50 L.A. restaurants where dinner costs $50 or less, including tax and tip
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Are you eating out less? Is it starting to feel like a sit-down dinner, even at a casual restaurant, can set you back what you might have paid for a big celebratory meal not too long ago?
Daytime is one thing, with lunch deals or happy hour discounts coaxing more consumers out for a bite. But at prime dinnertime lately, getting the check can come with sticker shock.
Industry trends show diners are getting more selective about dining out as inflation worries wallop U.S. consumers. In a 2025 survey from global accounting firm KPMG, 85% of respondents said they are eating at home more often to save money due to budget limitations. As a result, U.S. restaurants and bars saw one of the weakest six-month periods of sales growth during the first half of 2025 — even weaker than during the COVID pandemic when lockdown orders were in place, according to a CNN analysis of Commerce Department data.
In Los Angeles, the added factors of the 2025 wildfires, ICE raids, and rising rental and labor costs make the trend feel especially acute.
About This Guide
Our journalists independently visited every spot recommended in this guide. We do not accept free meals or experiences. What should we check out next? Send ideas to [email protected].
But with a little strategy, it’s more than possible to have a standout meal at some of L.A.’s most exciting haunts right now without breaking your budget. For this guide, the Food team challenged ourselves to find 50 L.A. restaurants where you can dine for $50 or less per person, including tax and tip.
A nice dinner out translates differently for everyone, so we set a few parameters before beginning our search:
- The pre-tax total should be no more than $38 per person, in order to account for a roughly 10% sales tax and 20% tip. Sometimes it needs to be even less if a restaurant includes a mandatory service fee.
- The restaurant doesn’t have to offer table service, but there must be seating available to enjoy your food on-site.
- It must be open until at least 9 p.m.
- You must be able to order at least two menu items, whether that’s a starter and a main, an entree and a dessert, or a large plate and a cocktail.
The final list ranges from places ranked on The Times’ annual 101 Best Restaurants guide that require specific hacks to stay within budget, to more casual options where $50 lets you sample a wide swath of the menu. And just in case you’re bringing a date or a friend, we share suggestions for how to approach this challenge as a duo.
Note that the prices outlined below are accurate as of our most recent visits but may change based on which location you visit, whether you’re ordering in person, for pickup or delivery and other factors.
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Ahba
Laguna Beach American restaurant $$
(Betty Hallock / Los Angeles Times)
The roasted half-chicken drenched in chimichurri and served with lush sweet potatoes ($25) can provide a foundation for building a reasonably priced meal at this bungalow on the beach that’s always crowded with couples, families and festive groups. Order at the window in the alleyway, take a number and jockey for a table. Small plates make for a mix-and-match dinner, such as braised lamb and labneh ($21) that comes with hunks of toasty sourdough, or figs with burrata ($15). Main courses such as rigatoni ‘n’ cheese ($17), fried chicken sammie ($17) or Ahba burger ($18 — you can add garlic parm fries for $1.50 or a Caesar side salad for $6) are wallet friendly. Bottles of beer start at $6 (wines at $13), and the carrot cheesecake for dessert is $8. The ocean breeze that sweeps in across PCH: priceless.
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A Tí
Echo Park Mexican $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
The modern taquería opened by chef Andrew Ponce last year pulls inspiration from L.A.’s wealth of cultures and shifts with the seasons. Despite the menu’s ever-changing nature, the tuna tostada ($18) and crispy beef tacos ($12 for two) became instant staples. You can order both and stay within budget, or try the buttermilk-fried quail with burnt pickles and ancho chile dressing ($21) and pair it with a boozy agua fresca ($16) or budino with Oaxacan chocolate ($10) for dessert. The creative bar menu is worth a separate trip, particularly the house martini that uses an uncategorized spirit with smoke-dried pasilla Mixe chile, plus mezcal, Japanese gin, vermouth and charred hoja santa oil.
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Azizam
Silver Lake Persian $
(Ethan Benavidez / For The Times)
Mix and match anything on Azizam’s menu of affordable homestyle dishes and it’ll be one of best Persian meals you’ve had in L.A. The Silver Lake restaurant and patio from Cody Ma and Misha Sesar has a small menu of sandwiches, hot dishes and mazeh, and nothing, with the exception of occasional daily specials, is over $20. For a cozy, filling dinner that’ll give you leftovers, order the turmeric braised whole chicken leg ($16), which comes with yellow fava bean rice and pickled vegetables and is topped with fried shallots. The melt-in-your-mouth beef tongue, served on fluffy, housemade sesame barbari bread ($13), is another great option, accompanied by fresh herbs, tomato and onion. For a vegan option — or if you’re craving stew — the braised eggplant, split pea and tomato over rice ($14.50) is comforting and light yet hearty. Accompany your entree with a pomegranate radler ($8.50) or the non-alcoholic sour cherry limeade ($4.75), along with the shirazi, or tangy tomato and cucumber salad ($6), and the wild shallot yogurt ($6), which you can and should put on pretty much everything.
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Bar Amá
Downtown L.A. Tex-Mex $$
(Shelby Moore / For The Times)
A skillet of chef Josef Centeno’s “Mom’s green chile enchiladas” ($19.95), cheesy and mellowly spicy, plus a $9 draft glass of Negro Modelo is just one of many delicious ways to explore Bar Amá’s menu without blowing your budget. With the soul of a cantina, Bar Amá is a relaxed and affordable way to enjoy the cooking of one of the city’s best chefs. Centeno’s Takoría menu, with the chef’s takes on taquería favorites, usually includes several types of “dos caras” tacos ($15.95 to $19.95), crisp and with fillings that range from chicken chicharrón and fried shrimp to seasonal vegetables (in spring, he did one with ramps, white asparagus, English peas, green garlic, chanterelles and green salsa). It’s in the seasonal specials that Centeno’s restless talent comes through strongest. In summer, that could mean Centeno’s salad of roasted peaches, hazelnuts and goat cheese; recently, he sizzled figs on a plancha and served them with potatoes, fried panela cheese, salsa macha and a drizzle of honey ($15). Even the splurges — grilled hamachi collar ($26) or his deeply spiced vegetarian birria with hen of the wood and shiitake mushrooms, chickpeas and baby turnips ($25) — give you room to add a beer or $4 Baco Pop. If you come with a friend, share a salad or appetizer or dessert and stay under budget. Or add one of Bar Amá’s cocktails, from a $12 michelada and $14 margarita to a range of $15 and $16 mixed drinks, including a mezcal-fueled Mexican negroni.
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Beethoven Market
Mar Vista Californian Italian $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
First: Stop what you’re doing and make a reservation for Beethoven Market. The new Cal-Italian restaurant in Mar Vista is beyond buzzy, and by the time apero hour shifts to dinner at 5 p.m., it’s already overflowing with patrons crowding the bar, street-side patio and courtyard that’s anchored by an olive tree and twinkling with fairy lights. Start with crispy delicata rings drizzled in Calabrian chile honey ($13), followed by a roasted onion pizza ($17) that’s big enough to share and you’ll have enough funds left over for a can of beer ($7). Alternatively, you could order campanelle Bolognese ($19) or ricotta casconcelli ($20) as your main course, paired with a glass of wine ($12 to $18) or That Good Green ($15), a verdant cocktail with vodka, lime, basil syrup and genepy.
