Food & Drink >>

• BEST ROCKIN' BEEF ROLL
  101 Noodle Express
  The beef roll served at 101 Noodle Express is perhaps the most raved about single item on any menu in the San Gabriel Valley — if not on any menu in all of L.A. Who would have imagined that such acclaim would come to such a humble dish, served at such an unassuming Alhambra hole in the... More >>
• BEST PLACE TO FEEL AS IF YOU’RE BREAKFASTING IN AN ITALIAN PALAZZO
  Intelligentsia Venice
  An affogato, which means "drowned" in Italian, is the blissful marriage of two of Italy's finest exports: espresso and gelato, and it may well be the best union of hot and cold since the Baked Alaska. At Intelligentsia Venice, this combination is achieved by first placing a scoop of dense... More >>
• BEST AFFORDABLE ITALIAN WITH NO CORKAGE FEE
  Colori Kitchen
  Who says Italian food has to be expensive? Between the Mozza empire, the Drago empire, Il Moro and others, L.A. has an abundance of Italian dinner options to set you and your date back a hundred-plus bucks before you've even blinked. It's the wine, especially, that gets you. Yet while you could... More >>
• BEST HUMBLE BURRITOS
  Al & Bea's
  Even if you think Korean BBQ burritos or the ones served at Chipotle Mexican Grill are the wave of the future, it's worth experiencing the simple formula that's kept Al & Bea's in business since 1966. These are burritos completely devoid of embellishment, and they may be the best L.A. has to... More >>
• BEST ROOTY AMBROSIA
  Amir's Falafel
  The falafel balls at Amir's Falafel are delicate and crunchy; the hummus divine. But the dish that really sings is the carrot salad. Yes — the carrot salad. Cubed and sublime orange morsels in a subtle glaze of spice that should remain a mystery. It's like rooty ambrosia in your mouth. It... More >>
• BEST OVERWHELMING CHINESE MENU
  Baccali Café & Rotisserie
  Think of it as the Jerry's Famous Deli of the San Gabriel Valley: There's something for everyone at Baccali Café & Rotisserie, a Chinese restaurant where the dinner menu has 241 items. Choices range from safe bets like black-pepper beef chow mein ($8.50 for a heaping plate) to the... More >>
• BEST EASTSIDE BAKERY
  La Favorita
  Twice a day, at 7 a.m. and 4 p.m., loads of locals line up at La Favorita for you'll-burn-your-hand-hot conchitas, cuernos, bodillos and other Mexican-style pastries and bread at this small Eastside bakery. Best when gobbled down right away, you can fill a bag of these fragrant beauties for a... More >>
• BEST BEEF HEARTS ON A STICK
  El Pollo Inka
  Some people wear their hearts on their sleeves. In Peru they wear them on a stick — beef hearts that is. As its name suggests, El Pollo Inka is known mainly for its excellent chicken, which can be seen browning and sputtering on spinning racks in the giant brick oven at the front window.... More >>
• BEST LUNCH BREAK FROM JUSTICE
  Begin's Café
  The prospect of jury duty at the Criminal Courts building downtown can depress even the most civic-minded, especially at lunch time. Begin's Café, a.k.a. the Cal Trans Cafeteria, is a good choice, because it's close, it's fast, and depending on the daily specials, starving jurors can get... More >>
• BEST VIRAL SNOOK
  Mariscos Chente
  You know those indie bands that become megahits online, but never fully catch on with mainstream pop culture? It happens to restaurant dishes too, and this year's version is the pescado zarandeado (whole grilled snook) at Mariscos Chente. What began with a review from the much-esteemed food... More >>
• BEST KOREAN RESTAURANT THAT FEELS LIKE KOREA
  Dansungsa
  Some restaurants, the moment you walk in, have a way of transporting you to another world. So if you want to experience what it might be like to get drunk with friends and eat bar food in Seoul, Dansungsa is the choice. It's not just that the vast majority of the clientele are Korean that makes... More >>
• BEST SOBA STORY
  Ichimiann
  Sometimes you grow up liking a particular food, and couldn't be happier with life as you know it. Then you go somewhere different, try that same dish you've always loved, and suddenly find yourself saying, "Oh. So that's what it's supposed to taste like." Such is the case for most people who... More >>
