2 weeks Ago
The Eater LA Heatmap has existed for nearly two decades to answer the age-old question: “What’s new and notable in Los Angeles?” Though the local dining scene has endured tremendous challenges over the past few years, the city’s spirit of breaking ground and exploring new cuisines continues with every month of openings. The restaurants featured on this list are typically less than six months old and give a sense of what’s hot and happening around town. For restaurants that have established themselves as one of the city’s best, check out Eater LA’s Essential 38 .
Restaurants are plotted on the map in geographical order, from north to south. For even more of an insider’s perspective on how to eat well in LA, pick up our new book: The Eater Guide to Los Angeles . Backbone One of the toughest tables to snag right now is at Backbone, the New American restaurant from the former owners of McCall’s Meat & Fish Co.
in Montrose. Chefs Karen Yoo and Nathan McCall are drawing on their fine dining training to deliver one of the city’s most compelling dining experiences to the foothill communities. McCall has a way with meat preparations, while Yoo’s desserts are always worth saving room for.
— Cathy Chaplin, senior editor Modu Cafe After years of popping up across Los Angeles with her pastries, Jiyoon Jang opened Modu Cafe in Highland Park. The cafe and bakery serves a line-up of Jang’s classic sweets like chewy dark chocolate mochi brownies, barley tea-infused boricha madeleines, black sesame chocolate chip cookies, hojicha mochi muffins, and miso and misugaru cookies. Alongside the pastries, Modu serves a full coffee and tea menu in sculptural cups, with a focus on matcha.
— Rebecca Roland, associate editor Udatsu The celebrated Michelin-starred omakase restaurant Udatsu from Tokyo by chef Hisashi Udatsu sits directly above Rokusho. At this tiny temple dedicated to modern Tokyo-style sushi, diners are treated to 17 courses of pristine sashimi and nigiri. The evening begins with cocktails on the terrace before sidling up at a counter for a thoughtful progression that might include a duo of sea urchins sourced from Hokkaido and Santa Barbara, aged tuna served a plethora of ways, and a gorgeous sardine roll plumped with micro greens.
— Cathy Chaplin, senior editor Also featured in: The 22 Best Sushi Restaurants in Los Angeles MXO Wes Avila’s latest project is an impressive West Hollywood steakhouse inspired by his time in Monterrey, Mexico. Opened in partnership with Giancarlo Pagani and Sam Nazarian’s SBE, MXO focuses on wood-fired grilling, large-format meats, and of course, tacos. The birria beef martillo made with wagyu beef and served with with marrow and consomé is a highlight of the menu; it feeds a group of eight to 12 and costs $275.
Antojitos include Okinawa sweet potato tacos, queso fundido, and a grilled cabbage Caesar. — Rebecca Roland, associate editor Bar Etoile Dine like a Parisian at Bar Etoile, a new French restaurant in Melrose Hill. The restaurant comes from a team of first-time restaurateurs: Jill Bernheimer (Domaine LA), Julian Kurland (Native, the Rose), and chef Travis Hayden (Rustic Canyon, Voodoo Vin).
Bar Etoile serves a bar menu comprised of small bites like bread and butter and spiced nuts made to pair with a glass of wine or a cocktail, as well as a full menu of larger dishes. Hayden’s dinner menu follows a clear European-inspired throughline with dishes like steak frites, roast chicken, and ricotta gnocchi. — Rebecca Roland, associate editor Sign up for our newsletter.
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Please enter a valid email and try again. Evil Cooks For some of the most creative modern Mexican food in Los Angeles , head to chefs Alex and Elvia García’s Evil Cooks Corazón Abierto in El Sereno. Here in the compact space with a black thrash metal interior and a black-painted, succulent-accented patio, the chefs prepare the same tacos, tortas, mulitas, and burritos that made their pop-up a sensation, including the Poseidon (octopus al pastor taco), Asesino (pork al pastor and octopus taco), chorizo verde burrito, and “chilakiller” (chilaquiles) torta.
The dinner menu brings plenty of creativity, like crispy fideo croquettes topped with truffles and chorizo verde pot stickers. — Bill Esparza, contributor Also featured in: The 38 Best Tacos in Los Angeles Rasarumah After years of running one notable Southern California restaurant after another, former Pearl River Deli chef Johnny Lee has teamed up with Last Word Hospitality for Rasarumah in Historic Filipinotown. At Rasarumah, which means “flavor house” in Malay, Lee prepares a Chinese Malaysian menu with Indian and Indonesian influences.
Find dishes like banana leaf steamed black cod with sambal, herbs, jasmine rice, and crispy shallots; chicken and pork jowl satay; wagyu beef cheek rendang with roti bread; and gado gado salad. — Mona Holmes, reporter Pie Room by Curtis Stone Curtis Stone permanently converted his Beverly Hills restaurant Maude into the Pie Room in mid-November after introducing the bakery during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Australian-style pie shop serves savory pies, sausage rolls, and other baked goods that the chef grew up eating.
By evening, the Pie Room turns into a wine bar serving charcuterie by Gwen, cheeses, and shareable bistro-inflected dishes like loup de mer and duck ragu gnocchi. — Matthew Kang, lead editor Also featured in: 14 Splurge-Worthy LA Restaurants Perfect for Special Occasions The 18 Best Beverly Hills Restaurants Komal Molino After working at Michelin-starred Mexican seafood spot Holbox for years, chef Fátima Juárez and her partner in life and business Conrado Rivera have set out on their own to own Komal Molino. The newest stand in Mercado La Paloma serves dishes inspired by Juárez’s upbringing in Mexico City and Oaxaca, made with heirloom corn she nixtamalizes and turns into masa by hand.
Each dish on the menu carries a special meaning for Juárez, like the Taco Sonia inspired by her favorite taco-maker growing up, and the pan de calabaza (squash bread) made with a family recipe. — Rebecca Roland, associate editor Orla Santa Monica Michael Mina’s modern Egyptian restaurant plucked out of Vegas’s Mandalay Bay has landed at the luxurious Regent Santa Monica Beach hotel. One of America’s most prolific fine dining chefs, Mina’s menu at Orla reflects his upbringing eating homestyle Egyptian and Greek fare, like crispy falafel with bigeye tuna; gnudi and lamb meatballs; and kebab platter with filet mignon, lamb kofta, and chicken dolmas.
A stark contrast to the Vegas edition, the AvroKO-designed Orla in Santa Monica offers fantastic, nearly unfettered ocean views from its outer tables, while the luxe interior boasts shapely tan leather banquettes. — Matthew Kang, lead editor RVR Chef Travis Lett, an important figure in the Venice dining scene, has returned to his former MTN perch with a similar modern Japanese izakaya menu. Think seasonal ramen bowls, bottarga-topped little gems, grilled salmon lunch sets, chopped tuna temaki rolls, and mushroom mazeman.
Already the waits during prime dinner teams are reaching upwards of two hours, with 100 people packed into the fairly compact dining room. The Matt Winter-designed space recalls MTN, but warmer and more minimal, eschewing an overt antique feel for something simply lived in. End with a silver cup of black sesame and matcha gelato topped with toasted soba flakes.
— Matthew Kang, lead editor.
