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A fried veal chop with red sauce and blistered cheese at a new restaurant.
The bone-in veal parm from Jemma di Mare.
Wonho Frank Lee

The 16 Hottest New Restaurants in Los Angeles, May 2023

Where to eat right now around the City of Angels

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The bone-in veal parm from Jemma di Mare.
| Wonho Frank Lee

The Eater LA heatmap has existed for more than 16 years as a place to answer the age-old question: “Where should I eat tonight?” Though the scene has gone through tremendous challenges in the past few years, the city’s spirit of breaking ground and exploring new cuisines continues with every month of openings.

Places on this list are typically less than six months old, giving a sense of what’s new. For restaurants that have established themselves as one of the city’s essential places to eat, check out the Eater LA Essential 38. Restaurants are placed on the map in geographical order, from west to east.

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Bar Monette

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It’s not just the pizza that is pulling in newcomers to Toronto chef Sean MacDonald’s new Bar Monette in Santa Monica. The single-serving, impossibly light and just-blistered-enough pies are definitely part of the appeal, but in truth MacDonald (one of Canada’s best young culinary talents) is capable of much more across this wine bar menu. That includes snacks like charcoal-grilled prawns, touches of luxury with champagne and caviar, and a built-in energy that just screams Westside cool.

An overhead shot of a blistered pizza on a marble surface with wooden board beneath.
Pizza at Bar Monette.
Leo Cabal

Wood-fired skewers, robust seafood, and strong cocktails make for a wonderful pairing at the new Isla, which took over the closed Little Pine space in Santa Monica. The restaurant, formerly a pop-up from the Crudo e Nudo team of Brian Bornemann and designer and partner Leena Culhane, is now turning heads as a trendy and tres chic destination for evening glasses of wine, citrus salads, and lots of smoky oceanic delights.

Hands reach across a table at a new restaurant, filled with skewers and salads and drinks at Isla in Santa Monica.
Isla
Catherine Dzilenski

There’s something interesting happening in Coucou, at the edge of Venice and Santa Monica. The former Chez Tex space on Main Street has retained its owners in Hayley and Jesse Feldman while bringing on new chef Jacob Wetherington to assemble a hit list of French-California basics. The bistro burger is a highlight alongside the fun and fresh wine list, but don’t sleep on the mussels or the king oyster mushroom french dip. The restaurant has a full bar now and is currently boasting the coolest scene anywhere in Venice.

A burger with cheese dripping down the patty at Coucou restaurant in Venice, California.
The burger at Coucou.
Nick Walker Studio

Telefèric Barcelona Los Angeles

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Barcelona’s 30-year-old restaurant Telefèric has opened in the former Vincenti space in Brentwood serving a classic set of tapas and other Spanish favorites, including gambas al ajillo, jamón, croquetas, and pan con tomate. Larger plates feature black cod with romesco and butter beans or a prime rib-eye chuleton big enough for Americans who expect massive steaks. And of course, expect five different kinds of paella, including lobster and squid ink, at one of LA’s most notable new Spanish restaurants.

An overhead shot of sliced pork with fried green sage on paella at the new Telèferic.
Paella with sliced pork at Telèferic.
Abel Rincon

Jemma di Mare

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LA’s newest Italian restaurants aren’t going the modern route. No, the biggest newcomers are looking back at all the beautiful food that nonna used to make, with a particular eye towards more red sauce-serious East Coast fare. At Jackson Kalb’s Jemma di Mare in Brentwood, that comes with a seafood lean — think sole piccata, or a lobster tagliolini for two — in addition to hearty mains like a veal parmesan, all set inside of a dark, inviting interior.

A side angle of lobster pasta and fried food and more at a new East Coast Italian restaurant in Los Angeles.
Jemma di Mare.
Wonho Frank Lee

La Dolce Vita

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La Dolce Vita has been welcomed back into the Beverly Hills fold with a warm hug and a kiss on both cheeks. The longtime Frank Sinatra hangout embodies the Old Hollywood aesthetic, from the giant plates of veal parm to the deep booths and the plaques that call out to famous old regulars. Stop in for a dim night of memory, moody lighting, and fantastic classic Italian American fare.

