#los-angeles-dining

#los-angeles-dining

The last decade has seen monumental shifts toward vegan dining, and Crossroads Kitchen in Beverly Grove has played a major role. Clichés can overwhelm discussions surrounding vegan restaurants, with side-eyed assumptions on menus that emphasize tofu, meat substitutes, and nutritional yeast. Yet chef and founder Tal Ronnen has struck a chord in Los Angeles and beyond with white tablecloths, stellar wines, intimate service, and an innovative menu favored by locals and A-list celebrities.

The great truth of Los Angeles dining has, and I trust always will be, that $500 omakases and caviar-spackled tasting menus exist alongside tacos stands, noodle parlors, shawarma shops and sandwich specialists - the places, often mirroring the culture of their communities, that give the city its truest from-the-ground-up identity. This is the second year that columnist Jenn Harris and I have co-written the annual 101 Best Restaurants in Los Angeles,

When it opened last fall, Somerville immediately became one of the city's toughest reservations. The first fine-dining concept from partners Ajay Relan, Yonnie Hagos and Issa Rae of Good Vibes Only (GVO) hospitality group, the glitzy supper club is a sepia-toned tribute to South-Central, named in honor of the Central Avenue hotel where musicians like Duke Ellington and Billie Holiday once stayed while touring jazz and blues clubs along the busy thoroughfare. This month, it was ranked on The Times' 101 Best Restaurants guide.

In early August, Food columnist Jenn Harris and I convened at Mae Malai Thai House of Noodles in Hollywood for a lunch meeting. Our purpose (beyond savoring $8.95 bowls of Malai Data's signature boat noodles): to begin creating The Times' annual guide to the 101 Best Restaurants in Los Angeles, our second one together. The 2025 edition - the work of which kicked off over our summer meal - goes live online on Tuesday evening.

After years of anticipation, Singapore's xiao long bao specialist Paradise Dynasty just made its Los Angeles debut. The restaurant opened on Friday, November 21, at the Americana at Brand, in the former Din Tai Fung space. Joining Paradise Dynasty at the Americana is Le Shrimp Noodle Bar, a sister restaurant serving shrimp broth noodles. This is the second U.S. location for Paradise Dynasty, which made its stateside debut in 2021 at South Coast Plaza;

You're here for the pizza, so start with a cheese slice: Like a French omelet or a pilsner, there's nowhere to hide with a plain pie. Bub's version is pristine with bright tomato sauce tempered by dried herbs and sourdough tang throughout. They don't claim to be New York style, and that's wise: the pie is a little puffier with a tart crust that yields rather than shatters.

One of my favorite things to eat when I'm in Thailand is leng saap, a tower of pork ribs drowned in an aggressively spicy blend of fish sauce, lime, and Thai chiles that's often served with cubes of pork blood. It's a dish that's hard to come across in Los Angeles, but I enjoyed it recently in an unlikely place: Haemaru Sullungtang in Koreatown.

Fortunately, there are many dining destinations in Los Angeles where both parents and young ones can eat well and leave satisfied. The restaurants featured on this list are friendly to families;

On L.A.'s heat map, you'll often find the hottest temperatures concentrated in the San Fernando Valley. But despite this reputation, there are still plenty of places worth ducking into for more than a blast of cool AC. Home to roughly half of L.A.'s population and dozens of neighborhoods, the Valley boasts a parade of sushi restaurants along Ventura Boulevard, a thrilling Thai food scene, long-standing burger shacks and plenty of breweries, wine and cocktail bars. And arguably the best restaurant in the region just reopened its doors after remodeling its dining room.

Chef Curtis Stone's Gwen, the Michelin-starred restaurant, will close in Hollywood after eight years in August, aiming to relocate to the Westside.