where to eat in los angeles?

my request for everyone's favorite cafes and restaurants

i love la. i’m not sure i could really live there but i love daydreaming about living there. i remember there was a time last year where i wondered if i could start my life over in la. i thought about finding a quaint little apartment somewhere in los feliz or silverlake. it was a shallow thought but i felt maybe being able to eat pasta at bestia any time i wanted would save me just a little bit. as i browsed craigslist apartment listings, i felt i needed the steady sunshine and heat of southern california because everything here felt so bleak and stale. for me, it’s a place where there is enough life happening to distract you from parts of your own that you aren’t ready to confront yet.

i haven’t been to la in awhile and i’m strangely ‘homesick’ for it (so i’m going at the end of april). i love that it’s a city where there is always something happening, there are new places to eat, drinks to try…so i wanted to ask what everyone’s favorite cafe and restaurants are nowadays. i thought i’d share the answers so we can discuss what places we love (or don’t love so much).

thank you to everyone who recommended their favorite spots right now. and here are some really good substacks that often talk about the the food/culture of la if you’re interested: the angel, bite sized, jason stewart (of how long gone), anchovies and soup.

the recommended restaurants:

• joy (i’ve been here and it’s really good but i prefer pine and crane)

• elf cafe

• dunsmoor (this was recommended several times and ok!!!! i can see why by their ig)

• bub and grandma’s

• bar chelou

• damian

• yangban society (i do like this place a lot. order: fried chicken wings, peashoots, the buffalo milk sundae)

• petit trois (also on my personal list)

• république (this place had 2015 me shook)

• found oyster (on my personal list and also recommended several times)

• dune

• barra santos (i’m listening)

• sapp coffee shop (everyone who recommended this were sure to say: it’s not a coffee shop!)

• night+ market song (i like)

• all time (me as a cake)

• perilla

• bé ù

• kismet

• bestia / bavel (v classic la places imo. are they considered ‘dated’ now? maybe)

• etra (very high up on my personal list! it looks stunning)

• hangari kalguksu (this will heal you of any ailment… physical/emotional/mental)

• gjelina (i had a very, very mid experience here but i’m willing to try it again)

• gjusta (i really love gjusta for everything it is and frank ocean ate a sandwich right next to me here and i was too scared to say hi so all i did was stare at his pink diamond flower chain bracelet)

• lingua franca

• du-par’s

• loreto (went here on a date -lol- and i thought it was just okay but maybe i should try again?)

• amara’s kitchen

• hatchet hall (their ig profile pic is v interesting to me)

• marvin (i already know that on a warm summer night in la, my ass would be planted on their outdoor patio, a little too drunk from 3 glasses of a pet nat)

• queen’s st

• lasita

• ruen pair

• liu’s cafe

• bodega park

• capri club

• sqirl (i’m a sqirl fan girl! forever! moldy jam and all! microplastics are gonna kill me anyway!)

• bar monette

• astro family

• loupiotte kitchen

• croft alley (what’s the tea on this place, i just wanna know…)

• clark street diner

• aunt yvette’s kitchen

• horses on sunset (do people still go here?? did the hype die down even before the cat/owner controversy? or is it even more popular in spite of it or because of it?? anyway, the horse butter is cute)

• felix

• guisados tacos

• home state

• mr dragon noodle house

• the sisters cafe

• el cartel (for the empanadas, they say)

now for the cafes + wine bars:

• doubting thomas (i love their carrot cake)

• little ripper

• mary’s market pasadena (not really a cafe but seems very laid back and casual)

• café telegrama (maybe the most recommended café from people)

• canyon coffee (ofc and sasha does make the pastries for canyon/community goods and a lot of other places so that’s something to definitely check out)

• valerie (word on the street is: valerie > canyon)

• café triste (i refused to take an uber across town during rush hour traffic to go on a date here so now it’s on my personal list of places i want to try)

• go get em tiger

• ototo (ok tbh, i don’t drink sake but the izikaya vibes are appealing (always))

• justine’s

• maru (yeah yeah yeah)

• village well

• saffy’s

• file systems of coffee (this name is crazy lol)

• community goods

• destroyer

• lolo wine bar

• kumquat

• loquat (there is a loquat in sf that is very good. i thought they were related, they are not)

• great white (the vsco sepia tones of their ig is pulling me in)

• stir crazy (this place looks so la in a way that feels trope-y)

• just what i kneaded (for the vegan babes)

my special little mentions:

• little fish (as a lover of any fish filet sandwich, i am really dying to try this)

• jurassic magic (i find places that don’t have wifi v charming! more wifi free places please)

• highly likely (it just looks like such a fun place to sit, drink a $9 latte, fake read, fake work on your laptop)

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thoughts on this list of recommendations? what is your favorite place in la? what on this list do you find completely overrated (or underrated)? i’d love to know your thoughts!! also, i’m shocked no one recommended courage bagels? i’ve seen that line…

anyway, let’s all go to la.