Lots of places call themselves pasta bars, but Lapaba is quite literally a long bar where you eat pasta, most of which is quite good. Nearly every seat at this elegant spot from the Osteria Mozza people is at the room-spanning marble counter. The Korean-Italian menu is more Italian than Korean. Bring someone you don’t mind sitting close to, add the funky doenjang caesar, suppli stuffed with Park’s BBQ kimchi, and something off the short wine/soju/makgeolli list.

Sqirl is doing dinner, and it’s kind of a big deal. The Virgil Village cafe has been a post-hike free-for-all for sidewalk side-eyeing over ricotta toast and pesto rice bowls since 2011. That’s still the case. But now there’s a shiny new awning over the sidewalk, cute little table lamps, really good roast chicken, mini martinis, and reservations (which you’ll need). The menu is produce-obsessed and quintessentially Sqirl.

Regalade comes from the same people as Oste, a reliably great Italian spot that’s two doors over on West Third Street. This has the same charm: a reasonably priced neighborhood-y bistro that works for all sorts of occasions, including popping by without a reservation. The front patio has retirees sharing pastis cocktails and beautifully cooked steak au poivre. While solo diners crowd the bar for moules-frites and a drippy cheeseburger on ciabatta.

Kar Son, the slick new Chinese spot inside The Row. You’ll probably wait a while for your reservation, but once you sit down and the parade of excellent Chinese dishes arrives hot and fast. The Yunnan grilled branzino is bright and zesty, the stir-fried green beans give Din Tai Fung a run for their money, and the Sichuan fried chicken is pitch-perfect in tingly spice. We’ve yet to try a single dish that was less than stellar. Now they just need to get the rest sorted out.

If Holy Basil Santa Monica were just a carbon copy of the one in Atwater Village, we’d be thrilled. But at their new Westside location, you'll find a wild seafood-leaning Thai menu that's totally original. The space is cramped and slightly chaotic (like the original), and when sitting at the counter, you’ll be close enough to the wok station to feel blasts of heat. But prices are reasonable, the room is fun, and the staff won’t miss a beat if you pop in for takeout pad kee mao.

Over the years, Little Fish has grown from scrappy pop-up to sidewalk cafe to, now, full-service restaurant in Melrose Hill. We’re pleased to report that their latest evolution is the best one yet. The short food menu is a brine lover’s dream: warm green olives overstuffed with tuna rillettes, beef carpaccio smothered in uni cream, and steelhead trout bejeweled in a roe-heavy relish. Their famous fried fish sandwich is available at lunch.

We refer to Hermon’s as “hipster Hillstone”, and if you admire America’s most polished chain restaurant as much as we do, you know that’s high praise. This refreshed take on the classic chophouse comes from the Found Oyster folks and the menu is built for indulgence. Start with a round of martinis followed by pull-apart garlic bread, potato fritters with a big knob of cream cheese, and pasta vongole that tastes like a cheesy clam pizza. There’s baked alaska for dessert.

If you’ve been to every fancy omakase in town, Corridor 109 offers a different kind of splurge. Located behind Bar 109, this sleek chef’s counter from a Sushi Noz alum specializes in pristine seafood on par with the city’s top sushi spots, except no nigiri here. The 11-course tasting menu ($325 per person) kicks off with wasabi-spiked lobster tartare, sea bream sashimi with dashi jelly, and cured mackerel draped over toasted milk bread.

At lunchtime, this cafe from a Chi Spacca alum does sandwiches on house-baked ciabatta, including a mushroom dip that left us questioning why we’d ever eat a beef dip again. The place turns intimate at night with table service and the aura of a Mount Washington dinner party. The menu shines with date night hits like beef tartare toast and a fantastic roast chicken that nods to the famous one at SF's Zuni Cafe. The wine list was thoughtful and well-priced.

Chainsaw was a pop-up famous for icebox pies that you picked up at an apartment. Now, the fun has moved to their brick-and-mortar shop. The main attraction is still the pie, but there's more than just dessert. Stop by in the morning for a cinnamon latte and Venezuelan arepas. At lunch, avoid the creeping traffic on Melrose with pork milanesa and an off-menu jamon beurre sandwich. Heading back to work? Grab a passionfruit pie to treat the office.

Hojokban—a Korean spot imported from NYC and Seoul—has all the ingredients for a fun night out. You can add caviar or uni to any dish, but the banchan spread is complimentary and bacon fried rice arrives spilling out of an instant ramen cup. The biggest hits here tend to the homier dishes, like an octopus-tteokbokki hybrid with rice cakes, or a big platter of galbi. There’s no dessert menu, but at some point your server will show up brandishing a bucket of Melona bars.

