Bistros, trattorias and the everyday places where Los Angeles actually eats.
Bistros, trattorias, taverns and neighbourhood rooms: the mid-tier places where Los Angeles actually eats.
Jessica Koslow's Sqirl on Virgil Avenue, Los Angeles invented the ricotta toast format in 2012 and still draws a daily brunch line at the counter.
OrderRicotta toast on Sqirl brioche with house jam.
TipOrder at the counter, sit at a sidewalk picnic table; the queue is for groups, not solos.
Guisados in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles serves mini braised-meat tacos from a tortilleria a block away. Six locations across the city, this is the original.
OrderSampler plate of six mini tacos with chicharron in salsa verde.
TipThe original Boyle Heights branch is the strongest; salsas are made every morning. Closes by 21:00.
Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson's Kismet in Los Feliz, Los Angeles plates a vegetable-led California Mediterranean menu in a sunny corner room.
OrderCrispy turmeric chicken with sumac and freekeh.
TipBrunch on weekends from 09:00 takes walk-ins; dinner is a 30-day-out booking.
Tyler Wells and Ashley Wells's All Time in Los Feliz, Los Angeles runs a 30-seat neighbourhood room with the best brunch eggs in Eastside LA.
OrderEggs benedict on the brunch menu, lemon-pepper chicken at dinner.
TipBrunch is walk-in only Saturday and Sunday from 09:00; dinner books two weeks out.
Vivian Ku's Pine and Crane in Silver Lake, Los Angeles serves Taiwanese family recipes at a counter and a dozen tables on Griffith Park Boulevard.
OrderDan dan noodles and the three-cup chicken.
TipCounter service, fast turnover; this is the casual sibling of the more formal Joy in Highland Park.
Roy Choi's Kogi BBQ truck has rolled around Los Angeles since 2008, inventing the Korean-Mexican taco and the modern American food-truck movement.
OrderShort rib taco and the kimchi quesadilla.
TipFollow the truck's daily schedule on the website or Twitter; usually four stops a day across LA.
Vivian Ku's Joy on York Boulevard, Highland Park, Los Angeles serves Taiwanese family-style on a covered patio. Sister room to Pine and Crane in Silver Lake.
OrderBeef noodle soup and the scallion pancakes.
TipSister to Pine and Crane but takes bookings; ask the host for the back patio when you book.
Broken Mouth - Lee's Homestyle in Downtown Los Angeles serves Korean-Hawaiian rice bowls and spam musubi at lunch from a single counter on Hill Street.
OrderSpam musubi and the kalbi rice bowl.
TipLunch counter, downtown business district; closed Sundays. Cash and card both.
Burritos La Palma in East LA, Los Angeles wraps birria de res in handmade flour tortillas from Jerez, Zacatecas. James Beard finalist since 2018.
OrderBirria de res burrito wrapped in Zacatecas flour tortilla.
TipOpen 09:00-17:00; the burritos sell out by 14:00 on weekends. Eat in the car.
Tito's Tacos in Culver City, Los Angeles has fried hard-shell beef tacos at the same walk-up window on Washington Place since 1959. Cash only.
OrderHard-shell beef taco and a chile relleno burrito.
TipCash only at the original walk-up window; the picnic tables are 1959 vintage.
Cofax Coffee Shop on Fairfax, Los Angeles updated the LA breakfast burrito with chorizo verde and house-fermented hot sauces. A reliable Mid-City stop.
OrderChorizo verde breakfast burrito and a flat white.
TipCounter and patio only; queue at 09:30 weekends, walk-in fine weekdays.
Sun Nong Dan in Koreatown, Los Angeles serves seolleongtang ox-bone soup 24 hours a day and a cheese-topped galbi jjim that built a TikTok following.
OrderGalbi jjim braised short rib with cheese, finished tableside.
Tip24-hour, two-hour wait at 22:00 Friday; come at 23:30 instead, lines clear.
Tsujita LA in Sawtelle, Los Angeles is the LA outpost of Tokyo's Tsujita, simmering tonkotsu broth for 60 hours and serving it as ramen and tsukemen.
OrderTonkotsu tsukemen at lunch only.
TipTsukemen is served exclusively before 15:00; after 15:00 the menu switches to ramen and stays open until 02:00.
Matt Molina's Hippo in Highland Park, Los Angeles is a 50-seat Italian-California room serving handmade pastas from the Mozza alum since 2021.
OrderMortadella and pickle, the focaccia, and any pasta on the chalkboard.
TipThe chalkboard menu changes weekly; reservations only on OpenTable, four weeks out.
Chi Spacca on Melrose, Los Angeles is Nancy Silverton's Mozza-family Italian steakhouse, plating a bistecca for two and a focaccia di Recco worth a detour.
OrderBistecca alla Fiorentina for two; the focaccia di Recco to start.
TipWalk-in counter seats serve the full menu; Nancy Silverton's bakery shares the building.
Quarters Korean BBQ in Chapman Plaza, Koreatown, serves marinated and unmarinated cuts in quarter-pound portions, encouraging diners to sample widely.
OrderA platter of marinated short rib, brisket and pork belly, plus a soju cocktail.
TipQuarter-pound portions let two people taste eight cuts; the staff manages the grill so you do not over-char the galbi.
Chosun Galbee on Olympic Boulevard has grilled charcoal galbi in Koreatown since 1989, in a large patio-and-hall room that seats up to 300 guests.
OrderMarinated kalbi short rib over hardwood charcoal and a portion of dwenjang jjigae.
TipPatio tables are the local order; ask for charcoal not gas, and book at least a week ahead on a weekend.
Soowon Galbi on Vermont Avenue, Koreatown, grills charcoal short rib galbi as the house specialty in a 2000s-era room beloved by Korean families.
OrderThe charcoal galbi set with banchan and a pot of doenjang jjigae for the table.
TipSoowon uses real charcoal, not gas; arrive before 19:00 on weekends or expect a 60 minute wait.
Tacos Tu Madre on Westwood Boulevard near UCLA, Los Angeles, is a small walk-up window for tacos. Priced at $. Kitchen leans mexican-american.
OrderCarne asada fries piled with cheese, sour cream, guacamole and pico de gallo.
TipOrder at the walk-up window; the line moves fast and the half-portion is a meal for one.
Eduardo's Border Grill on Westwood Boulevard, Los Angeles, has served carne asada fries, burritos and combo plates from a corner counter for decades.
OrderCarne asada fries and a steak burrito with house red salsa for the table.
TipThis is a Westwood lunch counter; cash and card both fine, expect a queue around the UCLA lunch hour.
Cassell's Hamburgers inside the Hotel Normandie in Koreatown grinds its own chuck for griddled patties, a recipe in continuous use since 1948.
OrderThe third-pound cheeseburger with grilled onions, plus a vanilla malt for the side.
TipCassell's grinds beef in-house every morning; the breakfast burrito is the under-rated order from the same kitchen.
In-N-Out Burger on Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, is the chain landmark closest to the Walk of Fame, with late-night drive-through service until 1:30.
OrderA Double-Double Animal Style with grilled onions and extra spread, plus fries well done.
TipLate-night Friday and Saturday closes at 1:30, the queue spills around the block by midnight.
In-N-Out Burger near LAX on Sepulveda sits at the end of runway 24R, making it the chain branch that doubles as a plane-spotting picnic spot.
OrderA Double-Double Animal Style and a chocolate shake to eat on the patio.
TipThe patio is the move; aircraft pass directly overhead on approach to runway 24R every two minutes.
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