• BEST GOAT EARLY, GOAT OFTEN
  Birrieria Jalisco
  You can order any kind of food you want at Birrieria Jalisco in Boyle Heights, as long as it's a plate of richly spiced goat. This makes ordering easy for the Spanish-impaired, since all your monolingual waitress needs to know is which goat you want: numeros uno through seis. And what of BJ's... More >>
• BEST PLACE TO SUCK A SHRIMP HEAD
  Boiling Crab
  What's not to love about a nautical-themed Cajun seafood peel-it-yourself Vietnamese-owned restaurant in the heart of Little Saigon? The clientele at the Boiling Crab is mostly Asian, as are the servers, who bring you copious quantities of crawfish, shrimp, blue crab and catfish that you order... More >>
• BEST LOAVES TO LOVE
  La Boulangerie
  Resolutely stepping away from the flavorless grocery store baguette that was once the grande dame of L.A. (La Brea Bakery, we mean you) is harder than it should be in a city with countless quality farmers markets, yet surprisingly few really good artisan bread bakers. This logic does not apply... More >>
• BEST DELI TO CUT THE MUSTARD
  Brent's Deli
  Jerry's Famous is slicker, Canter's is more rock & roll, Langer's is in a more historically interesting location and Nate'n Al has a lot more industry juice, but Brent's Deli, a somewhat under-known eatery deep in the Valley, is the "Real Deal Holyfield" of old-school Jewish delis. Anyone... More >>
• BEST BRUSSELS SPROUTS? YES, INDEED
  Nine Thirty
  If you're into high-falutin' dining for cheap-ass prices, live it up at the Nine Thirty restaurant, inside the W Hotel in Westwood, where, for $8, you can indulge in caramelized Brussels sprouts — offered as an appetizer — which more than suffices as a meal in itself. What makes them... More >>
• BEST GELATO AND MASTROIANNI (1 Comment)
  Bulgarini Gelato
  If you take gelato seriously in this town, then you know the drill: Brave the snarled knot of traffic into Pasadena, turn north and head up into the San Gabriel Foothills until it seems as if you must surely have reached Mount Wilson, find a seemingly abandoned strip mall — all parking lot... More >>
• BEST REASON TO SKIP THE DESIGNER CUPCAKES
  Cake Monkey
  Let others eat cupcakes. Lisa Olin and pastry chef Elizabeth Belkind of dessert-scene newcomer Cake Monkey are making scrumptious minicakes instead. These are multilayered, substantial, moist cake and creamy frosting–laden delights, big as a chubby toddler's thigh, in flavors like... More >>
• BEST USE OF BEESWAX IN A PASTRY
  EuroPane
  Cannelés, not unlike many French pastries, are the sorts of things that can be done passably well by many but masterfully by few. In Los Angeles, you can now find the pretty fluted Bordelaise cakes fairly frequently, but only one bakery makes them the way they are traditionally made in... More >>
• BEST CATERER FOR THESE TROUBLED TIMES
  Jennie Cooks Catering
  The good news about a rather heated confrontation with your landlord is that it forces the obvious question: Why pay prime-beef rent prices for lower-quality choice cuts? It was one such escalating rent dilemma that forced Jennie Cook, formerly owner of the Culver City restaurant and catering... More >>
• BEST YEAR OF THE PIG-OUT
  Li's Wok Express
  Strip-mall Chinese joints that charge $1 an entrée might be a thing of the past, but at this San Fernando Valley establishment, a few dollars can go far. Located near Northridge Hospital, Li's Wok Express serves Chinese fast food. All the usual staples are here, Kung Pao chicken, chow... More >>
• BEST MECCA FOR LAMB STEW
  Chinese Islamic
  Dining at Chinese Islamic can be an eye-opening experience, especially if most of your Chinese meals have been limited to stir-fries and lo mein. Though you can get standards like moo shoo chicken ($8.50) and beef with broccoli ($9.95) here, the real action is in the less familiar, Muslim-style... More >>
• BEST PASTRY SHOP FOR CHOCOHOLICS
  Le Bon
