Broad Street Oyster Co. has emerged as one of the best restaurants in Malibu in the past year, owing in no small part fantastic fresh seafood and drive-thru capabilities. Still, it’s hard to find laid-back seafood shack-style eats this great in Los Angeles, including what may be LA’s best lobster roll. —Matthew Kang

This prolific stand helmed by Indigenous taqueros serves some of the top al pastor in the city, though they also prepare carne asada, suadero, tripas, and more as vampiros, burritos, and tortas. Check its Instagram (or better yet, DM them) for the latest locations, which include Mission Hills, El Monte, South LA, and Torrance. —Matthew Kang

Dave Beran’s Santa Monica French restaurant has developed into one of the Westside’s most impressive fancy restaurants, with stellar renditions of Parisian bistro dishes with a California mentality. Though Beran’s ambitious tasting menu restaurant Dialogue had to close due to the pandemic, the team’s efforts at Pasjoli show an extra level of creativity and execution, from gorgeous chicken liver-stuffed brioche to dry-aged ribeye with roasted fingerling potatoes. —Matthew Kang

Jon Yao’s adventurous, highly celebrated tasting menu restaurant draws from his upbringing in SGV and his Taiwanese heritage. One of the city’s most reliable and impressive destinations for upscale Asian food, with the price to match. —Matthew Kang

Barb Batiste made her mark on Sawtelle with dessert shop B Sweet, but her casual Filipino restaurant Big Boi continues to impress with combination plates of garlic rice and pancit with savory sisig and beef giniling. Order up an appetizer of crispy lumpia shanghai, plus a bowl of Filipino-style spaghetti for some pure nostalgia. Open for takeout and delivery only. —Matthew Kang

Tetsuya Nakao’s impeccable attention to detail and service are why he remains one of the leading sushi chefs in the San Fernando Valley. Asanebo’s reopened in February, the perfect spot to try the halibut yuzu or toro carpaccio, though the counter is now available for omakase feasts. —Mona Holmes

San Francisco import Angler doesn’t change the recipe too much from the Bay Area original, except that the gorgeous Bay Bridge view has been replaced by a more insulated location inside the Beverly Center. However, the service and food are unparalleled in LA, with Joshua Skenes’s immaculate attention to detail and commitment to the best ingredients on the planet evident on each plate. —Matthew Kang

Chef Tal Ronnen opened Crossroads Kitchen in 2013, where his plant-based menu served on white tablecloths and accompanying wine list made quite the splash. The Melrose restaurant simply doesn’t feel like a vegan restaurant with the dim lights, cocktails at the bar, and carbonara complete with a runny tomato-based “egg” yolk. The dish is a huge step forward in plant-based cuisine, as fresh pasta usually requires the use of eggs. There’s plenty to appreciate about Ronnen, who co-founded Kite Hill Foods in 2014, and introduced vegan cheeses that simply taste better. Vegan cuisine has evolved considerably thanks to Ronnen, along with Plant Food and Wine by Matthew Kenney in Venice. —Mona Holmes

Brother and sister owners Ghazi and Sol Bashirian took over their father’s former Italian restaurant Gino’s Pizza in Inglewood, and modernized the look and menu. Growing up near Inglewood, the duo has served approachable old-school Italian fare to feed the community around them. The meatball sub and short rib ragu are both off-the-chain delicious. —Mona Holmes

Dulan’s is a soul food mainstay for Los Angeles, as is its amiable owner Gregory Dulan. The 22-year-old Inglewood spot is Dulan’s most famous restaurant to date, but his father Adolf Dulan spent decades running restaurants throughout LA’s Westside and South LA region. The locations on Century and Manchester are open, while Crenshaw is closed for renovations (the Dulanville food truck is parked out front). The cafeteria-style setup doesn’t skimp on happy service or big portions, particularly with sides like mac & cheese, green beans, and corn bread. The gigantic Sunday dinner specials even come with iced tea. —Farley Elliott

Pizza has been a winner for both diners and restaurants in the past year, and few do a better pie than Ronan on Melrose. Blistered, delicious, and best served with a serious side of meatballs and a cocktail or two, these pizzas have helped to put LA on the national map. The Cutler family behind the restaurant has been exceedingly open about their (common to all) economic struggles, pushing the conversation forward about what it means to make not just as a small business in Los Angeles, but anywhere right now. —Farley Elliott

When Walter and Margarita Manzke took over the iconic Campanile space, they knew the stakes were high. And who in LA would have thought they would’ve succeeded this much, offering a breakfast-to-dinner menu with a French point of view? Throw in some pockets of new American and Asian influences, and the bill of fare will likely appeal to everyone. The desserts, breads, and pastries by Margarita are as good as one can expect, while the charcuterie board is sure to stun anyone. —Matthew Kang

Kim Prince, one of the descendants of the famous Prince’s Hot Chicken from Nashville, the originator of the dish, has established her family’s hot chicken legacy in the heart of Baldwin Hills, frying up superb spicy fried chicken with an array of sides. —Matthew Kang

Bong Joon Ho made it a point to celebrate here after winning Best Picture for Parasite. The Koreatown restaurant specializes in ganjang gejang, raw marinated flower crab that tastes like the pinnacle of Korean cuisine with its rich, slightly fermented umami and buttery sweetness (especially over warm rice). —Matthew Kang

