Hello LA!
Sorry to post yet another tourist question, but after going through the subreddit and general lists online – The LA food scene is overwhelming and amazing – and very spread out.
I was wondering if I might be able to get suggestions for some places to eat during our honeymoon trip from the UK about a month from today, as part of our California road trip holiday. We’re staying for a week – though going to an event on the Saturday and Sunday nights, so mostly looking for suggestions from Sunday – Friday.
We’re breaking up our stay into three ‘regions’ staying in different hotels to experience different parts of the city. It would amazing if we could some recommendations. The only real requirement we have is my wife being vegetarian (I’m not), price points isn’t really a problem, but it would be mix to get a mix of different places so it’s not just fine dining on loop. This is a bit of a once-in-a-lifetime trip for us, so trying to get good food, but also experience LA and its vibe and history too – so keen to smash some food trucks etc.
​
* Santa Monica – Stay at the Viceroy – (2 nights):
* Especially keen on tacos, places to eat by the beach
* West Hollywood – Stay at the London West – (3 nights):
* Places I’ve seen near here: **The Sister’s Cafe, Craigs, Musso & Franks, Catch Rainbow Bar and Grill, Chateau Marmont**
* DTLA – Stay at the Millennium Biltmore – (1 night for food)
* **Bestia, Hayato, Bavel**
Any recommendations or feedback on the above would be amazing, especially more casual lunch places in the areas we can just rock up at rather than have to plan our entire day around too. Likewise any bar suggestions would be amazing.
Apologies, I know I’m asking a lot here, but would really appreciate any feedback and suggestions.
Thanks so much!
Edit: thank you so all your really thought out and kind tips so far, currently going through them all!
As a very small thank you to the sub, we’ve made a small contribution to the LA Regional Food Bank
[proof here. ](https://imgur.com/a/I1osicP).
It’s only a small gesture but just wanted to say thanks!
by McFlyJohn
36 Comments
I’ll post another comment in a second – but can you tell us a little bit more about the types of places you want to eat? If you let them, this sub will recommend exclusively hole in the wall places of varying quality that all serve tacos or Korean food.
Which is great, but presumably you want to try other things, too. It sounds like you’re wide open.
Is animal open again? I would recommend that if you’re adventurous
Tacos would be better in dtla
So my real recs with a couple of thoughts (which I assume will turn into a wall of text as I get going).
A month is a good length of time to start booking – but start booking places fast. Resy and Opentable have made it very hard to get reservations and they tend to book up quickly. I’ll try to include which places you will need a reservation for as I recommend them.
Santa Monica – Tacos are actually not really what Santa Monica is known for, it’s a very white and bougie neighborhood. Restaurants on the beach here are, unfortunately, really really mediocre.
* Cassia – Southeast asian food a few blocks from the water, is pretty phenomenal.
* Crudo e Nudo – a raw bar with amazing oysters and fish
* Pasjoli – a truly incredible French restaurant. You’ll need a reservation here.
* Interstellar is a great little Korean-ish cafe for breakfast and lunch food
* Huckleberry is a great cafe for breakfast and lunch salads/sandwiches/pastries
I think it would be worthwhile to drive down to Venice (maybe 10 minutes away, max?) and try to get into Felix for Italian food (VERY hard reservation to get, they open at midnight one week out), Gjelina for brunch, and there’s a Teddy’s Red Tacos (a local taco chain that’s pretty good).
Separately, Malibu is a *gorgeous* 30 minute drive to the north, where you’ll find Nobu – a premier sushi restaurant on the water (extremely hard to get a table, you’ll need to be a month early getting the reservation), Duke’s a fun little island-style burger shack that’s on rafters over the water, and Broad Street Oyster Co. for some incredible lobster rolls for lunch. You could easily make a day of it in Malibu.
West Hollywood – The area will have you spoiled for choice for food, but is also full of terrible food that’s all hype. You could eat very well here if you plan.
* Providence is one of the city’s most renowned restaurants (2 michelin stars) for a seafood extravaganza. You mentioned your wife is vegetarian, which I take to mean only vegetables, but I know many who are fine with fish. If so, Providence is a great option. If not, probably skip it.
