Clockwise from top left: A dish of turnips and tofu from Baby Bistro, bagels from Boichik Bagels Bradbury L.A., a tomato dish from RVR, octopus skewers from Bar Avoja and the storefront of Monte Carlo Italian Market & Deli.
(Photos: Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times, Ron de Angelis / For The Times Collage: Brandon Ly / Los Angeles Times)
The best places to eat and drink this month, according to our Food writers
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For much of the country, September marks a transition to autumnal weather. While that’s technically true in L.A. too, Angelenos know that the month is also known for its cascade of back-to-back heat waves.
On L.A.’s heat map, you’ll often find the hottest temperatures concentrated in the San Fernando Valley. But despite this reputation, there are still plenty of places worth ducking into for more than a blast of cool AC. Home to roughly half of L.A.’s population and dozens of neighborhoods, the Valley boasts a parade of sushi restaurants along Ventura Boulevard, a thrilling Thai food scene, long-standing burger shacks and plenty of breweries, wine and cocktail bars. And arguably the best restaurant in the region just reopened its doors after remodeling its dining room.
Outside of the 818, there are plenty of bars across the city, from a Mexico City-inspired wine bar in Chinatown to a Parisian haunt in West Adams. And if you’re abstaining from the booze or looking for a daytime option, L.A. has a slew of stellar remote-work destinations, including a plant-filled bookstore in Silver Lake and a two-story bistro in downtown L.A.
On your quest to avoid the summer heat, consider heading to the coastal South Bay region, where you’ll find so many Japanese dining options, including an ice cream shop and daily-prepared tofu.
And if you’re in need of even more ideas for diving into L.A.’s food scene, consult this list of newcomers, including a Chinese bakery chain that’s landed in Beverly Hills and a vegetable-forward izakaya in Venice.
Showing Places
Asanebo
Studio City Japanese Sushi $$$
(Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
When Tetsuya Nakao first began appearing in social media videos to drum up postpandemic business for his sushi restaurant in Studio City, the account had about 4,000 Instagram followers. Today, it has more than 1 million, with another 950,000 on TikTok. Diners fly in from all over the world to watch the chef who was once mentored by Nobu Matsuhisa and now posts cooking ASMR and other sketch videos, including one where he deep fries a Labubu. The once-traditional menu has expanded as Nakao’s online personality has grown, and today includes nigiri alongside mayo-lined hand rolls and spicy tuna.
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Baby Bistro
Chinatown Eclectic $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
After honing their concept as a pop-up at the lobby-level restaurant at Hotel Normandie, chef Miles Thompson and sommelier Andy Schwartz have opened a charming bricks-and-mortar in Victor Heights. Thompson, a former chef at Michael’s and Konbi, codified L.A.’s diverse cuisines into a thoughtful lineup of seasonal plates meant to be shared, including delicately aged squid served over a cucumber and yuzu kosho salad and house bread baked with sweet caramelized onions and local cheese. The rotating wine list from Schwartz, formerly of Lolo Wine Bar, leans natural with a focus on small producers and is intended to pair with the unique menu.
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Bar Avoja
Hollywood Italian Cocktails $$$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
If you can’t snag a reservation at Mother Wolf, try chef Evan Funke’s clandestine cocktail lounge located on the same property. Inspired by Roman street food culture, the menu spans oxtail-meatball sandwiches, grilled octopus skewers and garlic knots, with cocktails that pull ingredients from the same region.
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Betsy
Altadena American restaurant
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Tyler Wells’ restaurant Bernee had been open for just a month when the Eaton fire hit Altadena. He lost his home — and almost his restaurant. It was one of the buildings on Mariposa Street that survived the fire. But Wells was ready to walk away after the landscape of his neighborhood — and personal life — seemed changed forever. After months of traveling and soul-searching, he has reopened the restaurant as Betsy and hopes it will be a source of hope for the community.
The menu revolves around Betsy’s custom wood-fired hearth and a bolstered commitment to sourcing ingredients directly from local farmers. Look for large-format steaks, grilled local Romano beans, burrata with skillet focaccia and tomatoes, Basque cheesecakes and more.
The menu revolves around Betsy’s custom wood-fired hearth and a bolstered commitment to sourcing ingredients directly from local farmers. Look for large-format steaks, grilled local Romano beans, burrata with skillet focaccia and tomatoes, Basque cheesecakes and more.
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Boichik Bagels Bradbury L.A.
