Where the Chefs Eat is an ongoing series in which we ask a local chef to give us his or her favorite dining options. This week, we check in with Ari Taymor, chef/owner of Alma.

Ari Taymor has had a crazy few weeks. After his restaurant Alma was named the best new restaurant in the country by Bon Appétit magazine, Taymor and his crew at the tiny downtown restaurant have been excited, overwhelmed and intensely thankful for the huge attention an accolade on that scale draws. “It's been surreal,” Taymor says. We caught up with him between shopping and prepping to talk about his favorite places to eat in L.A. Turn the page for his picks.

See also: Alma Is Bon Appetit's Best New Restaurant in America

4. Sushi Gen

“This place is really tasty; I eat here a lot. They just serve really pristine fish, and they put a ridiculous amount of uni into their uni hand roll, which is always good.”

3. Sasaya

“This is a simple izakaya in West L.A., just a bare bones place with delicious food. They get the little things right — the rice is always cooked perfectly. I like the chicken kaarage, and a dish they do that's ground chicken with eggplant over rice.”

2. L&E Oyster Bar

“These guys take so much care with their food. The oysters are always shucked perfectly; they're served really cold, and there's never any shell or grit in them. The salads are well-seasoned. And they're really welcoming, there's no pretension. It's really hard to do a neighborhood restaurant right, and they're killing it.”

1. Night + Market

“The place I eat the most is Night + Market, probably so much so that they're sick of me by now. I'm there at least once a week. The food is awesome, and everyone who works there is so kind. They're just happy and excited to be there, serving this food; it makes eating there so much more fun.”

See also: Where the Chefs Eat: 4 Restaurant Picks from Josiah Citrin

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