clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile
A close up photo of a yellow-orange sweet potato with crispy bits on top.
Sweet potato at Baar Baar in Downtown LA.
Wonho Frank Lee

The 16 Hottest New Restaurants in Los Angeles, June 2023

Where to eat right now around the City of Angels

View as Map
Sweet potato at Baar Baar in Downtown LA.
| 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.

Read More
If you buy something or book a reservation from an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics policy.

Topanga Social

Copy Link

Potentially the most exciting new food court/hall to open in LA in recent years, this incredible array of vendors and restaurants comes from some of the city’s hottest family-owned or independent restaurants, including Mini Kabob’s first-ever expansion, Amboy, Slab Barbecue, Dumpling Monster, Katsu Sando, and Shrimp Daddy. The list keeps going, with even more spots to open in the coming weeks. For this part of the Valley, it’s certainly one of the best collections of places to eat in the area, with the ambience and family-friendly layout to spend an entire afternoon here. —Matthew Kang

Chicken kebabs from Mini Kabob in Topanga Social over white rice in a black plastic tray.
Chicken kebabs from Mini Kabob in Topanga Social.
Matthew Kang

Bar Monette

Copy Link

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

Jemma di Mare

Copy Link

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

Copy Link

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

There’s no denying that Funke is the place to be and be seen in Los Angeles at this moment. From the ground floor’s plush red booths and art-filled walls to the rooftop’s impressive views and pink quartz bar, Funke’s three stories perfectly captures the glitz of Beverly Hills. While the restaurant’s ambiance is certainly something to take in, pastas are at the literal heart of the operation – just peer inside the pasta laboratory to see a dozen different shapes made from scratch. Come with a group and order a little bit of everything to share: focaccia, pizza, pasta, and every dessert on Shannon Swindle’s impeccable list. —Cathy Chaplin

Agnolotti dal Plin at Funke.
Agnolotti dal Plin at Funke.
Wonho Frank Lee

Baar Baar

Copy Link

With another location in New York, Baar Baar has made its LA debut, serving contemporary Indian dishes like avocado bhel, tandoori butternut squash, paneer pinwheels, and monkfish osso bucco just blocks away from L.A. Live. Chef Sujan Sarkar and team are adding something really special to the LA Indian dining scene with dishes that showcase a wide regional range across India and Bollywood-inspired drinks that riff on several classics. The Anarkali is a spin on a Negroni and features a potent dose of Darjeeling tea, while the Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge is a twist on the tequila sunrise and comes with tamarind, aged balsamic, and blackberry syrup. The chutneys are all worth trying. —Virali Dave

A side angle of a full restaurant table with meats and fish and mains, at daytime.
Inventive Indian dishes from Baar Baar in Downtown LA.
Wonho Frank Lee

Button Mash

Copy Link

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

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

Copy Link

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. —Farley Elliott

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

Barra Santos

Copy Link

The two-month-old Barra Santos lands somewhere between a bar and a restaurant, which makes an ideal spot to enjoy a slice of Lisbon with sherry while ordering ample appetizers and shared plates in Northeast LA’s Cypress Park. It’s downright cozy with a small seating area near the windows with patio seating out front. Brevity is the approach for Barra Santos’ menu with buttered sardine toast, a spicy piri piri chicken, or head-on prawns with Portuguese wine, garlic, chile, and parsley. —Mona Holmes

A woman puts a lemon twist on a finished ice-forward drink.
Assembling a cocktail at Barra Santos.
Allison Zaucha

Amiga Amore

Copy Link

Chef Danielle Duran-Zecca and Alessandro Zecca’s journey is at the center of Amiga Amore, where the husband and wife melded their Mexican and Italian cultures into a cozy stretch of Highland Park. The menu features flavorful apps from the pillowy elote agnolotti to the chorizo and clams with spiced chile de arbol bread. The room is wonderfully intimate and there’s even an outdoor patio or bar seating for overflow. They just secured a liquor license and serve Italian wines, Mexican beers, or a michelada with yuzu and a proprietary hot sauce. The inventive mocktails are worth trying, especially the aguachile agua fresca. —Mona Holmes

Yellow-orange stuffed pasta with edible flowers in a bowl at Amiga Amore.
Elote agnolotti from Amiga Amore.
Wonho Frank Lee

Bar Chelou

Copy Link

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

Copy Link

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

Loading comments...

