The Resy Hit List: Where In L.A. You’ll Want to Eat in March 2025

After chef Johnny Lee closed his popular Cantonese restaurant Pearl River Deli in early 2024, he left a hole in L.A.’s dining scene. But by November, he returned with a fresh concept — Chinese Malaysian fare — and new partners (the Last Word Hospitality team, who are behind Found Oyster, Barra Santos, and Queen St.). At Rasarumah, tender Wagyu beef cheek rendang, fresh herbs, and pickles are stuffed into flaky roti, pork jowl satay arrives on the skewer, and a coconut ice cream sundae is layered with pandan jelly noodles and red bean. A set of indoor marquees are emblazoned with playful phrases, and an upbeat playlist of soul and Afrobeats waft through the jewelbox space, surrounded with leafy plants and a poppy checkered floor.

Woon, the stylish Chinese restaurant in Historic Filipinotown, just expanded to a second location. You’ll find it on East Washington Boulevard, on the border between Pasadena and Altadena, just at the Eaton fire’s devastation perimeter. Like its first restaurant, Woon’s Shanghainese recipes are inspired by owner Keegan Fong’s mother, Julie “Mama” Chen Fong, and the food she made for him as a child. There are thick, chewy beef noodles tossed with marinated flank steak, bok choy, and shiitake mushrooms; five-spice encrusted chicken wings; and wood ear mushroom salads that taste like a garden’s delight. Unlike their first location, there’s also an extended beverage program here, which includes sake, wine, and beer, all ideal for sipping in Woon’s spacious  (2,500-square-foot!) digs.

No reservations. Find more info here. 

In a Westchester strip mall just two miles from LAX, you’ll find this three-floor farm-to-table restaurant that redefines airport-adjacent dining. Led by husband-and-wife team Harry Posner and Natalie Dial, Tomat is uncompromising in its use of high-quality, hyper-local ingredients sourced exclusively from farmers’ markets, local fishers, and regional dairy producers. The menu, a unique fusion of Persian, Japanese, and British flavors, is a testament to the couple’s diverse culinary heritage: think saffron-scented tahdig, a Persian rice dish adorned with pickled raisins, pumpkin seeds, and dill, cooked in a Japanese donabe. Try the Future 75, a refreshing cocktail made with gin, sparkling wine, and a hint of lemon  — a collaboration with Future, a queer and women-owned distillery in L.A., with 100% of the proceeds being donated to World Central Kitchen.

Los Angeles has plenty of excellent Peruvian spots, like Mario’s Peruvian & Seafood in Hancock Park or Western Avenue’s Pollo a la Brasa, but much like Paddington, Mamita offers a taste of Peru in somewhere unexpected: Glendale. Open since the 1990s, Mamita was founded by Sonia Gubeara and is now managed by her daughter, Natalie. The homey little restaurant is charm personified: each table receives a basket of freshly baked bread, and families chat amongst themselves, contently, throughout the evening. The ceviche de pescado is a great place to start — a properly bright, citrusy rendition soaked in an exceptional brine of lime juice and garlic. And no order is complete without the lomo saltado, Peru’s national dish, in which salty fries become the ideal vehicle for sopping up all the extra steak sauce.

No reservations. Find more info here. 

KinKan is a genre-defying culinary playground where Thai-American chef Nan Yimcharoen throws almost everything at the wall — chirashi bowls inspired by Japan’s Nishiki market, $250 tasting menus dedicated solely to crab, warm house-made pumpkin mochi served in a stunning pumpkin dish — and we, in Los Angeles, collectively say “thank you.” At its core, KinKan is a bold union of Thai and Japanese cuisines, a masterclass in the unlimited potential of “fusion” cooking. Every few months, she’ll reveal a new tasting menu, each one thoughtfully centered around a specific idea or memory, because beyond its food, KinKan excels at storytelling. Dishes are imbued with significance, whether it’s a ten-course omakase homage to her grandma (who cooked for the Thai royal family), or a green curry dessert presented as a magic trick.

