy Jeni AfusoKato Per the awarding body behind North America’s 50 Best Restaurants, the eatery offers “refreshingly original Taiwanese American fare with [an] elevated drinks offering.” The listing also describes Kato’s dishes as “some of t

September 24 update: Monsieur Dior will not actually be Dominique Crenn’s first L.A. restaurant. That title actually goes to Santa Monica’s short-lived, critically panned Abode, which Crenn first opened in April 2007 before departing the restaurant in October of the same year. The headline has been updated to include the qualifier “in nearly two decades,” and additional information has been added below on Crenn’s experience in the L.A. culinary world. It’s not every day that a Michelin-recognized, world-renowned chef like San Francisco’s Dominique Crenn opens a restaurant in Los Angeles—and with Dior, no less. In a surprise Sunday morning news post on WWD, the international luxury fashion house announced plans to open a Beverly Hills rooftop restaurant this fall in partnership with Crenn, who made history in 2018 as the first female chef in the United States to earn three Michelin stars for her eponymous San Francisco restaurant, Atelier Crenn. Many may also be acquainted with the French American’s work through season two of Netflix’s Chef’s Table or the on-screen culinary wizardry featured in The Menu (2022), a horror-comedy satirizing the absurdities of fine dining. Crenn also has deep roots in Los Angeles. Back in the 1990’s and early 2000’s, she spent nearly a decade of her early career cooking in Los Angeles, serving as executive chef of Manhattan Beach’s Manhattan Country Club from 1998 to 2006. In 2007, she briefly served as the opening chef for Abode, a short-lived,

In spite of the mythos surrounding chefs and the intangibles of hospitality, the success of a restaurant often boils down to a few smart real estate decisions, and the three-month-old Baby Bistro is no exception. The buzzy, self-described “bistro of sorts” is the final piece of the puzzle completing Alpine Courtyard, located in Victor Heights. As of writing, the trendy commercial complex is single-handedly gentrifying the tiny, oft-forgotten neighborhood at the border of Chinatown and Echo Park, just north of the 110 freeway.  The place’s vintage charm is obvious before you even spot Baby Bistro, which you’ll find tucked away towards the back of the complex. Owned and painstakingly developed over several years by preservation-minded architect-developer Jingbo Lou, it consists of six converted buildings, including a 1908 Craftsman house and three Victorian era homes (one of which houses Baby Bistro), arranged around a brick-lined central courtyard with a lush, carefully maintained garden full of banana trees, bougainvillea and plenty of herbs and vegetables. Photograph: Patricia Kelly Yeo for Time OutAlpine Courtyard’s garden during the day. In a city of sun-bleached asphalt, minimal shade cover and other hostile urban features, it feels downright heavenly to step into Alpine Courtyard. By day, Angelenos pick up plant-based pastries at Bakers Bench, specialty caffeinated drinks from Heavy Water Coffee and gourmet banchan from Perilla LA. After 4:30pm, when Perilla closes up

Say it ain’t so: Birdie G’s in Santa Monica is closing at the end of 2025, as first reported by the Los Angeles Times. According to chef-owner Jeremy Fox (who also runs nearby Rustic Canyon), the critically acclaimed restaurant—and Time Out’s pick for the best restaurant in Santa Monica, as well as No. 22 across all of Los Angeles—has not been immune to the economic downturn related to this year’s devastating wildfires, among several other long-term factors, including location and the overall size of the space. Birdie G’s first made its debut in June 2019, about nine months before the Covid-19 pandemic struck. From the get-go, the sprawling, industrial-modern restaurant located steps away from Bergamot Station earned recognition from local and national media for Fox’s family-friendly, farm-to-table comfort food, which draws inspiration from the chef’s experiences growing up in a Jewish family in the Midwest. Photograph: Patricia Kelly Yeo for Time Out The restaurant is named for Fox’s daughter Birdie and grandmother Gladys. Over the years, Birdie G’s has earned local and national recognition for its inventive dishes and cooking techniques. Personally, I always looked forward to its seasonal dishes made with housemade hoshigaki, or Japanese-style air-dried fuyu persimmons. From where I stood, the upscale restaurant provided a unique, largely satisfying mix of comfort, value and creativity—a total rarity in Santa Monica, a land of mostly boring Italian restaurants, fast-casua