* Pizzana – I’m hesitant to suggest Pizza to out of towners because every city has great pizza, but Pizzana is really great Pizza.
* Din Tai Fung – In the century city mall is a shanghainese restaurant with incredible soup dumplings. May be reasonably difficult for a vegetarian to fully enjoy the menu which is heavily pork and chicken based, though.
* You’ll be reasonably close to Ardor, which I quite like but is pricey and many others found disappointing.
* Petty Cash Taqueria & Bar is owned and operated by one of LA’s most celebrated chefs/couples and is *extremely* vegetarian friendly. I’m talking Kale Cauliflower Nachos that even my most red-blooded meat eating friends absolutely love.
* Petty Cash is across the street from Los Tacos 1986 which is a beloved local taco chain with some awesome mushroom tacos (as well as pork, steak, and chicken for you).
* Breakfast by Salt’s Cure is an *awesome* breakfast spot to hit up for oatcakes. Hard to describe how good they are based on what I just said, but they are so amazing that the restaurant doesn’t serve maple syrup, and everyone I’ve taken has complained about this until they actually got there and were completely won over.
* Jones – an old Hollywood style red sauce italian joint that will knock your socks off with garlic bread and spaghetti and the greatest slice of apple pie around.
* Horses is probably not super “LA” in style, but it’s just a great restaurant and you’ll be close by.
* Luv2Eat Thai Bistro is probably a decent bit away from you, but is Los Angeles in a nutshell. It’s in a dinky strip mall, it looks very hole in the wall, but it’s one of the best reviewed places in the city and is truly beloved. Great for lunch, too.
In DTLA you’ll have the most options for food. The food scene in LA gets more diverse and gets better the further east you go.
* Bestia – I would honestly recommend you skip Bestia. It’s Italian food that you’ll find in any other major city, it’s a lot of hype, and it’s an enormous pain to get a table.
* Damian – Incredible high end Mexican food from Enrique Olvera (who runs Pujol, a top-10 ranked restaurant in the world). It is expensive, but the duck carnitas tacos are insane, and there’s plenty of vegetarian options.
* Bavel – Truly incredible, good luck getting in!
* Asterid – a little bit underrated by this sub, but great Mexican food in downtown.
* Bottega Louie – go for breakfast or brunch for pastries
* Sonoratown – fantastic tacos and burritos and chivichangas
* You should spend the day here at Grand Central Market – one of the first major food halls around, and genuinely full of great restaurants. Great for lunch/midday.
* Otium – once one of LA’s most lauded restaurants, I haven’t seen much press about them since they reopened after Covid, but the restaurant space itself is gorgeous (right next to our premiere modern art museum and the concert hall).
I should mention at this point, not to be a downer on your trip, that DTLA is very much a place where you should watch where you’re going. The place you’re staying and every place I’ve recommended is in the built up areas, but you’ve mentioned Bavel and Bestia (Damian is here too), which are in the arts district. To get to the arts district from downtown means going through Skid Row. Most people on Skid Row are homeless and harmless, but you likely won’t want to walk through here, plan to drive anywhere east of San Pedro street.
Other places in the arts district to consider are Camphor, a great French-ish place, Manuela (for brunch) is inside of a sculpture garden and is truly gorgeous, La Cha Cha Cha for a rooftop Mexican dinner with gorgeous views, Caboco for Brazilian food.
Lastly, while you’re in downtown, if you decide to not spend a day at Grand Central Market, you’d have an amazing time doing a little taco crawl down Boyle Heights, a lower-income but primarily working class Mexican neighborhood just outside of Downtown. On one street you’ll find what most of us locals consider to be three of our best taquerias in Burritos la Palma, Tacos y Birria La Unica, and Mariscos Jalisco.
Last but not least, it’s a bit of a trek and, again, in a strip mall, I’d be remiss if I didn’t suggest Holbox. It’s probably 15 minutes from where you’ll be staying downtown, it is nationally renowned, and serves tacos in the style of Holbox, in Mexico. Which is to say, incredibly fresh and fragrant seafood tacos. I don’t know what a vegetarian would eat here, honestly, but the place is incredibly special and if there’s anything on the menu she’d eat, you should go.