  Some regulars got upset that a new proprietor took over Le Bon, but this chocolate-lovers paradise is as good as ever. On offer the other day was a rice bowl–sized chocolate shell filled with hunks of chocolate ganache and fudgy cake drenched with whole-bean vanilla pudding (or so we... More >>
• BEST-VALUE COFFEE ROASTER
  Alana's
  Usually you smell Alana's before you see it. Hints of cocoa, berries and hot beans waft through the air, leading your nose to a small stand at the farmers market where 34-year-old Eric Stogsdill completes his wares on the spot with a hand-built roaster. His tastes tend toward Guatemala, Peru,... More >>
• BEST GLENDORA-BLE SUGAR FIX
  Classic Coffee
  Screw the endless, day-to-day, nonsweetened, nonfat, drip-coffee, triple-shot Americano routine. Classic Coffee in downtown Glendora, a virtual hot spot of PMS survivors and deadbeat college students, will have you out of your South Beach Diet and into a carbohydrate coma before you can say... More >>
• BEST HOUSE OF DUCK
  Duck House
  If you have even a passing interest in Peking duck, you would do well to become acquainted with the aptly named Duck House, L.A.'s premier location for one of China's most famous culinary contributions. The restaurant's version of the dish arrives at your table looking like a work of art:... More >>
• BEST FOODIE-FULL BOUNTY
  Wednesday Santa Monica Farmers Market
  If you want rock-star chefs trailed by television camera crews under a morning's low marine layer, and farmers' stalls loaded with O'Henry peaches and Blenheim apricots and Meyer lemons and Russian fingerling potatoes and Gaviota strawberries and wild purslane and stinging nettles and fresh... More >>
• BEST UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF FRYING
  Izakaya Bincho
  Fried meatball — sounds heavy, right? You're probably picturing a giant, dense Italian meatball, coated in flour, egg and bread crumbs, then dumped into a vat of hot oil until it becomes a dripping wad of protein so greasy that the mere sight sends your body into preemptive cardiac arrest.... More >>
• BEST IT’S A SMALL, SMALL SUSHI WORLD
  A'Float Sushi
  Look at the cute little sushis coming down the line. Whoever invented conveyor-belt sushi is a genius. At Frying Fish in Little Tokyo, the delectable bits of tuna and mackerel and yellowtail travel on UFO-ish covered cups moved by a clinking belt, a miniature version of an airport baggage-claim... More >>
• BEST SUPERMARKET SUSHI MAN
  Gelson's
  There's nothing worse than succumbing to your desire for sushi, and settling on the supermarket version of slimy seaweed wrapped around sandpaper-dry rice — unless it's finding a parasite or two smiling up at you. While you might balk at the pricey produce and products at Gelson's, you'll... More >>
• BEST VEGETARIAN FAST FOOD AT A CHICKEN PLACE
  California Chicken Café
  Just an aside: Did you ever notice that even holier-than-thou vegetarians still sport leather bags and shoes—as if "wearing" animals doesn't count? Hypocriticality aside, when you skip the footed foods at California Chicken Café, you should feel positively virtuous dining on any of... More >>
• BEST EDIBLE PILLOWS
  Gaetano's
  I've never really had gnocchi before. Oh, I thought I had. But all the gnocchi of my past paled in comparison to Gaetano's. Tiny potatoey pillows of perfection in a tangy Gorgonzola sauce. I pause between forkfuls, lost in gastro-catatonic bliss. To call these mere potato dumplings is like... More >>
• BEST HAPPY HOUR THAT JANE WOULD BE FONDA
  Barbarella
  Barbarella, the Silver Lake bar that tends to fill up with people who don't live in Silver Lake (what is L.A.–speak for "bridge and tunnel crowd"? Maybe "310s"?) is actually a welcoming spot at the blue-plate-special hour, when seats are plenty, the TVs show cheesy '80s videos you can... More >>
• BEST PHO HUT
  Golden Deli
  The reputation of Golden Deli, the San Gabriel Valley's most famous house of Vietnamese pho and banh hoi, is such that a trip there feels like an important cultural undertaking. If you come at dinnertime, be prepared to stand around in the parking lot for 20 minutes or more. Once you make it... More >>
