If you’re seeking remarkable dining experiences, Los Angeles truly excels. This Southern California city boasts some of the finest year-round farmers markets globally, and its neighborhoods representing immigrant flavors—Koreatown, Thai Town, and the San Gabriel Valley for Chinese cuisine—are unparalleled. However, LA operates more like a collection of suburbs, each with its own distinctive culture and culinary offerings. If you find yourself in Santa Monica, dining in the San Fernando Valley is probably not on your itinerary, and it shouldn’t be. A more strategic approach is to select a specific area and explore thoroughly, thereby avoiding significant time lost to traffic during your visit.
Getting around Los Angeles requires a vehicle, even if you remain within a smaller area. Public transportation options are sparse and slow, so consider renting a car or using rideshare services like Uber and Waymo (you’ll encounter self-driving cars frequently). With that in mind, here’s where you should rest your head in Los Angeles if food is your main focus and what to dine on once you arrive.
Silver Lake and Los Feliz (as well as Eastside, etc.)
Silver Lake is a haven for young creatives and, appropriately, hosts one of LA’s most diverse food scenes. Here, you’ll discover the beloved Courage Bagels—open-faced and adorned with local Californian ingredients—and Bridgetown Roti, where chef Rashida Holmes presents curry shrimp roti and honey jerk wings. Venture slightly east on Sunset to visit Azizam, known for its Persian home-cooking and featured as a 2024 Bon Appétit Best New Restaurant, along with Café Tropical, a neighborhood institution revitalized last year with updated recipes for pastelitos and Cubanos.
Nearby Melrose Hill has established itself as a dining haven, featuring Café Telegrama (be sure to try the Chinese chicken salad), its sophisticated Italian counterpart Ètra, and LA Grocery & Café, a trendy market featuring fresh produce from farmers’ markets and exceptional prepared meals.
Just over in East Hollywood, the Middle Eastern-inspired Saffy’s is famous for dinner yet also serves an outstanding Arabic breakfast, while directly across the street lies Found Oyster, a beloved New England-style raw bar. In the nearby Thai Town, make sure to enjoy sai ua and khao soi at Amphai Northern Thai Food, followed by mango sticky rice at Bhan Kanom Thai.
Then there’s Los Feliz, just five minutes to the northeast, home to Kismet, an authentic staple for Mediterranean meets California cuisine, along with its casual counterpart Kismet Rotisserie and the LA location of matcha expert Kettl. A short walk away on Hillhurst, Maru offers some of the finest cappuccinos in the city, while All Time attracts patrons with breakfast burritos, salmon bowls, and the occasional celebrity spotting.
Hotel Covell
Courtesy of Hotel Covell
When you stay at Hotel Covell, you experience the closest feeling to living in Los Angeles while merely visiting. Sitting above the Los Feliz branch of local coffee chain Go Get Em Tiger, this boutique hotel features just nine luxuriously curated apartment-style suites. The linens are from Parachute, the bath amenities are from Le Labo, and the kitchens are equipped with full-sized Smeg refrigerators. Each suite offers its own unique character—one might remind you of a 1950s New York apartment, while another feels like a Parisian studio. You can request celebratory wine from the hotel’s bar, Bar Covell, and custom flower arrangements can be ordered through Gilly Flowers, the trendiest florist in Silver Lake.