Utica-style pizza? Yes, it’s a real thing. LA’s pizza scene might have as many subgenres as Spotify these days, but Old Gold in Los Feliz makes a strong case for more, with their thick and puffy square pies that fall somewhere between Sicilian and Detroit pan pizza. The former pop-up turned casual neighborhood pizza shop sells ready-to-go slices for $5 a pop (one is a perfect afternoon snack), as well as whole slabs baked to order.

The sleepy streets of Larchmont have awoken for Max & Helen’s. A love letter to small-town diners, this throwback spot comes from Nancy Silverton and the neighborhood’s unofficial ambassador, Phil Rosenthal. Brace for the $27 patty melt—but prices are largely reasonable and the food meets the assignment, with expertly soft-scrambled eggs and glazed cinnamon rolls shiny enough to see your reflection. Expect longer waits at lunchtime once the tuna melt and pastrami reuben join the menu.

Directly across from the new Sun Nong Dan on Sawtelle, The Mulberry is another Korean spot planting a flag on the Westside. The soulful Korean food from a former Benu chef that has us obsessed. Start with the three-course, $49 tasting set, where you can pick from soy-garlic wings, char-grilled short rib ssam, and the silkiest tofu stew we’ve tasted since Beverly Soon Tofu closed (RIP).

Every time we visit West Adam’s shiny new food hall, we walk out with a new favorite thing to eat. Maydan is a full-service Middle Eastern dinner spot with za’atar martinis, tasty mezze, and (as far as we can tell) unlimited fresh pita. Whether you work nearby and are sick of the weekly salad slog, or just looking for a group dinner destination, Maydan Market is the area's best bet for a do-it-your-way feast.

Comedor has a lot going for it: a bumping Latin-funk playlist, sultry lighting, and small plates that are actually priced like small plates. Despite pea guacamole on the tostada and salt foam on the margarita, the food here is decidedly homey. Smoked tuna adds oomph to a cheese-stuffed flauta, and sweet potatoes come smothered in salsa macha butter. Don’t skip the crispy chicharrón in garlicky mojo, a Broken Spanish holdover that was on our mind long after dessert.

The hills of Los Feliz have been buzzing since this British restaurant landed on Hillhurst. The warm space feels like a canyon bungalow’s living room and dishes run from welsh rarebit to eton mess. A single, juicy banger comes on silky mash, crisp battered sea bass puts soggy fish and chips to shame, and that mess is rich with spiced apples. You’ll just need patience—half the dining room is held for walk-ins, and reservations go fast.

Morihiro has been a fixture on our best sushi guide for years, but one thing it’s never been is cheap. At Mori’s sparse new home on the ground floor of a condo tower, the omakase still costs $400, but there’s now an a la carte menu too, which means being able to stroll in for smoked teriyaki chicken and what might be the world’s plumpest shrimp tempura roll.

If you see a crowd on the corner of Sunset and Gardner, they’re probably waiting for extra-crispy, Jersey-style pizza from Sonny’s. Until their brick-and-mortar officially opens, this Hollywood pizzeria requires that you pre-order their 16-inch pies for pick-up online (we ordered ours at 3pm and received a 9pm pick-up slot). Hours of operation are sporadic. It’s a lot of planning for a damn pizza, but worth it once you hear the charred crust crackle as you fold a slice.

Booking a primetime table at Berenjak right now might be harder than getting off the waitlist at Soho House. Hidden inside the member club’s Arts District location but open to the public, this Persian restaurant from London is the kind of room that calls for a chic outfit and people-watching. The food here isn't groundbreaking, but prioritizing dips and charcoal-grilled kebabs makes for a great meal. Warm taftoon bread is perfect for tearing and dunking into mast o-masir with pickled shallots.

Weho is home to many kitschy late-night hangouts, and Marvito, a retro Tex-Mex diner open until midnight daily, is already up there with the rowdiest. But even if you're not a night owl, this 70s-themed spot is worth a visit just for dinner. Start with the gooey, chorizo-topped queso, a few crispy beef tacos, and a plate of smoky chile colorado or the somewhat random (but highly delicious) chicken piccata. Banana split for dessert? Why not. Throw in a round of margaritas too.

Betsy is the reborn version of Bernee, the Altadena restaurant that narrowly survived the Eaton Fire and reopened in late summer. That’s a miracle in itself, but just as impressive is the way this cozy dinner spot from one of the All-Time founders picks up where Bernee left off. The room is dominated by a wood-fire hearth, and almost every dish passes over the embers, including a spectacular slice of roasted (nearly blackened) cheesecake.