• BEST BIG, FAT GREEK-O ON PICO
  Papa Cristos C & K Importing
  In old-timey L.A. days, this area (Pico about two miles west of downtown) held an actual Greek residential enclave. Now the neighborhood is sub-Koreatown and primarily Latino, yet you can still find an incredibly ornate Greek Orthodox church and this quite useful and delicious grocery... More >>
• BEST HEALTHY, HELPFUL DINING
  Green Zone
  Stepping into the Green Zone's sleek and modern dining room, it's easy to forget you just parked at a jam-packed San Gabriel mini-mall and there's a foot massage place next door. From the fresh-squeezed pomegranate juice to the wild-caught salmon and the organic ingredients touted in most items,... More >>
• BEST SHAVED ICE WITH A VENGEANCE
  Salo-Salo Grill
  Halo-halo is the Filipino version of shaved ice. And when Filipinos do shaved ice, they do it with a vengeance: mung beans, macapuno fruit, papaya, shredded coconut, jackfruit (or langka), and cubed gelatin are layered in dense strata beneath a conical drift of shaved ice. Salo-Salo Grill in... More >>
• BEST 50TH STATE DATE PLACE
  Local Place
  The Local Place is the more casual of the two South Bay restaurants associated with sweet bread makers King's Hawaiian. Located on Western Avenue in Torrance, near the 405, this restaurant has lengthy lines, but the service is quick. Breakfast is the best bargain, with Spam and egg musubi for... More >>
• BEST BUTCHER
  Huntington Meats
  At some local meat markets (ahem, Bel-Air Prime, we're talking about you), a crisp $100 bill will afford you the grass-fed equivalent of a Tiffany silver key ring. Guess who's not coming to dinner? At Huntington Meats in the Los Angeles Farmers Market, the quality custom cuts and knowledgeable... More >>
• BEST CURRY AND SCURRY
  India Sweets and Spices
  If I am in the neighborhood, I can never resist either eating in or getting takeout from India Sweets and Spices — even if the ladies behind the counter scare me to death. While I love Indian food, I cannot always tell what the dishes behind the glass are, but I know, as I nervously clutch... More >>
• BEST JERKY
  European Deluxe
  The thick strips of jerky hanging on the wall in this German sausage market hardly look like the truck-stop version, but don't let that result in a bratwurst-only visit. These South African biltong (foot-long strips of coriander and cider vinegar–cured beef jerky) and droëwors... More >>
• BEST STUFFED-CRUST KOSHER PIZZA
  Nagilla
  Nagilla, an incredibly pleasant not-really-fast food and pizza joint is a great spot for a night of healthy Kosher veggie eats even if your friends are hankering for a chili dog. It's really two cafés in one. The two different culinary worlds are separated by a picturesque,... More >>
• BEST HAPPY DUMPLING HOUR
  Luscious Dumplings
  Dumpling lovers have their share of qualms with Luscious Dumplings. The dining room is tiny, the wait can be long and the kitchen has been known to run out of the best items in the middle of the dinner rush. But considering it also has perhaps the finest dumplings in Southern California, those... More >>
• BEST Mexican Hot Chocolate
  Sabor Y Cultura Café
  A chill vibe, free WiFi, friendly staffers, and one truly delish Chocolate Mexicano makes funky Latin-influenced caffeine and laptop joint Sabor y Cultura Café in the heart of Hollywood's Little Armenia a true favorite for any walk of life — whether it's the middle-aged screenwriter... More >>
• BEST J-SNACKS
  Mitsuwa
  While Japanese grocery stores offer some high-priced items, there are some good deals at Mitsuwa's Torrance outpost. The best buys are in the snack aisles, where you can find large bags of wasabi crackers for $3.99 and large bars of yokan (a jelly dessert) for $1.99. For those who love anything... More >>
• BEST MOMO
  Tara's Himalayan Cuisine
  Much of the offerings at Tara's Himalayan Cuisine seem vaguely Indian, but with some spicing differences. The one stand-out is the Nepalese-Tibetan staple, the momo, which are dumplings much like gyozas. Vegetarian or filled with spiced, ground chicken warmed by garlic and lightened with... More >>
