Broad Street Oyster Co. has emerged as one of the best restaurants in Malibu, 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

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

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

Joshua Gil’s modern Mexican restaurant takes Baja California influences and flavors, and serves them right into the heart of Beverly Hills. Try the fried Baja snapper with masa jus, and the slew of tostadas and tacos that highlight seasonal ingredients and inventive preparations. —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

Tal Ronnen debuted 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

There are many terrific restaurants lining Fairfax Avenue in Little Ethiopia, but Rosalind’s is the one that started it all. Take owner Fekere Gebre-Mariam’s advice and order the iconic doro wat — a soul-satisfying, deeply ruddy stew fortified with ground chiles and spiked with warming spices. This chicken-and-egg staple has been on the menu since day one and is even considered the national dish of Ethiopia. —Cathy Chaplin

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

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

South LA’s iconic hot dog spot Earle’s founded by Duane and Cary Earle endures because of their deep connection to the neighborhood and approachable menu of chili dogs, burgers, and more, with plenty of veggie and other ingredient options. The prices are fast food-level, but the service, attention to detail, and ingredients are premium, which is why the place remains beloved after more than three decades. —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). The spicy braised black cod and braised short ribs for the complete experience. —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

Ari Kolender’s ode to East Coast seafood has struck a chord with East Hollywood locals, serving pristine oysters and fresh clams at the bar with chilled glasses of wine. The menu isn’t particularly wide or ambitious, but everything is on the level of what you’d expect from a great clam bar, like chowder and lobster roll that stand up to the city’s best. The wedge salad, artichoke brandade, and scallop tostada are worth ordering too. —Matthew Kang

This is the Korean barbecue to end all arguments, with some of the highest quality meat and banchan one can find in Los Angeles, one of the world’s epicenters for Korean cuisine. Order prime American short ribs and eat with the restaurant’s well-aged kimchi and fresh lettuce wraps. Also the stews are sneaky good here, from the braised black cod to the kimchi jjigae. —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. 44, served on griddled rye bread with hand-sliced pastrami, nippy cheese, and sauerkraut, for a decadent take on a Reuben 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

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

Ria Dolly Barbosa opened this small but mighty Filipino restaurant in Downtown inside the former Rice Bar space, but taking the menu to new heights with familiar classics interpreted into modern dishes, like an adobo French dip or chicken sisig salad. Though LA boasts a lot of great Filipino food, Petite Peso is the place to see where the cuisine is going next. —Matthew Kang

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

Timothy Hollingsworth is a bona fide culinary star with a fine dining pedigree and TV accolades galore. It’s no surprise, then, that the Downtown LA restaurant he runs has become one of the best places to find an upscale meal in all of Los Angeles. The menu offers options from truffle butter to chicken liver mousse to caviar supplements, but the real winners are often the vegetables, from honeynut squash with ricotta to sweet potato agnolotti to ash-baked beets. For more animalistic diners, fatty fish collar, braised lamb neck, and Snake River Farms ribeyes should do the trick. —Farley Elliott

Holy Basil had been operating as a pop-up for over a year before finding a permanent space in Downtown LA earlier in 2021. Since then, it’s found 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. Holy Basil will open later this year at a spot in Atwater Village, expanding its reach significantly. —Matthew Kang

Glendale has a wealth of amazing Persian restaurants serving excellent kebabs and all other classic dishes, but Pardis has the equation nailed down from the service to the dining spaces and even to the wine selections. Start with sides like shirazi salad, panir-o-sabzi, and kashk bademjoon for a snacky first course with the restaurant’s signature baked flat bread. Then venture to grilled kebabs like koobideh that work great flavored pilafs. —Matthew Kang

Rashida Holmes’ tribute to Caribbean food, inspired by her mother Joy Clarke-Holmes, has wowed LA diners with incredible red pepper goat and chicken curry rotis, wonderfully crisp cod cakes, hearty oxtail-stuffed patties, and saucy, puffy doubles. Bridgetown pops up on weekends in Arts District and on Sundays at Smorgasburg. —Matthew Kang (Note: Eater LA reporter Mona Holmes is related to Rashida Holmes and was not involved in the writing of this entry)

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

Mexico City chef Enrique Olvera’s LA restaurant didn’t quite land with the fanfare of his New York City restaurant Cosme, with its similarities of a la carte offerings inspired by his upscale approach to modern Mexican cuisine. But Damian has found a stride by resonating with Los Angeles flavors and staying the course with stellar service, a restrained dining room and outdoor patio, as well as top notch execution. —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 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

Tamales Elena has been a mainstay of South LA for well over a decade, serving out of a truck in Watts. The family recently located to a drive-thru location for early morning tamales, pozoles, and guisados from Afro-Mexican cuisine that makes it one of the most impressive regional Mexican restaurants in the city. —Matthew Kang

Crowds gather at this well-worn Hong Kong-style cafe from morning until late-night for classic Cantonese fare done right. Piping-hot bowls of congee and plates of delicate rice rolls make for a light but satisfying breakfast, while dinner brings heartier fare, like Macau-style pork chop sandwiches and grilled steaks. Flaky pineapple buns tucked with pats of salted butter work at all hours of the day. —Cathy Chaplin