There’s nothing snooty about these top restaurants in Los Angeles, they simply create meals so amazing the demand is off the charts. So if you want to eat at these places, you’re going to wait a while, as these are ranked by reservations.
You’ll wait an average of 2 months to get a reservation, so by the time you finish binge-watching Game Of Thrones it’ll almost be time for your memorable dining experience. Many of these top chefs at the helm also have their own line of cookware worth checking out.
Maude
212 S. Beverly Dr.
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
Realizing a lifelong dream, celebrity chef Curtis Stone opened his first solo restaurant in Beverly Hills in February 2014.
The namesake of the restaurant and his first muse: Maude, his late paternal grandmother, provided his first culinary inspiration as a child and her sensibilities are resonant throughout the restaurant.
Since opening, Maude has garnered accolades from the James Beard Foundation (2015 Best New Restaurant semifinalist), TIME and Travel & Leisure (list Maude as one of the best new restaurants in the world), Eater LA (2014’s Restaurant of the Year). Curtis also has his own line of cookware that you can buy.
Other awards for this top LA restaurant include LA Weekly (2014’s Best New Restaurant followed by 2015 Best Restaurant in Los Angeles), LA Magazine (4 out of 4 stars), Angeleno, and more.
Maude received a Michelin star in June 2019 and welcomed Executive Chef Chris Flint, formerly with Eleven Madison Park and NoMad.
Le Comptoir
3606 West Sixth Street
Los Angeles, CA 90020
Getting a reservation is one thing to accomplish at this intimate dining experience where seating is limited to just 10. Finding your way in is another issue you might have if this is your first time here.
Those lucky enough to be on the list gather outside Hotel Normandie and await to be escorted through a back door into the restaurant – when Chef Menes is ready for you.
It might be a ploy to let his dinner guests take time to meet each other, now with a common bond that they all feel lost, not sure if they’re at the right place. So when they are seated, there are no strangers here.
Michelin-starred chef Gary Menes shares his unique culinary philosophy at Le Comptoir, featuring an 8-course vegetable-inspired tasting menu that showcases seasonal ingredients sourced from our very own organic kitchen garden and local farmer friends.
Chef Menes challenges the notion of fine dining by doing away with white tablecloths and multiple sets of silverware in favor of an intimate, up-close-and-personal experience at Le Comptoir.
From his 10-seat counter, he serves curious diners the same culinary lessons that have informed his singular approach as a chef.
Bestia
2121 E. 7th Pl.
Los Angeles, CA 90021
This is another one of those Los Angeles restaurants that’s good for spotting a celeb now and then. They know great food like the back of their hand.
Bestia is a multi-regional rustic Italian restaurant focusing on a “from scratch” approach, offering house-made charcuterie, in addition to handmade pasta and pizza made in an Acunto oven.
On the pastry side, Gergis’s desserts focus on a clean and simple approach to create a daily changing menu that is centered on the freshest, most local ingredients possible.
In 2013 Bestia received praise from Los Angeles Times’ Jonathan Gold; three stars from Besha Rodell at LA Weekly; and three stars from Patrick Kuh at Los Angeles Magazine which would then declare Bestia one of the Top 10 Best New Restaurants that year.
The restaurant gets consistent recognition by Jonathan Gold for his annual Gold List and Besha Rodell for LA Weekly’s Essentials list.
In 2014, Menashe was named the People’s Best New Chef, California for Food & Wine, and in 2015, he was honored among Food & Wine’s Ten Best New Chefs.
n/naka
3455 Overland Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90034
N/naka is devoted to providing a unique and satisfying dining experience through their interpretation of kaiseki.
This traditional Japanese culinary art form reflects the ever-changing rhythms of the earth by taking the freshest seasonal ingredients and presenting them in their most natural states. Using the very best ingredients this is true kaiseki.
Vegetables are served from their own organic garden built and maintained by Farmscape Gardens.
Great care is taken in preparing a beautiful plate utilizing both a meaningful balance between traditional and modern techniques.
Chef Niki Nakayama is committed to creating a meal that will engage your attention — it’s about enjoying the moment, the current offerings of the season, and ultimately, the food in front of you.
Trois Mec
716 N. Highland Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
Trois Mec is the vision of Ludo Lefebvre, in conjunction with partners Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo.
Opened in June 2013 in an old pizza parlor in a strip mall, Trois Mec, which loosely translates to “three guys”, offers an ever-changing multi-course tasting menu.
The old Raffalo’s Pizza sign still hangs above the door outside, but that was the intention. It started as and remains an unpretentious fine-dining experience.
In its first year, Trois Mec was named the #1 “Best New Restaurant” by Los Angeles Magazine and LA Weekly, earned a top spot in the “Top 101 Restaurants” list by Jonathan Gold, past critic for the Los Angeles Times, and garnered the #1 “Best Restaurant Dish” by Food & Wine.
Since then Trois Mec has earned continuous praise and rave reviews, including being named the #1 “Restaurant in Los Angeles” by LA Weekly for three additional years.
In 2015, Ludo became a “knight” when he received the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres award from his home country of France. On June 3rd, 2019, Trois Mec was awarded one Michelin Star in the 2019 California Michelin Guide.
Trois Mec offers a 5-course tasting menu each night and the option of a 4-course menu.
