#los-angeles-restaurants

#los-angeles-restaurants

Each year restaurants and bars across the country are set abuzz when the James Beard Foundation announces the top chefs, restaurateurs and beverage professionals in the running for its coveted awards. The semifinalists, announced today, are the first announcement in a string of them, and Los Angeles-area restaurants and individuals racked up two dozen nods. Of these semifinalists, the nominees will be announced March 31, while the winners will be announced and awarded at a June 15 ceremony held at Chicago's Lyric Opera.

In recent years, the awards have been under increased scrutiny after canceling its programming in 2020 and 2021 due to allegations of misconduct and abuse against nominated chefs, as well as a lack of nominated and winning Black chefs in the categories. In response, the James Beard Foundation conducted an internal audit to make its voting processes more inclusive and equitable, and returned in 2022.

They folded in diced onions that quickly browned to sweetness. A white version of Cooper Sharp, a sliceable brand of American cheese that's been inducted into the unofficial lexicon of acceptable ingredients for cheesesteaks in Philadelphia, lined a baguette-ish roll crusted with sesame seeds. The final addition: a charred, thin long hot pepper slid along one edge.

Happy New Year, Los Angeles! 2025 was a challenging year for local restaurants, but there's also reason to be hopeful. The annual 101 Best Restaurants guide from critic Bill Addison and columnist Jenn Harris included an impressive 31 new entrants for 2025. Black chefs and restaurateurs are experiencing an unprecedented "blossoming," and though they're not immune to industry challenges, many are confident they will weather the storms.

East Coast sensation PopUp Bagels opens its first Los Angeles location in Brentwood this week. The viral chain plans to open 35 locations throughout Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego, and debuted its first West Coast location in La Jolla on November 21. Starting Friday, December 19, Angelenos can start plotting a visit to try PopUp's bagels with a rotating selection of schmears for dipping.

I grew up in Arcadia where the very first U.S. location of Din Tai Fung opened in 2000. Despite this, I've always been a bit of a Din Tai Fung skeptic (it's hard not to be when your hometown arguably has some of the best Chinese food not just in Los Angeles, but in the states - especially at the many mom-and-pops in the SGV). Nevertheless, especially with its huge expansion, I see the appeal of Din Tai Fung now.

One of Los Angeles's most popular underground dinners has finally landed a home after years in limbo. Chainsaw, which took off as a dinner pop-up/party in Karla Subero Pittol's Echo Park garage, is opening a cafe in the Melrose Hill neighborhood on November 13th. Expect the pies and ice cream Chainsaw is famous for, as well as arepas, pabellón criollo, and golden empanadas.

Maydan Market, a new culinary compound in Los Angeles's West Adams neighborhood, has proved itself worth the 6-year wait. D.C. restaurateur Rose Previte's food hall and market feels like an Avengers lineup of the city's best operators, with stalls from already-iconic Los Angeles restaurants such as Holy Basil (which introduced Yhing Yhang, a Thai barbecue counter); Poncho's Tlayudas (running Lugya'h, a crowd-drawing tlayuda joint); and Tamales Elena (whose Maléna slings tamales, weekend barbacoa, fried fish tacos, and more).

Spago in Los Angeles is the flagship in Wolfgang Puck's international empire a vital part of the city's culinary history, and represents possibly the greatest vibe shift ever in American restaurants. I went back several times because I wanted to see how this restaurant that, both influenced and anticipated some major American food trends over 40 years ago, fit into the scene it helped shape today.

I loved the mie tek tek (also known as mie goreng), a dish my wife and I would order regularly, but prepared much sharper and elegantly here on floral plateware and a tangle of microgreens garnish. The wok-fried noodles are well-sauced, seared ever so slightly, and tossed with fragments of tender chicken. Crunchy cabbage and chopped greens add additional texture, resulting in something sort of like chow mein but more dimensional.