Angelenos are nothing if not devoted to their cravings. They regularly battle long lines, grueling traffic and stiff competition for reservations at some of the best dining spots in Los Angeles – all to secure a few scrumptious sips and bites.
Why the devotion? Because LA residents have known for ages what the rest of the country has only realized recently: LA is a top-notch food metropolis, on par with old-school foodie favorites like New York City and Chicago. Grazing the city’s foodie delights is one of LA’s top experiences.
You’ll soon discover that the city’s cuisine is innovative, multicultural, rooted in the area’s history, and accessible – assuming you’re willing to wait in those lines! Here, life-changing culinary experiences are just as likely to happen at no-frills food stands as in fine-dining restaurants.
Now on to those culinary moments! Here are the best things to eat and drink in LA right now – and the best places to find them…
Chicken and lemon pancakes at Marelle (Santa Monica)
Riffing on the sweet-and-savory combo of chicken and waffles – one of the traditional foods of Los Angeles thanks to legendary joints such as Roscoe’s – Marelle added scrumptious lemon ricotta pancakes topped with crispy Jidori chicken and sweet roasted peppers to its breakfast and brunch menus.
This outpost for California cuisine is set in the recently opened oceanfront Sandbourne Santa Monica hotel. Grab a table with pool and beach views and wash down your pancakes with the tequila-and-bubbles tang of a La Vie en Rosé cocktail, which comes with a pair of rose-colored sunglasses.
How to get it: For weekend brunch, make a reservation online at least a few days in advance. Walk-ins on weekdays should be no problem.
Superfood smoothies at Erewhon (multiple locations)
Health food grocer Erewhon started a smoothie craze in LA that shows no sign of slowing down. Fruit-first concoctions mixed with premium ingredients such as blue spirulina and collagen powder have customers shelling out upwards of $20 per drink.
For a more moderate price of $11, go for the Regenerada Smoothie 2.0, which is packed with protein because of its star ingredient, Mikuna Chocho – a superfood grown only in the Andes Mountains. Even if the Regenerada drink falls off the menu, you can still add Mikuna Chocho to any other smoothie.
How to get it: Avoid a wait at the smoothie counter (sometimes up to 30 minutes, depending on what TikTok craze has taken off) by pre-ordering on Erewhon’s website and picking up 20 minutes later. There are branches in Santa Monica, Venice and other popular LA quarters.
Kale pizza at Side Pie (Altadena)
What started out as a COVID-era project in a side yard has now grown into a full bricks-and-mortar operation. The Grateful Dead-loving team at Side Pie have transported their pizza oven – emblazoned with a Stealie (the Dead’s famous skull and lightning bolt symbol) – to their Atladena storefront. In it, they cook up a delectable kale-covered pie called The Bobby Green, with mushrooms, mozzarella and plenty of garlic to keep things zesty.
Other favorites include Honey’s Hammered, topped with ham and drizzled with honey, and the Crabby Neighbor, made with a garlic-butter cream base and wild-caught crab meat. Peruse the shop’s impressive retail selection with Dead-inspired tees and hats, then take your pizza to go or grab a seat on the back patio.
How to get it: The back patio at their East Altadena Drive location is a seat-yourself, first-come-first-serve setup, so no reservations are needed. You can, however, order a pizza in advance online or by calling 707-SIDE-PIE.
Historic hot dogs at Tail O’ the Pup (West Hollywood)
You can’t miss Tail O’ the Pup. This hot-dog-shaped food stand became an architectural icon when it opened in 1946. The stand closed its shutters for more than a decade in 2005, but it re-emerged in 2022, reinvigorating the city’s love for frankfurters in the process.
Today, they serve an onion-smothered dog that’s an ode to their 1946 classic, plus an onion-free 1976 Pup and a border-style chili-covered creation. When you visit, keep your peepers peeled for the hidden door used to access the speakeasy-style The Lucky Tiki bar.
How to get it: Tail O’ the Pup is a casual, walk-up stand with outdoor seats and indoor seating in an adjacent building. Metered street parking is available, or you can park in the Sprouts parking structure for $2 with validation from Tail O’ the Pup.
Buried Treasure cocktails at The Lucky Tiki (West Hollywood)
Totally kitschy yet still very cool, tiki bars are a timeless treat for cocktail lovers. And here’s a fun fact: Tiki bars are a California creation, dating back to the legendary Don’s Beachcomber Cafe, which opened near Hollywood in 1933.