A restaurant’s wide walking area inside the dining room, wrapped by red booths and white tablecloths.
Inside La Dolce Vita’s reopening in Beverly Hills.
Wonho Frank Lee

Rohan Talwar of Margot and Norah has opened this suave, gorgeous new dining room serving breakfast through dinner in Culver City with a modern French attitude. Expect intricate plating and sometimes luxurious touches to endive salad, crepes suzette, sea bream tartare, and duck confit cigars with a top-tier wine program and stellar cocktails (try the rum milk punch Coco Chanel).

An overhead shot of four triangles of crepe on a white plate on a marble table.
Crepes suzette at Juliet in Culver City.
Liz Barclay

Casa Madera

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For clubby vibes, big views, and a broad coastal Mexican steakhouse menu — including everything from oysters and hamachi crudo to duck carnitas tacos and a $295 bone-in wagyu ribeye — Casa Madera is West Hollywood’s sceney new destination. This rooftop restaurant looks out from the apex of the Mondrian Hotel onto West Hollywood and beyond.

A restaurant photo showing an outdoor balcony with window views to a city below.
Casa Madera in West Hollywood.
AVABLU

Button Mash

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Even the silverware glows at Poltergeist, the delightfully unhinged new project from Estrano’s Diego Argoti. Opened in partnership with the Button Mash restaurant and arcade team (where Poltergeist lives), this new project marries pop and punk music with cartoon playfulness and food that is anything but subtle. That’s the point — perhaps even the best part — of Poltergeist: Argoti, who has cooked all over LA, simply knows how to turn the flavor knob up to 11 with confit sunchokes, big pasta, and spoonfuls of chile paste. Strap in, because this place is a tasty ride.

A whole fish on a white tile table’s corner.
Whole fish at Poltergeist at Button Mash.
Wonho Frank Lee

Lingua Franca

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It’s a season of bloom for the Los Angeles River area, which is flowing with vitality after months of storms. The new Lingua Franca from the Wax Paper team is the perfect place to embrace the sun and the sense of rebirth, given the difficulties the project overcame just to open. Now it’s all smiles inside this neo-California comfort food destination, with its small but mighty kitchen turning out market greens salads, roasted chicken and tomato cacciatore, a grilled pork collar, and more.

An overhead shot of a wooden table with pasta, french fries, a salad, and more.
Dishes from Lingua Franca in Frogtown.
Wonho Frank Lee

The Cha Cha Chá team makes a more personal, more inviting new restaurant hidden away in Frogtown serving an array of Mexican seafood. Think ceviches, seafood torres (little towers made from ring molds and stacking everything from shellfish to avocado), tostadas laced with salsa negra, and one’s choice of grilled seafood prepared zarandeado-style. The stunning environs, occupying a warehouse space, give off serious Architectural Digest vibes, leaving plenty of visual interest while sipping wine or agave-based cocktails.

Dining areas at Loreto.
Dining room of Loreto.
Jakob Layman

Flor Y Solera Spanish Tapas Bar

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There’s so much in the way of interesting Spanish food happening across Los Angeles right now, but perhaps none is more inventive and well-executed at the moment than Flor y Solera, from seasoned chef Mònica Angelats, who made a second career out of cooking after working for years as an aerospace engineer. Looking to redefine Spanish food, don’t expect straightforward preparations like paella. Instead, enjoy the artsy industrial space and soak in roast rabbit with eggplant and tomato; salted cod rice with an egg crust; and migas camperas — chorizo, pancetta, and green pepper stirred together with crispy sourdough topped with a duck egg. Tapas fans can still find familiar bites in chicken croquettes and tortilla de patatas, all great for enjoying with sips of sherry or gin tonic.

Interior of Flor y Solera with an open kitchen, Spanish tiles, and red and blue accents.
Flor y Solera in Downtown LA’s Arts District.
Wonho Frank Lee

The Yess Aquatic team has finally realized its long-held restaurant dream, jumping from its bright orange food truck into a corner restaurant in the Arts District. The new space — now Yess Restaurant — is bright and airy, with a focused Japanese menu from acclaimed former London chef Junya Yamasaki and his team. There are heady proteins like a fire-kissed beef tataki, served alongside subtle flavors like a rockfish sashimi with fava beans and skewers of miso-glazed tofu and black cod.