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Bestia
Downtown L.A. Mediterranean Italian $$$
(Silvia Razgova / Los Angeles Times)
Is it possible to eat for $50 a person (including tax and tip) at a restaurant that offers a $185 Wagyu ribeye and $80 veal chop? At Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis’ always in-demand Bestia, the challenge is tricky, but not impossible. On your own, you could order one of the restaurant’s live-fire-blistered pizzas — which range from a $25 classic Margherita to one topped with soft and spicy ‘nduja sausage, San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella, spring onion, garlic, arugula and avocado cream for $29 — or one of four Bestia pastas priced $28 (ricotta gnocchi) to $31 (green garbanzo bean Tortellini with lamb bolognese). For $6 more, you can add a very good draft beer, homemade ginger beer or ginger ale or a citrus-sage lemonade.
With a friend, there are even more possibilities. The whole grilled branzino ($52) or slow-roasted lamb neck ($56), which comes with smoked anchovy crème fraîche plus herb-adorned gem lettuce for wrapping the meat, is plenty for two. Or, you could share the $25 pizza and add an appetizer — maybe an herby Caesar salad with squid ink breadcrumbs ($24) or the buttermilk ricotta ($21) with aged balsamic, fennel pollen, herb oil, lava salt and a hunk of grilled bread — and have enough left for one of Gergis’ fantastic desserts. At $14, her buttermilk panna cotta with roasted huckleberries and stone ground wheat cookies should keep you within our $76 budget for two people, even allowing for $6 drinks for each person.
With a friend, there are even more possibilities. The whole grilled branzino ($52) or slow-roasted lamb neck ($56), which comes with smoked anchovy crème fraîche plus herb-adorned gem lettuce for wrapping the meat, is plenty for two. Or, you could share the $25 pizza and add an appetizer — maybe an herby Caesar salad with squid ink breadcrumbs ($24) or the buttermilk ricotta ($21) with aged balsamic, fennel pollen, herb oil, lava salt and a hunk of grilled bread — and have enough left for one of Gergis’ fantastic desserts. At $14, her buttermilk panna cotta with roasted huckleberries and stone ground wheat cookies should keep you within our $76 budget for two people, even allowing for $6 drinks for each person.
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Bludso’s
Fairfax American $$
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
Taste pitmaster Kevin Bludso’s Texas-meets-California-style barbecue at his convivial restaurant on Fairfax Avenue, with communal picnic tables and TVs perched above the bar. Order a quarter-pound of your preferred meat — brisket ($12) is what they’re most known for, in case you need direction — and two sides ($7 for cold options like potato salad and $7.50 for hot sides like mac and cheese and collard greens). Don’t skip the cornbread with honey butter ($3) or a potato roll ($2) so you can make a sandwich with the meat and house pickles served on the side. Finish your meal with ice cream ($5), or skip the sides and opt for a cocktail ($15 to $16) instead. Find a second, more spacious location of the restaurant in Santa Monica.
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Bone Kettle
Pasadena Southeast Asian Indonesian Asian $$
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
I probably recommend Bone Kettle more than any other restaurant in Old Pasadena. Chef Erwin Tjahyadi’s food is primarily Indonesian, though menu highlights veer to the Philippines with lumpia ($18) and ube gnocchi ($21). You can make a meal out of the starters, pairing a towering papaya salad crowded with shrimp, garlic chips and mangoes ($18) with an order of the citrus-brined chicken wings ($18). The Thai steak salad ($21), tossed in a sweet chili vinaigrette, is substantial enough for a meal. Or sample Erwin’s signature bone broth, a complex, milky bowl of stock with a mound of chewy ramen noodles crowned with top sirloin ($21) or ginger-seared chicken ($19). And there are more than a dozen cocktails, like the Bakit ngayon ka lang (oolong-infused rum soju, peach and calamansi), all priced at $14.
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Bridgetown Roti
East Hollywood Caribbean $
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
The vibrant East Hollywood restaurant from chef Rashida Holmes is a love letter to the Caribbean. At least one flaky, buttery patty is a must — you can’t go wrong with oxtail and peppers or jerk chicken ($8) — and you’ll want a slice of the crispy-edged mac and cheese pie ($7) that zings with curry. That will leave you with enough leftover funds for a roti ($19) stuffed with tender chicken thighs, red pepper goat or channa and sweet potato, and a flight of all four house sauces ($3.50) for dipping throughout your meal. You may be tempted to opt for the newly added lamb burger with yucca fries ($20) instead of a roti, and who am I to steer you away from that inclination? If you’re wanting to wash your meal down with a house beverage, skip the mac and cheese to order a refreshing coco limeade or soursop punch ($5), or explore the newly launched beer and wine menu.
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Carousel
East Hollywood Middle Eastern $$
(Juliana Yamada / Los Angeles Times)
Krikor (KoKo) and Vartouhi (Rose) Tcholakian opened the first Carousel in Hollywood in 1983 after relocating from Beirut to Southern California during the Lebanese Civil War. They created one of the city’s most enduring and consistent destinations for Lebanese American cooking. (A second location thrives in Glendale, but I find the food a bit more precise at the Hollywood original.) Fattoush, dips, falafel and savory turnovers are only the beginning of the hot and cold mezze plates; most of them fall between $9 and $16, and three of them would make a complete meal. For maximum variety, order fried kibbeh ($12) filled with spiced ground beef followed by a Vegetarian’s Delight entree ($21), a plate arranged with small hills of smooth hummus, textbook tabbouleh, stuffed grape leaves, muttabbal (pureed charred eggplant) and muhammara (a blitz of red pepper and walnuts) that also arrives with cabbage salad, broiled tomatoes, a wedge of crumbly cheese, pita bread, and a choice of rice, bulgur wheat pilaf, fries, or mixed vegetables. It’s a lot, in the best sense. The choice of beer and wine is limited: More interesting might be jalleb, a complexly sweet drink that combines date, grape, and carob molasses, a whiff of rose water and a few bobbing pine nuts ($5).
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Casa Gish Bac
Pico-Union Oaxacan $
(Juliana Yamada / Los Angeles Times)
The new Gish Bac location on Vermont Avenue is a large former banquet hall with plenty of parking and promise. You’re here for the excellent Oaxacan specialties of barbacoa and various moles by David and Maria Ramos of Tlacolulca. Start with the fried molotes, filled with potato and chorizo ($15), and follow with a full barbacoa plate with rice and beans ($25), or a plate of coloradito ($23) or amarillo ($20). A tlayuda with one meat ($22) easily feeds two people, with enough left over for two draft beers ($8 each), or swap in an extravagantly pinkish Oaxacan-style horchata, topped with customary crumbled walnuts ($8.75) — which would push you just $0.75 over our limit.
