L.A. chefs name Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis’ trio of restaurants as some of their favorites in the city, including Saffy’s in East Hollywood.
(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
These 13 standout restaurants are where L.A. chefs eat on their nights off
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Where do L.A.’s best chefs eat on their nights off? We caught up with a few at L.A. Times Food Bowl — including the famed Nancy Silverton, Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson of Kismet, “Stacked” cookbook author Owen Han and others — to ask about the local restaurants that continue to impress them. Their answers are as diverse as the city itself, spanning long-standing taquerias, fine-dining establishments and mom-and-pop spots from Chatsworth to Garden Grove. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that many of the restaurants they mention also appear in the 2023 101 Best Restaurants guide.
As we count down the days to the 2024 101 Best Restaurants reveal party at the Hollywood Palladium on Dec. 3, we’re also revisiting the restaurants that stand out to our local culinary community, including a vibrant Caribbean restaurant in East Hollywood, a California-inflected izakaya that sits next door to a sibling sake bar, and a modern chophouse.
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(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
Anajak Thai
Sherman Oaks Thai $$
Chefs Jeff Strauss of Jeff’s Table, Tiana Gee of Soulphil and Andrew and Michelle Muñoz of Moo’s Craft BBQ named Anajak Thai as one of the best restaurants in the city. The long-standing Thai restaurant from the Pichetrungsi family was revived by son Justin Pichetrungsi, who launched Thai Taco Tuesday, a weekly events with rotating tacos, tostadas and chef specials hosted on the restaurant’s alley patio. Caviar-topped Southern Thai fried chicken and pineapple-glazed pork ribs round out the a la carte menu, alongside a notable wine list.
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(Oscar Mendoza / For The Times)
Baja Subs Market & Deli
Chatsworth Sri Lankan $
Sarah Hymanson, chef-owner of Kismet restaurant, reveals a hidden gem for Sri Lankan food in the San Fernando Valley with Baja Sub. The casual outpost is geared towards takeout, but offers a buffet on Friday and Saturday evenings.
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(Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)
Bavel
Downtown L.A. Middle Eastern $$$
For a taste of Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis’ Middle Eastern roots, head to Bavel, the couple’s second restaurant that debuted in the Arts District in 2018. It’s one of Victor Villa’s (Villa’s Tacos) favorite restaurants in L.A., with highlights including a menu of shareable spreads, lamb neck shawarma, pomegranate-glazed oxtails and pear cake or chocolate lavender doughnuts for dessert.
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(Silvia Razgova / For The Times)
Bestia
Downtown L.A. Italian $$$
Andrew and Michelle Muñoz of Moo’s Craft BBQ and Victor Villa of Villa’s Tacos named Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis’ restaurants as their favorites in Los Angeles. Bestia was the first to launch in a tinny Arts District warehouse in 2012, featuring a Cal-Italian menu with highlights such as duck liver pate, saffron-scented ricotta gnocchi and sage-and-mortadella pizza. On the beverage side, there’s a California-leaning wine list, creative cocktails and bone luges, or shots that waterfall down an empty bone marrow shaft into the imbiber’s mouth.
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(Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)
Bridgetown Roti
Downtown L.A. Caribbean $
After several years of running a successful pop-up, chef Rashida Holmes opened Bridgetown Roti alongside business partner Malique Smith and her mother Joy Clarke-Holmes, in a colorful storefront on Vermont Avenue over the summer. The Caribbean menu pulls influence from Holmes’ Bajan heritage, including macaroni and cheese pie, jerk chicken, goat and shrimp roti, codfish cakes and oxtail patties. Chef Jeff Strauss of Jeff’s Table and Tiana Gee of Soulphil both agree that the restaurant is already standing out as one of the best in the city.
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(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
Burritos La Palma
El Monte Mexican
The mini taqueria chain from the Bañuelos Lugo family has been around since the ’80s and is a local favorite for its miniature Zacatecas-style burritos wrapped in flour tortillas. “The Mythical Cookbook” author Josh Scherer highlighted the casual outpost one of his favorites in L.A. Burritos can be filled with birria de res, deshebrada, chicharrón, chicken tinga or beans and cheese, and quesadillas are available with cheese, choice of meat or quince jam.
