The Infatuation: Los Angeles is launching very soon. To prepare you accordingly, we had our team of LA writers, who you will meet very soon, put together an essential LA restaurant list for a first time visit. LA can be overwhelming on a number of different levels, and when it comes to food, where does one even start? We’re here to help.
This isn’t meant to be a definitive list of the city’s best restaurants – it’s just what we’d do if we were in your shoes. Other than those two “meetings” you have on the calendar for the week, we all know the main business at hand is to eat tacos and pound sushi.
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Breakfast
A. Egg Slut
Downtown LA
317 S. Broadway
We’re not sure anyone in the country is doing more exciting things with eggs than Egg Slut. Located downtown inside of Grand Central market, this place is home to incredibly creative and delicious egg sandwich creations, and their namesake “Slut,” an egg that’s poached in a jar with potato puree. Get one of each.
B. Tacos Villa Corona
Atwater Village
3185 Glendale Blvd.
Tacos Villa Corona is a pretty well known spot, thanks to people like Anthony Bourdain who has professed his love for their famous breakfast burritos. LA locals love it too, as evidenced by the line you’ll find there most mornings. Your choices are simple – you want a burrito with either papas or tortilla strips inside of it, and either chorizo or steak. Our favorite is steak with the strips, but you do you.
C. Nate ‘n Al’s Delicatessen
Beverly Hills
414 N. Beverly Dr.
This Beverly Hills diner is an LA classic. The food? It’s fine. But you need to come here once, just to feel like you’re in Hollywood “doing deals” or “producing” or whatever they call it.
D. Sqirl
East Hollywood
720 N. Virgil Ave.
Disclaimer: If you are considering a visit to Sqirl on a weekend, don’t. Unless you get there at 8am, you’re going to be waiting for the entire day for a piece of toast. If you are reading this on or planning a breakfast for a Tuesday morning, proceed. Sqirl is best known for the things they do over a piece of bread, but the small cafe has other excellent things to start your day with as well. And on a weekday, you might actually get in.
Lunch
E. Larchmont Wine & Cheese
223 N. Larchmont Blvd.
Operating from the back counter of a small wine and grocery store, Larchmont Wine and Cheese has both one of the smallest and greatest sandwich menus in Los Angeles. You pick a meat, they take it from there. You want to go baguette, and you probably want to go prosciutto. Dont’ ask. Just obey.
F. Langer’s
Westlake
704 S. Alvarado St.
This classic and legendary Jewish deli counter either serves the best pastrami sandwich in LA, or the best pastrami sandwich in the world. Or maybe it’s both. You decide.
In-N-Out
Various Locations
Yea, you’ve heard of In-N-Out. Maybe you’ve even been to one, in Vegas or (god forbid) Arizona. But you haven’t really had an In-N-Out burger until you’ve had one in LA. Pick any location you can find, say “double double, animal style” to anyone wearing a paper hat that will listen, and prepare for burger heaven.
G. Ricky’s Fish Tacos
East Hollywood
1400 N. Virgil Ave.
Fish tacos are really more of a San Diego thing, but Ricky’s are some of the best you can find in LA. Hit up this famous truck for a quick lunch, or a pre-dinner snack before having a sit down dinner somewhere on the east side.
H. Guisados
Boyle Heights
2100 E. Cesar Chavez Ave.
This Boyle Heights location is the original Guisados, but we’re not sure we want to send you all the way out there on your first LA trip. Instead, head for their Echo Park location, where you can bask in the very same chicken tinga taco goodness that made them famous in the first place.
I. Bay Cities Italian Deli & Bakery
Santa Monica
1517 Lincoln Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90401
Yes, we are telling you to go to an Italian deli in Santa Monica for a sandwich, knowing full well that you may be reading this from New York or half Italian or both. Here’s the deal though – neither of those things make you an expert, and any self-respecting LA resident will tell you that eating a Godmother from Bay Cities is a rite of passage.
J. Beverly Hills Juice
Beverly Grove
8382 Beverly Blvd.
You can’t really visit LA and not adapt to the lifestyle, and since you’re too uncoordinated to surf, your other option is to drink healthy juices on a daily basis. Beverly Hills Juice is the OG spot in Los Angeles, and the owner David has been cold pressing vegetables since 1975. Go say hi and have a shot of wheatgrass.
K. Phillipe’s
Chinatown
1001 N. Alameda St.
Home of the original French Dip sandwich, and you fight anyone you meet that tries to tell you that title belongs to Phillipe’s sort of rival Cole’s. This is where the real magic happens, a perfect roast beef sandwich on a perfect bun, perfect for dipping into beef juice. Don’t bother ordering anything else. Hit it before you head to Dodger Stadium.
L. Father’s Office
Santa Monica
1018 Montana Ave.
Father’s Office in Santa Monica is home to one of the most controversial burgers in all of LA. Some love the gourmet dry-aged beef, onion, and bleu cheese creation that chef Sang Yoon came up with 15 years ago – others hate the fact that you can’t make any substitutions to it. We fall on the side of “like” on this one, and even if you don’t love it, it’s an experience worth having.
Kogi Truck
Various Locations
Speaking of experiences worth having, you can’t really come to know the food scene in LA without knowing the Kogi Truck. Kogi basically started the modern food truck trend, selling Korean-inspired short rib beef tacos for cheap to the masses. Now chef Roi Choi has about 100 restaurants in Los Angeles and basically runs this town. Start here, then move on to the rest.