I’m absolutely missing a lot of Korean options here, but that’s mostly because you’ll be closest to Koreatown on your single night in DTLA, and I think there are options closer to Downtown that will be better for a honeymoon. If you desperately want Korean food (LA has the largest population of Koreans anywhere in the world outside of Korea) then this sub will have plenty of recs.
Santa Monica — This will be a good spot for vegetarian/vegan food, doubly so if you venture down toward Venice, but you should have little problem getting vegetarian options anywhere in the city. You’ll find plenty of fine dining here, but if you want something easier like a sandwich, I highly recommend **Bay Cities Italian Deli**. Get yourself a Godmother sandwich (and a vegetarian option for the wife).
West Hollywood — Musso & Franks is nice for the old Hollywood vibe, but honestly the food was never that impressive to me. You’ll find a lot of good Italian food around here, and if you want a view, you can go up the hill to **Yamashiro** for sushi/Japanese. I also love the enchiladas at **El Coyote**, which is another old Hollywood spot (Sharon Tate had her last meal here) but the rest of the food is kinda meh. It might also be a bit out of your way unless you have a car.
DTLA — If you want amazing tacos, go to **Sonoratown**! Some good pizza around here as well, including **Pizzeria Bianco** and **La Sorted’s**.
I’m not much of a fine dining person so I’ll let others who know what they’re talking about cover those!
Santa Monica isn’t a taco town – but the taco stand outside of Whole Foods on Lincoln in Venice or [El Primo Tacos](https://www.yelp.com/biz/el-primo-tacos-venice?osq=taco+stand) are both close and have great al pastor tacos.
Main Street is your best bet for eating by the beach – Crudo e Nudo (raw fish), Interstellar (Japanese/Korean fusion), and Heavy Handed (smash burgers) are great options close to the beach.
I’d advise against musso and franks. It’s a cool historical place but the food is pretty whatever. Kazunori (sushi) Tacos 1986 are good for SM/WeHo, but less of the classic taco truck experience. I def recommend Majordomo for DTLA – it’s a similar tier of Bavel but it’s Korean inspired cuisine from David Chang. It’s amazing.
Cha Cha Chicken in Santa Monica is really good and iconic. Bay Cities as well.
Santa Monica-
There’s not a ton of great places by the beach in Santa Monica, but if you go to [Elephante](https://plazaapp.co/restaurants/elephante/1332-2nd-street/picture-menu) for lunch you can get a really nice view of the water and some good food (they also have plenty of vegetarian options.
If you absolutely must have tacos by the water you should check out [Blue Plate Taco](https://plazaapp.co/restaurants/blue-plate-taco/1515-ocean-ave/picture-menu), but I recommend you stop by the Whole Foods in Venice after 5pm and get tacos from there.
Another option that is by the beach, but is much more casual (for lunch maybe) is [Cha Cha Chicken](https://plazaapp.co/restaurants/cha-cha-chicken/1906-ocean-ave/picture-menu). It’s pretty unique and really good (I love the coconut fried chicken).
Weho-
You have some good choices for West Hollywood already but I’ll suggest checking out [Crossroads Kitchen](https://plazaapp.co/restaurants/crossroads-kitchen/8284-melrose-ave/picture-menu) for your wife– it’s vegan but done in a really unique way that is really good.
For casual lunch, if you like seafood, check out [Connie and Ted’s](https://plazaapp.co/restaurants/connie-and-teds/8171-santa-monica-blvd/picture-menu).
For a bar definitely check out Musso & Frank’s, but I also recommend [Laurel Hardware](https://plazaapp.co/restaurants/laurel-hardware/7984-santa-monica-blvd/picture-menu). The bar can get quite lively and they have really nice food and patio dining.
