The Coolest, Hottest, Newest Places to Eat in Los Angeles

[Celerity]

LA’s best new spots include everything from tacos to tasting menus and magnificent kaiseki to South Carolina seafood.

https://www.thrillist.com/eat/los-angeles/best-restaurants-los-angeles


Photo courtesy of Queen St.

Summer is an optimist’s season. Even when the heat dome parks right on top of your head and refuses to budge, even when your ankles are covered in so many mosquito bites that they could double as the angry red surface of Mars for a guild-approved indie movie, and even when cartoonish villains violate tree law to destroy much-needed shade, it’s hard to get too down. The sun doesn’t set until 8 pm, it’s warm well after dark, and LA feels vibrant and alive in a way that it doesn’t always under cloudy skies. All of that means it’s prime outdoor dining season, the most fun time of year to eat in this town, and the best new restaurants in LA are here to prove it. There are excellent restaurants opening from Highland Park to Santa Monica, designed to serve big groups, quick after-work bites, and everything in between; even our bars have fantastic food these days. So rip off your sleeves like Dom Toretto, embrace the heat, and set out for the best new restaurants in LA this summer.

Poltergeist

Echo Park $$$

If you’ve been following the LA pop-up food scene over the last couple of years, odds are you’ve heard of Estrano, the far-out pasta pop-up from chef Diego Argoti. Estrano events trend toward chaos in the best way, with long lines that wind down barely-lit alleyways, thumping music, last-minute surprises, and a menu of inspired insanity centered on handmade noodles with a feral edge. For his next project, the new Poltergeist, Argoti has stepped indoors to the fun and boldly experimental retro-style bar arcade Button Mash. Armed with a real kitchen instead of a couple of burners on the street, Argoti already has Poltergeist feeling tight even in its very early days, maybe not focused, per se, but cohesive in its eccentricity. There is a Parker House Roll with Miso Honey, Furikake Duqqa, and Fresno Chile Butter that pulls apart just so; the noodles in the Green Curry Bucatino are as good as you’ll find anywhere and come coated in a slick curry that zips with scallion and herbs; and the Coconut Curry Chochoyotes turn out to be a wild flip on fondue, complete with mushrooms three ways and a fondue fork for dipping. Argoti has a penchant for unusual cuts of meat, which dot the menu, but this is also a place where vegetarians and the squeamish can happily eat. And you can always put a beer in their hand and send them over to play Virtua Tennis at the arcade when the Lamb Neck hits the table.

How to book: Reservations are available via Resy.

Fiish

Culver City $$

Dry-aged fish is all the rage in LA right now, but Culver City’s new sushi den is dedicated to sustainable practices and sourcing methods, so you can feel good about ordering everything on its never-frozen seafood menu. With a sleek and moody interior, and a narrow, ivy-filled patio with hanging lanterns and backlit seating, it’s one of your best date night or special occasion options in the area. The menu features your favorite sushi stalwarts like Crispy Rice topped with spicy tuna and steamed and salted Edamame plus plenty of nigiri, but also ventures into new and delicious territory with inventive Maki rolls like the Catch 22, with Kani kama, cucumber, avocado, spicy tuna, kabayaki, and rice pop. Don’t disregard the sashimi where the dry-age program is on full display and there’s even a vegan section, where vegetables are given the same attention to detail, like the Dragon roll with avocado, sweet potato, eggplant, and vegan kabayaki maki. If you’d like to try a little bit of everything, there’s also the option to order a Big Fiish or Little Fiish plate. A selection of shochu, sake, and agave wine-based cocktails are on offer, plus several wines, sake, and shochu by the glass and bottle as well as beer.

How to book: Reservations can be made online.