Correction: This article originally stated that the Original Pantry Cafe would reopen on September 11. This was incorrect; on Thursday morning, Unite Here Local 11 and new owner Leo Pustilnikov held a press conference announcing the restaurant would aim to reopen by New Year’s Eve, per original reporting from Eater. In a rare win for L.A.’s struggling restaurant and bar scene, Downtown L.A.’s iconic Original Pantry Cafe will once again reopen its doors after shutting down a little over six months ago, per a report from LAist. The 101-year-old diner, which for most of its original run was open 24 hours a day, has fed generations of Angelenos affordable cups of coffee alongside plates of pancakes, spaghetti with garlic bread and other hearty American fare. How did this come about? Unite Here Local 11, the union representing the restaurant’s staff, was able to reach a deal with Leo Pustilnikov, the prolific local real estate developer who purchased the building earlier this year.  The Figueroa Street greasy spoon originally closed its doors on March 2. Shortly thereafter, former employees revived its menu at East Los Tacos in nearby East L.A., according to Boyle Heights Beat, through a breakfast pop-up known as East Los Pantry. In a Thursday morning press conference outside the Original Pantry, Unite Here Local 11 and Pustilnikov announced the restaurant would aim to reopen by New Year’s Eve, a.k.a. the end of the year. Why did the Original Pantry Cafe close in the first place

Updated September 2025: Since we first tried the omakase-style tasting menu at Pizzeria Sei in June 2024, the Pico Robertson pizzeria has been crowned ninth-best in the world.  Outside of Italy, Japan and a short-lived pop-up in the Philippines, the idea of a pizza omakase, or chef’s tasting menu, hasn’t exactly caught on across the globe. Until quite recently, Americans needed to travel outside of the country to experience the likes of Pizza Bar on 38th at the Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo and Pepe in Grani just outside Naples. Now, L.A. is home to one of the country’s only pizza tasting menus, courtesy of William Joo, the Korean American pizzaiolo behind Pizzeria Sei in Pico-Robertson. The so-called $150 “omakasei” menu, which debuted last month, is slated to run every other Tuesday evening at 7pm, with reservations for each subsequent tasting menu generally dropping on Resy at noon the following day. Each menu includes a rotating half-dozen-plus parade of Tokyo-style Neapolitan slices that might be inspired by everything from Pizza Hut to some of the world’s best pizzerias. I’m going to be honest here: I’ve spent the last two years trying about 50 different pizzerias across Los Angeles, and I still think Pizzeria Sei serves the best pies in town. It’s the reason I’ve ranked the no-frills Pico Boulevard storefront number one on Time Out’s guide to the best pizzas in L.A. and included it among the city’s best restaurants. I’ve yet to revisit Tokyo for Seirinkan or Savoy Tomato &

Pizzeria Sei does it yet again! In 50 Top Pizza’s newly released annual list of the world’s best pizzerias, L.A.’s award-winning Tokyo-style pizzeria came in at an astoundingly high No. 9, beating out several other American pie shops in New York and Chicago. The tiny Pico-Robertson pizzeria was named America’s second-best pizza joint earlier this year by the same organization, which has roots in Italy and describes itself as the “first guide of the best pizzerias in the world.” At some point in the near future, the extremely popular restaurant (which is also Time Out’s pick for the best pizza in L.A.) is slated to move to a larger space in Palms, where chef-owner William Joo says he will also serve a new kind of pie. To determine its regional rankings—a recent ranking also dropped for all of Europe—the 50 Top Pizza judges use anonymous inspectors to sample pizzerias across the globe in search of high-quality dough, toppings, service and overall experience. Within California, Tony’s Pizza Napoletana in San Francisco also cracked the top 10, coming in tenth on the global list. If you believe the judges at 50 Top Pizza, there are actually two different best pizzerias in the world: I Masanielli – Francesco Martucci in Caserta, Italy and Una Pizza Napoletana in New York City. Both restaurants earned the No. 1 spot.Outside of L.A. County, one other Southern California pizzeria also made 50 Top Pizza’s worldwide pizza list: Dana Point’s Truly Pizza, which came in at No. 48. Recentl