When Angie Caruso’s family opened their upscale Sicilian-style eatery off Bouquet Junction in May 2021, fans loyal to their humbler Canyon Country outpost Piccola Trattoria were understandably skeptical. But one meal at the Osteria is enough to quell any such concerns. Found here is the best “pizze” in the valley, an eggplant and salted ricotta-topped masterpiece named Norma, along with white balsamic mint-glazed lamb chops and several undeniable Trattoria classics for those nostalgic for Caruso’s home-grown pasta recipes.  

How does a fast-casual strip-mall shop get named the fourth-best restaurant in the U.S.? The answer is clear to anyone who visits this welcoming gyro house in Canyon Country’s Soledad Plaza. In addition to the signature meat wraps, owner Kyriakos Champi’s has stacked the menu with Greek and Cypriot favorites unavailable anywhere else in town, including a lovely tart avgolemono and honey-dripping loukoumades donuts. 

Sandwiched between a laser tag emporium and a yoga studio, Pink Salt might seem inconspicuous to the naked eye. But it’s a haven for Filipino food lovers with a spacious outdoor patio for warm summer days. You can’t lose here, though the oxtail-filled kare-kare stew and the chocolate meat dinuguan are particularly special.

“Whatever you do, do it well,” Walt Disney once said. That appears to be the guiding philosophy behind Sen Noodle House, where virtually every dish centers around the holy noodle. Udon, vermicelli, ramen, buckwheat — if it slurps well, Sen serves it in soup, curried, or pan-fried. That gimmick would grow tiresome quickly if not for the exquisite attention paid to balance and flavor here. It’s no surprise that Sen has exploded in popularity since its spring 2021 opening. 

The name says it all. Chef Satini Wanida Boonlue isn’t the original “mom,” but her adventurous takes on Thai standards are no less exceptional. Boonlue’s salmon fried rice is a high point, as is the shrimp-in-a-blanket appetizer. It’s a wise customer that ends each meal with her decadent mango and sticky rice.

Two things make this humble little diner an essential visit for any Angeleno. For one, it’s the oldest restaurant in LA, having served the likes of John Wayne and Theodore Roosevelt since opening in 1886. The other is community: beloved by locals and tourists who make regular pilgrimages to its Railroad Avenue outpost for breakfast, Saugus Cafe feels like a hug from an old friend. 

One would expect a specifically Nayaritian kitchen to excel in seafood. So it comes as a surprise that the star dish at this highly respected hole-in-the-wall is not its ceviche (though it is tasty), but instead its gorgeous, gratifying menudo. Brimming with tripe and ever-so-slightly peppery, La Villa Maria’s menudo is matched only by the tortillas made by hand each day in the open-air kitchen at the front of the building. Consider carpooling for dinner, however, as the side parking lot is often full due to the nearby lavanderia.

With 101 specialty omelettes on the menu, there’s a dish for every taste at this booming vintage eatery on the outskirts of Old Town Newhall. Though they offer cafe standards as well, owners Shannon and Simon Mee embrace a more left-field, genre-busting approach to breakfast. Customer favorites include item #93, a cherry pie dessert omelette; Angelita’s special, a peanut butter-stuffed french toast fried in egg; and for the day-drinkers, the spiciest bloody Mary in town.

At the forefront of Santa Clarita’s increasingly crowded gastropub scene is this stylish wood-paneled hub at the heart of Main Street. In fact, its opening in 2013 under Egg Plantation masterminds Shannon and Simon Mee kickstarted something of a culinary revolution in Old Town Newhall. Now boasting new owners and a redesigned interior, it’s become the valley’s strongest date-night spot.