Downtown L.A. Bagels $
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
The Bay Area-founded bagel shop opened its first Southern California location in Los Feliz earlier this year, but now downtown diners can also try the rings at the historic Bradbury Building. Expect the same menu of bagel flavors, sandwiches and schmears, plus a lineup of unique rotating options, grab-and-go containers and coffee.
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Good Neighbor Bar
Altadena Bar/Nightclub $$
(Jakob Layman)
More than six months after the Eaton fire, Good Neighbor bar has become a place of hope and gathering for the West Altadena community. Owners Randy Clement and April Langford, also behind Everson Royce Bar and Silverlake Wine, along with neighboring West Altadena Wine & Spirits, regularly host local food pop-ups, tastings and other events, and the all-ages and pet-friendly patio thrums with activity most evenings. Launched just months before the fires and the first bar to open in Altadena in 40 years, it’s also included in our roundup of L.A.’s best new bars.
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Hi Bake
Beverly Hills Asian Bakery $
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
A notable China bakery chain has expanded to its first U.S. location with a new Beverly Hills outpost serving the signature items that earned it global acclaim, including thousand-layer cakes, egg tarts and Tokyo banana rolls. Hi Bake’s mascot is a drawing of Dà Mài, the founder’s rescue dog, an ethos that manifests with adoption events and a pet-friendly policy, with house-made treats available soon. A coffee counter with cream-top matchas and pistachio lattes is located next door.
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Mid East Eats
Watts Palestinian $
(Luke Johnson / Los Angeles Times)
The only legally permitted home kitchen in Watts has reopened for business, this time with a fast-casual bent in addition to hosting private backyard dinners. From Sumer and Andrew Durkee, Mid East Eats puts an L.A. spin on Palestinian staples (think: Shawarma-filled tacos and fried pita chips layered like nachos with marinated chicken, cilantro-lime hummus and pickled turnips) and has been donating a portion of each week’s proceeds to families in Gaza. Private dinners lean more traditional, with diners seated on floor cushions and served a selection of mezze and mint lemonade followed by Sumer’s maqlubeh.
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M Joy
San Gabriel Valley Halal $
(Jenn Harris / Los Angeles Times )
A new destination for Xinjiang-style lamb rice has opened in San Gabriel and is already drawing crowds for its chopstick-tender lamb that can be ordered alongside rice as a single rib, double rib, skewers or shank. Columnist Jenn Harris writes that M Joy is “the opposite concept of, say, the Cheesecake Factory, where there is, in theory, something for everyone. At M Joy, there is lamb, more lamb, and only lamb.” You can skip the wait by ordering delivery, but dining in is rewarded with unlimited refills of chile sauce, carrot salad and pickled onions, which serve to offset the tender, unctuous lamb.
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Monte Carlo Italian Market & Deli
Burbank Italian Deli $
(Miguel Vasconcellos / For The Times)
The long-standing Italian deli and market with an old-school cafeteria-style restaurant attached, has a steady base of multigenerational customers who don’t just rely on it for dried pasta, jars of giardiniera and gelato, but are charmed by the warm hospitality and decor that involves wooden puppets in the market and red-plaid tablecloths and vinyl booths in the dining rooms. Reporter Stephanie Breijo was first introduced to it in the ’90s by her mother but says her family has been frequenting the Valley spot for at least four generations.
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Vey
Studio City Jewish American $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
An underground omakase has popped up in the parking lot of Oy Bar in Studio City. The al fresco concept comes from chef Jeff Strauss, who also runs the eclectic bar that blends Jewish and Japanese influences, and changes format (and hours) at his whims, perhaps involving small plates or a six-course tasting menu. Dishes might involve yakitori pulled fresh from the grill or soy- and butter-marinated mushroom that cooks in a pizza oven.
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RVR
Venice Japanese American $$
(Ron De Angelis / For The Times)
Restaurant critic Bill Addison reviewed the California-hued izakaya from Gjusta and Gjelina chef-founder Travis Lett and partner and executive chef Ian Robinson. “RVR chefs are pulling off the city’s most inspired plant-centered cooking,” he writes, and recommends prioritizing the rotating cast of vegetable dishes in your order, along with the kanpachi hand roll, duck meatball tsukune and crab ramen. The beverage list focuses on sake and shochu, but Addison prefers to ask wine director Maggie Glasheen for a bottle to pair with his meal.
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