Home to one of the most accessible beaches in Los Angeles, Venice is a longtime artist and bohemian enclave whose colorful characters have managed to stick around despite more recent waves of gentrification and an influx of white-collar tech workers. Having grown up on the Westside, I’ve seen the neighborhood change from a sleepy, somewhat trendy artist’s enclave with more than a few sketchy corners into a gleaming collection of expensive homes and tech company offices.
These days, there are fewer affordable, locally owned restaurants than ever before—and more specialty coffee shops than you can shake a stick at—but Venice is still worth a visit for the always vibrant boardwalk; charming historic canals; and collection of shops, cafés and eateries that line Abbot Kinney, which can get quite crowded on the weekends. No matter the reason you’re in the area, this increasingly pricey beach neighborhood still offers plenty of delicious eats. But be warned: Aside from being home to one of L.A.’s only Panamanian restaurants, I wouldn’t say it’s the most interesting dining neighborhood in Los Angeles. The neighborhood’s full of breezy, all-day Californian restaurants serving grain bowls and avocado toast, plus more Italian and pizza joints than you could possibly need or want. Nevertheless, this guide includes the standout options in those genres, plus a handful of Thai, Vietnamese and Indonesian strip mall standouts.
March 2025: Since my last update, Willie Mae’s has unfortunately closed its doors on Lincoln Boulevard. After revisiting and conducting additional research, I’ve also opted to remove Paloma, Hama Sushi and the Butcher’s Daughter and add one new addition, Simpang Venice, which offers some of the only Southeast Asian cuisine on the Westside. Time Out has also instituted a sitewide change in review policies. All food and drink venues included in guides now have star ratings, with five stars corresponding to “amazing,” four to “great” and three to “good.” We’ve also standardized how most listings are structured. For more on our new policies, feel free to check out How we review at Time Out.