Brown-orange abalone, grilled and served in shell on a slate plate with greens on top.
Abalone at Yess.
Wonho Frank Lee

Bar Chelou

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Chef Doug Rankin opened Bar Chelou in the same courtyard as Saso inside the Pasadena Playhouse. Rankin and his crew produce Spanish, French, and Asian flavors in a space that will likely continue to evolve. Chelou translates to “strange” or “unexpected” in French, and it delivers on this theme. While there are marinated olives, Rankin also created a sprouting cauliflower au poivre with Sichuan peppers. His twist on the traditional French carrots râpées includes a coconut dressing, lime leaf, and pommes allumettes. Aperitifs, wines, and cocktails are abundant, and Rankin plans to do six and nine-course tasting menus in due time.

Carrots râpées at Bar Chelou restaurant in Pasadena, California.
Carrots râpées at Bar Chelou restaurant in Pasadena.
Wonho Frank Lee

Gram Cafe and Pancakes

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The Japan-famous souffle pancake maker Gram Cafe and Pancakes has landed in Los Angeles, opening a 1,600-square-foot space in a previous tea shop in Monterey Park. The place has all the trappings of social media glamor, from the blush-colored space to those tall, airy pancakes. Fans will know the brand from its dozens of global locations in Japan, Canada, Hong Kong, Australia, and beyond, though Gram Cafe’s arrival is a first for LA specifically. Expect custard-like pancakes and lots of other brunch basics inside this busy daytime spot.

A tattooed person holds soufflé pancakes stacked on a plate at Gram Cafe and Pancakes.
Souffle pancakes at Gram Cafe.
Ariel Ip

19 Town

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The San Gabriel Valley’s turn toward more upscale dining experiences has found a new destination in 19 Town, a stylish, minimalist dining room from seasoned Sichuan Impression chef Yang Liu, who weaves European dishes like paella and gnocchi with Chinese flavors and techniques. With a grown-up cocktail menu and inventive dishes, eastern SGV diners won’t have to trek to LA to get this kind of dinner.

A long whole fish on a platter at a crowded dinner table.
Dishes from 19 Town in City of Industry.
Wonho Frank Lee

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Bar Monette

It’s not just the pizza that is pulling in newcomers to Toronto chef Sean MacDonald’s new Bar Monette in Santa Monica. The single-serving, impossibly light and just-blistered-enough pies are definitely part of the appeal, but in truth MacDonald (one of Canada’s best young culinary talents) is capable of much more across this wine bar menu. That includes snacks like charcoal-grilled prawns, touches of luxury with champagne and caviar, and a built-in energy that just screams Westside cool.

An overhead shot of a blistered pizza on a marble surface with wooden board beneath.
Pizza at Bar Monette.
Leo Cabal

Isla

Wood-fired skewers, robust seafood, and strong cocktails make for a wonderful pairing at the new Isla, which took over the closed Little Pine space in Santa Monica. The restaurant, formerly a pop-up from the Crudo e Nudo team of Brian Bornemann and designer and partner Leena Culhane, is now turning heads as a trendy and tres chic destination for evening glasses of wine, citrus salads, and lots of smoky oceanic delights.

Hands reach across a table at a new restaurant, filled with skewers and salads and drinks at Isla in Santa Monica.
Isla
Catherine Dzilenski

Coucou

There’s something interesting happening in Coucou, at the edge of Venice and Santa Monica. The former Chez Tex space on Main Street has retained its owners in Hayley and Jesse Feldman while bringing on new chef Jacob Wetherington to assemble a hit list of French-California basics. The bistro burger is a highlight alongside the fun and fresh wine list, but don’t sleep on the mussels or the king oyster mushroom french dip. The restaurant has a full bar now and is currently boasting the coolest scene anywhere in Venice.