• BEST GREAT BALLS OF BEAN AND MORE
  New Capital Seafood
  For the value and sheer spectacle of it all, New Capital Seafood, a mammoth, banquet hall–like restaurant gets the vote for best dim sum experience in the hotly competitive, heavily Asian, San Gabriel Valley. Located above a department store in a sprawling shopping center, hundreds gather... More >>
• BEST OAXACAN STREET FOOD
  Quesadilla cart, 1246 Echo Park Avenue
  We're the taco truck town, so why not a quesadilla cart? Every day, usually between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., a very nice woman stands behind her cart on Echo Park Avenue, just north of Sunset, where she makes blue corn tortillas by hand, stuffs them full of Monterey jack cheese and the... More >>
• BEST PLACE TO SHARE A MEAL WITH 80 OF YOUR CLOSEST PALS
  La Espańola Meats
  Sure, you can make your own paella — the Spanish dish that is as much a tribute to Spanish food on a single plate as it is a meal — or order it at any number of the tapas restaurants around town. But why, when you can head down to La Española Meats in Harbor City and have... More >>
• BEST SAAG PANEER
  Addi's Tandoor
  Addi's Tandoor is the kind of dark, white-tablecloth place that I'm hard-pressed to keep my 8-year-old quiet in. But we brave it because the food is so damn good. Excellent lamb vindaloo. But it is the saag paneer (cube of mild Indian cheese, like a cross-breeding of tofu and mozzarella, in a... More >>
• BEST THAI ELVIS
  Palm Thai
  How can you not adore a Thai restaurant that serves the best spicy papaya salad around as well as strange meat delicacies, stays open late and employs a goofball Thai guy who does a great Elvis imitation? We've been to Palm Thai dozens of times, mostly to order the exact same thing — fried... More >>
• BEST PICKLES AND SAUERKRAUT
  Krüegermann
  The Kruegermann family has been selling their German-style Krüegermann Pickles and sauerkraut since they moved to Glassell Park from East Germany nearly 50 years ago (Marxist-spiced red pickles didn't taste quite right to the longtime pickling family). Today, you can find their two-dozen pickled... More >>
• BEST BALL SLAPPING
  La Pińata Tortilleria
  Making tortillas by hand may be a dying art in East L.A., but La Pińata Tortilleria stubbornly refuses to yield to the machine. They spend three mornings a week slapping oblong balls of maize flour on the counter and pounding out hundreds of tortillas a mano for their customers. Yes, La... More >>
• BEST TAMALES
  La Mascota
  At La Mascota, the Salcedo family has been churning out Mexican bolillos, a softer, chubbier version of a French baguette, for their Boyle Heights neighbors for more than 50 years. But it's the $1.35 to-go tamales that draw the long- distance eaters armed with empty coolers and ice packs. In the... More >>
• BEST PISTACHIO PUDDING
  India Tandoori Grill
  India Tandoori Grill, across from the Torrance Airport, has a wonderful buffet selection, with chutneys and pickles, tandoori chicken, goat curry, flavorful dal, chicken tikka masala in a rich, creamy tomato sauce and a rotating bevy of dishes both meat and vegetarian. But be sure to leave... More >>
• BEST RAMEN-INDUCED STEAMBATH
  Daikokuya
  The best ramen, at the best price, at the latest hours in town is at Daikokuya. Justly regarded by L.A. cognoscenti (900 Yelp reviews = no longer a secret) as the perfect capper to a night of drinking, dancing and more drinking, a large bowl of tonkotsu style ramen in pork broth (get... More >>
• BEST OVERUSE OF THE WORD “HIPSTER”
  Jitlada
  It's not often that you see a young man in white skinny jeans, his hair styled in something resembling a pompadour, his face adorned with purple-rimmed shades, sitting down to dinner with a 50-year-old woman wearing Liz Claiborne sandals. But hipsters do have mothers, and mothers are required to... More >>
• BEST COZY BAR WITH FRENCH BRUNCH
  Rive Gauche
