15 New Restaurants Proving LA Is The Most Foodie Place On Earth

When thinking about Los Angeles you may conjure up images of The Hollywood Sign, imagine celeb spotting in Beverly Hills, surfing at a beach in Malibu or sitting court-side at a Lakers game.
Yet, while there are plenty of tourist attractions, an abundance of glamour, oodles of sunshine and plenty of sport, LA also offers a plethora of eateries for even the most discerning of diners.

In fact, as can prove, it's the ultimate culinary destination.
A number of new restaurants have changed the culinary landscape of LA in recent years, offering the most innovative, decedent and downright unusual dishes, taking inspiration from all around the globe.
So here's our pick of 15 new restaurants, cafes, pop-ups and bakeries that will impress even the harshest of critics.

Try not to drool.
1) BAROO
Eat up: The kimchee fried rice at Baroo is not to be missed
Opened as a 16-seat 'free-style experimental kitchen' by Chef-owner Kwang Uh last summer, Baroo has proved popular with the foodie crowd.

Each of the Korean-inspired dishes are made with local sustainable and organic ingredients and although the menu is constantly being adapted, the kimchee fried rice, consisting of basmati rice, gremolata, pineapple jalapeno salsa, purple potato chip, weareliferuiner.com roasted seaweed, toasted buckwheat and quinoa and micro greens, is a crowd-pleaser and looks set to stay.
2) ANDARE BY CENTRO
La Dolce vita: Sample the best pasta at the Andare by Centro pop-up, at Birch
If you're a pasta lover then you absolutely must sample the delights at the Andare by Centro pop-up, at Birch in Hollywood.

Chef Avner Levi and Santos Uy, the people behind the Centro pasta bar at Mignon's Wine Bar in Downtown LA have brought their perfect carb creations central. The pop-up, which launched in November is only available weekdays at lunchtime but the ricotta gnocchi with ‘nduja is out of this world.
3)  DESTROYER
Breakfast, brunch and lunch: The milk chocolate, cucumber, lovage and buckwheat creation prove a winning combination
For the best breakfasts around, as well as a reason to venture into Culver City as a tourist, check out Destroyer, by Chef Jordan Khan. Offering the beautiful and seriously Instagrammable dishes for breakfast, brunch and lunch, you can also takeaway, ensuring you'll have the prettiest picnic in Cali.

Milk chocolate, cucumber, lovage and buckwheat prove a winning combination. 
4) HONEY HI

Break the fast!

Tuck into delicious tartines at Honey Hi 
Delightful health café Honey Hi arrived in Echo park in October and it's fast become a firm favourite among the fit crowd and the not so fit. Their tartines come with a healthy twist, served on gluten-free buckwheat sourdough toast, and we'd suggest trying the seasonal chia jam offering with tahini, bee pollen and torn mint.

Health never tasted so good.
5) MR HOLMES BAKEHOUSE  
Get baked: Head to Mr Holmes Bakehouse for the best baking creations that Los Angeles has to offer, including a delicious cruffin
Three years ago the world went mad over cronuts, the croissant and doughnut bake, but the appeal of tasty hybrid snacks is still going strong.

These days it's all about the cruffin, a croissant and doughnut blend, and the best can be found at Mr Holmes Bakehouse, which landed in Los Angeles from San Francisco in September. Head there for 9am for the first batch of the day. 
6) CATCH
Cheers!

Enjoy a oyster shooter from Catch to kick start your meal in style 
The doors of Catch only opened in October but the likes of Cindy Crawford, Bono and Alessandra Ambrosio have already frequented the restaurant.
The Los Angeles outpost of the eponymous popular New York eatery even played host to Kendall Jenner on her 21st birthday and it's not hard to see why it's so popular. This fishtopia is the place to see and be seen, but unlike other eateries the food doesn't disappoint and has attracted rave reviews in the few short weeks it's been in business.

Why not a tequila watermelon or spicy bloody mary oyster shooter to kick start your meal with a bang?
7) BACOSHOP  
Snap up a sarnie: Enjoy Josef Centeno's signature bäco sandwiches at BACOSHOP 
There are sandwiches and then there are chef Josef Centeno's signature bäco sandwiches.

Following on from Bäco Mercat success, Centeno has opened a new outpost in Culver City, bringing his dreamy flatbread creations to another part of town. By putting yoghurt he makes his bread wonderfully tender. A pit stop for any travelling sandwich enthusiast.   