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Chinchikurin Hiroshima Okonomiyaki
Torrance Japanese $$
(Lauren Ng / Los Angeles Times)
Rich, salty and large enough to save for tomorrow’s breakfast, okonomiyaki is the savory pancake you didn’t know you needed. The Japanese comfort food comes in 12 types at Chinchikurin, which has locations in Little Tokyo, Sawtelle and Torrance. All okonomiyaki are served with a small spatula for cutting and contain a thin layer of crepe batter layered with shredded cabbage, dried fish powder, noodles, a fried egg, seaweed powder and an optional choice of protein, in addition to dish-specific add-ins like broccoli and shrimp or cheesy corn. Two of the more simple okonomiyaki on Chinchikurin’s menu, the classic Chinchikurinyaki ($19.50) with tender ground beef and the Hiroshima ($20) , which contains a layer of ikaten (deep fried, flattened squid) are both filling yet balanced enough that you’ll want to get every layer in each bite. While it might seem like the okonomiyaki’s many flavors would clash, they somehow work together to create one multi-layered, satisfyingly umami concoction. Order either option and you’ll have enough remaining funds for Sapporo draft beer ($7).
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Chulita
Venice Mexican $$
(Danielle Dorsey / Los Angeles Times)
Serving Alta California cuisine in a beachy environment with wicker light fixtures, staghorn ferns and a cozy sidewalk patio, the menu at Chulita spans small-batch tequila and mezcal labels, ceviche, tacos and large plates such as pescado zarandeado, with plenty of vegan options. Start with cauliflower fundido ($16) or sweet potato taquitos ($15); and fill out your order with a couple tacos folded with blue corn or cassava flour tortillas from Masienda — the beef cheek barbacoa ($8), grilled market fish ($9) and grilled nopales ($8) are popular options. Or, skip the starter in favor of a seasonal margarita ($18) or pumpkin spice churros for dessert ($13).
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Cobi's
Santa Monica Southeast Asian $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Dine on Southeast Asian dishes inspired by co-owner Cobi Marsh’s childhood spent across Australia and Indonesia in an idyllic garden setting where roses, eucalyptus and ivy dangle from the ceiling and march across floral wallpaper, with climbing vines and bougainvillea on the patio. The restaurant offers two prix-fixe options under $100 — $64 per person for a lineup of classic and favorite dishes and $78 per person for chef’s choice. But for even more savings, try pairing grilled prawns doused in a ginger and yellow bean sauce ($21) with nasi goreng ($16) or green fish curry ($24) with Thai tea pudding ($12) for dessert. If you’re dining as a pair and willing to exceed your budget by just one dollar, go for the green papaya salad ($15), beef rendang ($28) and a couple glasses of a chilled red ($17 each).
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Doto
Silver Lake Californian cuisine
(Doto Restaurant)
The moody Silver Lake bistro from chef Jared Joe Dowling blends Japanese, California and Mexican influences with his British upbringing, resulting in dishes such as Glousetershire pork meatballs and beans ($26) and a smoked char siu hand roll ($8). You’ll see Dowling’s house burger ($20) with a hulking beef patty land on every other table, overflowing with melted Comte and caramelized onions. You could order fries a la carte, but my suggestion would be to try one of the hand rolls ($11-12) instead. Another strategy would be to order the smoked chashu ($26) alongside beer ($6-14) , sake ($10-19) or a glass of wine ($11-25). If you’re a party of two, try the mezze ($48) with smoked lamb shoulder, whipped feta, sumac onions, pickled beets, peppery greens and fresh flatbread for composing your own sandwich; mushrooms ($16); and salted caramel ice cream ($6) for dessert. No matter what, remain flexible as Dowling’s hyper-seasonal menu changes based on whim and farmers market finds. Another hack? Make a reservation for a late dinner that can extend into the nightly happy hour that begins at 9 p.m.
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Dulan's on Crenshaw
Hyde Park Southern $$
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
A fixture on Crenshaw Boulevard since the ‘90s, you’re sure to leave satisfied after a soulful meal at Greg Dulan’s restaurant. Here, every entree comes with two generous sides and two cornbread muffins, making it easy to stay within budget. Weekend specials such as oxtail or ribs ($26.99) are a must if they’re available, but the smothered fried chicken ($20 for a quarter chicken, $24.99 for half chicken) and meatloaf (two slices for $24.99) are just as delicious, especially when paired with sides like mac and cheese, cornbread dressing and candied yams. Order a sweet tea ($2.99) and peach cobbler ($7.95) to complete the Southern-inspired dining experience.
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Father's Office
Micro Brew Pub Hamburger American cuisine $$
(Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
The Father’s Office burger, dreamed up by chef Sang Yoon as a no-ketchup, no-substitutions perfection of ground beef (dry-aged chuck) inside a bun (in Yoon’s case, an almost torta-style French roll) has become an integral part of the Southern California burger continuum. At $22, you can pair the burger with an $8 basket of garlic fries (which come with aioli) plus one of Father’s Office’s carefully curated craft beers, many of which cost $10. Other non-burger choices include an $18 mustard-sauced bratwurst topped with shoestring potatoes and served with a side of red cabbage or a $19 crispy fish sandwich or fried chicken sandwich with a beer and maybe a $10 appetizer of stuffed goat-cheese-stuffed piquillo peppers.
If you are with a friend, you can level-up your appetizer pick, possibly sharing an order of $12 arancini, $13 deviled eggs (some of the best in the city) or a $16 beet salad. Or skip the extras and try the burger or bratwurst with one of Father’s Office’s pricier beers or cellar offerings, or one of the restaurant’s excellent cocktails, most of which cost $16. The Office Martini ($16 to $18, depending on the gin), which Yoon likes with lillet blanc and orange bitters, is one of the city’s best.
If you are with a friend, you can level-up your appetizer pick, possibly sharing an order of $12 arancini, $13 deviled eggs (some of the best in the city) or a $16 beet salad. Or skip the extras and try the burger or bratwurst with one of Father’s Office’s pricier beers or cellar offerings, or one of the restaurant’s excellent cocktails, most of which cost $16. The Office Martini ($16 to $18, depending on the gin), which Yoon likes with lillet blanc and orange bitters, is one of the city’s best.
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Found Oyster
East Hollywood Seafood Restaurant
(Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)
If you don’t go overboard with Found Oyster’s actual overboard platter, a market-priced shellfish feast, you can grab a spot on the Boat Deck — what the East Hollywood restaurant calls its lively sidewalk space — and relax with chef Ari Kolender’s yuzo kosho-spiked scallop tostada ($22) and a glass of flinty white Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc) for $16. (Wines by the glass range from $14 to $20 here.)
If you go for a beer ($6 to $8), you can take advantage of the menu’s per-piece shellfish offerings — maybe a ponzu-dressed littleneck clam ($4 each) plus a mussel in a bit of cream on the half shell ($4 each) dressed with fennel and chile. (Watch the market price of the oysters to see what might be available and affordable each day.) If you choose the $6 lager, you can order two of the per-piece shellfish along with the excellent $23 fried cod sandwich, served with frites to make a meal.
