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Los Angeles Tourism - logoDining in Los Angeles has always been a bit like wandering into the wardrobe in Narnia. You never know what world you’ll end up in — smoky yakitori one minute, velvet-draped supper club the next. In 2025, the city isn’t so much serving meals as it is serving stories. And each plate comes with a plot twist.

LA’s restaurants are more than places to eat. They’re culture in a bowl, rebellion in a roll, and memory made edible. Whether you’re sipping truffle-infused broth in Silver Lake or dunking a sky-high cookie into a latte on Abbot Kinney, the dining scene is as rich in character as it is in calories.

THE RISE OF THE SECRET SUPPER & CULT CANTINA

  • Le Le Dinner Club: The phrase ‘waiting list’ doesn’t begin to describe it. This exclusive supper club, hidden away like buried treasure, whisks 32 lucky guests on a food-and-wine odyssey through Italy’s Campania region. Think candlelight, Neapolitan warmth, and dishes so authentic you’ll be Googling flights to Naples before dessert.
  • 88 Club (Beverly Hills): Chef Mei Lin’s triumphant return to fine dining comes served with red fermented bean curd and topped with sweet and sour squirrel fish. The menu is audacious, the setting polished, and the buzz? Deafening.
  • Santa Canela (Highland Park): This bakery, owned by Ellen Ramos, is the type of place where queues form before sunrise, and the pastries tell stories. Ramos transforms her Mexican American roots into cinnamon-laced crescendos that feel like a hug from abuela.

REINVENTED SPACES, REIMAGINED PLATES

  • Cafe 2001 (Arts District): Katsu pork sandwiches and smoked trout with huckleberries? That’s just breakfast. With a dream team from London, Tokyo, and Berkeley behind the scenes, this spot goes from sunlit cafe to moody wine bar without missing a beat.
  • Firstborn (Chinatown): Anthony Wang’s menu reads like a biography — Beijing traditions, Southern US comfort, and Miami flair. Don’t skip the Chongqing chicken, which takes two days to make and disappears in two minutes flat.
  • Beethoven Market (Mar Vista): Rotisserie chicken, handmade pasta, and heritage vibes cooked up in a 1949 corner store. Jeremy Adler’s homage to the past is heartfelt, humble, and unmissable.

MICHELIN GLITTER & STARS-IN-WAITING

Seven LA eateries have been added to the California MICHELIN Guide this year, including:

  • Tomat
  • Bar Etoile
  • Kusano

Their stars are still pending, but foodies are already placing bets. Don’t wait for the ceremony. Get in now.

INTERNATIONAL INVASIONS & HOMETOWN HEROES

  • Asakura (Santa Monica): Tokyo’s fine-dining artistry lands in California with a 13-seat counter and meals plated like museum pieces.
  • Cosetta (Santa Monica): Zach Pollack makes pizza you’d gladly marry. From wood-fired crusts to burrata-stuffed dreams, this place is part pizzeria, part edible sonnet.
  • Voodoo Doughnut (Hollywood): The cult Portland chain lands on Melrose, peddling edible absurdities shaped like voodoo dolls, bacon strips, and cereal.
  • Takagi Coffee (Beverly Grove): Think soufflé pancakes that jiggle like Jell-O and omurice straight out of Osaka. It’s a Japanese brunch theatre.

A BAR FOR EVERY BENT

  • Daisy Margarita Bar (Sherman Oaks): Where tequila meets ceviche and classic cantina meets modern mixology.
  • The Ruby Fruit (Silver Lake): Back after a brief hiatus, this LGBTQ+ staple returns with popcorn chicken, grilled cheese, and dollar-off Happy Hours that stretch into memories.

THE BITE AHEAD: COMING SOON & WORTH THE WAIT

  • Downtown Dough (DTLA): A collab between Good Vibes Only Hospitality and Issa Rae, this pizza parlour moonlights inside Hilltop Coffee after hours. Yes, it’s pizza by starlight.
  • Matu Kai (Brentwood): Wagyu lovers, rejoice. Matu Kai is the glossy, carnivorous cousin of Matu in Beverly Hills, serving up carpaccio, meatballs and ribeyes with a reverent whisper.
  • Cafe Knotted (Century City): Korea’s favourite dessert bar finally lands in LA with cream-filled dreams and coffee fantasies.
  • Zaytinya (Culver City): José Andrés is at it again — this time Mediterranean meze done with flair inside The Shay hotel.
  • Levain Bakery (Venice): The Big Apple’s chunkiest cookies have made it to Venice, and they’re as addictive as ever.
  • Badmaash (Venice): The modern Indian icon expands to Abbot Kinney with a menu as bold as its murals.
  • Max and Helen’s (Larchmont): A love letter to diner culture from Phil Rosenthal and Nancy Silverton. Expect eggs, anecdotes and impeccable hash browns.
  • El Moro (Echo Park): Churros from Mexico City’s crown jewel of crunch and cinnamon.
  • Round 1 Delicious (West Hollywood): An eight-strong squad of Japanese eateries lands later this year. Yakitori, sushi, ramen — roll on.
  • Mensho Tokyo (Culver City): This ramen royalty from Japan is arriving soon with broth so rich it pays taxes.

 

 

By Jason Smith

 

 

 

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