Clockwise from top left: Dining room at Sous Sous, lamb tagine from Marrakesh L.A., pastries from Louma Bakery, passion fruit-lime icebox pie from Chainsaw cafe, seafood paella from Picala.
(Myung J. Chun, Stephanie Breijo, Danielle Dorsey / Los Angeles Times, Tom McGovern / For The Times )
Shh. If you listen closely, you can hear the opening bells of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” jingling lightly in the distance as we round the corner from Halloween straight into the holiday season.
But before you start shopping for turkeys and Black Friday deals, there’s plenty to entertain your palate in L.A. Start by exploring The Times’ annual 101 Best Restaurants guide written by restaurant critics Bill Addison and Jenn Harris that ranks the places that define our region’s evolving food scene. They also added two new entries to The Times’ Restaurant Hall of Fame and highlighted five new watering holes spanning cocktails, wine and one ambitious coffee destination. Order the physical magazine online and use the checklist to track your progress in eating through the list.
Scour our staff gift guide for ideas, including limited-edition tote bags made locally with Big Bud Press, with designs that celebrate our city’s diverse food landscape, from pastries to pumpkins and heirloom tomatoes.
Keep reading for even more dining ideas this month, including a French-Southern restaurant in a former Silver Lake church, the expansion of a famed Persian restaurant to Century City and a new Filipino-West African cafe in West Hollywood.
Showing Place Places
Aunt Yvette’s Kitchen
Eagle Rock Ethiopian $$
(Jess Stephens / For The Times)
While Little Ethiopia stands out as the first officially recognized ethnic enclave in L.A. with more than a dozen Ethiopian businesses lining South Fairfax Avenue, restaurant critic Bill Addison highlights Aunt Yvette’s Kitchen, an Ethiopian restaurant across town in Eagle Rock. The restaurant strikes a balance between tradition and experimentation with bottomless injera bread that always arrives fresh, veggie combo platters and whole trout, as well as creative ice cream dishes including a sundae with Ethiopian coffee-infused chocolate sauce, bruleed bananas, banana ice cream and cardamom chantilly cream, topped with sunflower seeds, hazelnuts and pistachios.
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Birria Pa La Cruda
El Sereno Mexican $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
A longtime pop-up from a Bestia and Otium alum has found a home in El Sereno. Chef-owner Carlos Jaquez began Birria Pa La Cruda as a pop-up in 2019 but turned his focus to it in 2020 when his workplaces closed due to the pandemic. He brought his long-braised, smoky birria — deep with flavor from the extra charring that many of its ingredients receive — to sidewalks around L.A. for roughly seven years before finding this new home in the neighborhood where he was raised.
Now Birria Pa La Cruda has a restaurant in El Sereno with plenty of patio seating and new menu items. Jaquez is using the kitchen space to experiment with oak-grilled chicken marinated in many of the birria’s same spices; mushrooms in salsa verde; a rotating, seasonal tamal drenched in his date mole; a rice bowl; weekend-only chilaquiles; and salsas made weekly in an enormous molcajete that sits at the front of the restaurant.
Now Birria Pa La Cruda has a restaurant in El Sereno with plenty of patio seating and new menu items. Jaquez is using the kitchen space to experiment with oak-grilled chicken marinated in many of the birria’s same spices; mushrooms in salsa verde; a rotating, seasonal tamal drenched in his date mole; a rice bowl; weekend-only chilaquiles; and salsas made weekly in an enormous molcajete that sits at the front of the restaurant.
