By purist's standards, chi SPACCA makes the best pork chop in the city. The hulking Tomahawk pork chop can serve a hungry couple or make for large format sharing, but the treatment of the chop is surprisingly delicate. Grilled in a rather finicky process and coated generously with fennel pollen, the chop gets bifurcated and served separated from belly to bone. Give the belly to a less suspecting diner, though: The real magic is closest to the bone.

Though Raku’s pork chops won’t come in the form of a chop, the Iberico pork skewers take the meat just under the belly, cube it and grill them over coals, robata-style. One bite in the diner is overwhelmed by the rich taste of pork fat injected with an umami boost from the glaze. For fans of pork, it’s a must order at the Las Vegas import.

Sotto’s fennel crusted heritage chop takes the Chi Spacca formula and scales it down a notch (or three). The grilled chop gets a solid crust from the fennel seed and salt rub, and it comes both juicy and fork-tender, making it more than just a protein also-ran at one of the city’s better Italian restaurants.

Ordering the double thick Kurobuta pork chop might elicit some quizzical glances and the wrinkling of noses. After all, the sleek Richard Meier-designed cavern in the Beverly Wilshire isn’t so much a chophouse as it is a sybaritic citadel of stupendously marbled steaks. What CUT doesn’t get enough credit for, however, is its rich, comforting side dishes like creamed spinach crowned with a sunny-side-up egg, or cavatappi mac and cheese. What better way to balance out the heft than with the (comparatively) light protein of a Kurobuta pork chop that’s guided to perfect doneness and finished with a seasonal fruit mostarda?

Tom Bergin’s is known to have better pub fare than most, and their pork chop is no exception. Served up pan-roasted with apple butter and a side of slaw, it’s a little leaner than most pub food and a plenty serviceable option if you need something a little healthier than their famous corned beef poutine to go with a cold pint.

The pork chop rice at Old Country Cafe was the subject of a guest article from Esther Tseng, and it’s easy to see why. Crunchy batter, not too salty and perfect over rice with a hard-boiled egg and a side of mince meat makes the recent price hike for this Taiwanese comfort food staple completely justified.

Frying a pork chop usually lends to the lean pork chop being overcooked, but not at Pann’s, where the surprisingly juicy, crackly-skinned chop is perfect alongside comfort food staples like braised greens, macaroni and cheese and, of course, those massive onion rings.

Hinterland has a tight menu of Southern-style classics, but the pork chop might be the one to beat on the menu (shrimp & grits notwithstanding). The Niman Ranch cut comes with a seasonal mix of mushroom, cipollini onions, and a dense marsala sauce that'll make it delicious to the last bite.