Rib Town BBQ pitmaster Lonnie Edwards has settled into this Jefferson Park parking lot with massive smokers hiding behind a colorful trailer that serves truly excellent Southern-style ribs, brisket, and even chicken. The smoky, saucy barbecue is so damn good you’ll probably opt to scarf it down on the patio tables right in front. —Matthew Kang

Torrance’s standout Oaxacan restaurant has everything from top-notch mezcal to an array of regional Mexican classics, like memelitas, mole estofado, and tacos. The recipe has worked well enough that both its enduring Palms location and newer West Hollywood spots have cemented themselves already has beloved neighborhood restaurants. —Matthew Kang

Yes, the No. 19 pastrami sandwich is an amazing sandwich, but the pure pastrami on house-baked rye is simplicity at its best. There's a reason why people make pilgrimages to try this place’s pastrami and even corned beef: There is no better version anywhere in town. Pro tip: Try the No. 54, a blend of both the pastrami and corned beef in one sandwich. And don't skip the rest of the classic Jewish deli menu — it's all very well executed in one of the best daytime dining rooms in town. —Matthew Kang

Now that All Day Baby is living up to its all-day promise — swing in for some of Los Angeles’s most comforting cooking and thoughtful hospitality from morning until late night. Highlights from the daytime menu includes a breakfast burrito stuffed with longaniza sausage, fried eggs, and gooey cheese, and an irresistible selection of pastries from chef Thessa Diadem — the cinnamon rolls and banana cream pies are particularly fetching. Chef Jonathan Whitener takes the reins at dinnertime, and his deviled eggs, queso fundido, and oyster pot pie are the stuff of legends. There’s never a bad time to dine at All Day Baby. —Cathy Chaplin

Los Angeles is filled with sushi stars, but few are brighter than Morihiro Onodera. His eponymous new Atwater Village restaurant is the culmination of a career spent all across the city (most notably at Mori in West LA, and later at Shiki in Beverly Hills), seating celebrities and locals while quietly preparing some of the city’s best Japanese food. Now he’s doing things his own way, under his own roof, even using ceramics he made by hand. —Farley Elliott

Steve Samson opened this incredible homage to Northern Italian cuisine, especially from the region of Bologna and Emilia-Romagna. The modern dining room is one of the most attractive spaces in the city, while the wood-roasted meats and pastas would please anyone. —Matthew Kang

Regarded as one of LA’s most impressive taco restaurants, this tiny Downtown LA spot prepares Sonoran-style tacos and quesadillas with grilled meats and flour tortillas. Don’t forget to order the chivichanga, a burrito with cheese and shredded chicken or machaca beef. It’s all really affordable too, though parking can be tough in this part of Downtown. —Matthew Kang

Holy Basil has been operating as a pop-up for over a year, finding a permanent space in Downtown LA earlier in 2021 and finding its stride as one of LA’s top new Thai restaurants. Inspired by Bangkok street food, dishes from green curry to barbecue chicken to dry-aged salmon ceviche, it’s hard to miss with anything on the menu. —Matthew Kang

Bestia is the hallmark of seasonal, meat-driven rustic Italian located in the heart of the Arts District. Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis cook fantastic Neapolitan-style pizzas, inventive pastas, house made salumi (a rarity in LA), and large plates like a great pork chop. Wines and cocktails are top rate, and the desserts from Gergis are simple, but prepared with a perfectionist’s attention to detail. —Matthew Kang

Longtime LA operation Moo’s Craft Barbecue found a permanent home in Lincoln Heights and has quickly established itself as one of the top Texas-style barbecues in the city. Founders Andrew and Michelle Muñoz have done a great job of capturing the spirit of Austin with a walk-up counter, wide list of craft beers, and well-executed array of smoked meats with sides. Anyone who says LA doesn’t have good barbecue will be pretty quiet after taking a few bites at Moo’s. —Matthew Kang

Gusto Bread is a Long Beach success story, the kind of place that can start in a living room and become a citywide sensation, thanks entirely to local support. The mega-popular 4th Street bakery, owned and operated by Arturo Enciso and Ana Salatino, makes some of the finest baked good anywhere in Southern California, and continues to innovate with collaborations, ancient grains, and recipes all their own. —Farley Elliott

Long Beach taco truck La Carreta has been serving some of the city’s best Sinaloan-style carne asada for years, bouncing around the area before settling on a mobile kitchen operation. Jose Morales Jr. learned the ways of carne asada from his father, who worked as a taquero in Mazatlán. The menu is simple here: vampiros, tacos, papas locas (baked potato with grilleds beef), and quesadillas with all the salsas to match. —Matthew Kang

Sichuan cuisine has had a resurgence in San Gabriel Valley in recent years, and none has been more consistent than Xiang La Hui, which has everything from a nuanced mapo tofu to wonderful toothpick lamb. —Matthew Kang

Find impeccably sourced ingredients and careful cooking at Yang’s Kitchen in Alhambra. While the restaurant no longer serves the modern Chinese menu that made it a local and national sensation, chef Chris Yang’s updated lunch and brand-new brunch menus are chock-full of delightful flavors and ingredients that are truly just as great. Highlights from the lunch menu include salt-and-pepper fried chicken wings and cold sesame noodles, while mochi pancakes and a traditional Japanese breakfast are the early hits from the brunch menu. —Cathy Chaplin