With a friend, there are even more choices: Share the restaurant’s famed lobster bisque roll plate with fries ($38) and with your lagers add either the artichoke brandade topped with broiled Gruyère cheese and served with tortilla chips ($18) or a blue cheese-dressed wedge salad with tomato and smoked bacon ($20) or a $9 cup of bacon-y New England-style chowder. Note that the chowder choice would leave enough in our $50-and-under budget to allow each of you to order a glass of wine instead of lager. Or, if your cravings tend toward the sweet, there’s always pie — $12 from Nicole Rucker’s wonderful Fat + Flour.
If you go for a beer ($6 to $8), you can take advantage of the menu’s per-piece shellfish offerings — maybe a ponzu-dressed littleneck clam ($4 each) plus a mussel in a bit of cream on the half shell ($4 each) dressed with fennel and chile. (Watch the market price of the oysters to see what might be available and affordable each day.) If you choose the $6 lager, you can order two of the per-piece shellfish along with the excellent $23 fried cod sandwich, served with frites to make a meal.
With a friend, there are even more choices: Share the restaurant’s famed lobster bisque roll plate with fries ($38) and with your lagers add either the artichoke brandade topped with broiled Gruyère cheese and served with tortilla chips ($18) or a blue cheese-dressed wedge salad with tomato and smoked bacon ($20) or a $9 cup of bacon-y New England-style chowder. Note that the chowder choice would leave enough in our $50-and-under budget to allow each of you to order a glass of wine instead of lager. Or, if your cravings tend toward the sweet, there’s always pie — $12 from Nicole Rucker’s wonderful Fat + Flour.
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Fuegos L.A.
Exposition Park Argentinian $$
Partners Max Pizzi and Fede Laboureau immigrated to L.A. from Argentina 15 years ago and worked behind the scenes in TV and film for years, but when industry strikes threatened their jobs, they took it as an opportunity to pivot with Fuegos L.A. The bric-a-brac wine bistro in South L.A. is anchored by a rusted pickup truck in the parking lot with a grill in the bed for cooking short ribs, pork flank and links of morcilla and Argentinian chorizo sausage. Order at least one house-baked empanada ($5 each) — my favorite is the malbec-marinated beef with tender chunks of sirloin, red bell pepper and onion — and something from the grill, perhaps strips of entraña (skirt steak) served with a peppery arugula salad and crispy fries ($30) or tira de asada (short ribs) with truffle fries ($30). There’s also choripan, or chorizo tucked in a French baguette with chimichurri and criolla sauce ($14) and beef or chicken Milanese topped with tomato sauce and melted mozzarella that comes with a salad and fries ($20). Either of the latter choices paired with an empanada leaves enough budget for a glass of wine ($12) from the list that favors South American producers. Stop by in the evening for a lively atmosphere that might involve live music or neighbors simply coming together over good food, including Pizzi and Laboureau, who are likely to stop by your table and introduce themselves. The restaurant closes at 3:30 p.m. Sunday and 7 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, but is open until 11 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.
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Happies Hand Made
Downtown L.A. Chicken $
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Happies Hand Made, from Angler alum Joshua Skenes, proves that fine dining provenance can translate beautifully to a more casual setting, and in the chef’s new Arts District chicken shop, it’s also affordable. There are sandwiches and wings, but I love the smoky-spicy chicken tenders, especially when served with a salad that’s tossed in bright anchovy dressing ($19), or with the crisp-edged “liquid” waffle drowning in maple butter ($21), both of which include fries and a sauce. Supplement these combos with soft serve ($8), a cocktail ($12) or the the house-made yuzu soda ($7), or order the tenders a la carte ($13) and build with sides from there. Don’t skimp on the dipping sauces in options like barrel-aged hot sauce and house chile crisp.
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Holbox
Historic South-Central Mexican $$
(Ron De Angelis / For The Times)
You probably know Michelin-starred Holbox for its vibrant ceviches and aguachiles, along with its wide selection of tacos and tostadas on housemade heirloom maize tortillas. It’s hard to pass up staples like the octopus taco with squid ink sofrito ($7) and lime-serrano scallop aguachile ($16) — but if you opt for just one of chef Gilberto Cetina’s larger dishes, you might even be able to leave Mercado La Paloma with some leftovers. You can’t go wrong with any of Holbox’s entrees, most of which are served with a side of black beans, cilantro rice, avocado and marinated cherry tomatoes: Try the smoky chile shrimp with garlic butter ($28) and the mesquite-grilled branzino filet served with two blue corn tortillas ($29). To double down on seafood, order the sopa de mariscos ($24), in which five types — rockfish, shrimp, kanpachi, mussels and best of all, housemade fish sausage — intermingle in a thick, tomato-based broth that tastes of the ocean. Though the Historic South-Central marisqueria doesn’t sell alcohol, the sparkling lemonade ($5) makes for a tart, refreshing addition.
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Holy Basil
Downtown L.A. Thai $$
(Juliana Yamada / Los Angeles Times)
As far as dollar-to-flavor ratio, Holy Basil ranks among the highest for value, especially its Atwater location where chef Wedchayan “Deau” Arpapornnopparat — who was born in Bangkok and grew up in Bangalore — conceives a Thai-Chinese menu with precision twists of far-flung influences. A staple is wok-charred pad see ew with pork belly and XO sauce ($16.50), but you might accompany that with basil-scented gra pow of Angus and Wagyu beef ($16.50) — add a fried egg for $2. The noodles in his khao soi ($20) resemble Italian tube-shaped paccheri ($20), and cabbage is sautéed sukiyaki-style ($14). And nearly a third of the mains don’t exceed $20, about the price of one Tochiaika strawberry at Erewhon.
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Iki Ramen
Hollywood Japanese restaurant $
(Juliana Yamada / Los Angeles Times)
Noodle soup is the namesake, but the sushi at Iki Ramen is just as much of a standout, and just as affordable. The prices vary slightly between the Koreatown and Hollywood locations, but you’ll find some of the city’s best ramen and sushi at their respective price points. I love the citrusy yuzu shio ramen ($22), which comes topped with thick slices of just-charred pork belly, and I never leave without some form of sushi, such as the real-crab California roll ($11) or plump Hokkaido scallop nigiri ($8 for two pieces). Wash it down with house-made yuzu-ade ($8) or green tea ($5). When I want a sushi-focused meal I often order the hand roll set in Hollywood ($28) or the kaizen don in Koreatown ($30), plus a pork kakuni bao ($6). For those looking to spend a little more, the whisky selection is excellent, as are cocktails like the dashi martini.
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Ippudo V
West Hollywood Japanese restaurant
(Betty Hallock / Los Angeles Times)
This quirky-cute vegetable-based experiment from a Japanese ramen chain checks a lot of boxes. It’s vegan, located right in the heart of West Hollywood, has sit-down service, lots of bite-size add-ons (the better to stretch your dollar) and interesting drinks. The ramen options aren’t meant to be stand-ins for meaty originals but are creatively distinct and priced accordingly. A summer shoyu ramen with whole grain noodles, grilled tomato, onion tempura, edible flowers and chives is $22. But the menu is highly configurable, with variables such as a $3 mini-side of a pile of battered and fried enoki mushrooms, $6 cucumber salad and $8 shishito peppers. The beverage menu includes a variety of teas from Kettl, including hojicha and sobacha hot or iced ($7); fresh juices; kombucha ($8); yuzu and lychee sparklers and other nonalcoholic cocktails ($6 to $14) and draft and bottled beer (starting at $11). Wines are more spendy.
