The best things to eat in Los Angeles right now

23.08.2024 - 17:34 / lonelyplanet.com

Aug 23, 2024 • 7 min read

Angelenos are nothing if not devoted to their cravings. They regularly battle long lines, grueling traffic and stiff competition for reservations at some of the best dining spots in Los Angeles – all to secure a few scrumptious sips and bites.

Why the devotion? Because LA residents have known for ages what the rest of the country has only realized recently: LA is a top-notch food metropolis, on par with old-school foodie favorites like New York City and Chicago. Grazing the city's foodie delights is one of LA's top experiences.

You'll soon discover that the city’s cuisine is innovative, multicultural, rooted in the area’s history, and accessible – assuming you’re willing to wait in those lines! Here, life-changing culinary experiences are just as likely to happen at no-frills food stands as in fine-dining restaurants.

Now on to those culinary moments! Here are the best things to eat and drink in LA right now – and the best places to find them...

Riffing on the sweet-and-savory combo of chicken and waffles – one of the traditional foods of Los Angeles thanks to legendary joints such as Roscoe's– Marelle added scrumptious lemon ricotta pancakes topped with crispy Jidori chicken and sweet roasted peppers to its breakfast and brunch menus.

This outpost for California cuisine is set in the recently opened oceanfront Sandbourne Santa Monica hotel. Grab a table with pool and beach views and wash down your pancakes with the tequila-and-bubbles tang of a La Vie en Rosé cocktail, which comes with a pair of rose-colored sunglasses.

How to get it: For weekend brunch, make a reservation online at least a few days in advance. Walk-ins on weekdays should be no problem.

Health food grocer Erewhon started a smoothie craze in LA that shows no sign of slowing down. Fruit-first concoctions mixed with premium ingredients such as blue spirulina and collagen powder have customers shelling out upwards of $20 per drink.

For a more moderate price of $11, go for the Regenerada Smoothie 2.0, which is packed with protein because of its star ingredient, Mikuna Chocho – a superfood grown only in the Andes Mountains. Even if the Regenerada drink falls off the menu, you can still add Mikuna Chocho to any other smoothie.

How to get it: Avoid a wait at the smoothie counter (sometimes up to 30 minutes, depending on what TikTok craze has taken off) by pre-ordering on Erewhon’s website and picking up 20 minutes later. There are branches in Santa Monica, Venice and other popular LA quarters.

What started out as a COVID-era project in a side yard has now grown into a full bricks-and-mortar operation. The Grateful Dead-loving team at Side Pie have transported their pizza oven – emblazoned with a Stealie (the