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L.A. is the U.S. city with the most donut shops, meaning it can be tricky to sift through the river of deep-fried rings. Clearly, Angelenos have displayed serious commitment to doughnuts (aka donuts), which originated in the 19th Century. Cake Monkey Bakery and Donut Snob also wholesale great donuts to different coffeehouses, but we’re focused on 20 L.A. places where you can find destination donuts on a regular basis.
Every week, tens of thousands of people descend on Santa Monica to enjoy the inviting beach, bike path, pier, mountains, and of course the food. SaMo has long been a culinary trendsetter, and now boasts several classics, including Michael’s Restaurant, Chinois on Main and Valentino. The farmers market, which dates to 1981, of course helps to supply surrounding eateries with the most current produce. Here are 15 of our favorite restaurants in Santa Monica.
Pasadena's last dining evolution advanced beyond a base of Old Pasadena chains to family-run, food-focused gems that now span the entire city. In the past few years, we've seen even more restaurants dial up the community's culinary ambition. Discover 10 dining destinations, ranging from fast casual establishments to fine dining bastions.
The sizzle and smoke of the tabletop Korean barbecue is one of the definitive features of the L.A. dining scene. The abundance of well-priced American protein and a rabid following of diners has created a critical mass of restaurants specializing in grilled meats, nearly overshadowing the love of barbecue in the motherland itself. Through the years, barbecue restaurants have segmented into various categories – premium, all-you-can-eat, and middle-ranged a la carte, with each place trumpeting a particular specialty or stand-out side dish. Still other places emphasize the grilling devices and methods, where some employ charcoal for a smokier experience and others rely on special grates for more direct heat.
Barbecue is best enjoyed with a glass of ice cold Hite, a simple Korean lager, or a chilled shot of soju, the national spirit of choice. Think of Korean barbecues almost like more affordable steakhouses, where it's easy to get together with friends and family for a casual lunch or evening to celebrate the variety and quality of great beef, pork, and banchan. It's hard to go wrong with that formula.
Meeting for coffee is well and good, but afternoon tea is a treat. It’s a special occasion with tiered trays, porcelain pots, and adorable miniature sandwiches and sweets that look almost too good to eat. Almost. While Los Angeles is an ocean and a continent away from London, there are a surprising number of local spots that offer excellent afternoon tea. Whether you’re looking for a civilized way to spend quality time with your BFF or a venue for a wedding shower, there’s a hot pot of tea with your name on it.
Venice, my how you’ve changed. It seems like not too long ago when America’s favorite Bohemian beach enclave offered not much more than cheap, fried fish tacos of questionable origin. Those days are long gone. Nowadays, the neighborhood is a culinary destination, home to modern fare, chef-inspired cuisine, and some of the city’s best bakeries and artisan sandwich shops. Of course, in the interim, rent has also become prohibitively expensive. But thankfully you don’t have to live here to enjoy Venice’s ever-burgeoning bounties. Whether you hang your hat a stone’s throw from Abbot Kinney, or you’re visiting from half a world away, these are the restaurants you can’t afford to miss.
No longer must Angelenos subject themselves to old, overly roasted coffee. A new wave of specialty coffee purveyors is now either roasting their own beans or brewing beans from trusted purveyors to deliver variety and nuance. Homegrown coffee players like Cafecito Organico, Coffee Commissary and Groundwork Coffee now complement national brands like Blue Bottle, intelligentsia, La Colombe, Philz, and Stumptown, who have all set up shop in L.A. Now, nearly every neighborhood has at least one standout coffee bar. Learn about 23 top indies that are helping to propel the movement forward.
Los Angeles loves its organics: organic baby clothing, organic sheets, and most of all, organic food. Lots of restaurants dabble in organics, but some of them stand out for their efforts. Whatever your reason for choosing organic—fewer unwanted chemicals in your system, an opposition to GMOs, sensitivity to the environment—these restaurants will hook you up with some tasty organic grub and in some cases, something delicious and organic in your glass as well. Organic gimlet anyone?
In cultures around the world, noodles are an integral part of everyday life, from waiting two hours outside of a ramen stall in Japan to the instant form that’s become a rite of passage for college undergrads. Noodles offer therapy for those feeling under the weather or homesick, or to begin the healing process after a night of overindulgence. Whatever the case, for millions of people hardly a day goes by without noodles at some point.
Los Angeles and its surrounding areas offer a lot of heavy noodling, and for aficionados there’s even more enjoyment to be found with noodles than Chinese dumplings. During the late 1970s, the Vietnam War caused an influx of Asian immigration into the United States. The people of Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar (Burma) sought refuge here and they brought the one thing that kept them alive for generations: noodles. A key influence on the noodle dishes from these countries are the Southeast Chinese from the province of Chiu Chow (pronunciation in Cantonese), Chao Zhou (pronunciation in Mandarin), Trieu Chau (pronunciation in Vietnamese) and Teo Chew (pronunciation in Thai/Cambodian).
Historically, the Chiu Chow Chinese are some of the smartest, fastest-moving, hardest-working merchants and sojourners of the Chinese diaspora. Their footprints can be tracked in Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Taiwan (Fujian), Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and even the Philippines. Essentially, they are everywhere, and so is their food. When you walk into a restaurant that offers 3-4 different languages on the menu, you're most likely in a Chiu Chow establishment. It will usually be Chinese, Vietnamese, Cambodian and sometimes Thai.
The following round-up of some of the best noodles in Los Angeles County focuses on dishes from Southeast Asia's "Golden Triangle" and Southeast China (Chao Zhou/Fujian/Hainan provinces).
Angelenos believe in burgers. There’s no doubt. L.A. County houses hundreds of burger outlets and we’ve been savvy enough to produce a regional chain that still has street cred, In-N-Out. L.A.’s also got a crop of classics that deserve national burger recognition, including timeless Bill’s Hamburgers, The Apple Pan and Pie ‘n Burger, and contemporary Father’s Office. Discover 11 of our other favorite burgers in Los Angeles.