One year into the new millennium, 2001 was revolutionary: Apple launched the iPod, Wikipedia hit the web, and Nintendo released the GameCube. And this year, at 2001 E. 7th Street in the Arts District, two innovative chefs hope to reimagine the “cafe” in a similarly disruptive fashion. Eccentric yet refined, both gritty and gourmet, Cafe 2001 is attached to its sibling restaurant, YESS, and is run by two YESS alums, owner Kino Kaestsu and former sous chef Giles Clark. The cafe offers a unique day and night menu, with stunning tarts during the day (think rhubarb, mango, and strawberry galettes that look as if they were glazed by angels) and sophisticated bistro fare at night, where dishes are inspired by Clark’s English background, like Hamburg steak demi-glace or house-made terrine spotted with pistachios and warm spices.

No reservations. Find more info here.

Though he’s no longer in the kitchen, the spirit and legacy of recently deceased chef Akira Hirose are still felt throughout Azay, the cheery French-Japanese cafe that’s one of Little Tokyo’s most treasured gems. For the most part, the daytime menu has shifted away from its French roots (a specialty of Hirose’s, who trained in the French countryside and possessed a pedigree most chefs can only dream of), but still offers some of the best homestyle Japanese cooking you’ll find this side of the Pacific. The star is the Japanese breakfast, a surprising rarity in a city bursting with sushi spots, that balances simplicity and utilitarianism in equal measure. At night, the freshly introduced dinner service is led by chef Chris Ono, whose four-course tasting menu plays with the concept of “Japanese food,” as it’s understood in America, similar to his work at the now-shuttered Hansei.

Self-described as a “lounge at the end of the world,” Evangeline Swamp Room only has two modes: Open and “Curing our hangover.” Run by Marcus Christiana-Beniger and Eunah Kang-Beniger, the husband-and-wife team behind Little Jewel of New Orleans, this Chinatown cocktail bar is a neon-bright, disco-ball-lit party inspired by Louisiana. Drinks pay tribute to the French Quarter, like the brandy milk punch classique, spiked with Napoleon brandy and garnished with freshly grated nutmeg. Or, if you’re feeling feisty, you could try the Little Jewel Hurricane, described intriguingly: “Drink up. Her ingredients don’t matter.” The food here also conjures the spirit of New Orleans, with dishes like jambalaya fritters with creamy remoulade, and smoky, buttery charbroiled oysters, too.

No reservations. Find more info here.

As one can imagine from the name, the team at Vin Folk takes its wine seriously. Its thoughtful list constantly changes and features various bottles from small, sustainably-minded producers. Recent offerings include Johan Vineyards’ “Jazzy Juice,” a vibrant light-bodied red from the Willamette Valley, and a lovely pét-nat from Petaluma’s Cruse Wine Co. The terrific wine list, paired with a cozy, romantic dining room, has quickly made it a gold-star destination for Westside date nights. In the kitchen, chefs Kevin de Los Santos and Katya Shastova (who both previously worked at Michelin-starred Vespertine, Maude, and Somni) have crafted an eclectic bistro menu to go with all of that wine, like spicy, spreadable red pepper ‘nduja over rye bread, and a beef tongue that comes with tomatoes and Hrenovina, a somewhat obscure Slovenian horseradish.

Torikizoku, a popular Japanese yakitori chain with more than 600 locations throughout Asia, just landed in Torrance. First established in Osaka in 1985, Torikizoku has become a trusted favorite in Japan amongst students, young professionals, and salarymen, all of whom flock to the izakaya for its affordable, high-quality meats and lively atmosphere. With its stark, gray concrete walls and windowless room, a meal here can sometimes feel like a deleted scene from The Brutalist. It’s a curious design choice, to be sure, but easy to forget once the scent of grilled meats hits your nose. Everything on the menu is priced at $4 or $8, from tender chicken breast to scallops to shrimp to quail eggs, all grilled over binchotan charcoal. Beyond the yakitori, there are also several draft beers, sake, and cocktails, too.

No reservations. Find more info here.

Perched atop the Culver Steps shopping center and overlooking the historic Culver Hotel, the restaurateur behind Laurel Hardware and Ysabel has done it again: created an impressive, classic Hollywood-inspired space that will appeal to both design enthusiasts and lovers of wood-fired pizzas alike. This second-floor hotspot sprawls out over a whopping 7,500 square feet and boasts a chic mid-century modern aesthetic, complete with an open kitchen and artwork that looks plucked from the Broad. The menu is upscale American, with juiced-up versions of baby back ribs, cheeseburgers with perfectly golden fries, and prime ribeye steak slathered in black garlic butter. Don’t forget a cocktail or two (which, if you’re an executive from one of the nearby studios, you definitely won’t), like the “It’s giving… Paloma,” a citrus-forward drink made with blanco Tequila.

