While it may be nicknamed the ‘City of Angels’, we reckon it should be rebranded as the ‘City of Glorious Grub’. No? Perhaps not as catchy. Like every decent food city, LA’s culinary scene thrives on diversity. The result? Everything from reliable neighbourhood establishments, to cross-genre formats and fine dining restaurants. This leads to the mother of all questions - where to eat in Los Angeles? Luckily for you, this is where we experts here at Plum Guide step in. Truth be told, there are so many places we would happily sit in LA traffic for an hour to get to. We could easily make a list of best restaurants in Los Angeles about twenty pages long, so we’ve had to work really hard to curate the best of the best. You’re welcome.
Causita, Silver Lake
A bowl of lobster-filled dumplings like those seen at Causita in Los Angeles, USA
Causita specialises in a mashup between Peruvian and Japanese cuisine known as Nikkei, born from Japanese immigrants in Peru. Chef Ricardo Zarate brings the vibrant Peruvian ingredients together with Japan’s refined culinary styles and techniques. Standout dishes include lobster-filled dumplings with aioli, grilled octopus topped with goat cheese mousse, chocolatas clams smothered in leche de tigre and an apple criolla sauce, and chewy udon noodles in a Peruvian pesto. The drinks menu is equally as inventive, from cocktails made with Japanese gin and Peruvian pisco, to South American wines and sake. Causita is Peruvian slang for ‘best friends’, and this is exactly the vibe. It’s lively and crowded, both in the bright, airy dining room and the verdant open-air patio.
Silver Shell, Plum Guide home in Silver Lake, Los Angeles, USA
Bar Moruno, Silver Lake
Right next door to Causita is Bar Moruno, an upscale Spanish restaurant serving excellent drinks and even better food. You’ll want to try everything, so we recommend sticking to the small dishes like the chorizo scotch egg, oven-roasted marinated feta, octopus in paprika sauce, and juicy beef morunos. There are also several different conserva boards on the menu, from sea urchin roes in brine to sardines in olive oil. There’s something delightfully fun and old-school about tucking into canned fish at a restaurant, and it makes a change from regular table bread. Bar Moruno is worth visiting just for the drinks, which have a focus on vermouth, gin, and sherry (there’s a whole gin martini section). Get out of your comfort zone with the salmon martini (made with actual salmon infused gin), atxa dry and blanco vermuts, and caperberry. Why eat your salmon and caper bagel when you can drink it instead?
Providence, Hollywood
A close up view of slices of salmon sashimi
If a restaurant has been around for the past 17 years and is still sold out almost every night, you know they’re doing something right - and Providence’s two Michelin stars are a testament to this. Chef Michael Cimarusti and partner Donato Poto have created something special, with an aquatic menu showcasing the freshest seafood available. You’ll get what you pay for and more, with a rotating menu featuring eight courses, and an experienced server who explains the process. Courses often start with items like briny oysters or beautiful slices of sashimi, and end with showstoppers such as whole-roasted turbot or a generous portion of king salmon. Providence is worth taking a detour for, no matter where you are.
Hollywood Swinging, Plum Guide home in Hollywood, Los Angeles, USA
Bestia, Downtown Arts District
Bestia is expensive and hard to get into, but you know what they say - nothing good comes easy. Ever since it opened in 2012, it’s remained one of the best places for Italian food in the city. Chef-owner husband and wife duo Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis cook up impeccable Neapolitan-style pizzas, as well as inventive pastas like the spaghetti rustichella, a serving of noodles under dungeness crab, citrus, Calabrian chilli, Thai basil, and onion seed. They also serve charcuterie meats that change daily - the salumi is homemade - which you’ll find is quite rare in LA. The only thing we wouldn’t recommend is skipping dessert, as pastry chef Gergis’s sweet treats are something always worth coming back for.
