Now that dineLA Restaurant Week (January 19 - February 1) is well on its way, it's time to shake out the best of the best. Often times its the dinner deals that get the most attention, but plenty of great lunch options abound in the near-endless list of participating restaurants. From multiple-course dim sum lunch deals in the San Fernando Valley to a $15 hand roll steal at one of downtown's classiest new spots, these are dineLA's best cheap lunch deals.
Read More15 Great dineLA Lunch Deals for $20 or Less
The city's best dineLA lunch deals.
Aqui Es Texcoco
Yes, it’s in Commerce, but as one of the city’s best lamb barbacoa specialists, Aqui es Texcoco’s $15 lunch deal is hard to beat. Choose between a half pound of barbacoa, grilled quail or other mains, plus a crispy cheese appetizer and specialty drink (hint: horchata).
Fundamental L.A.
Fundamental L.A. isn’t doing much in the way of creating a new, dineLA-specific menu. Instead, they’re offering one of their awesome sandwiches (like the heralded chicken torta) with a side, cookie and drink.
MessHall Kitchen
The popular Los Feliz neighborhood spot opens its doors for dineLA with a three-course $15 lunch menu, offering sturdy openers like corn fritters, with entrees as varied as tacos, a burger and fried chicken & waffles — plus dessert.
RockSugar Pan Asian Kitchen
The looming RockSugar at the Westfield Century City offers a three-course blend of Asian flavors. There are lots of options to choose from, like chicken satay or samosas for starters, curries, rice bowls and Vietnamese snapper, with dessert to follow.
L'Assiette Steak Frites
For lunch, earn the demi-sized portion of L’Assiette’s steak frites (or salmon frites, or portobello frites), and if you want to get wild you can add an egg somewhere (fries? in a drink? who cares) for just $1.
KazuNori | The Original Handroll Bar
While not a super-steep discount over their regular menu, it’s nice to see KazuNori get into the $15 lunch game with a set hand roll menu comprised of five rolls, from a daily rotating selection through salmon, scallop, crab and cucumber.
Shanghai Rose Dim Sum
Valley (that’s San Fernando Valley) dim sum, represent! Shanghai Rose in Studio City is doing a stellar $15 lunch, with a starter soup, egg roll, plate of dim sum (dumplings, pork siu mai, pork buns) and a main course, like Szechuan chili chicken.
Brunello Trattoria
If you want a full pizza to yourself, plus a starter salad or minestrone soup, get to Brunello Trattoria in Culver City.
Border Grill
You can’t go wrong with Border Grill, which is offering a $20 lunch that moves from starter salads or mussels in beer, then moves through enchiladas, octopus tacos or a Spanish torta with serrano ham before finishing with a cinnamon apple tres leches.
Duke's
Malibuians shouldn’t feel left out by all the dineLA lunch deals. At Duke’s, they can enjoy a three-course $20 menu with poke, chowder, garlic mahi mani and McConnell’s ice cream for dessert.
Gracias Madre
Vegans, rejoice! For $20, it’s possible to slurp on pumpkin soup or down gorditas, followed by flautas, a chopped salad or empanadas, and finishing with Mexican wedding cookies or a fudge brownie.
Katsuya
No need to drive west of the 5 for this deal — a $20 lunch with crispy rice and spicy tuna as a possible starter, then on to an assorted sushi platter, salmon cedar or grilled chicken. Add dessert for $5 more.
Pez Cantina
Recently opened and already bustling, downtown’s Pez Cantina gets in on the $20 lunch deals with chips and salsa to start, followed by a simple first course and mains like seafood tacos or grilled Mexican sandwiches.
SUGARFISH
Albacore, salmon, yellowtail and scallop sushi comes with a toro hand roll, salmon sashimi and edamame starter here, all for $20.
RivaBella
West Hollywood’s RivaBella is going for the full three courses at lunch, offering an appetizer, simple entree (margherita pizza, anyone?) and dessert for just $20.