The Resy Hit List: Everywhere In L.A. You’ll Want to Eat in Sept. 2024
There’s no question we hear more often: Where should I go eat? And while we at Resy know it’s an honor to be the friend who everyone asks for restaurant advice, we also know it’s a complicated task. That’s where the Resy Hit List comes in.
We’ve designed it to be your essential resource for dining in Los Angeles: a monthly-updated (and expanded!) guide to the restaurants that you won’t want to miss — tonight or any night.
Four Things In Los Angeles Not to Miss This Month
- A New Nostalgic Hotspot. Ben Shenassafar of streetwear brand The Hundreds and Family Style Food Festival recently opened his eponymous restaurant, The Benjamin, in the heart of Hollywood. It’s quickly garnered a following, thanks to its classy and stylish Art Deco design, American comfort dishes (including a not-to-be-missed burger), and an upstairs bar with DJs. Check it out, and read about more new openings here.
- A Hard-to-Get Pizza. It’s been over two years since chef Evan Funke opened Mother Wolf — and the Roman-style pizza and pasta restaurant is still as busy as ever. (And opening an offshoot in Miami soon!) Luckily, we’ve got some tips on how to score a reservation and the best time to get a walk-in spot at the bar. Check out how to snag seats at other seemingly impossible-to-book restaurants here.
- 72 Hours Eating Through L.A.For out-of-towners and locals itching for an L.A. culinary adventure, we have a three-day guide that uncovers the greatest hits and hidden gems from the Westside to the East. Think fresh oysters and lobster rolls after a sunny beach day, drinks at a hidden tiki speakeasy, and a Boyle Heights taco crawl. Pore over more travel guides for other cities here.
- Where to Eat for Heritage Month. L.A.’s diverse culinary scene makes it easy to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month, which takes place from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. Support restaurants like Damian, Ceviche Project, Mírate, Ka’teen, Salazar, and Madre, among others. While you’re at it, read up on everything you need to know about Panamanian restaurant Si! Mon, and how Santo Nigiri and Sake Bar melds sushi with Mexican flavors.
New to the Hit List (September 2024)
Camphor, Danbi, Leopardo, The Brothers Sushi Culver City, Bridgetown Roti.
1. Tsubaki Echo Park
In a city brimming with salads, Tsubaki’s Japanese Caesar — laced with bonito threads, nori, panko, and miso-parmesan dressing — is a strong contender for the best. Their charcoal-grilled chicken oyster skewers, dabbed with yuzu kosho, are a bona fide signature L.A. dish. Simply put, chef Charles Namba’s food at this compact Echo Park izakaya is consistently dynamite. But the sake list adds a whole new dimension: Namba’s partner is Courtney Kaplan, whose sake expertise and dedication to craft breweries is showcased here and at next-door sake bar, Ototo — whose sake program was the first to win a James Beard award. Take your time reading Kaplan’s descriptions; “sake whisperer” doesn’t even begin to describe her work.
2. N/Soto Mid-City
Think of this as the little sister to N/Naka, the Michelin-starred Japanese kaiseki restaurant that“Chef’s Table” propelled to fame nearly a decade ago. N/Soto, which got its start as a pop-up before finding a permanent home in Mid City in April of 2022, is much more casual than its zen-like counterpart. Similarly helmed by chef-owners Niki Nakayama and Carole Iida-Nakayama, it focuses on upscale izakaya fare that runs the gamut from sushi to grilled meats to comforting rice bowls. Its stalwart dishes include a miso-baked bone marrow paired with a pan-fried umeboshi onigiri, and agedashi mochi punctuated by tempura-battered shiso. The inventive cocktail program incorporates Japanese ingredients and spirits, and includes a robust non-alcoholic drinks menu that shouldn’t be missed.
3. Lee-Ga Koreatown
Nestled in the corner of a Koreatown strip mall is Lee-Ga, a stand-out purveyor of mul naengmyeon in a sea of restaurants that serve this beloved chilled buckwheat noodle soup, a summertime favorite. Chef-owner Woosuk Lee expertly makes the noodles fresh in-house, a rarity compared to other spots that rely on the pre-packaged variety, resulting in chewy strings that swim in a perfectly balanced broth that’s acidic, sweet, and savory. It would be a mistake to not also order some of the casual restaurant’s equally distinctive dishes, like its hefty mandu (the vibrant red kimchi dumplings are a must) and seolleongtang (ox bone soup). For being a newer Korean restaurant (it opened in 2022), Lee Ga has already made a name for itself in the community as one of the best.
No reservations. Find more info here.
4. The Brothers Sushi Culver City Culver City
It’s been six years since chef Mark Okuda (an Asanebo veteran) first took over the Brothers Sushi restaurant in Woodland Hills and propelled it to its next, widely celebrated chapter. Now with three locations under his belt, Okuda’s Culver City outpost brings one of the best omakase offerings in the city in a casual and inviting space that also allows for a la carte dining. Bites change constantly, but might include local ice plants married with seared toro, or Japanese cherrywood-perfumed yellowtail. At the entrance of the restaurant is a see-through refrigerator that proudly displays bluefin tuna, Ora King salmon, and kanpachi in various stages of dry-aging. The process results in tender, richly flavored sushi, which you can trust Okuda to pair with the best seasonal produce he can get his hands on.