Bower Surf Club
Santa Monica Australian $$
(Danielle Dorsey / Los Angeles Times)
Anchoring the Colorado Center in Santa Monica is the all-day, Aussie-inspired cafe Bower Surf Club from restaurateur Dave Harper. Just opened in September, the spacious indoor-outdoor restaurant quickly became a favorite among remote workers as well as those working in adjacent office buildings. The menu from executive chef Robert Song (Mina Group, Girl & the Goat) features scratch-made pastries, coconut mochi pancakes and a breakfast burrito in the morning (with a few select items available until 3 p.m.), and Pacific Rockfish tacos, a rice noodle salad and build-your-own bowl options for lunch and early dinner. Beverages span coffee and matcha drinks, smoothies, house-made sodas, beer, wine and a handful of cocktails. The cafe is focusing on its daytime offerings as it solidifies itself as a community third space, with plans to expand into dinner service soon.
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The Brothers Sushi Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills Japanese Sushi $$$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
One of L.A.’s favorite sushi names just expanded to Beverly Hills with a sleek new gold-accented space and a first-time partnership for its longtime chef. Brothers Sushi — with locations in Woodland Hills, Santa Monica and Culver City — is now serving nigiri, dry-aged seafood, artful Japanese small plates, rolls and sashimi in Beverly Hills with a menu helmed by Moriyuki Kanamaru. Brothers founder Mark Okuda met Kanamaru while working together at legendary sushi bar Asanebo, and when Okuda opened his own restaurant, Kanamaru followed. Now Kanamaru is a partner in the Beverly Hills location and serving a few unique items within, including a teriyaki-burger-inspired A5 Wagyu slider; Cajun-spiced albacore; a miso-laced, caviar-topped spicy tuna crispy rice; and straw-fire-smoked chutoro sashimi. Many of the Brothers signature items can be found here as well, such as toro with ice plant and clam miso soup, along with a refrigerated case displaying Brothers’ dry-aged seafood in the dining room.
Chainsaw
Larchmont Venezuelan $$$
(Tom McGovern / For The Times)
Chef Karla Subero Pittol went from hosting supper clubs out of her Echo Park garage to a cozy space in up-and-coming Melrose Hill, where she helms an always-evolving menu with arepas, a Venezulan-style flan latte and passion fruit-lime icebox pie. Don’t disregard the specials board, which might advertise milanesa de pollo with tamarind barbecue sauce or a perros caliente mounded with purple cabbage, potato sticks and Parmesan cheese, depending on the day. Recently, Pittol has been whipping up creative ice cream flavors, including Inka Cola-inspired bubblegum and strawberry-passion fruit.
Chez Mar Vista
Mar Vista Seafood $$
(Danielle Dorsey / Los Angeles Times)
From former Dudley Market and Esters chef Wesley Barden, Chez Mar is a casual bistro and raw bar in Mar Vista. The interior draws your attention with its open kitchen, record player and crates of punk albums, while the string-lighted back patio features a bar from next-door neighbor Mavro with a tight wine list that can be ordered until the restaurant secures its wine and beer license. Sample daily-changing crudo, scallop carpaccio, mussels marinières with house-baked sourdough brioche for sopping up the parsley-leek sauce underneath, and oysters served simply with lemon and mignonette. The duck cassoulet has quickly become a customer-favorite dish.
Darling
West Hollywood Wood fired $$$
(Shelby Moore / For The Times)
Renowned Southern chef Sean Brock (Husk, Audrey, June) opened his first West Coast restaurant with Darling in West Hollywood last summer, originally with an intention to hone in on California cuisine. But demand for his Southern specialties proved too high, and in recent months Brock has transformed the menu to reflect his roots. That means you can now order deviled eggs topped with bluefin tuna belly, crispy-edged cornbread, barbecue chicken served with cornmeal-fried okra, and a Virginia peanut tart with sorghum syrup for dessert. Sunday brunch adds buttermilk biscuits with tomato jam, fried chicken and black cod and grits alongside creative daytime-appropriate cocktails such as the Amber Royale with reposado tequila, golden beet, herbal liqueur, citrus and sparkling wine. The space also features a hi-fi lounge adjacent to the dining room, where Brock can often be found spinning records from his personal collection.
