Clockwise from top left: A plate of food at Cipriani, knafeh from Knafeh Cafe, a pie from the Pie Room by Curtis Stone, a burger and curly fries from Goldburger and a slice of cake from Helms Bakery.
(Photos by Jenn Harris, Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times. Collage by Brandon Ly / Los Angeles Times)
The best places to eat and drink in L.A. this month, according to our food writers
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- Make December an iconic month of eating with the 101 Best Restaurants reveal party on Dec. 3 and a food crawl through Little Arabia in Anaheim.
- New openings include the relaunch of an iconic L.A. bakery in Culver City, a daytime cafe in the Arts District and a burger stand in Chinatown.
The year is drawing to a close, but L.A.’s restaurant scene is resisting the urge to slow down. On Dec. 3, restaurant critic Bill Addison and columnist Jenn Harris will reveal a ranked list of the 101 Best Restaurants in Los Angeles at a tasting event with the city’s top chefs and restaurateurs at the Hollywood Palladium. The annual guide serves as a companion to eager L.A. diners and tourists interested in diving into the city’s thrilling food arena.
Even as the holiday season arrives with lighting displays, fake snow and Mariah Carey’s Christmas album on repeat, there are plenty of new restaurants and bars worth visiting this month, including the relaunch of an iconic L.A. bakery in Culver City and a metal-themed taqueria in El Sereno. And if you’re looking to support tried-and-true staples, we’ve got you covered with a food crawl through Anaheim’s Little Arabia district.
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Hong Coffee & Bakery
Monterey Park Chinese $
(Jenn Harris / Los Angeles Times)
Columnist Jenn Harris highlights Hong Coffee & Bakery in Monterey Park as a hidden gem for Hainanese chicken and rice. For his version, chef Hong Xiao combines the techniques he learned cooking at restaurants in the San Gabriel Valley and adds in influence from his childhood in Guangdong, China, by adding a side of pickled cabbage and carrots to the plate that also comes with sides of ginger paste and dark soy. The dish can be easy to miss on the lengthy menu with noodle soups and lo mein, but Harris says it’s only a matter of time until customers catch onto Xiao’s worthy rendition.
Read about Jenn Harris’ favorite new spot for Hainanese chicken and rice.
Read about Jenn Harris’ favorite new spot for Hainanese chicken and rice.
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Burd Chicken Rice
West Covina Cambodian $
(Jenn Harris / Los Angeles Times)
Hainanese chicken and rice is popular across Southeast Asia, with Cambodia claiming a version called bai mon. At Burd Chicken Rice in West Covina, real estate agent Dee Meas is making a chicken and rice dish inspired by bai mon, with aromatic basmati rice that’s plump with poaching liquid. Diners also have the option of ordering lemongrass-and-ginger-marinated grilled chicken or poached and deep-fried chicken with their rice, in addition to traditional poached chicken. You can pair your chicken plate with fresh-pressed sugarcane juice in flavors such as kumquat, passion fruit and matcha.
Read about the chicken and rice spot in West Covina.
Read about the chicken and rice spot in West Covina.
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Helms Bakery
Culver City Bakery $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
The iconic Culver City bakery that was the official bread sponsor of the 1932 Olympics, Helms Bakery, has reopened under the guidance of chef Sang Yoon of Father’s Office, which has its original location in the same complex. The 14,000-square-foot space encompasses a bakery with breads, pies and other pastries; a coffee bar; shelves stocked with grab-and-go snacks, household knick-knacks and gifts; and a counter where customers can order hot and cold items, including pastrami sandwiches, rotisserie chicken and brown sugar-glazed wings.
13 things to try at the new Helms Bakery.
13 things to try at the new Helms Bakery.
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Zait and Zaatar
Lebanese $
Columnist Jenn Harris guided readers on a food crawl of Anaheim’s Little Arabia district that begins with Zait and Zaatar, a fast-casual spot just north of the neighborhood that specializes in spit-roasted chicken and beef shawarma. Harris recommends getting the beef shawarma plate that comes with fries and sliced pickles, then shoving both inside your wrap for maximum satisfaction.
