Los Angeles · a Restaurant Pro list
The Los Angeles classics
Sixteen places older than the freeway that gets you there.
Los Angeles keeps its history in restaurants: the French dip counter from 1908, the deli that fed the Sunset Strip, a burger stand under a tree, a Hollywood grill where the writers drank. Newer entries earned their place the same way — by becoming the thing people fly in for.
- 1
French · Los Angeles · ★ 4.6 (12,264)
Sawdust on the floor, coffee for under a dollar, and the sandwich that claims to have been invented here in 1918.
Order: A double-dipped French dip, with the hot mustard
- 2
Hot dog · Los Angeles · ★ 4.5 (13,938)
The La Brea stand since 1939. The wait is part of the meal; the chili is why.
Order: A chili dog, with onions
- 3
American · Los Angeles · ★ 4.4 (3,660)
A U-shaped counter on Pico since 1947. Paper plates, cash, and the burger that In-N-Out grew up eating.
Order: The hickory burger and a slice of banana cream pie
- 4
Pizza · Los Angeles · ★ 4.3 (1,975)
The Fairfax deli, open all night since 1931, where the bands ate after the show.
Order: Matzo ball soup, and the black-and-white cookie from the bakery counter
- 5
Bar and grill · Los Angeles · ★ 4.6 (3,920)
Hollywood's oldest restaurant, 1919. Red booths, waiters in red jackets, and the martini poured with a sidecar.
Order: A martini and the flannel cakes
- 6
American · Los Angeles · ★ 4.6 (10,429)
The Beverly and Rampart shack from 1946 where the chili is the point. Open all night.
Order: A chili cheeseburger at the outdoor counter
- 7
Southern · Los Angeles · ★ 4.1 (742)
Chicken and waffles, the Harlem dish that became LA's, since 1975.
Order: The Scoe's: chicken, two waffles, and the syrup
- 8
Chicken · Los Angeles · ★ 4.7 (4,507)
The Chinatown window that made Nashville hot chicken an LA queue. Medium is hotter than you think.
Order: The Sando, medium — start there
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Italian · West Hollywood · ★ 4.3 (1,040)
Red-sauce Italian on Santa Monica Boulevard since 1964, the room where you look for someone famous.
Order: The chicken parm and a red booth
- 13
Thai · Los Angeles · ★ 4.3 (1,721)
The Thai Town strip-mall room that introduced the city to southern Thai heat. Ask for the back pages.
Order: The crying tiger, and anything from the southern menu
- 14
Mexican · Los Angeles · ★ 4.3 (6,573)
The Oaxacan house on Olympic that made LA the best Oaxacan city outside Oaxaca.
Order: The mole negro, and a festival of moles
- 15
Bakery · Glendale · ★ 4.7 (19,721)
The Cuban bakery that started in a Glendale garage in 1976. The potato ball is a civic institution.
Order: Potato balls and a guava cheese roll
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