Good wine and cold oysters: The combination shouldn't be too much to ask, especially in a coastal and cosmopolitan city like L.A. Yet the east side of town lacked such a spot until L&E Oyster Bar came along last year, delivering not only good wine and cold oysters but also good wine and the best selection of oysters in town. Flown in from all corners of the country and the globe, the nightly changing selection offers mollusks from Virginia and New Zealand, Oregon and Alaska. The small room, part Paris and part Brooklyn, fills with happy neighborhood chatter. If you can snag a spot, the bar is the best place in the 'hood to meet for an early-evening drink. Beyond the oysters, the food holds up beautifully, be it a summer salad of watermelon and feta, house-cured mussels, a whole grilled branzino or a simple steak sandwich. Grand restaurants are all good and well, but what really boosts an area's quality of life is great neighborhood restaurants, and L&E is just that. 1637 Silver Lake Blvd., Silver Lake; (323) 660-2255, leoysterbar.com. Mon.-Thurs., 5-10 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 5-11 p.m. Entrées $15-$23. Beer and wine.

 

Besha Rodell's Introduction

Anne Fishbein's Photography

The Google Map

 

The 99 Essential Restaurants List:

A-Frame
Alma
Angelini Osteria
Animal
Attari Sandwich Shop
Bäco Mercat
Bar Amá
The Bazaar
Bestia
BierBeisl
Bludso's
Cacao Mexicatessen
Canelé
La Casita Mexicana
Cemitas Poblanas Elviritas
Chichen Itza
Chung King
Cole's
Coni'Seafood
Cube Cafe & Marketplace
Din Tai Fung
Eva
Father's Office
Fred 62
Gjelina
Golden Deli
Go's Mart
Il Grano
Guelaguetza
Guisados
Hatfield's
Ha Tien Quan
Hawkins House of Burgers
Hayat's Kitchen
El Huarache Azteca
Huckleberry
The Hungry Cat
ink.
Jar
Jitlada
JTYH Heavy Noodle II
Kang Ho Dong Baekjong
Kiriko
Kiyokawa
Kogi Truck
Krua Siri
L&E Oyster Bar
Langer's
Little Dom's
Lucques
Ludo Truck
Lukshon
Mariscos Jalisco
Matsuhisa
Meals by Genet
Mélisse
Milo and Olive
Mo-Chica
Musso & Frank
Nem Nuong Ninh Hoa
Nickel Diner
Night + Market
Oinkster
Osteria Mozza
Pann's
Pa-Ord Noodle
El Parian
Park's BBQ
Philippe the Original
Picca
Pink's
Pizzeria Mozza
Playa
Pollo a la Brasa
Providence
R&R Soul Food
Ración
Red Medicine
Ricky's Fish Tacos
Rivera
Rocio's Moles de los Dioses
Salt's Cure
Sapp Coffee Shop
Savoy Kitchen
Sea Harbour
Shanghai No. 1 Village Seafood
Soban
Son of a Gun
Sotto
Spago
The Spice Table
Superba Snack Bar
Tacos Leo
The Tasting Kitchen
Tavern
Tsujita LA
Vincenti Ristorante
Wurstküche
Zam Zam Market

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.