M. Malibu Farm
Mailbu
23000 Pacific Coast Hwy.
Malibu Farm is basically the place that’s going to make you hate wherever you live. Situated at the end of the Malibu Sport Fishing Pier, this little health food counter does healthy breakfast and lunch that you can eat in the sun while watching the waves crash. It does not suck.
Dinner
N. Animal
Fairfax
435 N. Fairfax Ave.
You know why we love Animal? Besides the fact that the food is incredible? We love it because it flies in the face of everything that Angelenos hold dear. Most meals at Animal go something like, “Oh, you had a green juice today? That’s wonderful. Here’s this pig ear salad.” Make this your number one dinner destination.
O. POT
Koreatown
3515 Wilshire Blvd.
This restaurant is not only our favorite from Roi Choi, but it’s one of our favorite restaurants in the entire city. The menu is interesting and experimental, though mostly Korean in nature. It’s also way cooler than us, and you. Hit it up, and order things called the “Poke Me” and the “Boot Knocker.” LA is filthy.
P. Kang Ho-Dong Baekjeong
Koreatown
3465 W. 6th St.
If more traditional Korean BBQ is what you’re after (and you should be), then Kang Ho-Dong Baekjong is the classic spot in LA to get it. Prepare to eat way too much food and to smelled like cooked meat for the next two hours. So yeah, pretty much the same as most nights at home.
Q. Bestia
Downtown
2121 E. 7th Pl.
On of LA’s truly great restaurants, and one that played a significant part in the rapid development of the currently booming downtown Art’s District. Just know that a meal at Bestia is not a casual or quick occasion. Set aside two hours and a few hundred bucks and do it correctly.
R. Son Of A Gun
Mid-Wilshire
8370 W. 3rd St.
Still worried about eating that pig ear salad from Animal and what it might do to your waistline? Don’t worry, the same folks have a seafood restaurant nearby called Son Of A Gun, and it’s full of healthy things from the ocean. JUST KIDDING THE BEST THING HERE IS A FRIED CHICKEN SANDWICH. And it really is glorious.
S. Dan Tana’s
West Hollywood
9071 Santa Monica Blvd.
Dan Tana’s makes this list simply because it’s classic Hollywood spot. It’s also still good for a celebrity sighting or two, assuming you consider that guy from My Two Dads a celebrity. Paul Reiser. It’s Paul Reiser.
T. Gjelina
Venice
1429 Abbot Kinney Blvd.
You’re going to want to go to Abbot Kinney, the main drag of Venice with all the shopping and restaurants and cool people. And the most important thing for you to do on Abbot Kinney is eat at Gjelina. This place is f*cking teeming with people who are sure they are the coolest people in LA, and you’ll be happy to let them think that – because you are eating a plate of beets and burrata and an incredible pizza. With your sunglasses on. Inside. Look what this town has done to you.
U. Chi Spacca
Hancock Park
6610 Melrose Ave.
We will preface this Chi Spacca recommendation by saying that before you consider a meal here, consider your credit card balance. In order to do Chi Spacca right, you’re going to spend some money. All of the money. Once you’ve come to terms with that, your mind will be blown by the incredible meats coming off of the wood burning grill in this tiny and excellent restaurant.
Sushi
We can’t really talk about LA without talking about sushi. The reality is, there is so much great stuff in this town that it’s impossible to name a few that are essential. But we’ll give it a shot anyway. Here are five of our favorites.
Sugarfish
Various Locations
No trip to LA is complete without eating sushi, and Sugarfish is a perfect place to start. Started by the man who created the legendary Sushi Nozawa, Sugarfish now has 8 locations across the city, each serving incredibly high quality sushi that you’ll pay far below market for. As a matter of fact, at $30 for 7 different pieces ($25 at lunch), this is the best deal in town, and one you have to cross off your list.
V. Urasawa
Beverly Hills
218 N. Rodeo Dr.
Pull up a seat at Urasawa, take out your wallet, your social security card, and simply hand over your entire net worth and creditworthiness to the man behind the counter. This is an incredibly good, incredibly expensive sushi meal. Do it once in your life. If you can do it on your first time in LA, you win.
W. Sushi Park
West Hollywood
8539 Sunset Blvd. #20
There is a sign outside of Sushi Park, situated near the door. It lists some things that you best not be expecting if you plan on eating there, including “NO Trendy Sushi, NO Takeout, and NO Spicy Tuna Roll. So what do you get? An expensive but excellent omakase that might include a few pieces of fish you’ve never seen/tasted before. Just don’t plan on documenting your experience. NO pictures are allowed either.
X. Sushi Gen
Downtown/Little Tokyo
422 E. 2nd St.
People line up for Sushi Gen in Little Tokyo, thanks to excellent sushi and a $15 lunch deal that gets you a plate of excellent sashimi and a miso soup. But don’t be afraid to drop some dollar on the omakase. It’s worth the spend.
Y. Sushi Zo
Culver City
9824 National Blvd.
There is no menu, only omakase at this legendary strip mall sushi spot. Let them drive, and go where the night takes you.
The Map
Click on a pin for more info.
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