Musso and Frank Grill on Hollywood Boulevard has poured martinis since 1919, and still pours them stiffer than anywhere else in Los Angeles.
Signature dishes: Martini, Chicken pot pie Thursday
Must order: Martini at the bar and the Thursday chicken pot pie.
Tip: The original 1919 bar is the seat to ask for; reservations are for the dining room, not the bar.
Address: 6667 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis's Saffy's in East Hollywood, Los Angeles, is a wood-fire shawarma room from the Bestia team. Open since 2023.
Signature: Lamb shawarma, Hummus
Order: Lamb shawarma off the rotating spit, with hot pita and hummus.
Tip: The bar serves the full menu walk-in; reservations are for the dining patio out back and book three weeks ahead.
Nobu Matsuhisa's original Beverly Hills, Los Angeles room from 1987 invented black cod miso and yellowtail jalapeno. Matsuhisa is the source.
Signature: Black cod miso, Yellowtail jalapeno
Order: Black cod miso and a round of yellowtail jalapeno.
Tip: Sit at the omakase counter for the strongest meal; the dining room serves the same a la carte but with no chef interaction.
Justin Pichetrungsi's Anajak Thai in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, runs his family's 1981 strip-mall Thai room as a James Beard 2023 Best Chef West winner.
Signature: Thai Taco Tuesday, Coconut curry
Order: On Tuesday, the Thai-taco menu. On other nights, the kao soi.
Tip: Justin Pichetrungsi's Thai Taco Tuesday menu sells out by 19:00; arrive at 17:00 sharp to get on the list.
Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis's Saffy's in East Hollywood, Los Angeles, is a wood-fire shawarma room from the Bestia team. Open since 2023.
Signature: Lamb shawarma, Hummus
Order: Lamb shawarma off the rotating spit, with hot pita and hummus.
Tip: The bar serves the full menu walk-in; reservations are for the dining patio out back and book three weeks ahead.
Avish Naran's Pijja Palace in Silver Lake, Los Angeles, fuses Italian-American pizza and pasta with Indian sauces in a sports-bar room. Walk-in only.
Signature: Tikka masala rigatoni, Chicken tikka pizza
Order: Tikka masala rigatoni and a chicken tikka pizza for the table.
Tip: Walk-in only, three TVs always on sports; the wait at 19:30 is 90 minutes, at 17:00 it is zero.
Sugarfish on 7th Street, downtown Los Angeles, applies the late Kazunori Nozawa Trust-Me set menu format to a casual sit-down room since 2012.
Signature: Trust Me set, Toro hand roll
Order: The Trust Me set: tuna sashimi, salmon and yellowtail nigiri, toro hand roll.
Tip: The Trust Me Lite is the better-value set for one; rice is warm, vinegar pronounced, fish room temperature.
KazuNori on Main Street in downtown Los Angeles is the original temaki handroll bar, with the five-roll set delivered within 30 seconds of rolling.
Signature: Blue crab handroll, Toro handroll
Order: The five-roll set: blue crab, scallop, lobster, yellowtail and toro in sequence.
Tip: Walk-in only, the line moves once a seat opens; eat each handroll within 30 seconds, the nori loses snap fast.
