The 10 Restaurants That Defined Dining in L.A. This Year

This spring, the chef Junya Yamasaki opened his pristine Arts District restaurant as an evolution of the seafood truck he ran during the pandemic, and soon thereafter, the accolades started rolling in, and with good reason. The quiet hum and serene aesthetic of Yess, combined with the kitchen’s precise, progressive Japanese cuisine, amount to a transportive dining experience.

Yamasaki is meticulous about sourcing top-notch local and seasonal ingredients, from mackerel caught in the Santa Monica Bay to porcini mushrooms he forages himself, and his dedication makes Yess feel uniquely representative of the food ecosystem of greater Los Angeles. Since opening, Yamasaki has shifted the format of Yess to prioritize tasting menus, offering a la carte to walk-in guests and Sunday diners only. In a tough year for the restaurant industry, the singular, memorable meals here stand out. 

Ari Kolender had his work cut out for him when he set out for his sophomore effort as a follow-up to his perennially popular, pint-sized, East Coast-style seafood bar, Found Oyster. With Queen St. — where the focus is still on seafood, but this time with a Lowcountry flair — he has another big win under his belt.

Kolender pulls from his Charleston upbringing in dishes like deviled blue crab Louie and swordfish Hemingway with charred shallots and Meyer lemon. The excellent pecan-and-chocolate derby pie is his grandmother Sheralyn’s recipe. Best of all, Queen St. is roomier than Found Oyster — and takes reservations! We’re partial to the seats at the horseshoe-shaped bar if they’re available.

The most newsworthy opening this year was, in fact, a reopening: Baroo is back, baby! And it’s all grown up. The experimental, fermentation-forward Korean restaurant from chef Kwang Uh and wife and partner Mina Park is now a set menu spot with a refined Arts District aesthetic and a full-blown cocktail program.

Baroo 3.0 is a significant step up from its roots as a daytime strip mall destination for fiercely creative bowls, and the food is as good, and more technically impressive, than before. We suggest you come with an open mind and an eye for wonder, and stay for the seasonally-rotating five-course menu, paired with lesser-known Korean spirits such as makgeolli and yakju.

The proliferation of wine bars, while not unwelcome, is a bit worn in L.A. right now. Which is why when Stir Crazy opened on Melrose Ave in May, its more open-ended positioning—a place born with the spirit of a European cafe, was alluring. Still, owner Mackenzie Hoffman’s wide-ranging, producer-focused wine list is a big part of Stir Crazy’s draw.

So is the sensational snacky fare, which changes according to what’s at the market but is likely to include a dynamite celery salad with walnuts, goat cheese, and golden raisins and a single sausage with Weiser potato salad and a dollop of spicy mustard. The vibe is chic and the people-watching is strong; come here for an in-between moment or a lingering catch-up with friends.

Billed as a neighborhood banchan shop, Perilla punches way above its weight as a daytime takeaway spot in a newly developed corner of Victor Heights, aka where Chinatown meets Echo Park.

The chef Jihee Kim offers a stunning array of banchan informed by seasonal California bounty, like honeynut squash jorim and fermented tomatillo, in addition to her signature items, like an Instagram-ready rolled egg with seaweed reminiscent of a bullseye. The gimbap, served with Korean hot mustard, sells out regularly, for good reason. Her dosirak, which are available with chicken or cod, are delightful. And her cold soy garlic noodles are a personal favorite. Perilla is situated in a developing complex of small food businesses with spacious patio seating, so you’re welcome to dine al fresco, or bring a book and stay for a while.

No reservations. Find more info here.

Everyone loves red sauce, and Donna’s gets that. Here, chef Sathia Sun reliably presents all the hits: garlic bread, stuffed peppers, spaghetti and meatballs, fusilli alla vodka, chicken parmesan, and veal piccata.

But Donna’s is brand-new as opposed to stubbornly retro, and Sun’s inventive twists — i.e., tonnato in the Caesar, squid ink aioli with the fried calamari — reflects a lighter, more creative hand with the classics. Throw in a full-fledged cocktail program (martinis! Negronis!), and a contemporary, nonna-inspired look and feel from the team behind nearby Lowboy and Bar Flores, and it checks out that this was one of this year’s hottest tables. Trust us and end your meal with the warm Tuscan carrot cake.

For their sister restaurant to sustainable seafood sensation Crudo e Nudo, chef Brian Bornemann and Leena Culhane smartly leaned into wood-fired fare, a style that diners this year seemingly couldn’t get enough of. At Isla, Bornermann continues to showcase his skill with seafood, in dishes like Santa Barbara uni on crispy rice with piment aioli and caramelized black cod with smoked paprika-miso glaze, while also leaning into vegetables and meat, much of which are served as skewers grilled over binchotan charcoal. Better yet, unlike the outdoors-only Crudo e Nudo, Isla boasts a handsome dining room with wooden tables, a brown leather banquette, and soft rose-colored walls.

Seemingly minutes after it opened in March, Barras Santos was already bumping. Waits are long — but worth it — for chef Melissa López’s citrusy tuna crudo, head-on prawns marinated in Vinho Verde, and piri piri chicken. Now that the hype has calmed down (a bit), it’s a little easier to snag a seat at this compact, walk-ins only Portuguese spot. Even when patience is in order, you can cool your heels while sipping something off their Iberian wine list. Come on the early side (Barras Santos opens at 4 p.m. every day), and you’ll have the place practically to yourself. Try the Rhode Island special, a shot of sherry and a glass of Skyduster’s super dry lager, to start.

No reservations. Find more info here.

Poltergeist, run by the genre-defying chef Diego Argoti out of the Echo Park arcade bar Button Mash, is like no other restaurant that’s come before. Some people have loved it, others aren’t sure what to make of it, but all can agree on its wild originality. Poltergeist’s menu infuses inspiration from a mindbending array of cuisines with cheffy techniques culled from Argoti’s time cooking in restaurants like Broken Spanish and Bavel.

Think Parker House rolls with miso honey and furikake duqqa, broccoli beef ravioli with soy sauce and brown butter, and sticky rice-stuffed game hen with banana ketchup and pickled papaya. It’s worth a visit if you’re even remotely intrigued, to get a taste of one of L.A.’s most delightfully unhinged young talents at the peak of his powers. 

Long live La Dolce Vita. This year, the storied, clubby Italian restaurant reopened in Beverly Hills under new ownership. Marc Rose and Med Abrous, who, as the proprietors of The Spare Room and Genghis Cohen, know a thing or two about revamping historic spots, oversaw a careful renovation and menu rehaul, courtesy of chef Nick Russo. The result is a wholly fun dinner destination, with a leopard print carpet, name plaques of famous former regulars (i.e., Frank Sinatra) over burgundy leather booths, and a practically life-sized pepper grinder. Caesar salads are prepared tableside, baked manicotti is served in a gold-plated glass casserole dish, and the must-order, hubcap-sized veal parmigiana arrives bone-in. 

2023 was a big year for seafood in L.A., with maritime restaurants arriving left and right (Queen St., Saltie Girl, Loreto, et al). Meanwhile, the magnificent mariscos truck Simón, which opened last year, settled into its Sunset Boulevard spot in Silver Lake and began servicing the West Side (on Sawtelle and Olympic). Get the fruity and smoky negro aguachile—it’s otherwordly—and try a taco or two, like the softshell crab or fish al pastor, and ask for their recs on which housemade salsa is best for pairing. We’re excited to see what the Simón team has up their sleeve for 2024. 

No reservations. Find more info here.