The tradition continues at West Hollywood’s The Lucky Tiki. This speakeasy is accessed by calling on an intercom hidden behind a door in a pickle barrel below the bar at Tail O’ the Pup. Call the concierge, then head upstairs and order a Buried Treasure – a bourbon cocktail that comes with a side of edible sand and a mini-shovel. Start digging and you may find treasure!
How to get it: Reservations are released 30 days in advance and usually snapped up immediately, so plan well ahead. Reserve a bar seat or high-top table for 90 minutes of cocktail-fueled escapism.
Muffuletta sandwiches at Bread Head (Santa Monica)
Los Angeles may be health-obsessed, but don’t believe that eating and drinking here means avoiding carbs at all costs. The city’s new obsession with Bread Head – a hip new sandwich outpost that opened on Santa Monica’s Montana Avenue in spring 2024 – proves otherwise.
Here, sandwiches that are easily the size of an adult’s noggin come on freshly baked bread, with Vermont Creamery cultured butter. The meat-filled muffuletta sandwich is certainly a splurge at $25, but it can easily feed two. Be sure to ask for a side of hot sauce and order an Arnold Palmer (iced tea with lemonade) to complete the experience.
How to get it: Order your sandwich online in advance to skip the wait (and there’s sure to be one at lunchtime).
Falafel tacos at MidEast Tacos (Silver Lake)
For indecisive eaters who can’t choose between Middle Eastern and Mexican, there’s MidEast Tacos, spanning both camps with its multicultural dishes. With outdoor tables that line a colorfully graffitied wall, this no-frills eatery serves up tacos, quesadillas and burritos that blend Armenian barbecue traditions with salsa and tortillas from south of the border. They’re best known for their falafel taco, but the steak kebab version is equally mouthwatering.
How to get it: Stroll up and order, then grab an outdoor table on either Sunset or Maltman Ave.
Wagyu laab smash burgers at Ban Ban Burger (Sawtelle)
The LA love affair with burgers espoused by landmark burger bars such as In-N-Out continues to evolve. The burger to eat nowadays is the smash burger, a thin patty pressed against a hot griddle for a crispy exterior and juicy interior.
Ban Ban Burger is all over this current iteration of beefy indulgence with their Thai takes on the standard smash burger, including a wagyu version with spicy laab (a tangy hot-and-sour Thai salad) and garlicky gremolata sauce. Just look out for their pink building with its small patio.
How to get it: Arrive at opening time (each day at noon) to avoid long lunch lines and snag a seat. You’ll earn extra satisfaction points for visiting on a Sunday when street parking is free. If you can wait for your wagyu, skip the dinner rush by stopping by after 8pm (doors close at 10pm).
Steak and eggs on the rooftop at The Wayfarer DTLA (Downtown)
Restaurants with a view are usually associated with LA’s Westside, where you can look out over the Pacific, but The Rooftop at The Wayfarer DTLA hotel gives you an entirely different perspective. Perched twelve stories up, you’ll dine alfresco surrounded by the city’s skyscrapers, with a fire pit to add extra evening ambiance.
Dining is s globe-trotting experience. The $39 prix fixe brunch offers totally unique combos, such as a Thai lemongrass and mango salad as a starter, achiote-marinated steak with eggs as a main, and beignets and bubbles on the side.
How to get it: Make a reservation online for brunch, lunch or dinner (a week in advance should be fine). Street parking is limited, but there is a paid parking structure nearby on Flower Street.
Kanpachi tacos and uni ceviche at Holbox (Historic South Central)
Edgy creations aren’t just the preserve of brand-new openings, as proven by Tail O’ the Pup. Holbox has been serving kanpachi (greater amberjack fish) tacos and uni (sea urchin) ceviche since 2017, and they’re just as hotly sought after now as they were back then.
Like the aforementioned hot dog stand, this Mexican seafood stop – named for an island off the country’s Caribbean coast – is entirely unpretentious. It’s part of the eight-stall Mercado La Paloma food hall, set inside a former garment factory in South Central.
How to get it: Most of the time Holbox is an order-at-the-counter type of place, but on Thursday and Friday evenings they do an eight-course tasting menu. Reservations are released on the first of the month for the following calendar month; book ahead online.