5. baroo Arts District
6. Kuya Lord Melrose Hill
Even though Kuya Lord occupies a tiny 28-seat restaurant along a bustling section of Melrose Avenue, its presence is anything but small. Chef-owner Lord Maynard Llera (previously of Bestia) turned his Filipino pop-up, featuring southern Tagalog cuisine, into a brick-and mortar that recently earned him a 2024 James Beard award. Here, humble rice bowls are transformed into artworks, especially when paired with his signature dishes like lucenachon, an impossibly crisp-skinned Duroc pork belly that’s a marriage between Filipino lechon kawali and Italian porchetta. It’s a labor of love that takes a week to make. While you’re there, complete the meal with grilled blue prawns swimming in a garlic-crab sauce, and calamansi pie topped with a swirl of whipped pandan cream.
No reservations. Find more info here.
7. Bridgetown Roti East Hollywood
Chef Rashida Holmes has built a fervent following for her Bridgetown Roti pop-ups over the last four years (even snagging a James Beard Award nomination in 2023), and her first brick-and-mortar further cements her already-stellar reputation. Across the street from Los Angeles City College, the vibrant Caribbean restaurant serves buttery rotis wrapped around curry shrimp aloo and flaky patties stuffed with curry-braised oxtail. It’s the little details that make the dishes sing, like the housemade spice pastes and seasonal cocobread sandwiches served on custom-baked bread from Cafe Tropical in Silver Lake. Holmes (previously at Botanica) draws inspiration from her mother and aunt’s cooking and her Barbadian heritage. The casual counter-service spot has bursts of bright color throughout, and a playlist of soul and hip hop that keeps the upbeat vibes going all day long.
No reservations. Find more info here.
8. danbi Koreatown
9. The Lonely Oyster Echo Park
While The Lonely Oyster is nearly 20 miles away from the beach, there’s a slice of coastal life nestled in this Echo Park gem. Ever since late 2022 when executive chef Dominique Crisp (formerly of Pasadena’s now-closed Saso) took the helm, the sustainably and responsibly-sourced seafood restaurant has stepped up its game. It’s the little touches that make it shine, like lobster rolls drenched in a miso brown butter, and a wonton chip topped with fresh uni and a dollop of caviar. Sous chef Chris Stagliano (who also runs his personal pasta project Los Boludos on the side) expertly crafts the restaurant’s noodles, even using a vintage guitar-strung instrument to make his signature chitarra. Extra perks: The lively spot has a solid list of martinis and is open until 2 a.m.
10. Quarter Sheets Echo Park
11. Villa’s Tacos Highland Park
There’s a 2024 trophy on the counter of Villa’s Tacos in Highland Park that serves as a tip cup and gleaming reminder that the taqueria was recently crowned as the three-peat winner of L.A. Taco’s annual “Taco Madness” competition. Chef-owner Victor Villa turned his pop-up and street stand into a brick-and-mortar that’s not only earned him critical praise (including a Michelin Bib Gourmand nod and a feature on Netflix’s Taco Chronicles), but also a growing business, with a second location at the historic Grand Central Market in Downtown L.A. At the heart of Villa’s achievements is his signature queso taco, a lacy, cheese-griddled blue corn tortilla folded around mesquite-grilled meats and topped with hibiscus-pickled onions and a heap of guacamole. It’s a hefty taco worth waiting in line for with all the other hungry acolytes.
No reservations. Find more info here.
12. Anajak Thai Sherman Oaks
When Justin Pichetrungsi took the reins of Anajak Thai in 2019, he propelled his family’s longstanding restaurant into a new era of cooking, snagging him a James Beard Award for Best Chef: California, among a bevy of other accolades. The transformation bridged old-school Thai cuisine with his modern interpretations (think slices of raw kanpachi in a nam jim seafood sauce, or southern-Thai fried chicken topped with caviar). Combined with an extensive wine list, the bustling party vibes of his walk-in-only Thai Taco Tuesdays, and upscale monthly omakase meals, Anajak 2.0 is nothing short of sensational. It’s become so popular that reservations can be hard to come by, but we have some tips from Pichetrungsi himself on how to score a table here.
13. Budonoki Silver Lake
Stepping into Budonoki feels like you’ve been transported to an underground nightclub, complete with ‘90s R&B jams and glowing purple lights. This playful izakaya, from Thai chef Dan Rabilwongse (whose impressive resume includes Bouchon, Hayato, and Tsubaki) melds Japanese, French, and Southeast Asian flavors in a buzzy space perfect for a night out. Shochu-forward cocktails laced with ingredients like cherry blossom bitters come in adorable mugs shaped like penguins and octopi. Small plates like naem highlight sour Thai pork sausage paired with arancini-like crispy rice balls, and the crudo that makes Hokkaido scallops its star is dressed in an addictive citrus vinaigrette. The best part? The menu is tight enough that a group of four our six can try it all in one go.
