The Ultimate Foodie Guide: 35+ Best Restaurants in Los Angeles (2025 Edition)

Discover the best restaurants in Los Angeles for foodies in 2025 — from tacos to sushi, vegan hotspots to Michelin-star gems, this guide has it all.

Los Angeles isn’t just the City of Angels — it’s the City of Avocados, Artisanal Tacos, and Endless Brunches.

With palm trees swaying, movie stars sipping matcha, and culinary creatives pushing flavor boundaries, LA’s restaurant scene is one of the most vibrant in the world. Whether you’re into fire-grilled Korean BBQ, housemade pasta in candlelit courtyards, vegan donuts that defy logic, or sushi that rivals Tokyo’s finest — this city has a plate (or 12) for you.

This is your ultimate foodie guide to the best restaurants in Los Angeles. We’re skipping the tourist traps and heading straight to the crave-worthy institutions, neighborhood gems, and chef-driven havens that make this city the #1 destination for food in the USA.

Let’s eat, LA.

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Iconic LA Bites: The Legends You Must Try

🍔 In-N-Out Burger (Hollywood or La Brea)

• Yes, it’s a chain. Yes, it’s iconic. Yes, animal style fries will change your life.

🌮 Guelaguetza (Koreatown)

• A James Beard Award-winning temple of Oaxacan cuisine, famous for its rich mole negro and mezcal flights. Don’t skip the tlayudas.

🍕 Pizzana (Brentwood, West Hollywood)

• Co-founded by a Food Network star, this place brings Neo-Neapolitan perfection — charred crusts, inventive toppings, and that tomato-forward tang.

🍗 Howlin’ Ray’s (Chinatown)

• The wait is long, the Nashville hot chicken is hotter, and your mouth will thank you (after crying).

🥩 Dan Tana’s (West Hollywood)

• Old Hollywood charm + red sauce Italian = one of the most legendary steak dinners in town.

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The Best New Restaurants in Los Angeles (2025 Hot List)

🔥 Donna Jean (Echo Park)

• A plant-based pizza palace with a sourdough crust that could win awards.

🐟 Sushi Takeda (Downtown LA)

• Michelin-starred omakase magic for under $150 — yes, it’s possible.

🌾 Bar Sawa (Silver Lake)

• Intimate, moody, and serving foraged California-Japanese fusion. Think uni toast with wildflower honey.

🐖 Moo’s Craft Barbecue (Lincoln Heights)

• Texas-style brisket, LA-born attitude. Pitmaster-driven, napkins required.

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Best Tacos in LA: Street to Gourmet

🌮 Leo’s Tacos Truck (multiple locations)

• The spinning al pastor spit is mesmerizing. Get it with pineapple. Always.

🥩 Sonoratown (DTLA)

• Hand-pressed flour tortillas, carne asada grilled to perfection, and salsas that slap.

🐙 Mariscos Jalisco (Boyle Heights)

• The deep-fried shrimp taco is legendary. Anthony Bourdain approved.

🌶️ Tacos 1986 (Koreatown)

• Tijuana-style tacos with flare and that signature salsa roja.

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Vegan & Plant-Based Spots That Slap

🥗 Crossroads Kitchen (Melrose)

• Upscale vegan dining — great for date night, better for bragging rights.

🌿 Monty’s Good Burger (Echo Park, K-Town)

• Vegan smashburgers, shakes, fries. You’ll forget meat ever existed.

🍄 Planta Cocina (Marina del Rey)

• Latin-inspired vegan fare — from yuca fries to truffle mushroom arepas.

🥬 Real Food Daily (Pasadena, West Hollywood)

• LA’s OG plant-based diner — protein bowls, cashew mac, you name it.

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Michelin Star Dining in LA

⭐ Providence (Hollywood)

• Two Michelin stars. A sustainable seafood mecca. Elegant and unforgettable.

⭐ n/naka (Palms)

• Chef Niki Nakayama’s modern kaiseki masterpiece. A spiritual food journey.

⭐ Vespertine (Culver City)

• Avant-garde, architectural, almost alien. Dining here is like eating art.

⭐ Sushi Ginza Onodera (West Hollywood)

• Tokyo-caliber sushi — and the rice is as important as the fish.

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Hidden Gems: Local Favorites You’ll Brag About

🧆 Dune (Atwater Village)

• The best falafel in LA, no debate. Add the pickled onions, thank us later.

🥟 Hui Tou Xiang (San Gabriel Valley)

• Beef pancakes and handmade dumplings to dream about.

🥪 Fat Sal’s (Westwood)

• A sandwich shop on steroids. Think: mozzarella sticks inside your hoagie.

🍜 Daikokuya (Little Tokyo)

• Old-school ramen vibes with a broth that hugs your soul.

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The Best Brunch in Los Angeles

🥞 République (Mid-Wilshire)

• French bakery meets architectural masterpiece. Get the kimchi fried rice or the custard-filled croissant.

🍳 All Day Baby (Silver Lake)

• Buttermilk biscuits, bacon-stuffed pancakes, and housemade strawberry pop tarts.

🥂 Great White (Venice)

• Aussie-style brunch by the beach. Avocado toast with microgreens and a perfect flat white.

🍓 Sqirl (Silver Lake)

• Famous for a reason. Jam-splashed brioche toasts, sorrel pesto rice bowls, and foodies with DSLRs.

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Late-Night Cravings: Best Midnight Eats

🌙 Canter’s Deli (Fairfax)

• Open 24/7. A Jewish deli time machine with pastrami as thick as your wrist.

🍜 Sun Nong Dan (Koreatown)

• The galbi jjim comes bubbling in a flaming hot stone pot. Spicy, rich, addictive.

🍝 BCD Tofu House (Koreatown)

• A Koreatown staple. Soondubu tofu stew + rice + raw egg = drunk food heaven.

🍕 Prime Pizza (Fairfax)

• Late-night slices that hit. Don’t sleep on the pepperoni cup & char.

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Where Celebs Actually Dine (Yes, Really)

🍸 Craig’s (West Hollywood)

• A-listers and vegan bolognese? Only in LA.

🍣 Nobu Malibu

• Sushi, sunsets, and likely a sighting of Kylie Jenner or DiCaprio. Dress to be seen.

🥩 BOA Steakhouse (Sunset Strip)

• Flashy. Classic. LA. Come hungry, leave star-struck.

🍝 Giorgio Baldi (Pacific Palisades)

• Rihanna’s favorite pasta spot. Enough said.

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Los Angeles isn’t just one of the best cities for food — it’s a global culinary capital. Whether you’re on a first bite or a fiftieth visit, LA’s diverse cuisine will keep your taste buds dancing.

So go ahead — bookmark this, share it, and start planning your foodie crawl. And if you’re feeling generous, tag us on your Instagram food reels when you finally bite into that $200 omakase or $2 taco that changed your life.

Your stomach (and followers) will thank you.

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