The Resy Hit List: Everywhere In L.A. You’ll Want to Eat in Oct. 2024
There’s no question we hear more often: Where should I go eat? And while we at Resy know it’s an honor to be the friend who everyone asks for restaurant advice, we also know it’s a complicated task. That’s where the Resy Hit List comes in.
We’ve designed it to be your essential resource for dining in Los Angeles: a monthly-updated (and expanded!) guide to the restaurants that you won’t want to miss — tonight or any night.
Four Things In Los Angeles Not to Miss This Month
- A Seat at a Hot Tiki Bar: Tucked above the historic hot-dog shaped stand Tail o’ the Pup in West Hollywood, you’ll find the speakeasy Lucky Tiki. This lively tropical throwback bar has drawn a full house since it opened earlier this year. Reservations can be hard to come by, but we’ve got tips on the best ways to score a table. And check out more One Who Keeps the Books here.
- A Slice of Jordan in Santa Monica: At Layla, chef Chris Sayegh channels the French techniques he learned at Mélisse and Providence into his modern Jordanian dishes. Situated at The Beacon hotel, the gorgeous restaurant is outfitted as an “upscale Moroccan bazaar,” writes Elina Shatkin in this feature on everything you need to know about Layla. Check it out, and read about more new openings here.
- Love Letter to an L.A. Institution: Contrary to popular belief, dining at the iconic Chateau Marmont isn’t just for celebrities. It’s also a charming place where anyone can enjoy a languid lunch, with a side of nostalgia for all that the storied property represents. L.A. editor Jamie Feldmar pays tribute to the classic, which recently joined Resy. Find more of our Letter of Recommendations here.
- Rare Collaboration Dinners: As culinary industry insiders from around the country make their way to L.A. for the West Coast debut of The Chef Conference on Oct. 21, Amex will be hosting a series of dinner collaborations at Resy restaurants from Oct. 17 to Oct. 20. Score your spot now for special events like Lasita and Claud, Cassia and Hai Hai, The Benjamin Hollywood and Pat’s King of Steaks, and a Southern Smoke Foundation benefit dinner.
New to the Hit List (Oct. 2024)
Holy Basil, Dada Echo Park, Pijja Palace, Birdie G’s, Tam’s Noodle House.
1. Tsubaki Echo Park
In a city brimming with salads, Tsubaki’s Japanese Caesar — laced with bonito threads, nori, panko, and miso-parmesan dressing — is a strong contender for the best. Their charcoal-grilled chicken oyster skewers, dabbed with yuzu kosho, are a bona fide signature L.A. dish. Simply put, chef Charles Namba’s food at this compact Echo Park izakaya is consistently dynamite. But the sake list adds a whole new dimension: Namba’s partner is Courtney Kaplan, whose sake expertise and dedication to craft breweries is showcased here and at next-door sake bar, Ototo — whose sake program was the first to win a James Beard award. Take your time reading Kaplan’s descriptions; “sake whisperer” doesn’t even begin to describe her work.
2. Pijja Palace Silver Lake
This endlessly popular Indian-Italian sports bar is the kind of unicorn restaurant that could only be created in L.A. Nestled in a strip mall shared with a Comfort Inn, it’s a unique mashup (complete with hip hop and R&B on the speakers) devised by owner Avish Naran and chef Miles Shorey, who’ve taken a Desi approach to Italian American classics. The heavy hitters like the malai rigatoni — a creamy, tomato masala concoction — and green chutney pizza with a fenugreek-laced sauce are still as strong as ever. But we continue to advise that you make room for specials, turmeric and masala-spiced chicken wings, and refreshingly unique cocktails with ingredients like tamarind-infused rye and mango lassi.