14. Boston Lobster Rosemead
15. Poltergeist at Button Mash Echo Park
Poltergeist is so singular that it’s impossible to pigeonhole it into any culinary category. The unrestrained Echo Park restaurant led by chef Diego Argoti, who also runs the Estrano pop-up and has worked in the kitchens of Bestia and Bavel, offers an amalgamation of global flavors, including Southeast Asian, Italian, and Latin American. The green curry bucatini, kicked up with the flavors of a pistachio muhammara and apple chutney, and the Thai Caesar salad—a frisée dressed with lemongrass and plated with a towering green-speckled puffed rice—exemplify the familiar-yet-surprising flavors Argoti plays with. And the fact that the restaurant sits inside of Button Mash barcade, where guests dine amid the dings and clacks of vintage pinball machines and blaring punk rock, is nothing short of a perfect pairing.
16. Camphor Arts District
Camphor hits all the right notes in the modern L.A restaurant landscape: cool, sleek, and surprising. The elegant French bistro, inflected with South Asian flavors, has snagged an impressive back-to-back Michelin star in the two years since opening; perhaps unsurprising, given that its co-executive chefs, Max Boonthanakit and Lijo George both have fine dining pedigrees. At Camphor, their menu is inventive and global in reach, making liberal use of both French flavors and spices that George imports from his native Kerala. De-shelled mussels and campanelle pasta swim in a creamy white wine and onion sauce, hidden beneath a mountain of crispy shoestring fries. Dashi-laced beef tartare is accompanied by lightly battered tempura basil and shiso leaves. There’s also an expertly crafted burger, and a truly creative cocktail menu worth perusing.
17. La Dolce Vita- LA Beverly Hills
La Dolce Vita is as sweet as its storied history. The old-school Italian restaurant (that even Frank Sinatra once backed as an investor) has been around since 1966 and reopened last year to much fanfare under new owners, the team behind Genghis Cohen. The space hearkens back to Old Hollywood, done right with the perfect combination of glitz and glamor. Its exuberant energy, sexy red leather booths, and cheetah print carpet are complemented by dishes like bone-in veal Parmesan and bucatini al limone. A table-side Caesar salad is never a bad idea, and don’t skip on the inventive cocktails from bar lead Blake Antrobus (previously of Bicyclette). Tables can be hard to come by (as it’s incredibly packed even on weeknights), but we have tips on how to snag one here.
18. Azizam Silver Lake
Soon after Azizam owners Cody Ma and Misha Sesar turned their homestyle pop-up into a permanent Silver Lake location in February, Los Angeles Times food critic Bill Addison deemed it “L.A.’s best new Persian restaurant in years.” At their casual counter-service spot, popular dishes like kofteh tabrizi, a baseball-sized beef and rice meatball studded with dried stone fruit and walnuts, have become a mainstay. The kuku sandevich involves a seasonal vegetable frittata (the latest iteration is herb and leek) stuffed into house-baked barbari flatbread dotted with sesame and nigella seeds. While the cozy sage green patio, surrounded by hanging plants, is a welcome spot for solo diners, it’s worth getting a group together for a chance to sample all the winning dishes, including a flaky and creamy Shirini Napeloni dessert layered with seasonal jam.
No reservations. Find more info here.
19. Leopardo Mid-Wilshire
L.A.’s booming pizza scene keeps getting better and better. The latest entry: Leopardo, where lauded chef Joshua Skenes (formerly of Saison and Angler) has painstakingly developed his own neo-Neapolitan crust from a dough that takes three days and nine types of flours to produce. Pizzas range from approachable, like an excellent spicy pie punctuated by salumi and wildflower honey, to next-level extravagant, like the ones topped with Hokkaido sea urchin or Périgord black truffle (with an optional heaping spoonful of Ostrea caviar). There are plenty of non-pizza offerings, too, including raw bar offerings, a dramatically plated deer tartare, and poetically-named beef and fish entrees (“Cow that Roamed Free & Ate Fermented Things,” for example). Make sure to grab one of Skenes’ equally wild cocktails, like the bright pink Rhubarb Like A Negroni.
20. Linden Hollywood
Linden is full of surprises. The minimalist beige building on Sunset Boulevard isn’t much to look at, but walk inside and you’re quickly transported — lush green plants dangle from the ceiling and an impressive art collection adorns the walls. Third-generation chef Jonathan Harris channels his African American and Costa Rican roots, sprinkling in Jewish, Caribbean, Middle Eastern, and Southeast Asian influences — flavors he remembered from growing up in New York — into his menu. One of the most notable dishes is his wagyu pie, which reimagines the Jamaican beef patty in pot pie form, punched up with a drizzle of plantain chutney. For a nightcap, pop in to adjoining speakeasy Dot.Dot through a back entrance for cocktails and DJs.