Here’s where to eat in Little Arabia.
Here’s where to eat in Little Arabia.
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Al Baraka Restaurant
Anaheim Palestinian $$
(Jenn Harris / Los Angeles Times)
If you’re taking a food tour of Anaheim’s Little Arabia district, columnist Jenn Harris insists that Al Baraka is a must — just try to visit on Saturday when mukhassan is on the menu. At Al Baraka, the Palestinian dish involves long-roasted chicken that sits on crispy-chewy flatbread smeared with a caramelized onion and sumac paste. If you can’t visit on Saturday, Harris assures that there are equally compelling specials available other days of the week.
Read about the homestyle Palestinian restaurant in Anaheim.
Read about the homestyle Palestinian restaurant in Anaheim.
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Knafeh Cafe
Pastries $
(Jenn Harris / Los Angeles Times)
If you’re in the same corner of TikTok as columnist Jenn Harris, you’ve likely been introduced to the Dubai chocolate bar, a chocolate bar filled with crispy shredded phyllo dough encased in a chunky pistachio spread. You could do as many TikTok influencers are and try making the treat yourself, or you could skip the hassle and buy the dessert from Knafeh Cafe. Just don’t leave without a slice of the cafe’s namesake knafeh, with an airy block of shredded phyllo atop gooey cheese and drizzled with syrup.
Get Jenn Harris’ Little Arabia food crawl.
Get Jenn Harris’ Little Arabia food crawl.
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Al Amir Bakery
Lebanese $
(Jenn Harris / Los Angeles Times)
During a five-stop Little Arabia food tour led by columnist Jenn Harris, you’ll try Lebanese flatbreads topped with sojouk, cheese, za’atar, ground beef with tomato and onions, pizza toppings or chipotle chicken at Al Amir Bakery. Six-inch breads are available if you’re dining on your own, or you can order a full-size flatbread fit for a family. Calzones and traditional spreads such as hummus, foul, baba ghanoush and labneh complete the short menu.
Get Jenn Harris’ full Little Arabia food crawl.
Get Jenn Harris’ full Little Arabia food crawl.
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Sababa Falafel Stop
Garden Grove Palestinian $
(Jenn Harris / Los Angeles Times)
Just about everyone orders the same thing at Sababa Falafel Stop, which is just outside of Anaheim’s Little Arabia district: one falafel pita, Sababa style. The falafel here is soft and crumbly, made in the style that owner Salah Othman grew up eating in Ramallah, the Palestinian city in the West Bank. Translating to amazing, excellent or awesome, getting your falafel Sababa style means that red cabbage, hummus, parsley, cucumber and tomato salad, pickles, tahini and generous serving of falafel balls are stuffed inside until your pita is bulging.
Read about the viral falafel shop in Garden Grove.
Read about the viral falafel shop in Garden Grove.
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Café 2001
Downtown L.A. Breakfast/Lunch
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
If you’re looking to switch up your lunchtime routine, columnist Jenn Harris highlights the cafe next to Yess restaurant in the Arts District as a bright new option. Here, you can order rotating pastries and sandwiches from Yess sous chef Giles Clark, including lemon or pluot tarts and pork katsu, egg salad and pumpkin curry sandwiches. Clark plans to expand the restaurant with all-day service and a wine bar in mid-December.
Read about the new daytime cafe next to Yess restaurant.
Read about the new daytime cafe next to Yess restaurant.
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Evil Cooks
El Sereno Mexican $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
The metal-themed pop-up from husband-and-wife duo Alex “Pobre Diablo” Garcia and Elvia “La Bruja” Huerta has moved into a permanent space not far from the couple’s El Sereno home. The space reveals a similar aesthetic with black walls decorated with metal band posters and a string of fake human skills that hangs above the five-seat counter. The menu features the pair’s creative, fan-favorite tacos filled with al pastor octopus, bacon cheeseburger or gooey squares of flan, as well as tortas and burritos. On Dec. 3, Evil Cooks will launch dinner service with dishes first conceptualized for Garcia and Huerta’s taco-focused omakase event Kamizake, including aguachile spiced with tom yum and baklava Wellington.