3. Lee-Ga Koreatown
Nestled in the corner of a Koreatown strip mall is Lee-Ga, a stand-out purveyor of mul naengmyeon in a sea of restaurants that serve this beloved chilled buckwheat noodle soup, a summertime favorite. Chef-owner Woosuk Lee expertly makes the noodles fresh in-house, a rarity compared to other spots that rely on the pre-packaged variety, resulting in chewy strings that swim in a perfectly balanced broth that’s acidic, sweet, and savory. It would be a mistake to not also order some of the casual restaurant’s equally distinctive dishes, like its hefty mandu (the vibrant red kimchi dumplings are a must) and seolleongtang (ox bone soup). For being a newer Korean restaurant (it opened in 2022), Lee Ga has already made a name for itself in the community as one of the best.
No reservations. Find more info here.
4. The Brothers Sushi Culver City Culver City
It’s been six years since chef Mark Okuda (an Asanebo veteran) first took over the Brothers Sushi restaurant in Woodland Hills and propelled it to its next, widely celebrated chapter. Now with three locations under his belt, Okuda’s Culver City outpost brings one of the best omakase offerings in the city in a casual and inviting space that also allows for a la carte dining. Bites change constantly, but might include local ice plants married with seared toro, or Japanese cherrywood-perfumed yellowtail. At the entrance of the restaurant is a see-through refrigerator that proudly displays bluefin tuna, Ora King salmon, and kanpachi in various stages of dry-aging. The process results in tender, richly flavored sushi, which you can trust Okuda to pair with the best seasonal produce he can get his hands on.
5. baroo Arts District
6. Kuya Lord Melrose Hill
Even though Kuya Lord occupies a tiny 28-seat restaurant along a bustling section of Melrose Avenue, its presence is anything but small. Chef-owner Lord Maynard Llera (previously of Bestia) turned his Filipino pop-up, featuring southern Tagalog cuisine, into a brick-and mortar that recently earned him a 2024 James Beard award. Here, humble rice bowls are transformed into artworks, especially when paired with his signature dishes like lucenachon, an impossibly crisp-skinned Duroc pork belly that’s a marriage between Filipino lechon kawali and Italian porchetta. It’s a labor of love that takes a week to make. While you’re there, complete the meal with grilled blue prawns swimming in a garlic-crab sauce, and calamansi pie topped with a swirl of whipped pandan cream.
No reservations. Find more info here.
7. Holy Basil – Atwater Village Atwater Village
Ever since Holy Basil’s early pop-up days in 2020, the Bangkok-style street food restaurant has pushed the envelope of Thai cooking in L.A., and gained an ardent following as a result. (Case in point: Food & Wine recently named chef Wedchayan “Deau” Arpapornnopparat, who owns the restaurant with his wife Tongkamal “Joy” Yuon, as a Best New Chef this year.) It has since expanded to a stall in a Downtown food hall and a vibrant new 20-seat spot in Atwater Village. Arpapornnopparat crafts complex flavors that run from slight departures on the familiar — like an expertly wok-kissed pad see ew made with vermicelli — to the totally surprising, like a garlic-heavy wild shrimp aguachile that’s dressed with tomatillo and makrut lime.
8. danbi Koreatown
9. The Lonely Oyster Echo Park
While The Lonely Oyster is nearly 20 miles away from the beach, there’s a slice of coastal life nestled in this Echo Park gem. Ever since late 2022 when executive chef Dominique Crisp (formerly of Pasadena’s now-closed Saso) took the helm, the sustainably and responsibly-sourced seafood restaurant has stepped up its game. It’s the little touches that make it shine, like lobster rolls drenched in a miso brown butter, and a wonton chip topped with fresh uni and a dollop of caviar. Sous chef Chris Stagliano (who also runs his personal pasta project Los Boludos on the side) expertly crafts the restaurant’s noodles, even using a vintage guitar-strung instrument to make his signature chitarra. Extra perks: The lively spot has a solid list of martinis and is open until 2 a.m.