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Johnny's West Adams
Jefferson Park Deli $
(Kemal Cilengir / For The Times)
Place your order at the window, take a buzzer and find a seat at one of the umbrella-shaded benches in the parking lot, tables hidden on the sandy patio behind the Bar at Johnny’s next door or inside the industrial bar with exposed ceilings. Try the titular pastrami in a French dip sandwich ($19.25), tacos ($9 for two) or on top of fries with caramelized onions, Swiss cheese and Thousand Island ($12.95), and you’ll still have enough funds for matzo ball soup ($12.95) and a house-made soda ($6) — my favorite flavor is tamarind and mint. If you skip the soup, that leaves enough to spike the soda with your spirit of choice ($8 upcharge).
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Joy
Highland Park Taiwanese $
(Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)
Pine & Crane’s sister restaurant in Highland Park offers the same satisfying Taiwanese flavors with a few different items — the most cost-effective of which is the Joy Combo, which contains an appetizer, soup, large sandwich and drink for less than $18. Joy’s selection of cold appetizers, which includes garlicky wood ear mushrooms, a mild soy noodle salad, crunchy pickled cabbage and classic cucumber salad, are all refreshing and balance out the hot and sour soup. Joy’s sandwich buns have a fluffy, sesame-seeded top half and a scallion pancake bottom half, filled with either pork belly, five spice beef or braised bean curd (tofu skin), along with pickled radish and cucumber, crushed peanuts and cilantro. Joy also shares Pine & Crane’s dessert menu — take home some peanut and black sesame mochi ($8.50) or hot forbidden rice pudding with coconut milk and sweet potato balls ($7.50) for later.
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Katsu Sando
San Gabriel Valley Japanese $
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Mix and match to your heart’s content at Katsu Sando, which serves some of the best sandwiches in the region — and, more recently, a few Japanese and Korean combo-plate entrées, too. Daniel Son’s omakase, Sushi Sonagi, garners most of the critical praise but the chef-owner’s more casual concept in San Gabriel and Chinatown serves comforting yoshoku-style cuisine where fried-meat sandwiches served on fresh milk bread take center stage, and $50 easily feeds two. Start classic with the original pork or chicken variety ($12.95) and add a few culture-crossing stacks like the Chinese-inspired honey walnut shrimp sando ($16.95) or the Korean-leaning kimchi brown butter chicken sandwich ($15.95). Or supplement your original with one of Son’s creative plates such as the Wagyu hambagu steak with demi-glace, rice, roasted vegetables and miso soup ($17.95). Finish with a dessert fruit sando ($5.95) or pick and choose other snacks, imported drinks and candy from the shelves inspired by konbini, or Japanese convenience stores.
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KazuNori: The Original Hand Roll Bar
Studio City Sushi $$
(Betty Hallock / Los Angeles Times)
Kazunori Nozawa’s first KazuNori changed the economics of sushi when it opened more than 10 years ago in a parking garage in the core of downtown L.A. Its U-shaped counter (inspired by Apple Pan’s, for maximum efficiency) is still a favorite spot for hand rolls — with the freshest fish and crispiest seaweed around. Its six hand roll set is $29 and might include toro, yellowtail, salmon, bay scallop, crab and lobster. (Nozawa — the sushi chef behind the original Nozawa in Studio City — says he was the initiator of the crab hand roll as a finale for omakase.) The “Nozie” set includes seasonal specials and costs $30. Add a Sapporo Premium or Ozeki One Cup Sake for $7 each. “Kanpai” all around.
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Kismet Rotisserie
Pasadena Mediterranean Rotisserie $
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Sarah Hymanson and Sara Kramer’s rotisserie chicken micro-chain, a spinoff of their Mediterranean-Californian flagship restaurant Kismet, now has four locations around the metro area: East Hollywood, Studio City, Culver City and the newest in Pasadena. It’s easy to think of chicken and sides primarily as carryout fodder, and Kismet Rotisserie certainly does big business in takeout, but the quality of the food makes it worthy of a quiet solo meal or quick dinner for two — especially the Culver City and Pasadena outposts, which have the most appealing, streamlined-mod atmospheres. Plenty of mix-and-match options fit the budget. A quarter chicken plate ($18 or $19, depending on the cut of meat) includes a small wedge salad, hummus, pickles, pita and the all-important chile oil and garlic sauce to splash and smear on most everything. Gild a meal for one with excellent, crackly “schmaltzy” roasted potatoes ($7) or fennel-tinged tzatziki ($5.50), ginger “carrotade” ($5) or lemony chicken bone broth ($6) to drink and a tahini chocolate-chip cookie for dessert. Two diners could share a half-chicken plate (36.50) and throw in a “market veg” plate (17.50) with three choices like citrusy shredded carrot salad, smashed cucumbers with caraway seeds and cauliflower stained with turmeric.
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Komal
Historic South-Central Mexican $
(Shelby Moore / For The Times)
You can’t go wrong at this outstanding stall inside Mercado la Paloma that specializes in heirloom Mexican corn varieties, all nixtamalized in-house. Two people can eat a whole meal here easily for $50 in total. The milpa salad is a must-have: a wildly satisfying take on the traditional ensalada de milpa with ayocote beans, squash, sweet corn, cucumber, cilantro, and hoja santa dressing ($10) Add molotes de plátano, or fried plantain balls filled with quesillo ($10) and the order of tlacoyos ($10). Throw in an agua fresca or finish with any quesadilla, like a current special of picadillo ($8) for a complete sampling of chef Fátima Juárez’s maturing talents with maíz.
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Lasung House
Harvard Heights Korean restaurant $
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
The thinly pounded, deep-fried pork cutlets arrive nearly the size of the plate, which is roughly the size of a human head. At Lasung House — the homey Korean restaurant from the team behind Quarters, Origin Korean BBQ and more — the portions are massive and especially so for the signature item. All meals begin with banchan and a cup of hearty cream soup, and the gargantuan katsu combo plates all arrive with cabbage slaw, rice and macaroni salad, starting at $19.99. “Side dishes,” priced $21.99 and below, are all large enough to serve as entrées, but for even less money you can level up katsu combos with cheese ($21.99), curry rice ($21.99), jumbo shrimp ($25.99) or buckwheat noodles ($28.99). These upgrades make for an easily split meal with another diner, especially considering add-ons like extra rice, extra sauce or extra cheese run $2. Drinks are affordable here, too, with beers topping out at $7 and imported Korean sodas at $2.99, but the beverage star is the house-made sikhye slush ($5.99), made from rice and available in three flavors.