Read about Evil Cooks’ journey from pop-up to bricks-and-mortar.
Read about Evil Cooks’ journey from pop-up to bricks-and-mortar.
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Jazz Café at Cipriani
Beverly Hills Italian $$$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
The glitzy Italian restaurant in Beverly Hills is home to a hidden jazz destination that evokes Hollywood glamour with servers outfitted in white tuxedo jackets, caviar service and surprise performances by musicians such as Stefano Langone of “American Idol.” It’s the perfect setting to knock back Bellinis and platters of beef carpaccio, two signature dishes from the century-old Cipriani brand that helms an estimated two-dozen restaurants, bars, hotels around the world.
Read about Jazz Café at Cipriani.
Read about Jazz Café at Cipriani.
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Wildcrust
Eagle Rock Pizza $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
The homegrown pop-up from former République chef Miles Okabayashi alongside his brother and sister-in-law, Sam and Jean Okabayashi, has transformed into a full-fledged destination for modern Italian cuisine in Eagle Rock, including Neapolitan-leaning pizza made with 48-hour fermented dough, meatballs layered over chipotle-tomato sauce and duck-leg croquettes. Sake, wine and beer are available for pairing, and lunch service is planned for the future.
Read about the new pizzeria in Eagle Rock.
Read about the new pizzeria in Eagle Rock.
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The Pie Room by Curtis Stone
Beverly Hills Pastries $$
(Andrea D’Agosto)
The Aussie chef behind Gwen butcher shop and the now-shuttered Maude restaurant has a permanent home for his sweet and savory Australian-style pastries with the Pie Room by Curtis Stone, a newly opened bakery in Beverly Hills with a menu that also spans wine, sandwiches and sides.
Read about the opening of the Beverly Hills bakery.
Read about the opening of the Beverly Hills bakery.
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Jim + James
East Hollywood Southern Cocktails $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Head to this East Hollywood bar that’s playing host to chef Ally Raél’s Southern comfort-driven pop-up residency for the next six months or so, including spreads with pimento cheese and crackers, buttermilk-brined fried chicken and gravy-smothered fries. The beverage menu features natural wines, beer and classic cocktails such as martinis and Negronis, and the patio gets raucous with weekly game nights.
Read about the new pop up residency at Jim + James.
Read about the new pop up residency at Jim + James.
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Palma Ristorante
Burbank European $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
An expansive restaurant largely inspired by Italy, France and Spain has landed in the former Milano Cafe and Deli space in Burbank, courtesy of Roman chef Emidio Tidu (formerly of Urban Press Winery and Restaurant and Terra e Mare). The 7,000-square-foot restaurant has been revamped with an oyster bar, a wood-fired grill, a plush dining room, a coffee bar with a pastry case and a patio fire pit, with house-made gnocchi in wild mushroom sauce, caviar-topped beef carpaccio, lobster pizza and steaks rounding out the food menu. Lunch and brunch service are expected to launch soon.
Read about Burbank’s spacious new dining destination.
Read about Burbank’s spacious new dining destination.
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Goldburger
Chinatown Burgers $
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
A new burger stand has risen in the space formerly occupied by Burgerlords in Chinatown’s Central Plaza. From owner-founder Allen Yelent, Goldburger boasts grass-fed smashburgers, plus grilled cheese, patty melt and Reuben sandwiches that can be ordered alongside curly, regular or chili-topped fries. Goldburger has additional locations in Los Feliz and Highland Park.
Read about the the new smashburger spot in Chinatown.
Read about the the new smashburger spot in Chinatown.
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Updates:
11:44 a.m. Dec. 5, 2024: A previous version of this guide listed Café Oh! No. The venue has since changed its name to Café 2001. The article has been updated to reflect this change.
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