  This establishment's old, battered, peeling café sign is the first hint that Rive Gauche is ignoring every known food, décor and bar fad, to offer European-steeped, traditional meals and a Sunday champagne brunch — plus one of the warmest, friendliest neighborhood bars in... More >>
• BEST JAPANESE-MAID CAFÉ
  Royal/T
  Royal/T café-gallery-shop has much to offer by way of delicious things, not least of which is cute little Asian-girl waitresses dressed up as French maids. Is it surprising that the nation's first Japanese "maid café" opened here in Los Angeles? Maybe. We are lucky that we don't... More >>
• BEST GRINDING AND STUFFING
  Bob's Market
  It's got to be a little depressing living the sausage life in a grocery-store meat case, where even the most robust bratwurst is so often upstaged by a scrawny little flank steak. At Bob's Market in Santa Monica, the small, family-run grocery store has put its chubby pork bangers and sweet... More >>
• BEST GOOD OL' SOUTHERN(KOREAN) BBQ
  Soot Bull Jeep
  The sheer number of restaurants in Koreatown is mind-boggling to sort through. A lot of folks keep it simple; when they want primally addictive Korean BBQ, they head to the simple, modest place with the three-word name that happens to sound, in English, like a hard-charging, smoke-spewing... More >>
• BEST SOUP DUMPLINGS
  Din Tai Fung
  There are still people who haven't heard of xiaolongbao, the Shanghai specialty occasionally called XLB, or, most commonly, soup dumplings. When you explain the dish to those who aren't familiar, they'll have one of two responses: either "... there's soup inside the dumplings? How do they do... More >>
• BEST SOUTH INDIAN BUFFET (1 Comment)
  Mayura
  Most Indian restaurants specialize in Northern Indian dishes. Mayura's lunchtime buffet is a chance to delve into South Indian cuisine, specifically that of the tropical state of Kerala on India's Southwest coast, where you'll find more coconut, tamarind, and plenty of yogurt, lentils, chiles... More >>
• BEST-PROTECTED TACOS
  Taco Pete
  Here's the general rule about food that's bad for you: The rattier the place looks, the better the food. If the proprietors haven't made it a practice to paint, or to relettering their signs, and yet they have a lot of business, you know the food is really good. Such a place is Taco Pete. Some... More >>
• BEST TAIWANESE STREET FOOD
  Pa Pa Walk
  The bright yellow walls and Hello Kitty décor at Pa Pa Walk might make you think for a moment that you'd wandered off-course and stumbled into yet another mini-mall trinket shop. In fact, you've just entered one of Southern California's foremost bastions of Taiwanese street food. The top... More >>
• BEST VIEW WITH A RESTAURANT
  Top of the Notch Restaurant
  From the stone terrace of the Top of the Notch Restaurant, munch on a burger in the clean, crisp mountain air and gaze down between the mountains on the clouds covering the L.A. Basin. Yes, we said gaze down on the clouds. At 7,800 feet you are higher than anything east of the Pecos, and higher... More >>
• BEST HAITIAN COFFEE (1 Comment)
  TiGeorges' Chicken
  To say that George Laguerre makes the best cup of Haitian coffee in L.A. should not be qualified by the fact that he may very well make the only Haitian cup of coffee in L.A. I don't know if there are others to be had, but I do know that the thick shot of espresso Laguerre pulls from the... More >>
• BEST TORTILLAS ON PICO
  Tortilleria Expresion Oaxaquena
  Perhaps there's no food staple that points to the core of the Mexican psyche like the tortilla. Strikingly simple and rustic, the flat discs of corn, water and limewater inspired the late Chicano singer Lalo Guerrero's pouty "There's No Tortillas." Unfortunately, bad corn tortillas — thin,... More >>
• BEST CAFÉ WITH NATURE HIKE ATTACHED
  Trails Café
  If Julia Child and John Muir were to meet for lunch, and Julia wanted good, simple, butter-confident food made from scratch, and John asked only that they eat outside, in the shade of a few sequoia with dirt beneath their feet and the company of birds, they would agree on Trails Café in Griffith... More >>
• BEST PLACE TO EAT WHILE HAVING A HEART ATTACK