Langer’s Deli, Westlake
A close up view of a toasted pastrami sandwich
New York may have Katz’s, but LA has Langer’s Deli - which could very well be the best pastrami in the country. This James Beard Award-winning Jewish deli has been around since 1947, so we’re sure they know a thing or two about deli meats. This institution may be a bit of a time warp, but it’s an LA classic. To get to the heart of the city’s pastrami culture, we advise you to try the iconic #19 - a hot pastrami sandwich with Swiss cheese, slaw, and Russian-style dressing on tangy rye bread. Langer’s Deli requires multiple trips to try the full extent of the menu, but we’re not complaining.
Butterfly Bleu, Plum Guide home in Westlake, Los Angeles, USA
Hayato, Downtown Arts District
With two Michelin stars in the bag, Hayato is an experience as much as it is a meal. Come here for kaiseki, a traditional Japanese multi-course dinner (if you’re lucky enough to book a reservation - dinner reservations sell out almost immediately as they go live). You’ll have to be fine with having no idea what you’re going to eat, but with chef-owner Brandon Hayato Go’s delicate flavours and techniques, we wouldn’t worry too much. He masterfully conjures up dishes like steamed abalone with liver sauce, delicate crab meatball soup, and donabe finale - fill your bowl with as much freshly cooked seafood and rice as you like.
Saffy’s, Melrose Hill
A bird's eye view of snapper tagine and other mezze dishes
From the group that brought you Bestia and Bavel, comes this casual Middle Eastern restaurant serving up traditional, home-style cooking. As soon as you step in you’re greeted with high ceilings, bespoke lighting, and art deco flourishes. Take a seat round the large, curved bar, or grab a table by the open kitchen and watch the sparks fly as spit-roasted meat rotates elegantly. As well as a variety of dips, flatbreads, and small mezze dishes, you’ll also find large plates like snapper tagine with ginger, turmeric, serrano, and cilantro over coconut rice, and a wood-fired shawarma with lamb, beef, and all the sides. Wash it all down with innovative cocktails such as the mezcal sour with passionfruit, pineapple, and carrot. Start the food coma early, and visit Saffy’s Coffee & Tea Shop right next door for a selection of pastries, coffee, and tea.
Quartz & Chandeliers, Plum Guide home in Melrose, Los Angeles, USA
Republique, Mid-Wilshire
Republique is one of the best restaurants in Los Angeles, and can almost be labelled a landmark at this point. The moment you walk in, you’re blown away by its marvellous gothic-style dining room and arched ceilings (fun fact, it was once home to Charlie Chaplin’s film studio). Open from breakfast to dinner, there's never a bad time to visit. Start the day with shakshuka and omelettes made with gruyere and finely chopped herbs, or choose from the glass case jam-packed with pastries and baked goods - such as kouign amanns, chocolate bombolinis, and ube coconut bundt cakes (one of the hardest decisions you’ll ever make is choosing just one). Come evening, the menu is a lovely crossover between French bistro and Californian cuisine, with dishes like roast chicken, lobster mafaldine, and beef short rib kimchi fried rice.
Spago, Beverly Hills
A homemade wiener schnitzel in a restaurant
What would a list of best restaurants in Los Angeles be without Spago? Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck’s flagship restaurant is one for special occasions, where you’re likely to be seated next to the latest big name in Hollywood. After almost 40 years, Spago manages to stay relevant thanks to an ever-changing menu featuring locally-sourced Californian-American dishes. Iconic dishes including smoked salmon pizza and wiener schnitzel that made this place famous aren’t on the menu anymore, but you just have to ask. If it’s your first time visiting Spago, we recommend opting for the tasting menu - an endless stream of classics.
The Sculpture Garden, Plum Guide home in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, USA
Damian, Downtown Arts District
Putting a twist on the usual Mexican eateries, Damian is Mexican fine dining from world-renowned chef Enrique Olvera of Mexico City’s Pujol and NYC’s Cosme. His upscale approach to modern Mexican cuisine really pays off in the well-crafted seafood, meat, and vegetable dishes. The menu changes seasonally, but firm favourites are the Ensenada-style smoked clams, family-style costillas enmoladas (pork ribs in mole), and duck al pastor. Each bite reflects traditional Mexican cooking techniques, as well as the finest seasonal Californian produce. Make room for dessert, because the hibiscus meringue is to die for.
