The Best Places to Eat in Los Angeles

A Brentwood institution since 1997, Vicenti Ristorante is as among the finest Italian restaurants in all of Los Angeles. With a business lunch special and popular pizza night on Mondays, its vibe is equally welcoming to all, from families and groups of friends to Hollywood power brokers. For a comprehensive taste of Chef Nicola Mastronardi’s signature dishes, opt for the three-course family-style dinner for the table. House-made pastas, whole fish roasted in the wood oven, and an acclaimed lasagnette al ragu bianco di carne con pendolino are highlights of the menu.

Celebrity chef Tom Colicchio (best known to many as a judge on “Top Chef”) offers Los Angeles diners his signature family-style, unfussy preparations of top-quality meats and more at Craft in Century City. One of the more iconic dishes in Los Angeles served at Craft is Colicchio’s braised Angus short ribs, marinated in wine with vegetables before being slowly braised and served with creamy whipped potatoes. Side dishes—featured on the menu in lengthy sections devoted to vegetables, both roasted and sautéed, mushrooms, and potatoes—reveal that farm-fresh Californian produce gets just as much care and attention as the meats.

Petty Cash Taqueria takes inspiration from the street foods of Tijuana and East L.A., but claims to be nothing more than a “semi-authentic” taqueria. This is to no detriment, however, as the restaurant’s cool, contemporary riffs on tacos, nachos, quesadillas, and other Mexican street food classics consistently draw big crowds. It’s no surprise, with chef Walter Manzke, who trained at top European restaurants including Alain Ducasse and El Bulli, at the helm. Some stand-out dishes are vegetarian options showcasing local produce, such as the roasted cauliflower nachos and the tacos with grilled maitake mushrooms. Craft cocktails with bold flavors, such as the spicy margarita with jalapeno, lime, cilantro, and green chartreuse, are certain crowd-pleasers too.

A beloved Hollywood dining institution for more than 50 years, the family-run Marino Ristorante could easily rely on their heritage (Frank Sinatra was a regular!) to draw a crowd. Instead, they continue to offer incredible versions of Italian comfort food classics while evolving with the times and embracing the enduring appeal of market-fresh ingredients prepared with the utmost care. Marino does the simple things right—diners rave about the house-made bread and olive oil—and serves a rare level of warmth and hospitality with every meal. The Bolognese with beef and veal simmers for three hours, and in summer the chef creates entire menus around tomatoes grown in his own garden. Save room for a slice of the famous Marino cheesecake, rich with ricotta and fresh with citrus.

The Tower Bar, on the ground floor of the circa-1929 Sunset Tower Hotel, famously occupies what was once Bugsey Siegel’s apartment. Owner Jeff Klein recreated the wood-paneled décor of that era from photographs when he fully revitalized the restaurant, giving it an Old Hollywood vibe infused with authenticity. With just 30 tables, it’s still an exclusive Hollywood insider’s haven (every menu commands “no photographs, no phone calls”), but one anyone with a reservation can share. The menu leans old-school along with the jazz-piano-enhanced vibe, featuring chicken pot pie and steak frites along with some great whole-foods-focused salads. End any meal with a build-your-own ice cream sundae.

Serving California-fied versions of Mexican favorites since 1975, El Compadre on Sunset in Hollywood draws a lively, unpretentious crowd to their colorful and bright dining room. Regulars declare the flaming margaritas—strong, with a perfect balance between sweet and sour and dramatically aflame lemon peel garnish—as the best in L.A. The most popular dish on the menu is the enchiladas rancheras. A generous portion alongside cheese-sprinkled refrieds, seasoned yellow rice, and crisp shredded iceberg, it looks exactly like the enchilada plate served at countless Mexican restaurants across the country, but tastes simply amazing. An all-night mariachi band adds to the fun atmosphere.

Sleek Spago with its exceptional service and perfectionist around-the-world menu is Wolfgang Puck’s flagship restaurant Beverly Hills. Diners who opt to go a la carte, order the impressive California Tasting Menu, or stick to the bar bites are all guaranteed an unforgettable meal. Don’t miss the chance, however, to taste one of the truly iconic dishes in Los Angeles—Spago’s world-famous smoked salmon pizza. As the story goes, Puck created the item (and launched the entire genre of gourmet pizzas) in 1982 when actress Joan Collins ordered the smoked salmon with brioche but the kitchen was out of bread. He substituted a freshly baked pizza crust, spread it with dill-flecked crème fraiche and layered on the salmon cured and smoked in house. Dollops of caviar and caramelized shallots completed the decadent invention.

There’s a warm, neighborhood trattoria vibe at Piccolo Paradiso, which occupies a storefront in Beverly Hills and offers an al fresco seating option. Their comprehensive menu of Italian classics has a delicious solution to any pasta craving you can imagine, offering custom combinations from a “make it yourself” section of the menu. Over a dozen types of house-made pastas, plus six more made from alternative grains like kamut, quinoa, and spelt, combine with as many classic sauces, among them carbonara, pesto genovese, arrabbiata, and bolognese. Regulars also recommend Piccolo Paradiso’s osso bucco.

The Hideout, housed at the W Los Angeles-West Beverly Hills hotel in Westwood, is a laid-back restaurant with sunny outdoor seating beside the pool and waterfall. The bar inside has sports on TV, for those who prefer that kind of scene. The menus feature produce-driven fare like crab-flecked deviled eggs, steak frites with hand-cut garlic fries and chimichurri, and a jumbo lump crab salad with butter lettuce, avocado, and a citrus-ginger vinaigrette. The Hideout’s brunch is very popular, accompanied if you wish by bottomless red or white sangria, mimosas, or Micheladas.

Sushi certainly ranks highly among the most iconic dishes in Los Angeles, a city that comes in second only to Tokyo among the sushi-obsessed. Q, an omakase-only restaurant downtown where patrons sacrifice personal choice to put trust in the chef, is a restaurant for true sushi connoisseurs. They offer two seatings only at lunch and dinner, with three set-menu menu options, the priciest of which requires 48 hours’ notice. Chef Hiroyuki Naruke, who ran a six-seat sushi bar in Tokyo before some American regulars enticed him to come to L.A., presents around 19 heavenly courses of incredible sashimi and sushi. His approach emphasizes simplicity, allowing the flavors of impeccably chosen fish and seafood to take all the glory, and Naruke seasons his rice to perfection with sea salt and red vinegar brewed from aged sake cakes.

C.O.D. (Catch of the Day) presents Asian-California cuisine with a focus on fish and seafood in a modern brasserie setting near the Beverly Center. Owner-chef Marcus Kwan takes inspiration from his childhood in a Cantonese village and the freshest, never-frozen market fish and local produce. One of the most popular dishes is the truffle uni pasta with green nori linguine, creamy uni sauce, fish roe, and shaved truffle. However, some menu highlights are from the land, such as the crispy pork belly with a honey-soy glaze, a riff on a Chinese suckling pig, and a kale salad with a passion fruit lychee vinaigrette. Rounding out the options are a sushi, sashimi, small plates, and a variety of oysters.