  In Westwood, expensive dining options abound. So since you're in walking distance to a world-class medical center, why not take advantage of what the Dining Commons at UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center has to offer? Situated on the first floor, it's a simple cafeteria — and therein lies... More >>
• BEST POST-HANGOVER, CRUELTY-FREE VEGAN BRUNCH
  Flore Vegan Cuisine
  On Sundays, Flore Vegan Cuisine offers an all-you-can-eat vegan brunch for $10, tax included. Served buffet style, it makes for the perfect post-hangover meal. The menu varies, but mainstays are tofu scramble, "sausage," "bacon," French toast, waffles, potatoes, fruit, coffee and orange juice.... More >>
• BEST SAN GABRIEL VALLEY SZECHUAN
  Yunchuan Garden
  You know you're in for an adventure from the moment you set foot in Yunchuan Garden, a Monterey Park stronghold of Szechuan cuisine. In front of you is the cold-dish counter, where, for $3.95, you can pick three items from about a dozen trays overflowing with chicken feet, thinly sliced pork... More >>
• BEST FLOWERY, FLOWING SALAD BAR IN AN ISRAELI RESTAURANT
  Itzik Hagadol
  People frequent Itzik Hagadol (Isaac, the Great in Hebrew) for the famed meat skewers, but the real appeal is the incredible, beautiful, delicious, fresh, in your face, never-ending flow of salads. Purchase one skewer (get the veal-lamb kebabs, everything else is bland) and, for an additional... More >>
• BEST PUG AND AWE BURGER
  Hungry Cat
  What the pug burger at Hungry Cat lacks in structural integrity it more than makes up in sheer awesomeness, both of size and flavor. In fact, the glory of the pug is that it manages to be one of L.A.'s best burgers despite the point deduction for ridiculousness. It's a big fucker, maybe only... More >>
• BEST POCKET OF CRUNCHY WONDERFULNESS
  Falafel King
  When one sends oneself on a mission to find the best falafel in L.A., one quickly finds oneself on a journey from mediocre to bad to awful versions of the ubiquitous fried balls of ground chickpeas. That's why we routinely come back to Falafel King, the beloved Westwood home of garbanzo nirvana.... More >>
• BEST-VALUE MORTADELLA SANDWICH
  Eastside Deli
  The sandwiches at Eastside Deli aren't pretty but they get the job done — that task being the ending of hunger one belly at a time. No artisan breads, no chopped fresh basil leaves or choice of mustards — just big ol' minisubs of, say, mortadella, capicollo or turkey, with provolone... More >>
• BEST VEGAN SANDWICH (1 Comment)
  The Veggie Grill
  Crisp onion rings vie with juicy tomatoes for dominance of your mouth in this mouthwatering sandwich. The Stack is crafted just like a steak sandwich, except the "steak" is made of various wheat and legume proteins with beets to give it texture. If you're feeling good, you can have it served on... More >>
• BEST ROAST BEEF OR PASTRAMI DIP SANDWICH
  Country Deli
  If you know the Valley, you know how silly it is when wags from Westwood and Silver Lake rave that the (admittedly) stalwart Brent's is the best deli on that side of the hill. Please. Country Deli, tucked up in northwest Chatsworth, with its Western motif and murals of old cowboy stars, and its... More >>
• BEST WHO-NEEDS-MEAT? SANDWICH
  La Brea Bakery
  Biting into La Brea Bakery's artichoke heart sandwich is like sipping a wine whose flavorings can only be articulated as hints. With the sandwich, of course, it's a bit more obvious: the 'chokes, marinated in olive oil and rosemary, are surrounded by ricotta cheese, arugula and pesto, stacked... More >>
• BEST POUNDED HEADCHEESE SANDWICH ON THE WESTSIDE
  Cemitas Poblanas
  If you live in East Los Angeles, you've probably come across the cemita, a Mexican sandwich in which a pounded and fried cutlet (chicken, pork or beef milanesa) is placed on a roll of sesame seed–studded egg bread, along with cheese, onions, avocado and red salsa. It's a combination that's... More >>
• BEST STARCH SANDWICH (1 Comment)
  Porto's