Inside of the busy Mercado La Paloma food hall, the Komal stall glistens with its hand-laid tiled wall in hues of yellow, brown, and white — a reflection of the indigenous corn Fátima Juárez uses in her dishes, hearkening back to her memories of Mexico City and Oaxaca. Juárez nixtamalizes corn she sources directly from farmers in Mexico and makes masa on site, for pre-Hispanic dishes like the hard-to-find tlacoyo — thick, oval-shaped, blue-corn tortillas filled with beans and topped with slivers of cactus — and quesadillas with squash blossom flowers peeking out on a spread of sweet corn sofrito. Her tortillas are available here, and are also featured across the market at Holbox, the Michelin-starred Mexican seafood stand where Juárez and her husband Conrado Rivera worked before setting up their own shop just steps away in September.

No reservations. Find more info here. 

The Benjamin flaunts its old-school glamour, like a film shot in Technicolor or an actress speaking with a transatlantic accent. The dimly lit, 58-seat dining room is pure Art Deco drama, with custom marble tables, wallpapers made by Gucci, frosted glass chandeliers, and a stately solid oak bar sitting at its center. Chef Johnny Cirelle (formerly of Spago and Bestia) runs the kitchen, which serves upmarket American classics like braised short ribs laid over dashi parsnip puree and a twice-baked potato with optional bacon lardon or caviar add-ons. Regardless, you will need to order the Benjamin Burger. Sporting a hefty eight-ounce patty, the restaurant’s signature dish is rich, unctuous, and served on a seeded brioche bun — and according to Cirelle, the entire menu was built around it.

Found Oyster, chef Ari Kolender’s postage stamp-sized East Hollywood ode to seafood, is still one of the most sought-after tables in town.  And now, for the first time, you can actually make a reservation there (hello!). Gone are the days of walking up, putting your name down, and waiting for an hour to be seated. (Although the walk-in will never die at Found Oyster — as their website cheekily reminds us, “Wham bam, thank you, clam!!”) For the uninitiated, Found Oyster is an East Coast-style seafood shack that lives next to the city’s bluest, most Scientology-est building. Gorge yourself on the raw bar, paying special attention to the wonderfully plump oysters sourced from general manager Joe Laraja’s family’s farm in Massachusetts, the peel ‘n eat prawns, and a lobster roll that rivals the best in Maine.

This modern Mexican pop-up, roving around L.A. since 2021, has finally entered its next chapter: a residency in Echo Park. The dimly lit restaurant and bar (with a fun playlist ranging from nostalgic hip hop to R&B) is a playground for chef Andrew Ponce’s (formerly of Bestia, Jon & Vinny’s and Taco María) farmers market-influenced take on upscale Mexican food. His tiny-but-mighty menu sings with dishes like crispy duck mole with house-made blue corn tortillas, and an amplified hard-shelled taco made with braised beef shank that pays homage to Tito’s Tacos. While everything is a labor of love, including bar director Dave Fernie’s Japanese-laced Latin cocktails (like a michelada punched up with dashi), Ponce aims to keep things casual with simplified menus and an easygoing atmosphere that fits nicely in the neighborhood.

One of the hottest spots in Silver Lake — evidenced by the hard-to-snag reservations and crowds hovering outside — is Seco Silverlake, a 25-seat daytime cafe that flips into a wine bar at night. From the same team behind neighboring restaurant Santo, both locations have Latino- and Asian-inflected menus by chef David Potes (formerly of Brooklyn’s Okonomi). Its small-but-mighty evening bites are memorable, like a hamachi crudo in a house-made ponzu and brown butter sauce, and a spicy vodka strozzapretti blanketed with bread crumbs and grated Parmesan. The natural wines are equally excellent, curated by sommelier Kae Whalen (Kismet) and guided by a knowledgeable staff. The vibrant atmosphere of the tiny, dimly lit bar, with indie and electronic songs filling the space, makes the trendy Seco feel like it could’ve been plucked out of New York.