Yi Cha serves a menu of drinking-oriented fare, or anju, rooted in chef-owner Debbie Lee's North Korean heritage and Southern upbringing, with a heavy dash of influences from Southern California's immigrant communities. Locals in the area sidle up to the bar for cocktails like the dongchimi-inspired Radish to Riches and the vibrant Jeju Sunrise, which pairs lychee-infused vodka with mandarin, orange, and pomegranate juice.
TrueBurger is the call for a no-nonsense burger, shakes, and fries combo that'll satisfy any urge for something juicy, sweet, and fried. At this shoebox-sized counterservice spot on Grand Avenue (there's a larger on Broadway), the burgers are simplicity at its finest, with just garlic mayo, lettuce, and tomato.
Their collaboration fit into the increasingly popular restaurant trend of guest chef and so-called "four-hands" dinners in which two chefs, often from different cities or countries, create a menu together. Tan grew up in Malaysia, in a Malay-Chinese household, and at 17, moved to Singapore where he trained in Japanese and French-influenced kitchens, cooking in Taiwan, Spain and Macao before opening his own Restaurant Born in 2022.
Characterized by bold and balanced notes of heat and sourness, southwestern Chinese cooking has been influenced by the many ethnic groups that call the region home, including the Miao, Dong, and Buyi peoples. Hengry's dishes come straight from Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou Province, where Au's family owned a restaurant in the early '90s.
We're so excited to be returning to L.A. for our fourth annual event. The pizza scene in SoCal is as robust as ever. We've added nearly a dozen new options this year covering multiple styles. From Santa Barbara to the Inland Empire and down to San Diego, we're saving pizza fans from spending hours in their cars to try the best pizzas.
A sandwich doesn't have to have meat to be hearty and delicious. Although there are some disappointing meat-free options out there - mediocre bread topped with bland, ultra-processed "meat" or limp cheese - Los Angeles is filled with many vegetarian and vegan sandwiches that showcase just how great the category can be. These sandwiches really highlight the joy of great produce, something the city has incredible year-round access to.
We are thrilled to announce that the esteemed husband-and-wife duo, Chef Thomas and Chef Vanessa Tilaka Kalb of Agnes Restaurant & Cheesery, will host this year's event. Known for their refined, ingredient-driven approach, the Tilaka Kalbs have significantly influenced Pasadena's modern dining landscape. Their restaurant, celebrated for its Californian comfort food rooted in classic American cooking, emphasizes a seasonal, farm-to-table philosophy.
We Angelenos are spoiled for choice of stellar cuisines. Los Angeles is, of course, famous for amazing and authentic Mexican food, but it also offers incredible Japanese, Middle Eastern, Thai, Italian, and Ethiopian food - and that's just the tip of the iceberg, excluding the state's own California cuisine borne out of our bounty of stellar produce, meats, and seafood.
Since its opening in August 2024, Belle's - also known as Belle's Bagels, Delicatessen, and Bar - has quickly established itself as an all-day fixture on foot-traffic-heavy York Boulevard, slinging BEC bagelwiches and gravlax toast in the morning before shifting to chicken schnitzel and pickle martinis come sundown. After more than a decade as a pop-up, the deli has emerged as the rare new restaurant that feels like it's been there forever thanks to an upgraded-greatest-hits Jewish diner menu, retro-cool décor, and a spacious back patio complete with a crackling fire. A rotating menu of bar snack specials and a notably inventive cocktail program ensure that repeat visits feel fresh, even for regulars.
