Los Angeles, CA — Los Angeles is home to some of the best food and shopping in the world. As a global hub for foodies as well as for thousands of independent, small restaurants and up-and-coming chefs looking to make big market footprints, finding the best places to eat in LA can be a bit overwhelming. We want to help guide you in the right direction with a shortlist of our favorite places to eat in Los Angeles in 2022.
Our shortlist features many international cuisines including Japanese, Greek, Korean, Italian, Moroccan, French, Israeli, and American. For a few extra travel and style tips ahead of your next trip to Los Angeles, check out these updated guides for what to wear in LA every month and how to spend 3 days in LA. Enjoy exploring our list and please come say hello & shop with us at Res Ipsa Los Angeles and Res Ipsa Malibu.
Violet combines everything we love about a restaurant experience: amazing food, friendly service, and the loveliest setting. Each time feels like the first time. Violet is joy. If you love healthy comfort food, you will love Violet.
Owned by our friend Dana Slatkin, Violet mixes fresh farmer's market veggies with delicious organic meats cooked to perfection by the head chef Brittany Cassidy & co. We recommend starting with the bread and butter, the slow-turned organic cauliflower and the frites à la truffe. For the mains, we enjoy the chicken, the quiche, the steak frites, and the squash. For dessert, ask for the chocolate mousse but do not order it to share. Order one for all around the table!
We also enjoy Violet's lively, feel-good playlist developed by Blake Slatkin -- Dana's son and musical producer in LA. To top it all off, the French-inspired setting boasts a very romantic two-level outdoor-indoor patio that will get you feeling some type of way. Above the patio, Dana developed a cooking school & shop. Make a reservation soon and find their full menu. Address: 1121 Glendon Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90024 Number: 310-208-1121 Instagram: @thevioletla
BCD Tofu has been a staple throughout the LA community since its original location opened in 1996. Over 25 years later, founder Hee Sook Lee and her staff at BCD Tofu's 13 branches in 12 cities across the nation continue to operate each location serving their world-famous casual Korean cuisines. After Ms. Lee passed away in the summer of 2020, her son, Dr. Lee, shared of his mother to the NYT, “Anything she put out on a table, it had to be perfect, whether it was the temperature of the rice, the color of the kimchi, the saltiness of the tofu seasoning.” Named after Ms. Lee's mother-in-law's restaurant in the "Bukchang Dong" district in Korea, BCD Tofu offers an extremely healthy, quality and tasty meal.
We love Ms. Lee's famous & super secret recipe (so secret she wouldn't share with her late husband) traditional Korean Soon Tofu soups (extremely warm and as spicy as you wish), the Galbi (marinated short rib), a seafood pancake (cut 6 ways for sharing), and a bottle of the Makgeolli (Korean Rice Wine). Find their full menu. Address: 3575 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90010 Number: 213-382-6677 Instagram: @bcdtofuhouse
Heroic Italian is some of the tastiest authentic Italian we've experienced in Los Angeles. At Heroic, we also discovered someone who loves travel as much as we do. Executive Chef Jeffrey Merrihue has dined at all of the world's 50 best restaurants.
Chef Jeff opened Heroic Italian in 2019 serving up authentic, handmade pastas, seafoods and other small dishes. The difference maker: Heroic imports its ingredients directly from Europe. We love to order the seafood tins, the warm sardines (from Northern Spain), the handmade carbonara, the handmade lobster ravioli w/ tobiko in sherry “bisque”, and the filet mignon as the chef recommends. For dessert, ask for the yummy gelato made by Chef Jeff's friend, Andy Gavin, co-creator of Crash Bandicoot. In addition to our shared love for travel, Chef Jeff and his team believe that every dish should have a story just as we believe every product should have a story.
We visit the Santa Monica location for dinner where we often catch Chef Jeff and his his team full of delight in telling stories of their imported dishes and wines only available at Heroic for all the wine lovers at the table. If you are a curious eater, ask questions and you will leave knowing. Find their menu. Address: 516 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401 Number: 310-691-8278. Instagram: @heroicitalian & @jeffrey_merrihue
4. Casablanca Moroccan Kitchen
We discovered Casablanca after walking by it one night on Melrose. Since that night, Casablanca has become one of our favorite Moroccan restaurants in Los Angeles. When you are not traveling to Marrakech to discover the most magical Moroccan foods, Casablanca Moroccan Kitchen will warmly welcome you inside their westside Los Angeles restaurant and even cater your next special event.
Offering a variety of traditional Moroccan and Berber foods, we order the tagine of the day (fish, lamb, kefta and veggie), a mix grill platter, some pastillas and couscous, as well as their roasted eggplant and delicious beet salad. Find the full menu. Address: 6919 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038 Number: 323-272-4777 Instagram: @casablancamoroccankitchens
We first read about Crossroads Kitchen on Eater Los Angeles's 38 Essential Restaurants in Los Angeles. Crossroad's proudly shares their belief as "an intersection where vegans, flexitarian's, omnivores and meat eaters can cross paths to share a delicious meal and a good time."