DTLA-
[Bavel](https://plazaapp.co/restaurants/bavel/500-mateo-st/picture-menu) is an excellent choice for dinner downtown. I would also recommend checking out [Holbox](https://plazaapp.co/restaurants/holbox/3655-s-grand-ave-c9/picture-menu)! You can do a casual lunch there and you don’t want to miss it.
Thinking of places that can accommodate the both of you
Gjelina (Venice) – It’s one of the best california inspired cuisine done correctly and there are few who do vegetables as well as they do.
Bay Cities (Santa Monica) – One of the best sandwiches this city has to offer. I normally recommend people build their own but in your case just make it easy and get a Godmother. They have a case full of side salad type dishes that would be awesome for your wife.
Genwa (Beverly Hills) – You really do need to get korean bbq while you’re here. For kbbq specifically I think it doesn’t get any better than it does in LA. Unless you’re down to venture into K-town, Genwa is probably the closest to where you’ll be staying. Most places have a vegetable option and Genwa’s banchan is the best.
Daughter’s Deli (WeHo) – Since Langer’s (best pastrami sandwich on earth!) is probably too far from where you’re staying, Daughter’s Deli is right down the street from your hotel.
Avenue 26 (DTLA) – It’s not the best the city has to offer but it’s a solid option given your location. But you do need to get street tacos while you’re here.
Providence – If you have to pick one fancy meal, I’d choose this. I’ve had michelin starred tasting menus all over the world and Providence is one of the very few where I still continue to leave satisfied and feel like it was worth the money spent.
Great reccs here but I didn’t see anyone mention Saffys which is quite hot right now. The casual restaurant of the Bavel and Bestia folks.
Good food on Westside:
– Felix Trattoria (michelin star rated pasta joint in venice)
– Barrique (another good italian spot)
– Fathers Office (gastropub w good burger)
– Hillstone / R+D Kitchen (best chain restaurant in the world imo, hillstone ribs are incredible)
– Birdie Gs (a good restaurant but pricey)
– Fia (same as above)
I actually made a website that allows you to sort and filter some of my favorite handpicked restaurants around LA if you want to check it out!! There are reviews and locations with multiple views :). Its called lafoodlist.com
Ardor. The chef ran previous Michelin star restaurants and the menu is vegetable forward. Very nice ambiance and a common celebrity spot.
DTLA those are nice choices — Bavel in particular rules. Get the mushroom dish, it’s incredible (and vegetarian)
WeHo I think you could do better. Musso and Frank is good for an old Hollywood vibe (and it’s in a lot of movies like Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), but it’s mostly just a solid steak restaurant. A couple places I’d suggest are Meteora for a very one of a kind experience that’s very tasty, Rosaline for a Peruvian in a trendy environment, and either the Mariscos Jalisco truck on La Cienega or Sonoratown for easy affordable (esp. Jalisco) tacos for lunch. The other places you mentioned I wouldn’t recommend except maybe Catch on Melrose if you want a very sceney cool dining room on a rooftop that celebs and NBA players like (food is solid, just pricy cuz you’re paying for the trendiness… drinks are good)
Santa Monica I strongly, STRONGLY suggest Rustic Canyon, Cassia, or Birdie G’s. They’re all very different from one another but the same ownership and all AMAZING (check the menus or go to all three!). Lots of veggie options there. Pizzana has a couple locations and is fantastic neopolitan pizza if you’re interested in that.
Have a blast guys! Tons of great restaurants here and the recommendations of this sub tend to be really reliable.
Sidecar donuts in SM, grab some while you’re walking around.
https://sidecardoughnuts.com/
I would say that looking for tacos (or Mexican food) in Santa Monica isn’t a good idea.
Santa Monica is a wealthy and mostly white city. You can find some Mexican food, but it won’t be the best in the city (and it’ll be fucking expensive). You’ll be able to find vegetarian options in Santa Monica fairly easily as the Santa Monica demographic will feature more vegetarians. There’s a number of seafood restaurants (including sushi and the King’s Head if you want fish and chips) around downtown Santa Monica. If you’re willing to drive into Malibu, take a look at Paradise Cove, Malibu Seafood, or Neptune’s Net if you want seafood and a view.