A burger with cheese dripping down the patty at Coucou restaurant in Venice, California.
The burger at Coucou.
Nick Walker Studio

Telefèric Barcelona Los Angeles

Barcelona’s 30-year-old restaurant Telefèric has opened in the former Vincenti space in Brentwood serving a classic set of tapas and other Spanish favorites, including gambas al ajillo, jamón, croquetas, and pan con tomate. Larger plates feature black cod with romesco and butter beans or a prime rib-eye chuleton big enough for Americans who expect massive steaks. And of course, expect five different kinds of paella, including lobster and squid ink, at one of LA’s most notable new Spanish restaurants.

An overhead shot of sliced pork with fried green sage on paella at the new Telèferic.
Paella with sliced pork at Telèferic.
Abel Rincon

Jemma di Mare

LA’s newest Italian restaurants aren’t going the modern route. No, the biggest newcomers are looking back at all the beautiful food that nonna used to make, with a particular eye towards more red sauce-serious East Coast fare. At Jackson Kalb’s Jemma di Mare in Brentwood, that comes with a seafood lean — think sole piccata, or a lobster tagliolini for two — in addition to hearty mains like a veal parmesan, all set inside of a dark, inviting interior.

A side angle of lobster pasta and fried food and more at a new East Coast Italian restaurant in Los Angeles.
Jemma di Mare.
Wonho Frank Lee

La Dolce Vita

La Dolce Vita has been welcomed back into the Beverly Hills fold with a warm hug and a kiss on both cheeks. The longtime Frank Sinatra hangout embodies the Old Hollywood aesthetic, from the giant plates of veal parm to the deep booths and the plaques that call out to famous old regulars. Stop in for a dim night of memory, moody lighting, and fantastic classic Italian American fare.

A restaurant’s wide walking area inside the dining room, wrapped by red booths and white tablecloths.
Inside La Dolce Vita’s reopening in Beverly Hills.
Wonho Frank Lee

Juliet

Rohan Talwar of Margot and Norah has opened this suave, gorgeous new dining room serving breakfast through dinner in Culver City with a modern French attitude. Expect intricate plating and sometimes luxurious touches to endive salad, crepes suzette, sea bream tartare, and duck confit cigars with a top-tier wine program and stellar cocktails (try the rum milk punch Coco Chanel).

An overhead shot of four triangles of crepe on a white plate on a marble table.
Crepes suzette at Juliet in Culver City.
Liz Barclay

Casa Madera

For clubby vibes, big views, and a broad coastal Mexican steakhouse menu — including everything from oysters and hamachi crudo to duck carnitas tacos and a $295 bone-in wagyu ribeye — Casa Madera is West Hollywood’s sceney new destination. This rooftop restaurant looks out from the apex of the Mondrian Hotel onto West Hollywood and beyond.

A restaurant photo showing an outdoor balcony with window views to a city below.
Casa Madera in West Hollywood.
AVABLU

Button Mash

Even the silverware glows at Poltergeist, the delightfully unhinged new project from Estrano’s Diego Argoti. Opened in partnership with the Button Mash restaurant and arcade team (where Poltergeist lives), this new project marries pop and punk music with cartoon playfulness and food that is anything but subtle. That’s the point — perhaps even the best part — of Poltergeist: Argoti, who has cooked all over LA, simply knows how to turn the flavor knob up to 11 with confit sunchokes, big pasta, and spoonfuls of chile paste. Strap in, because this place is a tasty ride.

A whole fish on a white tile table’s corner.
Whole fish at Poltergeist at Button Mash.
Wonho Frank Lee

Lingua Franca

It’s a season of bloom for the Los Angeles River area, which is flowing with vitality after months of storms. The new Lingua Franca from the Wax Paper team is the perfect place to embrace the sun and the sense of rebirth, given the difficulties the project overcame just to open. Now it’s all smiles inside this neo-California comfort food destination, with its small but mighty kitchen turning out market greens salads, roasted chicken and tomato cacciatore, a grilled pork collar, and more.

