I really love LA. Sometimes I think I love it enough to pack up my apartment and move there, but I’ve driven a car three times in my life and all of those times I’ve mixed up the gas and the brake. And as fun as it is to be a passenger in someone else’s car, I also like having the option to walk, bike, take the train or ride the ferry wherever I want to go.
Still, the city has the enchantment of a place I’ve spent limited time in. The hills full of houses, the Hollywood sign, all of the trees — lemon, palm, bonsai — are still so novel and exciting to me. I don’t know the city well at all, and that’s kind of the point. That’s also why when I booked my trip there this week and realized I had one free night, I asked some LA experts, people who know and love the city much better than I ever could, where I should eat dinner.
Here all of the responses I got back, which include two spots that give East Hollywood’s seafood sweetheart a run for it’s money, and back-to-back rave reviews for a popular Thai restaurant’s weekly taco night. All of the recommendations are very thoughtful and useful, but I must admit I ignored almost every single one. Instead, I spent my free evening at Dan Tana’s with my best friend. No, the table wasn’t inside, and no, we didn’t order the chicken parm.
“Even if the food is not that great, you’re feeling the feeling that is the feeling of being in LA" is something a friend says in her answer below. I thought of that as we admired the big, beautiful menu and laughed over the cold martinis, creamy Caesar salad and mediocre spaghetti all the way back to our hotel room, where we ate an ice cream sundae with hot fudge and Heath bars in robes and eye masks. I was feeling the feeling.
I'm sorry this is coming to you on a Friday instead of a Thursday. I'm on West Coast time, and I move slower here — another thing I'm still deciding whether I love or hate about this city.
Kate Ludwig
Lives on the east side and rarely crosses Vermont. She writes a newsletter on Substack about LA food called Bite Sized.
You’ve heard of Found Oyster... Queen St. is their newer sister restaurant — a raw bar and grill in Eagle Rock with southern charm. Unlike Found, Queen St. takes reservations which might be helpful for a quick trip.
For the table I recommend a bottle of pét-nat, a salady thing and oysters duh! The jalapeño hush puppies come with really good butter — but definitely add the trout roe. And for the main, the yellowfin tuna frites (essentially a pescatarian steak) is an extremely sexy dish. The sauce…!
Sometimes their sundaes are served with Harry’s Berries. Dessert is always worth asking about. And while I could plow through their wine list, I prefer to pop by Capri Club for a night cap. It’s just around the corner.
Badmaash is a gastro pub Indian fusion spot. My favorite location is in DTLA for the ambience. My go to’s are the chili cheese naan bread that comes hot, the spiced lamb burger which is the best way I’ve seen lamb done, and the oat milk chai to settle the tummy after haha.
Joy on York is a fire Taiwanese spot with a ton of yummy comfort food and perfect to go to by yourself. My go-to has been the so crispy scallion pancake and the perfectly simmered, tender beef noodle soup.
And Nanbankan, a Japanese yakitori bar in Santa Monica. It’s one of my favorite places to go if I’m ever on the west side. They have these crazy charcoal grills set up inside and the chefs have the meat flipping down to an art. It’s beautiful. I usually get an array of their grilled meats but they’re known for their Namban yaki sirloin beef.
Taryn Gurbach
Pop culture princess with very good taste, born and raised in Manhattan Beach
I go to Bestia once a year with my family at the end of the summer and the vibes are always so high. Try to avoid getting a table near the outdoor entrance, you need to be in the restaurant to get the full experience (even though it's loud).
You should definitely get the pork chop (even if it's not what you'd usually go for), but the most important thing is how you order the bone marrow starter. When you order it, ask the servers for a bone marrow luge — it might be my favorite way to start any meal... ever?
And if I was only in LA for a short time, I would go to Fishing with Dynamite.It's definitely the best restaurant in Manhattan Beach, and I think it's better than Found Oyster (though I still love).
I want to sit in the corner table drinking crisp white wine, getting oysters and Peruvian scallops to start, the prawns in lemon butter sauce, and this new halibut on the menu with crispy ramen noodles and a gochujang sauce until they kick me out... but the most important thing is the key lime pie. It's pretty perfect.
If you're not from Manhattan Beach, I would go there for a beach day, then walk up to FWD for an early dinner & hit Shellback after watching the sunset (high brow/low brow).
My rec for one night in LA: The Taco Stand By My House. Hey now, I like to enjoy a martini and a juicy strip steak at the Sunset Tower as much as the next Angeleno, but if you’ve got just one night here, you’re gonna wanna get tacos. Specifically, tacos that are close by. When I say “by my house”, what I really mean is whichever one is nearest to where you’re staying. Don’t look it up on Google first, just go. Observe the scene and order whatever everyone else is ordering. Shovel pickled onions and pickled pork skin and whatever else they have pickled into a plastic baggy and enjoy yourself on a little plastic stool. Maybe you’ll even think ahead and bring a Modelo or two in your pocket. Rest assured that even if the food is not that great, you’re feeling the feeling that is the feeling of being in LA. Anyone that disagrees can take it to my DMs. Bye!
Austin Tedesco
Leads video and podcasting partnerships at Substack and writes the food blog Bangers & Jams. He lived in Los Feliz for years before decamping to New York.