10. Quarter Sheets Echo Park
11. Bridgetown Roti East Hollywood
Chef Rashida Holmes has built a fervent following for her Bridgetown Roti pop-ups over the last four years (even snagging a James Beard Award nomination in 2023), and her first brick-and-mortar further cements her already-stellar reputation. Across the street from Los Angeles City College, the vibrant Caribbean restaurant serves buttery rotis wrapped around curry shrimp aloo and flaky patties stuffed with curry-braised oxtail. It’s the little details that make the dishes sing, like the housemade spice pastes and seasonal cocobread sandwiches served on custom-baked bread from Cafe Tropical in Silver Lake. Holmes (previously at Botanica) draws inspiration from her mother and aunt’s cooking and her Barbadian heritage. The casual counter-service spot has bursts of bright color throughout, and a playlist of soul and hip hop that keeps the upbeat vibes going all day long.
No reservations. Find more info here.
12. Anajak Thai Sherman Oaks
When Justin Pichetrungsi took the reins of Anajak Thai in 2019, he propelled his family’s longstanding restaurant into a new era of cooking, snagging him a James Beard Award for Best Chef: California, among a bevy of other accolades. The transformation bridged old-school Thai cuisine with his modern interpretations (think slices of raw kanpachi in a nam jim seafood sauce, or southern-Thai fried chicken topped with caviar). Combined with an extensive wine list, the bustling party vibes of his walk-in-only Thai Taco Tuesdays, and upscale monthly omakase meals, Anajak 2.0 is nothing short of sensational. It’s become so popular that reservations can be hard to come by, but we have some tips from Pichetrungsi himself on how to score a table here.
13. Budonoki Silver Lake
Stepping into Budonoki feels like you’ve been transported to an underground nightclub, complete with ‘90s R&B jams and glowing purple lights. This playful izakaya, from Thai chef Dan Rabilwongse (whose impressive resume includes Bouchon, Hayato, and Tsubaki) melds Japanese, French, and Southeast Asian flavors in a buzzy space perfect for a night out. Shochu-forward cocktails laced with ingredients like cherry blossom bitters come in adorable mugs shaped like penguins and octopi. Small plates like naem highlight sour Thai pork sausage paired with arancini-like crispy rice balls, and the crudo that makes Hokkaido scallops its star is dressed in an addictive citrus vinaigrette. The best part? The menu is tight enough that a group of four our six can try it all in one go.
14. Tam’s Noodle House San Gabriel
One of the San Gabriel Valley’s reigning Hong Kong-style cafes, Tam’s Noodle House is easy, casual, and with its breezy patio, a lovely place to stop by for Cantonese comfort food done right. It’s hard to choose a favorite dish, mostly because there are so many, so bring a group to share or take multiple trips to experience the full breadth of the menu. You can’t go wrong with the salted egg yolk-coated fried chicken wings, handmade rice rolls wrapped around barbecued pork or shrimp and yellow Chinese leek, and soul-warming wonton soup. And the early bird catches the superb daily breakfast combo, with congee as its star, a meal best enjoyed while watching Canto-pop music videos on the surrounding TVs.
No reservations. More info here.
15. Birdie G’s Santa Monica
Birdie G’s is the kind of restaurant that has a little something for everyone. Owned by James Beard-nominated chef Jeremy Fox (of the Rustic Canyon family) and led by executive chef Matthew Schaler, the team melds together Eastern European, Southern, and Midwestern comfort food through a distinctly California lens. The results are wholly unique: think crispy-skinned rockfish over potato waffles in a lobster sauce, or slices of peaches stacked above a swirl of carrot ‘nduja. With vegan and gluten-free options, an extensive wine and cocktail list, and a thoughtful kid’s menu, Birdie G’s is welcoming to all. For design heads, the 5,000-square-foot space that the restaurant occupies inside of Santa Monica’s Bergamot Station Arts Center is a stunner—a collage of exposed steel beams, brick walls, concrete floors, walnut wood tables, and blue banquettes galore.