Topanga Social

Potentially the most exciting new food court/hall to open in LA in recent years, this incredible array of vendors and restaurants comes from some of the city’s hottest family-owned or independent restaurants, including Mini Kabob’s first-ever expansion, Amboy, Slab Barbecue, Dumpling Monster, Katsu Sando, and Shrimp Daddy. The list keeps going, with even more spots to open in the coming weeks. For this part of the Valley, it’s certainly one of the best collections of places to eat in the area, with the ambience and family-friendly layout to spend an entire afternoon here. —Matthew Kang

Chicken kebabs from Mini Kabob in Topanga Social over white rice in a black plastic tray.
Chicken kebabs from Mini Kabob in Topanga Social.
Matthew Kang

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

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

Funke

There’s no denying that Funke is the place to be and be seen in Los Angeles at this moment. From the ground floor’s plush red booths and art-filled walls to the rooftop’s impressive views and pink quartz bar, Funke’s three stories perfectly captures the glitz of Beverly Hills. While the restaurant’s ambiance is certainly something to take in, pastas are at the literal heart of the operation – just peer inside the pasta laboratory to see a dozen different shapes made from scratch. Come with a group and order a little bit of everything to share: focaccia, pizza, pasta, and every dessert on Shannon Swindle’s impeccable list. —Cathy Chaplin

Agnolotti dal Plin at Funke.
Agnolotti dal Plin at Funke.
Wonho Frank Lee

Baar Baar

With another location in New York, Baar Baar has made its LA debut, serving contemporary Indian dishes like avocado bhel, tandoori butternut squash, paneer pinwheels, and monkfish osso bucco just blocks away from L.A. Live. Chef Sujan Sarkar and team are adding something really special to the LA Indian dining scene with dishes that showcase a wide regional range across India and Bollywood-inspired drinks that riff on several classics. The Anarkali is a spin on a Negroni and features a potent dose of Darjeeling tea, while the Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge is a twist on the tequila sunrise and comes with tamarind, aged balsamic, and blackberry syrup. The chutneys are all worth trying. —Virali Dave

A side angle of a full restaurant table with meats and fish and mains, at daytime.
Inventive Indian dishes from Baar Baar in Downtown LA.
Wonho Frank Lee

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

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. —Farley Elliott

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

Barra Santos

The two-month-old Barra Santos lands somewhere between a bar and a restaurant, which makes an ideal spot to enjoy a slice of Lisbon with sherry while ordering ample appetizers and shared plates in Northeast LA’s Cypress Park. It’s downright cozy with a small seating area near the windows with patio seating out front. Brevity is the approach for Barra Santos’ menu with buttered sardine toast, a spicy piri piri chicken, or head-on prawns with Portuguese wine, garlic, chile, and parsley. —Mona Holmes

A woman puts a lemon twist on a finished ice-forward drink.
Assembling a cocktail at Barra Santos.
Allison Zaucha

Amiga Amore

Chef Danielle Duran-Zecca and Alessandro Zecca’s journey is at the center of Amiga Amore, where the husband and wife melded their Mexican and Italian cultures into a cozy stretch of Highland Park. The menu features flavorful apps from the pillowy elote agnolotti to the chorizo and clams with spiced chile de arbol bread. The room is wonderfully intimate and there’s even an outdoor patio or bar seating for overflow. They just secured a liquor license and serve Italian wines, Mexican beers, or a michelada with yuzu and a proprietary hot sauce. The inventive mocktails are worth trying, especially the aguachile agua fresca. —Mona Holmes

Yellow-orange stuffed pasta with edible flowers in a bowl at Amiga Amore.
Elote agnolotti from Amiga Amore.
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

Related Maps

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