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(Danielle Dorsey / Los Angeles Times)
Great White
Windsor Square Californian $$
For brunch, “Stacked” cookbook author Owen Han recommends Great White, a Cal-Aussie concept with locations in Larchmont, West Hollywood and Venice. Each outpost features a breezy coastal aesthetic, and the menu spans a breakfast burrito with Oaxacan cheese, bacon and tots; Bolognese with handmade trofie; and pizzas topped with duck bbq, smoked salmon or truffles. A rotating selection of natural wines is available for pairing, along with a full cocktail menu, including a trio of brunch-appropriate cocktails.
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(Silvia Razgova / For The Times)
Jar
Beverly Grove New American Steakhouse $$$
Esteemed restaurateur and chef Nancy Silverton recommended Jar, Suzanne Tracht’s modern steakhouse that was inducted on The Times’ Hall of Fame restaurants list in 2023, as a reliable spot for a wonderful meal in Los Angeles. The menu reinterprets retro American staples into hits such as crab-deviled eggs, a char siu pork chop and kimchi Brussels sprouts. Cocktails err towards the classics, including a memorable martini with olive juice and blue cheese olives.
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(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
Night + Market
West Hollywood Thai $$
“Stacked” cookbook author Owen Han said that he frequents Kris Yenbamroong’s Night + Market — with locations in West Hollywood, Venice and Silver Lake — at least once a week. Here, you can experience Yenbamroong’s signature “L.A. Thai” cuisine that marries traditional flavors with his experience growing up in his family’s L.A. restaurant, resulting in dishes such as a catfish tamale and pastrami pad kee mao.
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Oc & Lau
Garden Grove Vietnamese $$
“The Mythical Cookbook” author Josh Scherer shared that the Vietnamese seafood restaurant in Garden Grove is one of his favorites in the region. The extensive menu covers hot pot, stir fry, rice and noodle dishes and Vietnamese salads, with juices, smoothies and a full cocktail menu available, including a weekday happy hour from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with $3 off any cocktail.
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(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
Ototo
Echo Park Japanese Sake Bar $$
Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson, chef-owners of Kismet restaurant and authors of “Kismet: Bright, Fresh, Vegetable-Loving Recipes,” recommend that L.A. diners try Courtney Kaplan and Charles Namba’s side-by-side sake bar and izakaya in Echo Park. While Tsubaki can get busy during dinner, Ototo has a more casual feel with an L-shaped bar and walk-in service. The sake program from Kaplan rotates seasonally and the food menu features casual bar bites such as kabocha tempura, chicken karaage and a beer-battered take on McDonalds’ Filet-O-Fish.
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(Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)
Saffy's
East Hollywood Middle Eastern $$$
In a cozy Virgil Village restaurant imbued with Art Deco design, Saffy’s is the third project from Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis (Bestia, Bavel) and centers Middle Eastern home-style cooking with spreads, kebabs, red snapper tagine and house soft serve in flavors such as avocado honey butter. House cocktails take similar inspiration, including spiked mango lassi with vodka, clarified milk punch and a gin and vodka vesper with rose and raspberry. During the day, Saffy’s offers coffee and tea service with pastries, breakfast and lunch, including challah French toast, shakshuka and a beef and lamb brisket pita sandwich.
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(Ron De Angelis / For The Times)
Tsubaki
Echo Park Japanese Restaurant $$
Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson, the chef-owners behind Kismet restaurant, Kismet Rotisserie and the cookbook “Kismet: Bright, Fresh, Vegetable-Loving Recipes,” cite Courtney Kaplan and Charles Namba’s Echo Park restaurants as side-by-side boons for the neighborhood. Tsubaki is a California-hued izakaya with seasonal plates that offers reservations, while next-door sibling Ototo is a casual sake bar with snacks best paired with drinking.
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Eat your way across L.A.
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