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Love & Salt
Manhattan Beach Italian $$
(Daniel Hernandez / Los Angeles Times)
This casual Italian spot opened in 2014 in a space that formerly housed a beloved restaurant since 1977, making it the perfect place to catch a locals’ vibe — plus a pizza and a cocktail — in Manhattan Beach. Start with a Sicilian Spritz with housemade limoncello ($15) or the snazzy Etna Rosa, with Gray Whale gin and Cappeletti ($16) and then pick a pizza. I suggest either the Cipolla Blanca or the Great Debate, a take on the Hawaiian style (both $26). For two people, add a pair of the deep-fried arancini ($8 each) and perhaps the wood oven meatballs ($22, plus $2 for extra ricotta) for a proper date-night spread.
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Manila Inasal
Silver Lake Filipino $$
(Bill Addison / Los Angeles Times)
The best way to experience chef Natalian Moran and partner Elzar Dodjie Simon’s modern Filipino restaurant is with a group so you can try as much of the menu as possible. But don’t take that to mean that the Echo Park eatery isn’t fit for one — from lechon belly sisig ($30.50) to a thick crab omelette with roasted eggplant ($29.50) and jackfruit and tofu adobo ($21.50), you can choose from a selection of large-format entrees and you’ll still have enough funds leftover for a cup of garlic fried rice ($5) or an ube mochi brownie ($6.50). If you’re tackling the menu as a pair, go for the beef and oxtail macadamia kare kare ($49.50) and a slice of pistachio san rival cake ($15.50) for dessert, with a pitcher of half calamansi juice and half tanglad tea ($8) — a Filipino-inspired take on the Arnold Palmer — to wash it all down.
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MDK Noodles
Koreatown Korean $$
(Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
Yes, per the restaurant’s American name — an abbreviation for the Seoul-based institution Myeongdong Kyoja, of which this Koreatown staple is an outpost — noodles, hot or cold, should be the meal’s focus. Start with an order of beautifully crinkled pork mandu ($17.99), each as intricate as a snowflake, with the speckled green of the chives in the filling visible through the translucent wrapping. With 10 to an order they’re easily shared. For a $50 solo meal, though, I’d forgo a soda ($3) or beer ($5.99 to $8.99) to scarf them down myself before a bowl of signature kalguksu ($17.99), in which hand-cut wheat noodles swirl in nicely concentrated chicken stock with additions of ground chicken and a few pork wontons. For cold noodles, lean spicier with jjolmyeon ($17.99), wheat noodles tossing in clinging gochujang with garnishes of egg and a crunching duet of shredded cabbage and julienned cucumbers. With every dish, complementary sides of kimchi stinging with garlic bring the flavors home.
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Menchita's
Mid-City Salvadoran $
(Danielle Dorsey / Los Angeles Times)
I first discovered this Salvadoran restaurant on La Brea Boulevard during the pandemic when it moved its seating to the strip mall parking lot, with bands playing on the weekend. Now you’ll find live acts playing in the casual dining room with red-plaid tablecloths and a mural of El Salvador’s countryside on the wall. There’s also a mounted TV that screens international fútbol games. Here you can splurge on a big dinner with guaranteed leftovers and still stay within budget: Start with your choice of pupusa (I recommend the pupusas locas with cheese, pork, beans, squash and loroco for $4.50); pollo asado (served with rice, black beans, salad and two tortillas, $19) or a fortifying bowl of sopa de gallina India (served with rice, salad and two tortillas for $20) as your entree; and sweet plantain empanadas for dessert ($11). Skip the pupusa for a hearty agua de ensalada bobbing with bits of pineapple, lettuce and other seasonal fruits for $5 — or order both if you’re willing to exceed your original budget by a few bucks.
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The Original Coley's
Sherman Oaks Jamaican $
(Astrid Kayembe / Los Angeles Times)
The Original Coley’s has occupied locations across South L.A. and the Valley since it was founded by Don Coley in 1982, but somehow, long-time customers always seem to find the vibrant Jamaican restaurant, no matter the address. Tucked in a Sherman Oaks strip mall for the last few years, the menu remains consistent with classic Caribbean favorites. Order at least one patty ($5.20 to $6.24 for cheesy beef), then choose between entrees like oxtail ($31.20), curry goat ($24.96), jerk chicken ($18.72) or a vegan ackee and callaloo plate ($20.80), all of which come piled with rice and peas, plantain and a piece of festival bread. Unless you order the oxtail (in which case you’ll likely be stuffed), you’ll have enough remaining funds to add soursop juice ($8.65) or a Jamaican fruit rum cake ($7.28) for dessert.
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Pasjoli
Santa Monica French $$
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Pasjoli reopened earlier this year with a revamped dining room and an entirely new menu. The idea was to make the restaurant more accessible, and more fun, with dishes and cocktails you could mix and match to create a casual weeknight dinner or a grand night out. Dave Beran’s burger ($26), with a thick patty of dry-aged beef, bone marrow aioli and red onion au poivre, is one of the most decadent in town. Pair it with a refreshing La vie au jour mocktail made with ginger, lime and orange blossom ($12). For something a little lighter, there’s the little gem salad ($21) served as a tower of lettuce showered in gossamer ribbons of Comte cheese. The perfect precursor to the French onion souplette ($15), a petite bowl of soup served with golden blocks of croutons made for dunking.
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Phởholic
Garden Grove Vietnamese $$
(Shelby Moore / For The Times)
Pho, as a category onto itself, is always persuasive as an affordable meal and topic of debate among food obsessives. In the greater Los Angeles area, I’ll point you to Pho Saigon Pasteur in Alhambra and, for chicken pho with a side of garlic wings, Pho Dakao in Rosemead. But first place in Southern California goes to Phoholic, Gordon Pham’s 10-year-old venture with three locations in Orange County: Costa Mesa, Stanton, and the original restaurant in Westminster, where the energy is always high and where I head first. Pham adapted the restaurant’s broth recipe from the pho shops his family ran in Vietnam, and it models harmony: beefy yet bright, the sweet spices at the forefront without overpowering other flavors. Fans like to point out the rare (and sporadically available) addition of citrusy-musky ngò ôm among the usual herb garnishes. I come with someone willing to share and order two bowls: the No. 8 ($14.50), with two cuts of flank steak (I sometimes ask for meatballs, which cost an extra $6, for more texture), and the blowout No. 16 ($15.50) with hulking cuts of beef shank and oxtail. No alcohol, but there are teas (milky, ice green or fruit flavors such as winter melon and lychee) for $5 each.
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Pizzeria Bianco
Downtown L.A. Pizza $$
(Ron De Angelis / For The Times)
A night with exceptional pizza in front of me has been a lifelong favorite solo outing. To that end, I’ve been savoring the charred, bready crust and careful ingredients of Chris Bianco’s game-changing creations since his first restaurant in Phoenix in the 1990s. His first Los Angeles location in downtown’s Row DTLA complex — with its industrial-rustic mix of concrete walls and rough wood beams — was mobbed after opening in 2022. Business has since calmed to a steady hum. Admittedly, top-shelf pizza isn’t inexpensive in this town. Centering a meal on a gorgeous Bianco signature like the Rosa ($25), the fragrance of rosemary complementing a trio of Parmigiano Reggiano, red onion and ground pistachios, requires some strategizing to say within the $50 budget. Begin with a lightly dressed Little Gem salad ($12) or enjoy a Skyduster IPA ($8) alongside the pie, or finish with dessert — say, panna cotta sauced with blackberry jam ($12) or tiramisu layered with chocolate sponge cake ($12)?