Grill 'Em All
Long Beach Burgers $
(Matthew Chernus)
In late October Long Beach’s heavy-metal-inspired burger shack was one of many businesses up and down the coast that experienced flooding. Due to its bayside location along the peninsula, a record-breaking king tide wreaked havoc on Grill ’Em All’s dining room. But after closing temporarily, owner Matthew Chernus reopened with his full menu of loaded fries and classic or piled-high burgers such as the Napalm Death topped with jalapeño poppers, and the Ozzy Osbourne with chimichurri, fried onions and a black bun.
The Hart and the Hunter
Beverly Grove American Breakfast/Brunch $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
After five years away, some of the city’s favorite biscuits have returned. Southern-inspired restaurant the Hart and the Hunter debuted in 2012 at the base of the Palihotel Melrose with an all-day brunch menu and fluffy, flaky biscuits that late L.A. Times restaurant critic Jonathan Gold called “really pretty extraordinary, as light and delicate as the angel biscuits you sometimes find in the best Southern households.” The restaurant expanded to Seattle in 2018 and closed its L.A. outpost during the pandemic, but on Sept. 30 it returned with those signature biscuits and chicken pot pie, smoked corned beef hash and cinnamon French toast. Look for specials such as a $30 weekday lunch prix fixe, or the $20 daily “girl brunch” of Caesar salad, fries and a spritz.
Josephine
Silver Lake French Italian $$
(Danielle Dorsey / Los Angeles Times)
Tucked in a charming Craftsman home in Silver Lake, Josephine took over the former Bowery Bungalow space earlier this year and revamped its menu to a monthly rotating format with French-Italian plates. Start with pomegranate-dotted salmon carpaccio or house-made foccacia before moving onto more sizable options such as the signature half or whole chicken with lemon-thyme jus over creamy polenta and steak smothered in a sansho peppercorn sauce and served with duck fat fries. Small-batch creamery Servet is behind the ice cream, which was recently an au poivre flavor made with an eggless rosemary-caramel base and topped with a cruchy peppercorn brittle and a drizzle of olive oil. The wine list focuses on small, low-intervention producers, with plenty of bottles under $100.
Louma Bakery
Santa Monica Bakery $
(Danielle Dorsey / Los Angeles Times)
Run by sisters Milla and Tara Ghandour, this nonprofit bakery is named after their other sister, Louma, and dedicated to providing supportive training and employment opportunities for individuals with learning and developmental disabilities. The seasonally rotating menu features European recipes with a Levantine bent — think: Lebanese kaak bread alongside focaccia and Danish rye, za’atar croissants and orange blossom buns, with black sesame cream tops garnishing espresso and matcha lattes. A selection of sandwiches on house-baked breads are available, including chicken pesto and jambon buerre, as well as granola and other grab-and-go items.
Marrakesh LA
Fairfax Moroccan $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Chef Hicham Foual and his wife, Imane Wafik, arrived in Los Angeles 14 years ago and quickly launched their popular Moroccan catering operation. In September, it blossomed into a Fairfax District restaurant complete with a serene courtyard patio, a dining room perched over Melrose Avenue, and many of Foual’s signature dishes. The menu is full of shareable items: large silver platters of mezze; lamb shank tagine slowly stewed with prunes, apricots and almonds; roast half chicken and fries in lemon sauce; and large-format Royal Couscous among them. The bread is baked in-house and best dredged through Foual’s aromatic sauces. To finish, there’s mint tea poured from a height, and desserts including baklava, jawhara and dark chocolate mousse.
Masarap Cafe
West Hollywood Filipino West African $
(Masarap Cafe)
After popping up at local farmers markets for years, husband-and-wife team Felix Agyei and Hazel Rojas, who fuse their West African and Filipino heritages into one cohesive menu, have opened Masarap Cafe for dine-in and takeout in West Hollywood. The menu features iconic dishes from each cuisine, including a pandesal longganisa breakfast sandwich, chicken lumpia, braised oxtail or goat with jollof rice and peanut butter soup, plus ube puff puffs and pistachio san rival for dessert. The beverage list spans hibiscus-ginger juice, mango and ube shakes and barako coffee as well as wine and beer.