You’ll have a better time looking for Mexican food either in East LA or parts of Hollywood. While you are staying in Downtown, you might want to hit Sonoratown and consider heading East to visit some food trucks (like Mariscos Jaliscos & Tacos Y Birria La Unica). If you’re worried, go visit the food trucks during the day and you’ll be safe.
Another restaurant choice for Mexican is Guelaguetza in Koreatown. It specializes in Oaxacan (a region in Mexico) food and will be very different from generic Mexican food.
FWIW, the food at The London is very good. My sister stays there every time she comes in town for business so i’ve met her there for lunch between meetings to catch up.
Near the London is also Bossa Nova, and the Sunset Plaza area with a bunch of places good to sit outside for people watching and shopping.
Venice-Barrique/Felix for Italian. Teddy’s Red Tacos. EggSlut or Great White for breakfast. Dudley Market for seafood
**Not sure when you’ll be in LA but check to see if the Venice Art Walk is happening on a Thursday while you’re in SM. It’s a fun experience to grab dinner, get a lil tipsy and wander through the Canals into people’s yards to meet locals and even hear some live music
Santa Monica- Bay Cities picnic at the beach OR Cha Cha Chicken Carribean, which is right by the viceroy. You can BYOB and go right down to the beach after. Tar & Roses.
Manhattan Beach- If you make it down there go to Post. Just went the other night and it was so great
If you can get in…. do N/Naka in Culver for a fancy dinner but it’s $$$
If you can somehow squeeze in some time to visit the San Gabriel valley. I’ll go out on the limb and say there has the best Chinese food in all of North America.
Go to Found Oyster when staying in WeHo or even DTLA- some of the best raw seafood in town!
I’ll help you out around the London in West Hollywood (FYI it’s just called the London, not London West):
1. **Dialog Cafe** is a very short walk, great for casual bites for breakfast/brunch/lunch. Very popular spot with locals, no reservations, just a line to queue up in that moves fairly quickly. Al fresco dining only. Food won’t blow you away but almost everything is solid. I recommend the brisket verde breakfast burrito or the soft scramble with salad or hash browns. We eat here about 20 times a year.
2. **Laurel Hardware** which has already been mentioned, if you want to sit outdoor on the patio (which I highly recommend) you’ll want to make a reservation, otherwise walk-ins are usually seated inside. Solid happy hour deals too at the bar, which is when we typically go. I recommend the pizzas, french fries, and branzino. Pastas and salads/veggies are also solid too. This is probably our favorite spot in West Hollywood, possibly all of L.A. Across the street from it you have **Employees Only** which is a great neighborhood bar that also has a cool vibe often with live music in the later hours (original location is in NYC).
3. **Merois** is a rooftop restaurant from Wolfgang Puck at The Pendry hotel on the famous Sunset Strip, menu is mostly Asian influences. The view at sunset is must see, especially with the rooftop already bathed in pastels. They have lounge and bar seating too, in case you can’t snag a reservation. **Ospero**, also by WP, is the more casual restaurant on the Sunset Blvd level, solid for breakfast/brunch.
4. **Rainbow Bar & Grill** is a dive bar with a restaurant. The food is just so-so but on a Friday or Saturday night the upstairs bar usually has a punk/rock/metal band and the crowd that follows. Good spot to get a drink and chill for an hour or so, just don’t get Macallan 12 – one pour is an outrageous $50.
5. **Guisados** for tacos, one of the rare spots in the Gayborhood that has delicious food. Another spot on the stretch of road is **Bottega Louie** but I’d only recommend their pizzas, brunch or something from their bakery (it’s all on the more expensive side though).
6. **Granville** for brunch or lunch, there are several locations throughout L.A. but this is the nicest location IMO. They also are now doing brunch and have many delicious options for reasonable prices. Usually can walk in and get seated fairly quickly plus they have a large bar.
7. **Jones** is a casual Italian-American restaurant with large portions, favorite hangout amongst locals, kitchen is open late and the bar always has interest folk who don’t mind having a conversation.