For date night, my recommendation for two is a little radical: Skip pizza altogether. Instead, share the antipasto platter of salumi, cheeses and seasonal roasted vegetables ($24), followed by the magnificent chicken Francese ($34), flaunting a sauce made from rich chicken stock infused with Parmigiano-Reggiano rinds, pan drippings, butter, lemon and chives. You’ll have just enough budget left to order a pair of beers or split a glass of Sangiovese ($17).
For date night, my recommendation for two is a little radical: Skip pizza altogether. Instead, share the antipasto platter of salumi, cheeses and seasonal roasted vegetables ($24), followed by the magnificent chicken Francese ($34), flaunting a sauce made from rich chicken stock infused with Parmigiano-Reggiano rinds, pan drippings, butter, lemon and chives. You’ll have just enough budget left to order a pair of beers or split a glass of Sangiovese ($17).
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Propaganda Wine Bar
Downtown L.A. Wine Bars Italian $$
(Laurie Ochoa / Los Angeles Times)
Propaganda, in the heart of L.A.’s Arts District, is a romantic date-night wine bar with an emphasis on pinsa Romana, an oblong flatbread popularized in Rome some 20 years ago. It comes with cheese and other pizza-like toppings on a crisp-edged crust made with dough that usually ferments for 72 hours. Order your own pinsa margherita ($17) or pinsa puttanesca (tomatoes, capers, olives, oregano and Calabrian chiles, $16), as well as a negroni sbagliato (with Prosecco instead of gin) or limoncello spritz for $13, plus vanilla gelato with chocolate bitters ($8). Bonus: The restaurant offers two hours of free validated parking.
Of course, if the candlelit outdoor setting works its magic and you are willing to share your pinsa and gelato with a date, you can each get a glass of wine ($12 to $17) or beer ($7 to $13) and add either a salad ($15 to $17), or a cheese or salumi plate ($12 each) or one of Propaganda’s tapas-like stuzzichini, which range from $6 rosemary-roasted almonds to $15 crostini topped with anchovy, hummus, bottarga and piquillo peppers. Or instead of a pinsa, get a focaccia sandwich ($18 to $20) — they are designed for two.
Of course, if the candlelit outdoor setting works its magic and you are willing to share your pinsa and gelato with a date, you can each get a glass of wine ($12 to $17) or beer ($7 to $13) and add either a salad ($15 to $17), or a cheese or salumi plate ($12 each) or one of Propaganda’s tapas-like stuzzichini, which range from $6 rosemary-roasted almonds to $15 crostini topped with anchovy, hummus, bottarga and piquillo peppers. Or instead of a pinsa, get a focaccia sandwich ($18 to $20) — they are designed for two.
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Rosty Peruvian Food
Highland Park Peruvian $
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
The portions are generous at this Highland Park mainstay, making nearly everything shareable — from the bowl-like “cup” of comforting aguadito de pollo soup served with crusty bread ($6) to the platter of lomo saltado ($24), its seared steak and sautéed vegetables piled atop thick house-made French fries and accompanied by rice and sauces. Order both and a refreshing chicha morada, or purple corn drink ($6), to wash it all down within budget, or swap in sides like black beans or salad, also priced at $6. The Gomez family, who operate the Peruvian neighborhood restaurant with care and generational recipes, also specialize in wood-fired rotisserie chicken: The quarter- and half-chicken plates ($14 and $23, respectively) include two sides and also make for great sharing.
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The Ruby Fruit
Silver Lake Wine Bars $$
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
There’s always something happening at the “sapphically inclined” wine bar from Emily Bielagus and Mara Herbkersman in a Silver Lake strip mall. Drop by during the day and you might stumble upon a co-working session, while the evening brings single’s events, drag bingo and queer trivia. The menu takes similar cues with a focus on fun items like raclette-topped fries that are rotated in and out. Start with pimento cheese dip ($12) or butter beans with salsa verde ($16), then choose between mains such as popcorn chicken (vegan version available) with fries and yuzu aioli ($18) and a grilled chicken sandwich piled with Fresno chile slaw ($19). Skip the appetizer and you’ll have enough funds left for an olive oil cake ($10). Prefer to sample the wine list? Pair your main with a glass of bubbly Lambrusco or an effervescent orange wine from Denmark (all wines by the glass are $17 each). If you’re dining with a date or a friend, the MC special, featuring two hot dogs and a bucket with five bottles of Miller High Life ($32), is the obvious choice.
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Ruta 15
Long Beach Mexican Seafood $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
This ceviche bar is one of the most exciting meals you’ll find in Long Beach right now, with a menu that draws culinary inspiration from destinations along the Mexico highway that begins at the border in Nogales, Sonora, and ends south of Mexico City. Mariscos dominate, and you can try plenty with a $50 budget: charred ceviche verde ($18) paired with mix-and-match seafood shooters bobbing with octopus, clams or oysters ($18); or Culichi style shrimp ($25) sautéed in garlic and served with cilantro rice, butter-roasted onion puree and julienned veggies, all doused in a creamy green sauce. Sample the “land” section of the menu with guacamole con chicharrón ($15), try churros acanelados ($11) for dessert, or drink the rest of your meal with a margarita ($13).
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Sonoratown
Mid-Wilshire Sonoran $
(Silvia Razgova / Los Angeles Times)
For $12.50, I present you with the Los Angeles food item I have consumed more than any other: Sonoratown’s famous Burrito 2.0, a masterfully thin, flaky-buttery tortilla swollen with pinto beans, mashed guacamole, Monterey Jack and sharply spicy chiltepin salsa. My meat of choice is costilla — a mix of boneless short rib and chuck robed in mesquite smoke, though at any given time I might instead choose grilled chicken, tripe, or chorizo. Cabeza, a newer entrant, simmers to such tenderness that the clove-scented molecules transform into beefy custard. Every other bite, I like to dollop on extra guac ($5). You can also savor these meats in the guise of a taco ($3.50), quesadilla ($4.50), or a filling, open-faced caramelo ($8.50). If there are two of you, share the chivichanga, a mini-bundle of stewed, cheese-laced chicken or beef that in bulk make for perfect party food. Owners Teodoro Díaz Rodriguez Jr. and Jennifer Feltham run the original location in DTLA’s Fashion District and Long Beach’s East Village. A third outpost in Mid-City is the one for lingering; it’s the only Sonoratown outpost that serves a spicy michelada ($9) or Modelo on tap ($7).
