Los Angeles Food Writers Share Their Go-To Restaurants in 2021

Welcome to the Year in Eater 2021 — an annual tradition that looks back at the highs, lows, and in-betweens of Los Angeles’s restaurant scene. Today, LA’s finest food writers, editors, and reporters share their most frequented restaurants of the year.

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Caroline Pardilla, Freelance Writer and Eater LA Contributor

Still didn’t dine or drink indoors with any regularity. Instead I loved walking the dog to Republique during the cafe hours for brunch and the beautiful pastries. All Day Baby for more brunch and the cocktail shakes. Would pick up my food and drink from ADB and take it to a nearby park to enjoy.

Cathy Chaplin, Eater LA Associate Editor

I returned again and again to Tam’s Noodle House in San Gabriel (congee and pineapple buns), Pasadena Fish Market in Pasadena (fried oysters and oxtails), and All Day Baby in Silver Lake (cinnamon rolls, pies, cookies) for comforting fare prepared dependably well.

Wonho Frank Lee

Danielle Dorsey, LA Thrillist Editor

My regular spots include Burgers 99, Leo’s Taco truck at La Brea/Venice, Alta Adams, Post & Beam, Anwar’s Kitchen, Mizlala, and Delicious Pizza.

Esther Tseng, Freelance Food Writer

Pine & Crane, Kismet Rotisserie, Tsubaki, Eszett, Loupiotte Kitchen, Dune.

Evan Kleiman, Good Food host

Hotville Chicken, Homestate, Bee Taqueria, Hasiba.

Matthew Kang/Eater LA

Farley Elliott, Eater LA Senior Editor

Moo’s Craft Barbecue is not only the best barbecue in LA, it’s one of the most consistent restaurants in the entire city. I’m glad too that Goldburger now has two locations and more hours for all my burger needs. Other frequents were Namaste Spiceland, the grocery store and hot counter in Pasadena; DTown Pizza in West Hollywood; and always, always HomeState.

Josh Lurie, FoodGPS.com Founder

I’ve visited Glendale so many times this year for kebabs that my liver is now 40 percent lule. I mix it up, but restaurants like Hamlet’s Kitchen, Art’s Bakery, Mini Kabob, and Vernatoun are in my current rotation. I also make regular outings to the San Gabriel Valley. My wife introduced our family to Tam’s Noodle House, which has great Cantonese comfort food.

Lesley Suter, Eater Travel Editor

We kept it close to home yet again this year, so I found myself hitting the Highland Park strip often — Hippo, Triple Beam, Otoño. But I probably had more lunch meetings at All Day Baby this year than anywhere else.

Matthew Kang, Eater LA Editor

Soban, Yuk Dae Jang, Angler, Madre, Full Proof Pizza, Park’s BBQ, Smorgasburg, Copa Vida, Artelice Patisserie, Afuri Ramen.

Smorgasburg

Mona Holmes, Eater LA Reporter

I’m very loyal to Kumquat coffee owners Scott Sohn and AJ Kim, who serve some of the best coffee in Northeast LA. I spent plenty of time at Afuri Ramen, and Jerusalem Chicken in View Park for their wonderful and unique Middle Eastern food.

Jerusalem Chicken

Nicole Adlman, Eater Cities Manager

Quiadaiyn in Mar Vista for the westside’s best barbacoa de chivo (Valle in Venice, before it closed, had a strong contender); Birdie G’s in Santa Monica for elevated pan-Jewish comfort foods like matzo ball soup and corned beef brisket; Broadstreet Oyster Company for a pile of buttery lobster meat served, essentially, protein-style (the gluten-free move is to get your lobster “roll” on a bed of lettuce with fries), plus a cacophony of wine-soaked shellfish and the richest lobster bisque this side of the 405; Little Fatty, also in Mar Vista, for its excellent takeout (the restaurant’s fried quail is my reflexive order on Friday nights); Chicas Tacos for a compulsive plant-based queso experience; the taqueros set up on the sidewalk outside of my local Whole Foods in Venice; soondubu from Seoul Tofu in Sawtelle Japantown on repeat; Little Kingston in View Park-Windsor Hills for containers of curry goat, ackee and saltfish, and its rotating roster of stews; Menotti’s near the Venice Boardwalk for the vegan spanish latte, which was essential to my survival this year.

Patricia Kelly Yeo, Food & Drink Editor, TimeOut L.A.

At the end of the day, I’m always a sucker for Leo’s Tacos, whose mouthwatering trompos loom large in my memories of late nights, whether I’m working and need a quick snack or headed out to a show or a club. I went to Gigi’s and Bicyclette a handful of times each as well. Both newer spots represented a warm welcome back to the heights of dining out in LA.

Wonho Frank Lee