Popular spots in the area you might want to consider skipping: **Madeo** (overly expensive quality Italian), **LAVO** (overly expensive not-so-quality Italian), **The Abbey** (roofied and/or phone stolen), **The Butcher Baker Cappucino Maker** (popular for brunch but the food dissapoints), **Connie & Ted’s** (average seafood), **Craig’s** (overly expensive staples, celebrity hangout tho), **The Ivy** (everything is expensive and most of it mediocre), **Urth Cafe** (immensely popular but food quality is barely above a cafeteria, coffee and pastries are good though).
If you are addicted to espresso like us then great spots to get a cup are: Dialog Cafe, Go Get Em Tiger, Enigma Coffee, Farm Cup Coffee, Carrera Cafe, Coffee Commissary (the location on Fairfax), Alfred Coffee, Blackwood Coffee, Alana’s Coffee Roasters, Blackwood Coffee, Verve Coffee and Bravo Toast.
Some more casual eats throughout LA that I would recommend: Randy’s doughnuts (if you like yeast doughnuts), Breakfast by Salt’s Cure, Des Croissants Paris, Bluey’s Kitchen
Not cheap, but worth a stop: Beverly Hills Cheese Store, Providence, République, Hatchet Hall, Destroyer, Antico nuovo, Bottega Louie
The good news is that most places in LA can accommodate a vegetarian guest!
Gracias Madre is a great vegan place in West Hollywood, plus a fun bar.
Santa Monica:
– Cha Cha Chicken is a staple! Right by the beach! BYOB too! Get the coconut fried chicken, or anything that got the jerked sauce. Go for lunch.
-I would also go down to Main St, Abbot Kinney, or Venice beach for another lunch day. Lots of good eats there.
– I would skip tacos in Santa Monica, but right outside Lincoln Blvd where the Wholefoods is, they do street tacos at night. Get the pastor!
West Hollywood:
Lots to eat around there, but its too crazy and crowded for me. I would suggest to explore other neighborhoods near by. Like Culver City, Century City, Beverly Hills, or even further east like Silverlake or Echo Park or East Hollywood.
-Try to go to Bicylette one night, best French in the city at a good price.
-Recent favorite Japanese Food find of mine is N/soto. The same owner as N/Naka. So it’s michelin star quality fish/food for a $$-$$$ price tag. My favorite japanese spot right now!
-Tacos 1986, just go for the mushroom taco and the adobada. Best mushroom taco I’ve ever had but be warned it’s greasy!
–
DTLA:
Bestia, Bavel, Sonoratown, Gorillas Tacos, Damian (which has a lowkey cheaper spot in the back) Etc. So much good food down here.
No offense to some other posts but growing up in Santa Monica, I feel like Bay Cities as fallen off pretty hard. Bread is sometimes off and sandwiches don’t hit the same as they did, but it’s still a great sandwich for the price.
I’m a homer but Grand Central Market is my go to when I have someone from out of town visiting. A bunch of places to eat at with tons of options. Donuts, ice cream, pie, lobster rolls, bbq, beer, oysters, Filipino food, vegan ramen, pizza, pasta, tacos, pupusas, fries chicken, a bunch!!
DTLA – go to Fugetsu-Do in little Tokyo and buy a little container of Rainbow Dango (or anything, but those are my fave).
You have to go to Roscoes chicken and waffles at 1865 La Brea Ave. That’s the one Obama visited, I think it’s the original but don’t quote me on that.
Le Comptoir! Since your wife is vegetarian
YOU HAVE TO GET ANGEL’S TACOS.
I LIKE THE NORTH HOLLYWOOD LOCATION, BUT…THERE ARE MANY.
GET LIKE 10 AL PASTOR TACOS. ON CORN TORTILLAS. NO CHEESE. TODOS.
If you’re into vegetable dishes you have to try Rustic Canyon while in Santa Monica!
Close to WeHo:
Vegan glory, real food daily, Crossroads, gracias madre, Tu Madre, café gratitude.
