12 Delicious Things to Eat in Culver City

Welcome to Eater LA’ recurring series about the best dishes to eat in neighborhoods across Los Angeles. Today we’re heading to Culver City, a buzzing city that’s home to movie and television studios, as well as a diverse collection of restaurants. From a tahina-laced pita sandwich to a blistered pizza, here now are Eater editors’ favorites in the neighborhood.

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Brisket at Maple Block Meat Co.

Since 2015, Maple Block Meat Co.’s has garnered a stellar reputation for its brisket. Served up lean or fatty — I go for the latter every time — each slice delights with its rich flavor and tender texture. To balance out all that goodness are a slew of tangy sauces and sides, as well as an Alabama-style white sauce. Maple Block is expanding soon to Grand Central Market in Downtown, bring more smoked goodness to the east. 3973 Sepulveda Boulevard. —Cathy Chaplin

Princess cake at Copenhagen Pastry

A 10-year bakery veteran of Culver City, this delightful slice of Denmark comes from owner Karen Hansen, whose plucky baking team prepares raspberry jam-filled danishes and cakes like this Princess cake (admittedly, borrowed from nearby Sweden). Covered in a beautiful pale green marzipan and layered with whipped cream, jam, and custard, it’s hard to resist a slice of Princess cake in the mornings or afternoons with a strong cup of coffee. 11113 Washington Boulevard. — Matthew Kang

Chicken parmesan at Dear John’s

Dear John’s emerged in the Rat Pack era as a Frank Sinatra hangout and smoky hideaway for crooning celebrities. Eventually, the restaurant fell mostly out of favor but a revamp from the Rockenwagner family and Josiah Citrin brought the place back to life. After a new five-year extension on the property, Dear John’s will remain in its current home for a while. Step back in time with the team’s take on chicken parmesan, a rich and satisfying dish that is as timeless as the restaurant it’s served inside. 11208 Culver Blvd. —Farley Elliott

Grilled picante catfish at Cafe Brasil

Neighborhood mainstay Cafe Brasil serves reliable Brazilian fare to the Westside’s sizable community. And while classics like feijoada and cheesy fried pasteis are always good, pick the pan-grilled catfish for something light but still flavor-packed. Dusted with spices and gorgeously browned, the plump, juicy catfish filets come with fluffy white rice, vinaigrette salad, sweet fried plantains, and a choice of side. Any proper Brazilian will order up the black beans, perfect for mixing into the rice. 11736 Washington Boulevard — Matthew Kang

King crab and prawns with pasta at Etta

The crowded dining room of Etta remains one of Culver City’s most versatile restaurants, but this shareable feast of sliced, grilled king crab with plump prawns is one of the menu’s must-order items. Aside from the obvious luxury of splitting such huge pieces of sweet, briny crab, there’s a cauldron full of tender, swoon-worthy angel hair pasta in Calabrian cream tomato sauce to help mop up all the residual shellfish flavor. It’s big enough for a crew to share, though two ambitious diners could make this and maybe a salad a whole dinner unto itself. 8801 Washington Boulevard. — Matthew Kang

Endive salad at Juliet

Juliet opened in 2022 as a chic ode to modern Parisian bistros, serving beautifully plated and modestly portioned classics in a space that begs for Culver City’s expense account crowd. The endive salad, studded with knobs of whipped Roquefort cheese, crunchy walnuts, and grape slivers, might be one of the restaurant’s most elegant presentations. Featuring crisp quartered heads of endive, it feels light but sophisticated, deconstructed and almost too pretty to eat. Perfect with a refreshing glass of white wine or a shaken cocktail. 8888 Washington Boulevard Suite 102. — Matthew Kang

Tingling cumin dry noodles from Bang Bang Noodles

After roaming around in various street set-ups and pop-up windows, Bang Bang Noodles founder Robert Lee’s stall inside the bustling Citzen’s Public Market seems like an ideal long-term perch for the journeyman chef. Lee’s tingling dry noodles come with an option for tender braised beef, cumin-tinted lamb, seitan, or mushrooms, each set of hand-pulled noodles are slapped right before customers at the open counter. The result is a chewy, carby bite, satisfying in its buoyancy like a great pasta but distinctly Chinese.

Though the format and menu draw clear inspiration from other Shaaxi restaurants like New York City’s Xian Famous Foods, Lee’s approach feels like LA, with his generous use of fresh herbs to balance out the oily, chile-laden sauce. 9355 Culver Boulevard. — Matthew Kang

Ceviche mixto from Ceviche Stop

It’s unclear how Ceviche Stop become an unstoppable force in Culver City, but the modern Peruvian restaurant continues to draw social media attention. The engagement seems to be worthwhile, with chef Walther and his wife Diana succeeding in incorporating classic traditional flavors in beloved Peruvian dishes. This ceviche mixto is the winner, tinted with a heaping pile of fresh-cut striped bass, scallops, potatoes, corn, mussels, octopus, and squid strewn with seaweed and bright aji amarillo sauce. Those missing Ricardo Zarate’s food at Picca or Mo-Chica will find a lot to like with Ceviche Stop. 2901 S. La Cienega Boulevard. — Matthew Kang

Fat pita sandwich from Lodge Bread

Vegan dishes are often afterthoughts on omnivorous menus, but Lodge Bread won’t allow that to happen. The neighborhood’s most reliable bakery serves a solid pastrami sandwich with meat sourced by R.C. Provisions (the same company that makes Langer’s pastrami), but the fat pita sandwich outshines its meaty menu companion. Plush mixed-flour pita loaves are split and filled to the brim with roasted cauliflower, tomato, chickpeas, and charmoula. Chewy, tangy, and sweet golden raisins provide the best counterpoint to this tangle of vegetable glory, brought together with creamy tahina sauce. 11918 Washington Boulevard. — Matthew Kang

Fried chicken from Honey’s Kettle

LA’s best fried chicken comes from Honey’s Kettle in Culver City (it serves across town with delivery and a Downtown location as well). Featuring gorgeously crisp, well-seasoned chicken pieces with a unique fryer method, founder Vincent Williams has served here since the aughts (his Compton original first opened in 2000, though it’s since closed). Combos come with thick fries and soft buttery biscuits, with hot sauce, honey, and ketchup offered as essential side sauces. The family will fight over the last piece of golden brown chicken, guaranteed. 9537 Culver Boulevard. —Matthew Kang

Bee sting pizza at Roberta’s

Locals have enthusiastically embraced Robertas’ puffy, blistered, and chewy pizzas, calzones, cacio e pepe, and house-made stracciatella. Everything works on the menu, especially the aptly named bee sting pizza that gets under one’s skin with its combination of tomatoes, soppressata, mozzarella, chili, honey, and basil. All of the flavors come together for a pizza that packs some heat, a pleasant saltiness, a slightly sweet touch, and the right amount of smoke. 8810 Washington Blvd., Culver City. —Mona Holmes

Duck confit salad at Father’s Office

Order the burger at Father’s Office if you haven’t tried it, but if it’s a second or third visit to this Culver City gastropub, try the duck confit salad. Served with a whole confit leg of Liberty duck, the gently gamey, crisped meat is served alongside a tangle of dressed mustard greens, frisee, figs, and hazelnuts. A sweet and fragrant tangelo vinaigrette binds the crunchy bits with the fork-tender duck, making this salad more like a bona fide entree than a starter. 3229 Helms Avenue, Los Angeles. —Matthew Kang