16. Camphor Arts District
Camphor hits all the right notes in the modern L.A restaurant landscape: cool, sleek, and surprising. The elegant French bistro, inflected with South Asian flavors, has snagged an impressive back-to-back Michelin star in the two years since opening; perhaps unsurprising, given that executive chef, Max Boonthanakit, has a fine dining pedigree. The menu is inventive and global in reach. De-shelled mussels and campanelle pasta swim in a creamy white wine and onion sauce, hidden beneath a mountain of crispy shoestring fries. Dashi-laced beef tartare is accompanied by lightly battered tempura basil and shiso leaves. There’s also an expertly crafted burger, and a truly creative cocktail menu worth perusing.
17. Dada Echo Park Echo Park
Dada is hard to pigeonhole, which is what makes visiting such a singular experience. It’s equal parts restaurant, serving Mediterranean-leaning fare punched up with Latino flavors (think wood-fired lamb chops with a yogurt-tahini sauce and salsa macha), a cocktail bar highlighting tea infusions and seasonal produce, and music destination. One thing is for certain: the artsy vibes are on point throughout the space. Enter through a back alley behind the streetfront Dada Market into a dimly lit bar with emerald green undertones, which extends into a brighter room with a second, raw oak-paneled bar and skylit dining area. The DJ booth and hi-fi sound system are the room’s centerpiece, and on Fridays and Saturdays nights, the space transforms into an electronic-pop hub with the potential for you to dance the night away.
18. Azizam Silver Lake
Soon after Azizam owners Cody Ma and Misha Sesar turned their homestyle pop-up into a permanent Silver Lake location in February, Los Angeles Times food critic Bill Addison deemed it “L.A.’s best new Persian restaurant in years.” At their casual counter-service spot, popular dishes like kofteh tabrizi, a baseball-sized beef and rice meatball studded with dried stone fruit and walnuts, have become a mainstay. The kuku sandevich involves a seasonal vegetable frittata (the latest iteration is herb and leek) stuffed into house-baked barbari flatbread dotted with sesame and nigella seeds. While the cozy sage green patio, surrounded by hanging plants, is a welcome spot for solo diners, it’s worth getting a group together for a chance to sample all the winning dishes, including a flaky and creamy Shirini Napeloni dessert layered with seasonal jam.
No reservations. Find more info here.
19. Leopardo Mid-Wilshire
L.A.’s booming pizza scene keeps getting better and better. The latest entry: Leopardo, where lauded chef Joshua Skenes (formerly of Saison and Angler) has painstakingly developed his own neo-Neapolitan crust from a dough that takes three days and nine types of flours to produce. Pizzas range from approachable, like an excellent spicy pie punctuated by salumi and wildflower honey, to next-level extravagant, like the ones topped with Hokkaido sea urchin or Périgord black truffle (with an optional heaping spoonful of Ostrea caviar). There are plenty of non-pizza offerings, too, including raw bar offerings, a dramatically plated deer tartare, and poetically-named beef and fish entrees (“Cow that Roamed Free & Ate Fermented Things,” for example). Make sure to grab one of Skenes’ equally wild cocktails, like the bright pink Rhubarb Like A Negroni.
20. Linden Hollywood
Linden is full of surprises. The minimalist beige building on Sunset Boulevard isn’t much to look at, but walk inside and you’re quickly transported — lush green plants dangle from the ceiling and an impressive art collection adorns the walls. Third-generation chef Jonathan Harris channels his African American and Costa Rican roots, sprinkling in Jewish, Caribbean, Middle Eastern, and Southeast Asian influences — flavors he remembered from growing up in New York — into his menu. One of the most notable dishes is his wagyu pie, which reimagines the Jamaican beef patty in pot pie form, punched up with a drizzle of plantain chutney. For a nightcap, pop in to adjoining speakeasy Dot.Dot through a back entrance for cocktails and DJs.