Masa y Taza
Long Beach Mexican Breakfast/Lunch $
(Jenn Harris / Los Angeles Times)
Breakfast burritos are one of L.A.’s most iconic foods and you’ll find the hefty, all-day dish offered at taquerias, Aussie-inspired cafes, French bakeries and everywhere in between, with new entrants frequently unseating former favorites. Restaurant critic Jenn Harris adds a new Long Beach cafe to the county lexicon, with a full menu of breakfast burritos wrapped in Chihuahua-style flour tortillas. At Masa y Taza, you can get your burrito stuffed with red pork chorizo; green chicken chorizo; sauteed nopales and bell pepper confit for a vegan take (vegan tortillas are available upon request); or the classic bacon, egg, potatoes and cheese. Tacos and churro French toast round out the food options, while beverages include a selection of aguas frescas made fresh daily, café de olla, a mocha with Mexican chocolate and specials like a mazapán banana latte.
Onimaru
Downtown L.A. Japanese $
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Grab a tray and load up on some of L.A.’s most fun onigiri at Onimaru, a restaurant within a restaurant in Little Tokyo. The Kyoto-founded chain took over the former takoyaki stall inside Chinchikurin, and serves a range of styles such as shiso-adorned triangles flecked with chicken and plum; rectangles layered with egg and glazed unagi, katsu chicken or shrimp tempura; and nori-wrapped options bursting with sesame salmon, kimchi tuna or mentaiko. An L.A.-only option stacks sliced avocado and smoked salmon atop the brand’s premium, Hokkaido-imported rice. Guests can watch Onimaru’s team grill and wrap the fresh yaki-musubi from a window on the edge of Japanese Village Plaza, then walk inside, grab a tray and choose from a bounty of onigiri, which are prepared and replenished throughout the day and range from $2.50 to $9.
Perse
Persian $$$
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
In a rooftop space in Brentwood, co-owner Farinaz “Naz” Pirshirazi is showcasing regional dishes rarely seen in L.A.’s wealth of Persian restaurants at her restaurant Perse, which opened earlier this year. Restaurant critic Bill Addison urges diners to order the unassuming-sounding market fish, which pulls inspiration from mahi shekam por, a Nowruz staple that stuffs fish with an assortment of herbs, nuts and dried berries. From there, try beef cheek tahchin and bazari koobideh for dinner, or Turkish eggs and a saffron pancake for weekend brunch. The beverage menu includes creative cocktails and a short wine list, but Addison recommends opting for one of the sharbat, or fruit-based nonalcoholic drinks.
Picala
West Adams Spanish $$
(Danielle Dorsey / Los Angeles Times)
Central Coast-based Acme Hospitality group journeyed south with the opening of Picala at the Cumulus District in West Adams. Chef Luis Sierra is behind the menu that blends Spanish tradition and California cooking with cauliflower and blue cheese-stuffed croquetas, a Spanish tortilla that can be optionally topped with truffle brie, gambas al aillo and a few paellas, including mushrooms and legumes for a vegetarian take, chicken and chorizo with padron peppers and a mariscos option with squid, Caledonian shrimp and clams. Cocktails are seasonally inspired, such as Melón with olive oil-washed mezcal, cantaloupe, lemon and agave, plus white and red sangria and a handful of gin and tonic options. Spanish producers dominate the wine list.
Redondo Beach International Boardwalk
Redondo Beach Various Styles $
(Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)
A string of businesses along Redondo Beach’s International Boardwalk found themselves a bit under water in late October, but most are now open for business. While much of the pier remained dry, October’s record-setting king tide periodically submerged the boardwalk and lightly flooded some of the neighborhood’s favorite restaurants, including the 73-year-old market and eatery Quality Seafood, newer brewpub Project Barley, and sports bar the Slip. Some of these beachside spots suffered financial losses due to the flooding. Drop by the boardwalk and the pier to try dozens of restaurants, coffee shops and ice cream parlors, and enjoy a scenic stroll while you do.