Despite my deep love for LA, New York has this city beat on memorable evening meals. My favorite spots here are best enjoyed before 6pm. Breakfast at République. Lunch at Luv2Eat Thai. An early afternoon featuring a couple tacos de camarón at Mariscos Jalisco. Ordering every special at Found Oyster before they fill up or sell out.
Baroo is the exception. Kwang Uh and Mina Park run a perfect and perfectly LA restaurant in the Arts District, one that my friend Bill Addison deservedly named his LA Times 2024 restaurant of the year. For $110 per person, you get a Korean tasting menu that could only happen here. If you have a single night to eat out in any city, that irreplicable experience is what you should chase. I don’t wanna bother recapping the menu. Just go. There’s a lot of special food in LA. There are fewer special destination dinners. You’re guaranteed to have one at Baroo.
The rec I did end up taking was one of Austin’s. I jogged to République for breakfast. The route from West Hollywood wasn’t very scenic so I took a car back and spoke to Darnell, the driver, who immediately clocked my Knicks hat, about how excited we are to watch this year’s roster play and how Lebron's Lakers need an older coach and younger players. He also told me what hotel Jayson Tatum and Giannis Antetokounmpo stay at when they’re in town — New York Uber drivers could never. All of the pastries were excellent.
Social media consultant and author ofLink in Bio, born and raised in Los Angeles.
If you only had one night in LA and that night happened to fall on a Tuesday, then I'd tell you to go to Thai Taco Tuesday at Anajak Thai—a casual once-a-week dinner series they run. Because then you could order things like their sweet-and-spicy Chinese sausage tostada, BBQ pork collar with the stickiest coriander soy molasses, and a kampachi tostada with trout roe and tongue-tingling nam jim. I'm not saying you should plan your trip around a Tuesday (hey, Anajak Thai is still where I'd go any other night of the week), but it wouldn't be the worst idea.
If you had only one night in LA, the dream is to spend the evening at Thai Taco Tuesday at Anajak Thai. It’s still filled with mostly our restaurant community and feels like you’re at the best house party in LA.
Justin has brought his family’s legacy into a new era with constantly surprising collaborations, playlists you’ll beg the crew to share with you, a magnificent wine list to explore, and pushing culinary boundaries with mindful sourcing and serving the best shrimp pad thai I’ve ever had. The grilled sea bream with nam jim seafood is a work of art, and I am still hoping one day Justin will share his coveted recipe for panang curry with me.
Noah Holton-Raphael
Owner, Ggiata on Melrose, in West Hollywood, Venice & Highland Park
LA's food landscape is so rich and so diverse, that it is impossible to choose one restaurant that perfectly captures it all. Oftentimes when planning meals for family and friends, I try to expose them to something they would not easily find at home. For me, moving to LA from Montclair, New Jersey, that was Korean food.
I discovered I loved Korean food in college, which may sound weird given my 4 years were spent in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Sophomore year, in the dead of winter, a friend put me on to Rich JC, a small counter service Korean restaurant in the heart of South University Ave sandwiched between a coffee shop and a Jewish deli. I loved the spicy stews, and decadent noodle dishes. I loved the hot tea poured into a styrofoam cup. I loved the complimentary banchan, an array of pickled or fermented vegetable dishes that came with every meal.
When I moved to LA in 2018 my first dining destination was Koreatown. I arrived eager to try all the places mentioned by Anthony Bourdain, one of my idols and fellow Essex/Bergen County NJ kid. Our first stop was Park's BBQ, a legendary institution whose "wall of fame" serves as a who's who of culinary legends and Hollywood stars. In the 6 years since I moved to LA, I have shared dozens of meals at Park's including 2 birthdays. I always start with a Taste of Parks BBQ (P2) which comes with an insane array of banchan, from fermented wood ear mushrooms to Korean potato salad to rice cakes to pickled turnips and an insanely simple but insanely delicious green salad. The kimchi pancake is a heavy hitter, as well as the spicy braised short rib and the #1 with rice cake. I try to get a new stew or noodle dish every time I'm there because they are incredibly unique and distinctive.
Before or after a meal, I always try to get to Dan Sung Sa down the street. It's a great Korean bar/restaurant with charcoal goals in the middle of the space. The seating is all tucked away in these cavernous booths around the perimeter of the room, but most have a direct line of sight to the charcoal grills in the center where the magic happens. I find both Park's and Dan Sung Sa to be a uniquely LA experience, and a must for anyone visiting the city.
Emily Wilson
Writer of The Angel, a biweekly newsletter that spotlights the people and places shaping the Los Angeles food scene.
Dunsmoor, because it's a singular experience, but not fussy. The food, which pulls from pre-Gilded Age recipes and the South and is cooked over live fire, is consistently delicious, and the room is transportive. I recommend asking for bar seats overlooking the hearth (unless it's a very hot night). Order something raw, the Carolina gold rice, something grilled, and the chocolate cake.
I also adore Stir Crazy and would steer them there for something more casual. Not a wine bar but a wine café, it's the most sophisticated spot in town for a glass or two and some snacks (the anchovies with herbs are a must), or a bottle and a full meal.
NEXT WEEK
I guess you’re all Leos ♌ because I’ve gotten one too many questions about where to have a birthday dinner this week. I’ll report back next Thursday for you. 🎂
LA is a great city. The best city on the west coast in fact. But it will always be second city.
Thank youuuuu, Austin!! 🙏🏼😭