An overhead shot of a wooden table with pasta, french fries, a salad, and more.
Dishes from Lingua Franca in Frogtown.
Wonho Frank Lee

Loreto

The Cha Cha Chá team makes a more personal, more inviting new restaurant hidden away in Frogtown serving an array of Mexican seafood. Think ceviches, seafood torres (little towers made from ring molds and stacking everything from shellfish to avocado), tostadas laced with salsa negra, and one’s choice of grilled seafood prepared zarandeado-style. The stunning environs, occupying a warehouse space, give off serious Architectural Digest vibes, leaving plenty of visual interest while sipping wine or agave-based cocktails.

Dining areas at Loreto.
Dining room of Loreto.
Jakob Layman

Flor Y Solera Spanish Tapas Bar

There’s so much in the way of interesting Spanish food happening across Los Angeles right now, but perhaps none is more inventive and well-executed at the moment than Flor y Solera, from seasoned chef Mònica Angelats, who made a second career out of cooking after working for years as an aerospace engineer. Looking to redefine Spanish food, don’t expect straightforward preparations like paella. Instead, enjoy the artsy industrial space and soak in roast rabbit with eggplant and tomato; salted cod rice with an egg crust; and migas camperas — chorizo, pancetta, and green pepper stirred together with crispy sourdough topped with a duck egg. Tapas fans can still find familiar bites in chicken croquettes and tortilla de patatas, all great for enjoying with sips of sherry or gin tonic.

Interior of Flor y Solera with an open kitchen, Spanish tiles, and red and blue accents.
Flor y Solera in Downtown LA’s Arts District.
Wonho Frank Lee

Yess

The Yess Aquatic team has finally realized its long-held restaurant dream, jumping from its bright orange food truck into a corner restaurant in the Arts District. The new space — now Yess Restaurant — is bright and airy, with a focused Japanese menu from acclaimed former London chef Junya Yamasaki and his team. There are heady proteins like a fire-kissed beef tataki, served alongside subtle flavors like a rockfish sashimi with fava beans and skewers of miso-glazed tofu and black cod.

Brown-orange abalone, grilled and served in shell on a slate plate with greens on top.
Abalone at Yess.
Wonho Frank Lee

Bar Chelou

Chef Doug Rankin opened Bar Chelou in the same courtyard as Saso inside the Pasadena Playhouse. Rankin and his crew produce Spanish, French, and Asian flavors in a space that will likely continue to evolve. Chelou translates to “strange” or “unexpected” in French, and it delivers on this theme. While there are marinated olives, Rankin also created a sprouting cauliflower au poivre with Sichuan peppers. His twist on the traditional French carrots râpées includes a coconut dressing, lime leaf, and pommes allumettes. Aperitifs, wines, and cocktails are abundant, and Rankin plans to do six and nine-course tasting menus in due time.

Carrots râpées at Bar Chelou restaurant in Pasadena, California.
Carrots râpées at Bar Chelou restaurant in Pasadena.
Wonho Frank Lee

Gram Cafe and Pancakes

The Japan-famous souffle pancake maker Gram Cafe and Pancakes has landed in Los Angeles, opening a 1,600-square-foot space in a previous tea shop in Monterey Park. The place has all the trappings of social media glamor, from the blush-colored space to those tall, airy pancakes. Fans will know the brand from its dozens of global locations in Japan, Canada, Hong Kong, Australia, and beyond, though Gram Cafe’s arrival is a first for LA specifically. Expect custard-like pancakes and lots of other brunch basics inside this busy daytime spot.

A tattooed person holds soufflé pancakes stacked on a plate at Gram Cafe and Pancakes.
Souffle pancakes at Gram Cafe.
Ariel Ip

Related Maps

19 Town

The San Gabriel Valley’s turn toward more upscale dining experiences has found a new destination in 19 Town, a stylish, minimalist dining room from seasoned Sichuan Impression chef Yang Liu, who weaves European dishes like paella and gnocchi with Chinese flavors and techniques. With a grown-up cocktail menu and inventive dishes, eastern SGV diners won’t have to trek to LA to get this kind of dinner.

A long whole fish on a platter at a crowded dinner table.
Dishes from 19 Town in City of Industry.
Wonho Frank Lee

Related Maps