Other fun food things – Santa Monica and Hollywood farmers markets (many food stands), smorgasburg
And we have some grocery stores like Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Erewhon with premade food options (the later 2 have hot food too). I have tried almost every premade salad at Trader Joe’s lol
Id recommend bavel for sure. It’s great and some of their best items are vegetarian. The oyster mushrooms are incredible, all of the dips and breads are great. I’d definitely go there especially considering one of you are vegetarian.
I’d probably get tacos 1986 when you’re in Santa monica. There aren’t too many noteworthy taco places on the west side but tacos 1986 is one id recommend and they have a handful of locations in LA, one on the westside. They also have a mushroom taco that many vegetarians recommend highly.
Then I’d recommend Thai food at Night + Market when you’re in West Hollywood. Thai town (east hollywood) is where you will find most of the top spots if you want to venture over there, but night + market in west hollywood is legit. If you wanna head over to Thai town, I’d recommend jitlada.
If you’re into Chinese food I’d recommend heading to San gabriel valley. If you don’t wanna head all the way out there sichuan impression in west la (near Santa monica) is pretty good and will get the job done.
Birdie G’s in Santa Monica. Amazing food from an amazing chef. Definitely has menu items that your vegetarian wife would love, as well as non-vegetarian items for you.
You should definitely book 71above in DTLA, it’s a very nice meal and date night option with great views. Book a sunset time to see it both day and nighttime!
Kogi Taco Trucks – Quintessentially L.A. in the way they’ve mixed multiple cultures together…specifically Korean BBQ tacos. Multiple trucks in various locations across the city.
DTLA
– Great / nice sit down dinner – Redbird, Bestia, Damian
– Casual / tasty lunch – Angry Egret (Chinatown), Guerrilla Taco, Guisados (Boyle Heights)
– Rooftop with skyline views – Cara Cara (best views, pricey), Broken Shaker (Casual), Perch (near your hotel)
– Not food, but best Art Museum in L.A. – The Broad. Worth spending a few hours here.
Santa Monica / Venice / Malibu
– Socalo – best tacos on west side. Located in some motel, 20 blocks from the beach…it’s about the food, not the location. Founded by creators of previously successful Border Grill.
– Great / nice sit down dinner – Rustic Canyon, Cassia, Capo (across the street from Viceroy), Nobu Sushi (Malibu, ocean front views, pricey)
– Old School / historic – Chez Jay…near pier, same street as Viceroy. Bar / restaurant in front is original experience, newer outdoor patio in back is a great spot for drinks.
– Good vegetarian Breakfast / Lunch – The Butcher’s Daughter (Abbot Kinney street in Venice)
So imo what LA does best versus other cities is Mexican and Asian (especially what I call the big 5: Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, and Vietnamese in Orange County. Cambodian is also good).
Also believe it or not burgers, donuts, and breakfast burritos are what I consider very Southern California. You can probably add teriyaki chicken bowls and pho but I feel Orange County embraces that maybe a little more.
I can definitely give recommendations for Mexican and Asian in your respective areas. They are not going to be the best that the city and county of Los Angeles has to offer. Fair warning. The best Mexican is going to be in Boyle Heights/East Los Angeles, South Central Los Angeles, and southeast Los Angeles County for example.
Santa Monica, hopefully your stay is on a day when the Santa Monica Farmers Market. This is easily one the greatest farmers market in the country. Just an incredible bounty of produce!
Musso and Frank’s tbh go for the martinis and the bartenders who been there for decades.
Of the 3 places DTLA is probably the best. With the Arts District, the Row, Little Tokyo, and Chinatown this small area of Los Angeles can be considered one of the best places in the country to eat with its sheer variety. You throw in the neighboring Mexican communities in Boyle Heights, East Los Angeles, and Lincoln Heights it’s pretty damn f’ing incredible! Just outside of DTLA is also Koreatown with the best korean food scene in the country.
If you look at the map of LA. Starting from Hollywood moving east to Boyle Heights/East Los and south to around the USC area is just one incredible area to eat and experience culture. I hope the locals here realize that. Just one mind blowing stretch of food/cuisine.
Staying in Koreatown would have been ideal and central imo to all this goodness with a rental car of course.
I have some errands to run but I’ll reply back with some recs