8) SHIBUMI 
Taste of the east: Eat up a storm at kappo-style Japanese restaurant Shibumi 
This kappo-style Japanese restaurant opened in Downtown LA in June, and has quite the following thanks to it simple aesthetic and delicious food.

With chef David Schlosser at the helm, the eatery offers seemingly simple dishes that offer intense and incredible flavours. The cucumbers stuffed with shiso leaf, sesame seeds, umeboshi (pickled plums) and bonito (tuna) has proved a real hit. Order chilled plates of Santa Barbara raw shrimp & lobster cured In sake and apanese sea-bream sashimi, before moving on to hot dishes such as grilled heritage pork in koji, pickled daikon, leek or California holstein beef strip, with fresh wasabi and nara-zuke pickle.

Oh, and be sure to check out the bar, it's made from 400-year-old Cypress wood. 
9) HERE'S LOOKING AT YOU  
Look here!

Here's Looking At You is a gem of a find in Koreatown serving Southern California-styled American food 
This mash-up restaurant in Koreatown opened up just a few weeks ago and it's already making headlines thanks to its innovative menu with Jonathan Whitener at the helm.
Whitener's partner Lien Ta, who describes the menu as 'Southern California-styled American food' with dishes that include beef tartare with red chilli, or Idaho trout with khmeli suneli, hummus, snap peas, lemon and cilantro. Be sure you sample a cocktail or two the Almost-Original Mai Tai is made using a 17-year-old, 99-proof blend of Jamaican rum.

Bottoms up!

10) DELILAH
Dear Delilah: Check out the h.Wood group's latest offering Delilah on Sunset 
Following on from the success of The Nice Guy last year, the h.Wood group branched out to open Delilah, an homage to the roaring 20s, perfectly situated on Sunset.

Since the launch it October it's proved popular with the in crowd and while you should come for the food, you should also stay for the party. The menu consists of all-American classics like sumptuous burgers and skinny fries, deviled eggs, stacks of ribs and incredible desserts.

Eat up and then dance it off.  
11) RAMEN ROOM 
Ramen Room serves up tasty Japanese soup with a Filipino twist 
Japanese soup enthusiasts should head to the newly-opened Ramen Room, where chef Andre Guerrero has been serving up bowls with a Filipino twist.

The cross-cultural options stretch across both the starters and to soups. Begin with crab sushi and spicy tuna rolls before moving onto the shio ramen, succulent pork belly that will leave your taste buds tingling. 

12) GWEN
Meaty!

Enjoy a feast at Curtis Stone's eatery Gwen 
Australian celebrity chef Curtis Stone has teamed up with his brother Luke, adding to his empire with new meat-focused eatery Gwen. The restaurant is housed in a 1928 building, the perfectly chic setting to contrast with the meaty menu.

Curtis focuses on making the best use of the whole animal for each dish, so select your steak knife, there are plenty to choose from, and be prepared for the meat sweats.

13) BELLE VIE 
Bon appetite!

Enjoy delicious French food at Belle Vie
This small neighbourhood restaurant transports you from West LA to a bistro in France and authentic staff to boot. French owned Belle Vie offers beautiful food, delicious wine and a great ambiance.
While there is a printed menu offering gratin de coquillette or mussels mariniere, why not ask the experts to help pick you a special of the day. Bon Appetit!  
14) MANUELA
Food art: Enjoy contemporary works and delicious southern-inspired food at Manuela 
Situated in Hauser & Wirth gallery, Manuela, with chef Wes Whitsell at the helm, brings southern comfort to the LA culinary landscape.

For those who are looking for heritage, think reclaimed materials, mixed with contemporary art, as well as incredible food, this is a dining experience for all of the senses.  Head for brunch and enjoy the deer burger with 'all the fixins' on a milk bun. 
15) CHEZ TEX  
Keeping it in the family: Enjoy 'egalitarian eats by the beach' at Chez Tex, a new Venice spot run by a married couple 
This family-owned Venice spot is inspired by the 'neo-bistros of Paris and the comfort of California'.

Offering a 'rotating menu of egalitarian eats by the beach' it might be a small space but the pull is mighty. Think pee-wee potato, beurre de baratte, local red snapper or grass fed hanger stake and potato with bacon.