With the news, right before Thanksgiving, that all restaurants in Los Angeles had to cease in-person dining and drinking for at least three weeks, it means we’re back to takeout, delivery and drive-thru service — until at least mid-December. While that’s a huge hit for our dining scene, the best ways to help your favorite restaurants remain the same: Continue to get takeout, buy gift cards, donate if it makes sense. And, hey, even with the rollercoaster of 2020, there are plenty of spots doing their best to keep innovating, and keep serving the dishes we love. We’ve got some of our favorites in this month’s Hit List.
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East Hollywood
Think of it as a New England oyster bar in the heart of North Hollywood. Find chef Ari Kolender’s take on East Coast seafood shack staples like Massachusetts oysters on the half shell, lobster rolls, and chowder, to West Coast-inspired scallop tostadas, crudos, and more. There’s even fried chicken, because what would the pandemic be without it.
Dining status: In-person dining closed until further notice; order takeout here.
Culver City
Vespertine chef Jordan Kahn’s lauded and beloved daytime cafe just started taking reservations for the first time ever, but until it can open again, takeout continues. Order Kahn’s comforting takes on classic baked goods, sandwiches, soba noodles, fried chicken, beef tartare, and much more.
Dining status: In-person dining closed until further notice; takeout and delivery are available.
Downtown
Downtowners needing a solid plate of enchiladas, great guacamole, carnitas, and chorizo-laced queso know to head to this hidden gem on the outskirts of the Arts District. The full menu is available for takeout, including spicy cucumber margaritas and bottles of mezcal for a DIY happy hour.
Dining status: Patio dining closed until further notice; order for pickup or delivery here.
Venice
A decade ago, chef David Myers helped usher along the gourmet burger craze with his gravity-defying Comme Ça burger. After restaurant concepts in L.A., Las Vegas, and across the globe, he’s planting roots on Abbot Kinney with his pop-up burger concept, Adrift. Taking over the former Hal’s Bar & Grill (the more recent iteration, not the original), there will be some limited outdoor seating, but the emphasis on take-away. Try a 1940s classic burger with American cheese and sauce, or a souped up version with sharp cheddar. All can be made doubles or even triples. Myers’ worldly travels inspire things like curry-leaf fries and matcha-white chocolate shakes.
Dining status: Order for pickup here.
Silver Lake
This Middle Eastern-inspired spot in a cozy cottage-like setting has quickly become a Silver Lake favorite. You can’t go wrong with fried cauliflower with toasted dukkah, babaganoush with coal-roasted shsishito peppers, and spiced beef shishkatori, a Middle Eastern–Japanese skewer hybrid.
Dining status: Patio closed until further notice; order takeout here.
Culver City
Italian-American classics are on full display at this pop-up, wherever chefs Chris Amirault and Jake Kolack drop it. This is the kind of food that hugs your soul — and deserves extra stretchy pants. Think: Antipasti and Caesar salad, red-sauce favorites like baked ziti and the namesake chicken or eggplant parm, plus bone-in veal chops, spaghetti, and tiramisu. Thankfully, it’s all available for pickup from the Corner Door in Culver City (so, yeah, the cocktails are on point, too).
Dining status: Takeout and delivery only, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, until further notice. Find more info here.
West Hollywood
This solo project for Rick Arline, former sommelier for Auburn (R.I.P.), brings a huge natural wine list and vino-friendly food to a busy block of La Cienega. Let the seasoned hospitality vet guide you to the best bottles, especially to sip something alongside housemade charcuterie, truffled porcini dip, caviar with the works, or spicy olives and nuts.
Dining status: Menu and wines available for takeout, curbside pickup, and delivery via Doordash.
El Segundo
One of the South Bay’s favorite spots for handmade pasta with California flair, this little strip-mall find does a mean squid ink bavette, only this one comes topped with creamy stracciatella cheese. And tonnarelli cacio e pepe. And tagliatelle Bolognese. Basically any pasta will soothe your soul. Don’t miss extras like arancini, fresh, salads, and at least one bottle of Sangiovese.
Dining status: Takeout available for dinner; find info here.
Beverly Grove
Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo’s seafood-leaning spot on West Third finally got sidewalk seating off the ground, until the latest mandates pulled it back again. Thankfully, all the favorites are still available for pickup and delivery: The fried chicken sandwich, peel-and-eat shrimp, lobster roll, smoked mahi dip and more. Yes, even the cocktails, including a batched pina colada for six.
Dining status: Take and delivery available Doordash and Caviar.
Japan Town
In a perfect East-West mashup — quite literally since Sawtelle borders West L.A. — you can just as easily get a flight of mezcal or yuzu beer, and have carnitas bao buns or straight-up tacos on Sonoran-style tortillas. It feels as if anything goes, which is exactly what you need right now. That, and a staycation — specifically a tropical one, in mezcal and white whiskey form.
Dining status: Takeout and delivery are both available; get info here.
Chinatown
The counter-only spot in Chinatown’s Far East Plaza — you know, the one with Howlin’ Ray’s and Lasa — features takes on Cantonese classics courtesy chef Johnny Lee. You may also know him as the obsessive Hainan chicken guy from Side Chick, but that’s only part of his repertoire. Here you’ll want fried pork-chop sandwiches on pineapple buns, charsiu rice, silky egg scrambles, and so much more.
Dining status: Takeout and delivery only; watch Instagram for specials and info.