  Porto's pushes the limits of traditional sandwich making by stuffing a bread roll with a potato. Order up this classic and the masters will take a Cuban roll, add two potato balls stuffed with seasoned ground beef, and top them with Swiss cheese, mayonnaise, mustard, lettuce and tomato. In one... More >>
• BEST DELI SANDWICH
  Bay Cities Italian Deli
  It's hard to argue effectively with your Italian godmother, particularly if she's several inches thick around the middle with a tangy bite and a penchant for hanging out with the wrong crowd. That's where the cold cut–clad sandwich by the same name at Bay Cities Italian Deli in Santa... More >>
• BEST CUBAN SANDWICH
  Rincon Criollo
  At Rincon Criollo, the pressed bread is toasty warm, the melted cheese is creamy, the slice of ham and slice of pork salty, the pickle sour. The individual parts melding into a greater, comforting whole. What more could one want from a Cuban sandwich? Oh, yeah ... and it's big, too. I usually... More >>
• BEST BACON-AND-AVOCADO BURGER (1 Comment)
  Howard's
  If you're old enough to remember your parents taking you to a restaurant without consulting a Zagat for fear of choosing the "wrong" place, or not even thinking to ask who designed the interior, and you yearn for that kind of simplicity, Howard's is for you. If you were part of the more... More >>
• BEST GROWLER FILLER-UPPER
  The Bruery
  Until recently, finding a brewery that would fill up your growler (beer-speak for a 64-ounce jug) with a bold, full-bodied Belgium-style craft beer required a road trip to San Diego. Enter The Bruery in Placentia, where owner and brewer Patrick Rue will gladly pump up Orchard White (an... More >>
• BEST BARGAIN-BASEMENT BURGER
  Hawkins House of Burgers
  Hawkins House of Burgers is most famous, perhaps, for its Hawkins Special, a truly absurd and behemoth creation consisting of three one-pound burger patties, cheese, bacon, chilies, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, fried eggs, pastrami, mustard, a butterflied hot dog, pickles and mayo. It weighs in at... More >>
• MOST REASONABLE BURGER (1 Comment)
  The Park
  Let the economists rail against deflation, but if it means better-tasting burgers at great prices, bring it on! The Park, an Echo Park bistro-style restaurant, offers an unbeatable budget-friendly deal on Wednesdays, when the $5 Burger Nite gives you one of their juicy and fresh-tasting burgers,... More >>
• BEST PUB BURGER (1 Comment)
  Simmzy's
  A juicy $10 angus burger with sweet smoked onion marmalade, cheddar and garlic aioli sound like the grilled goods at pretty much every other fancy burger joint in town. The rub at Simmzy's, a new Manhattan Beach joint, is this burger's big enough to share. Well almost, if you also get the skinny... More >>
• BEST MACROBIOTIC VEGAN BURGER (1 Comment)
  Seed Kitchen
  In 1993, chef Eric Lechasseur's wife became ill. In an effort to help cure her, he began cooking and experimenting with macrobiotics. Well, the diet seemed to work, and Lechasseur has since become a private chef to health-conscious stars like Madonna, Sting, Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire.... More >>
• BEST NONSERBIAN TURKEY BURGER
  Metro Café
  With a great menu of Serbian food, why talk about Metro Café's turkey burger? Because when you don't feel like the awesome Serbian salad (sometimes with my own twist, ahi tuna), or the white-bean-and-ham soup (from proprietor Saša Stankovic's mother's recipe), or the zucchini... More >>
• BEST HOLLYWOOD HAPPY HOUR
  Boho
  If you’re going to plonk down $14 for an ArcLight ticket (although even that seems a bit of a bargain these days, when you factor in reserved seating and the like; Grauman’s Chinese is now peak-priced at $12.50!), it’s nice to be able to find cheap, tasty and filling eats before your movie. Look... More >>
• BEST OTHER HAPPY HOUR FOR LIP-SMACKING DEALS
  Dakota Lounge
  Don’t let the fact that Fergie and Josh Duhamel pop in for Laker games make you think the Dakota Lounge has an uppity attitude. The place is unpretentious and feels like the neighborhood bar you wish was in your neighborhood. Owners Alex Fieglein and Sabrina Roark, Hawaii transplants, have had a... More >>