Meteora

Melrose $$$

Chef Jordan Kahn’s otherworldly restaurant Meteora has been open for almost a year, so it’s a little strange to include it here. But in recent months, they have switched the format to tasting menus: a five-course dinner with lots of optional add-ons or a 16+-course ‘omakase.’ Kahn and the team seem particularly suited to this menu style, and the procession of courses has focused the chef’s wild instincts without caging his imagination. Make no mistake; this is still a far-out, utterly unique experience. Influences come from across the globe, both backward and forward in time, and ingredients are transformed using elemental techniques like hot rocks and lots of live fire. A “ceviche” of compressed melon is topped with a melon seed leche de tigre, then served with an aged spruce tip which is meant to be torn and added by hand; the combination is unusual and alchemical, sharp, and creamy with a hit of high-toned spruce resin that lingers on your fingertips. A scallop topped with longanisa-spiced oil, pineapple, habanero ash, and lime hits almost like al pastor, but a burnt yam topped with smoked trout roe, grilled hazelnuts, papaya, and a butter emulsion is like nothing else. Wine pairings are clever and fun, focusing on natural wine from volcanic soil, and cocktails are complex and unfamiliar in the best way. In the early days, the menu was expansive and beguiling—for better and for worse—but now it feels curated, directed. It is a guided walk through an alien garden instead of bushwhacking through primitive forest.

San Laurel

Downtown $$$

José Andrés returned to LA in dramatic fashion, helming the food and beverage program at the newly opened, Frank Gehry-designed Conrad LA hotel. While the renowned Bazaar Meat has yet to finalize its launch, San Laurel immediately wowed diners, already earning itself Michelin recognition in the brief time that it’s been open. The menu highlights Iberian cuisine through California-fresh ingredients, showcasing the chemistry between the two coasts in shareable plates like a Grilled Romaine salad with manchego espuma, and Gambas Al Aillo, or head-on shrimp that arrive in a rich bath of garlic and olive oil. With an expansive patio that overlooks the stunning Walt Disney Concert Hall, San Laurel positions itself as a tempting pre-theater destination, even offering a two- or three-course dinner option that highlights favorite dishes like the Fennel Soup with crab and manchego foam, and a Rack of Lamb with cumin-carrot puree, plus the option to add a supplement of acorn-fed Jamón Ibérico, before finishing with a Pistachio Cake. Classic and creative cocktails abound on the drink menu, including the Saints G&T with aloe vera liqueur, a Pisco Sour, and a Foggy Hill with Del Maguey Vida mezcal, Yzaguirre 1884 Gran Reserva vermouth, Cynar, Aperol, and topped with an orange-thyme aromatic cloud. A selection of wines by the glass (including some sherry options), beer, and sake are also available.

How to book: Reservations can be made online.

Mr. T

Hollywood $$$

Two years after Hollywood insiders first spotted neon pink signage announcing the imminent arrival of buzzy Parisian bistro Mr. T along a trendy stretch of Sycamore Avenue in Hollywood, the globally inspired restaurant has finally opened. Translating beloved street fare through expert French techniques and California-fresh ingredients is chef Alisa Vannah (Chi Spacca, Tsubaki, and République), who trained with head chef Tsuyoshi Miyazaki in Paris prior to the opening and lent her expertise to a few dishes that only appear on the LA menu, including a Thai-inspired take on Tuna Crudo with Nam Jim vinaigrette, red flame grapes, and jalapeno oil. Whether you choose to cozy up in one of the maroon leather circle booths inside or on the string-lit patio where a row of blooming olive trees provide privacy from sidewalk traffic, you’ll be treated to an unforgettable meal where highlights include vegetarian Croquettes Monsieur with a crunchy, falafel-like exterior, and the Mr. T Mac and Cheese with truffle oil and comte cheese that gets a tableside flambé. The beverage program is just as worldly, with mezcal making its way into the eponymous Mr. T cocktail alongside prickly pear, Cointreau, lime juice, agave, and candied hibiscus, and Japanese gin making an appearance in the Tupac Shakur-inspired Dear Mama, with matcha, almond milk Baileys, vanilla cinnamon syrup, and a pistachio crumble.

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[NBachers]

1. How about a spicy bowl of chili, or beef stew?

I stopped off at Tam's Burgers No. 2 at 4301 S Figueroa Street in Los Angeles and got their steak & eggs with hash browns. I'd go back if I was in the neighborhood.