We are learning to love food that fills us but does make us feel full. We always leave Crossroads full and still feeling good. The food is so delicious that the first night we went for dinner we decided we must go back again the next night for a second meal. It fully held up the second time. We've been back several times and enjoyed ourselves a very special Thanksgiving's Eve dinner at the bar this past year.
We recommend a lot...starting with the stuffed zucchini blossom, figs & feta, calamari fritti, homemade Italian sausage and then moving to the tagliatelle bolognese, lasagna bolognese, and the spaghetti carbonara. Crossroads serves a fantastic carbonara dish that is completely and magically gluten free (*disclaimer: I have enjoyed amazing carbonara dishes in the Mediterranean, Africa, Europe, and North America, but none hold a candle up to this!). You should just put in a second order of the carbonara dish. Find their full menu. Address: 8284 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90046 Number: 323-782-9245 Instagram: @crossroadskitchen
Honey's Kettle has been on our go-to neighborhood comfort food spot in downtown Culver City. In addition to any combination of its original crispy chicken with honey, buttermilk biscuits with butter and honey, we love the 3.3 - 3 hotcakes and 3 pieces of chicken. Honey's Kettle is definitely worth multiple trips to explore the full menu. We also love the spicy down-home chicken sandwich, sides of Honey's own fresh coleslaw, corn-on-the-cob, the Kettle fries and an order of the original Honey's secret sauce for its sweet 'n spicy flavors.
Honey's Kettle is a Black-owned, family restaurant that expanded its physical footprint during the pandemic adding two additional no-storefront Honey Drop Kitchen locations in DTLA and Hollywood. We love the downtown Culver City spot which is right around the corner from our Res Ipsa Los Angeles store at the Platform. Find their full menu. Address: 9537 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232 Number: Instagram: @honeyskettle
Tony's Taverna is just around the corner from our Malibu store in Malibu Village. As a traditional Greek restaurant, they are famous in Malibu for their grilled seafood and meat dishes as well as their outstanding house bread and pita. The menu also includes great vegetarian and vegan options.
For the main dishes, we are Big on the full rack of lamb, sea bass, and the grilled vegetable platter. For starters, we love the house-made pita bread & hummus, fried calamari, and the lamb & veal sausages. Find their full menu. Address: 23410 Civic Center Way, Malibu, CA 90265 Number: 310-317-9667 Instagram: @tavernatony
8. Tatsu Ramen
Tatsu Ramen is one of the places we frequent the most on this list. What started in 2012 in the owner Angel's home kitchen grew into 4 Los Angeles locations -- Sawtelle, Melrose, Pasadena, and Koreatown. Fun Fact: Tatsu is the Japanese word for dragon and Tatsu Ramen opened in 2012, the year of the dragon.
We love the warm umami broth bowls made every day in-house. Whether you are GF, a lover of meats or strictly vegan, the menu has 7 different ramen options to satisfy you. On the side, add a juicy pork bun or two and the pork chashu rice.
We enjoy the Melrose location across from Milk Bar. Find their full menu. Address: 7111 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046 Number: 323-747-1388 Instagram: @tatsuramen
9. Hasiba
A certified Kosher restaurant, Hasiba is an Israeli and Moroccan restaurant better known commonly in Israel as a hummusiya -- a quick-service hummus stop. Located in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood and inspired by a love for middle eastern cuisines, Hasiba offers much more than its delicious hummus and house-made pita. We love the mouth-watering sabich sandwich along side an order off menu order of hot sauce. On the side, we like to order the spicy-sometimes-garlicky-Moroccan chermoula marinade and heavily roasted cauliflower. As a quick counter service, the food at Hasiba is prepared fresh, fast and with flavor.
We discovered Hasiba early this year on LA Times' pre-pandemic '19 best restaurants for newcomers list and will be making a regular lunch and dinner spot in 2022. Find their full menu. Address: 8532 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90035 Number: 424-302-0225 Instagram: @hasibarestaurant
10. Broad St. Oyster + Joules & Watts Coffee
Broad St. Oyster and Joules & Watts are our friendly neighbors in Malibu Village that fuel us at Res Ipsa Malibu. Broad St. Oyster is Los Angeles's lobster spot. We always order the warm, buttery lobster roll (add extra lobster) or a juicy burger (add fried egg, Nueske's bacon, and avocado), or both!
Joules & Watts roasts their coffee in-house every week. We grab coffee here every morning. Max, Madeline and co will be ready to help you order your regular. We like to order a matcha latte, a D.O.I. (Drip-over-ice), a cold brew or a hot tea. We also go for the homemade sweets be it gelato, @superkindcookies cookies or @butterbrownbutter brownies.
Find their full menu. **Order Ahead to skip the line** Address: 23359 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu, CA 90265 Number: 424-644-0131 Instagram: @broadstreetoysterco and @joulesandwattscoffee
Bonus: We promise the scenic drive up PCH is worth all the food, shopping and company you will experience in Malibu and at Malibu Village. World Famous Surfrider Beach is located directly across the street from Malibu Village. Be ready for an early morning beach walk and a fiery beach sunset!
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