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Sri Siam Cafe
Valley Glen Thai $$
(Laurie Ochoa / Los Angeles Times)
Customers drive from all over Los Angeles to eat Sri Siam’s crispy rice salad ($18.95). A meal in itself, the crisp, almost puffed rice is spicy, lashed with lime and studded with cubes of sour pork sausage, slivers of ginger and plenty of toasted peanuts and fresh mint. Order a $5 Thai iced tea and add either a $13.95 dessert of mango and sticky rice in season or a $13.95 curry puff with sweet chile sauce.
With a friend or a group, you can try even more — maybe stir-fried radish cake ($18.95), duck laab ($18.95), spicy pork spare ribs ($17.95), a terrific green papaya salad ($15.95) or an exemplary khao soi ($19.95) with the egg noodles sauced in a mellow yellow curry brightened with pickled mustard greens, red onion and chile.
For a splurge, I’m a fan of the crisp, fried trout platter — market priced but recently $31.95 — which comes two ways — with a tart, chile-flecked green apple salad tossed with red and green onions, or with an herb sauce packed with lemongrass, ginger, garlic, dried shrimp, fried onions and a tamarind chile paste. Both are delicious.
With a friend or a group, you can try even more — maybe stir-fried radish cake ($18.95), duck laab ($18.95), spicy pork spare ribs ($17.95), a terrific green papaya salad ($15.95) or an exemplary khao soi ($19.95) with the egg noodles sauced in a mellow yellow curry brightened with pickled mustard greens, red onion and chile.
For a splurge, I’m a fan of the crisp, fried trout platter — market priced but recently $31.95 — which comes two ways — with a tart, chile-flecked green apple salad tossed with red and green onions, or with an herb sauce packed with lemongrass, ginger, garlic, dried shrimp, fried onions and a tamarind chile paste. Both are delicious.
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Sticky Rice
Beverly Grove Thai $$
(Danielle Dorsey / Los Angeles Times)
Find a location of this L.A. micro-chain tucked off a busy stretch of 3rd Street in Beverly Grove, with sidewalk seating and a window for takeout, as well as a colorful interior with holiday lights, a lava lamp, action figures and shelves of vintage DVDs. The menu bridges partners David Tewasart and Bryan Sharafkhah’s experiences living and cooking throughout Thailand, from comforting khao soi ($20) to street food favorites such as chicken satay ($16) and pork jerky ($14). Recently, I had a perfect meal alone at the bar, starting with crispy shrimp rolls ($16), followed by spicy laab with minced pork ($16) that I fashioned into lettuce cups using the cabbage it’s served with, and refreshing Thai iced tea ($6) to temper the heat. When I return with a friend, I’ll be sure to order a bottle to split from the short list of funky natural wines. Pro-tip: The restaurant is located about a half-mile from the Grove and not much further from the Beverly Center in case you’re hungry after shopping but don’t want to brave a crowded mall food court.
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Sushi:K
Beverly Hills Japanese Sushi $$
(Jenn Harris / Los Angeles Times )
Despite its ZIP code, Sushi:K is one of the most affordable sushi restaurants in the city. Chef Tomohiko Kawamura offers a $32 K Lite menu that showcases his well seasoned shari and daily selection of fresh fish. The set comes with a small sunomono salad and a bowl of miso soup. Next are five pieces of nigiri, followed by a blue crab or spicy tuna hand roll. If you’re still hungry, you can opt for an additional cucumber hand roll ($5) or another spicy tuna ($6). There’s ice-cold Sapporo Premium ($6) and matcha green tea ($4). And for dessert, maybe a scoop of the yuzu sorbet ($4.50).
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Sushi Nikkei
Long Beach Nikkei $$
(Daniel Hernandez / Los Angeles Times)
Daiwa Wong and Eduardo Chang operate two locations of Sushi Nikkei in Long Beach and have quickly gained a following for their welcoming, confident approach to Peruvian-style sushi. For one person, dive right in with the tiradito Nikkei, of striped bass, ponzu and sesame oil ($21), followed by an eight-piece specialty roll like the Acebichado ($17), with crispy shrimp and avocado topped by tuna, taragashi, and an “acebichado” sauce. Or get any two rolls at $17 each and you have enough left over for an Inka Cola, the unmistakably yellow Peruvian cream soda ($4). For two, definitely add the restaurant’s stand-out grilled scallops, with quinoa pop ($7 or $14).
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Torimatsu
Gardena Japanese $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Shoji Ishikawa’s delicate yet bold kushiyaki, or Japanese charcoal grilled skewers, make for one of the best dinners in the South Bay. Torimatsu has been a yakitori pioneer since it opened in 1990 — every night, Ishikawa stands behind the counter cooking hundreds of skewers, each grilled for a few minutes before being dipped in Ishikawa’s light tare sauce.
The seven-piece shinbashi course ($33) features some of the best skewers on the menu, starting with three signatures: the tsukune (three tender chicken meatballs), tebasaki (crispy chicken wing) and aigamo (duck with green onion and shishito pepper). It also comes with your choice of salad: Opt for the thinly sliced scallion salad to best cut the savoriness of the kushiyaki. Next is the motsu (chicken liver), chicken wrapped in perilla leaf, green bell pepper stuffed with chicken — stuffed vegetables are a specialty at Torimatsu — and the nankotsu (chicken cartilage), followed by soothing, creamy chicken broth with green onion and wakame and vanilla ice cream to finish. Wash it all down with a Bud Light ($5).
Reservations at the Gardena restaurant are hard to snag, so your best shot is to arrive right before opening at 5:30.
The seven-piece shinbashi course ($33) features some of the best skewers on the menu, starting with three signatures: the tsukune (three tender chicken meatballs), tebasaki (crispy chicken wing) and aigamo (duck with green onion and shishito pepper). It also comes with your choice of salad: Opt for the thinly sliced scallion salad to best cut the savoriness of the kushiyaki. Next is the motsu (chicken liver), chicken wrapped in perilla leaf, green bell pepper stuffed with chicken — stuffed vegetables are a specialty at Torimatsu — and the nankotsu (chicken cartilage), followed by soothing, creamy chicken broth with green onion and wakame and vanilla ice cream to finish. Wash it all down with a Bud Light ($5).
Reservations at the Gardena restaurant are hard to snag, so your best shot is to arrive right before opening at 5:30.
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YeoGiYo
Koreatown Korean restaurant
(Betty Hallock / Los Angeles Times)
Modular menu options for Korean comfort food landed YeoGiYo on this list, with modern decor, full table service, endless pours of barley tea, generous banchan, and operating hours from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Soups and noodle dishes include brisket or seafood soon dubu ($17.88), naeng myun ($17.88) and bulgogi stew ($22.88) and come with complimentary rice. Larger-format hot pots are recommended for sharing, such as kimchi pork belly hot pot ($45.88) and spicy braised chicken ($43.88), which are meals in themselves and more than enough for two. If you’re a duo trying to dine for less than $100 (including tax and tip), adding one of the specialties of the restaurant — clam bibimbap showered with chives and salty seaweed ($19.88) or a big kimchi pancake ($21.88) or spicy rice cakes ($17.88) — means a feast and you’ll still have plenty of your budget left over.
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