Rumi's Kitchen
Century City Persian $$$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
With eye-catching platters of fire-grilled kabobs, hearty bowls of herby simmered stews, and drizzles of tangy-sweet pomegranate molasses, popular high-end Persian chain Rumi’s Kitchen has landed in Los Angeles and marks a return for its chef-founder. Ali Mesghali grew up in both Esfahan, Iran, and L.A., and cooked in Persian restaurants throughout California before launching Rumi’s Kitchen in Atlanta in 2006. Through the years he spread his produce-centric dips, large-format meats and crispy-edged tahdig to more of Georgia, Washington, D.C., and Texas, and in late fall, touched down on the West Coast with a sprawling, 310-seat location on the second story of the Westfield Century City mall. The latest Rumi’s Kitchen — which is co-owned by Mesghali, Maryam Tabassian and Stephen Kaplan — spans over 11,000 square feet and includes a few unique dishes such as large-format coal-roasted meats, as well as an open kitchen, a patio and two private dining rooms.
Sous Sous
Silver Lake French Southern $$
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
A former, almost-century-old Romanesque church is now home to one of Silver Lake’s buzziest dining destinations. Sous Sous comes courtesy of De La Nonna chef Patrick Costa, with a seasonal menu that blends culinary influence from France and the American South, resulting in highlights such as plush serrano chile-stuffed hush puppies with honey butter, crab salad topped with pickled roe and served with Ritz crackers and a cheeseburger that’s halved and served face down in sauce — upgrade it to a peppery au poivre sauce for $6 more.
Tiger's Den
Koreatown Japanese $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
For those times you want to enjoy a platter of sushi or chirashi from the comfort of your couch, restaurant critic Jenn Harris recommends Tiger’s Den as her favorite new Japanese restaurant and market for takeout, located in Koreatown. The selection fluctuates based on what chef-owner Sam Koo is able to source from local wholesale seafood distributors and his own tastes. All of the fish is hand-sliced and Nikishi premium rice is used for nigiri and rolls. Japanese pantry items, snacks and bento round out the selection, including Spam and masago musubi and ultra-crunchy karaage. Chirashi boxes range from $23 to $55, rolls start at $5 and bento is priced between $4 and $11.
Umitosora
Downtown L.A. Sushi $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
The sushi team that brought us downtown’s Temaki Society and Silver Lake’s Sonmari are now operating in Chinatown with Umitosora, a sushi bar with luxe options. Find it at the base of La Plaza Village housing complex and you’ll also find classic nigiri, sashimi and rolls along with overflowing tempura bowls and modern Japanese dishes such as chicken-skin gyoza and a miso-and-panko spin on oysters Rockefeller. The premium items are its most unique, including the signature Gold Bar, which tops potato pavé with uni, truffled mayo and chives, and the artfully arranged kaiden don, which piles a small mountain of Hokkaido scallops, uni, ikura, sweet shrimp, tuna taku and pickled vegetables onto rice.
YUU Japanese Food Hall
Japanese $$
(Round One Entertainment Inc.)
A slew of Japanese food concepts have expanded stateside for the first time with YUU Japanese Food Hall, which opened in Ventura’s Pacific View shopping mall after three years of diligent preparation, including the installation of a filtration system that produces soft, low-mineral water similar to what you’ll find in Japan. Food court vendors offer ramen, curry, onigiri, udon, karaage and more, with a full bar serving cocktails, beer, wine and sake. Guests place orders at self-service kiosks and screens above the kiosks and at the corresponding stalls display order numbers when items are ready for pick up. Upstairs is the Round1 bowling alley and arcade, with karaoke, rows of claw machines and other games imported from Japan. Additional locations of YUU are expected to open in Southern California in the coming months, with a fresh slate of vendors hailing from Japan.
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