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Collage of food images: fries, sandwiches, congee, pasta
Clockwise from top left: Pita sandwich from Kismet Rotisserie, fish congee from Huo Zhou Wang Porridge, smoked eel carbonara from Buvons Wine Bar + Restaurant, BBQ platter with sides from AC Barbeque and cumin lamb saddle from Firstborn
(Collage by Brandon Ly / Los Angeles Times, Photos by Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times and Jennelle Fong / For The Times)

The best places to eat and drink this month, according to our food writers

The sky is clear and PCH is open for the first time since January — summer is approaching in L.A. Celebrate the ease in traffic with a coastal road trip complete with pit stops for coffee and Santa Maria-style barbecue, maybe treating yourself to a stay at the iconic Madonna Inn along the way.

But there’s plenty to do if you decide to stay local. You can enjoy uninterrupted views from one of the city’s towering rooftop restaurants, or cheer on the Dodgers at a stadium-adjacent brewery or taqueria while the season is in full swing.

Local restaurants also need your support. On June 13, Here’s Looking at You, a lauded Koreatown restaurant with recurring appearances on The Times’ annual 101 Best Restaurants list, will close after nearly a decade of warm hospitality, late-night double cheeseburgers and tiki cocktails. Reservations are full, but you might get lucky with a bar seat or by showing up early.

It’s a reminder to support the institutions that feel integral to our city’s culinary identity, including landmark restaurants that have been around for close to (or more than) a century. With Rite Aid stores closing across the state, it could be your last chance to order Thrifty’s ice cream at the counter — a superior experience to scooping from a tub at home.

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And if you need even more dining ideas this month, our Food writers have you covered, including a destination shopping center in San Gabriel, Gen Z-approved coffee in Historic Filipinotown and celebrity-backed barbecue in Century City.

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AC Barbeque

Century City Barbecue $$
A tray of shredded brisket, pulled pork, brisket baked beans, coleslaw, sweet potato fries and mac and cheese on a wood table
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Two kings of comedy are behind a buzzy new barbecue spot at the sprawling Westfield Century City mall. AC Barbeque is the first bricks-and-mortar from celebrities and longtime friends Cedric the Entertainer and Anthony Anderson, who co-host the popular A&E series “Kings of BBQ” where they visit pitmasters around the country and highlight Black food traditions. The restaurant is intended to be an extension of that effort, with chef Burt Bakman of Slab behind the low-and-slow-cooked menu, including smoked chicken, brisket or pork; smoked and fried wings; half-racks of St. Louis-style pork ribs; brisket and pulled pork by the pound; sides such as cornbread, mac and cheese and brisket baked beans; and banana pudding for dessert. The freshly opened barbecue stand has regularly been selling out of items; head there early to ensure you get a plate.
Read about the new celebrity-backed barbecue spot.
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All Too Well

Culver City Sandwich Shop $
A stack of sandwiches at Culver City's All Too Well.
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
A sandwich shop with century-old Chicago roots has expanded to a new location at Culver City’s Platform. Named after a Taylor Swift song, the deli from chef-owner Mitchell Jamra infuses his Lebanese heritage into the menu, including harissa mayo in a “boatwich” with Virginia ham and smoked turkey and a French dip-inspired creation with shaved beef ribeye and tabbouleh. The most popular items at the Chicago shop are available, including the Bombay Chulet with turkey, proscuitto, chile crunch, stracchiatella, fig jam and fried onion. New L.A. creations also grace the menu, such as the off-menu Tuvaverse with tuna salad and a muhammara-red pepper spread. All Too Well’s pop-up at the Platform will run for a year, but Jamra hopes to open a permanent location in L.A.
Read about the Lebanese-inspired sandwich shop in Culver City.
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Buvons Wine Bar + Restaurant

Long Beach Wine Bars Eclectic $$
A fork dips into a whole egg yolk atop smoked-eel carbonara at Buvons Wine Bar + Restaurant in Long Beach.
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
After closing her daytime bistro in Long Beach, Alicia Kemper is reimagining the space as a companion dinner restaurant and wine bar for her next-door bottle shop. The relaunched restaurant features expanded seating, with food and wine menus that rotate each month and occasional chef residencies.
Read about the relaunched restaurant and wine bar.
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Colossus

San Pedro Bakery $
Two halves of a stacked BLT at Colossus Bread's San Pedro cafe
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
The quickly growing bakery chain from Kristin Colazas Rodriguez, who first launched the brand out of her home in 2018, has opened a new location in San Pedro at the base of the Vivo Apartments complex. The fourth outpost features a larger menu, including pan con tomate on griddled country bread and salad Lyonnaise for lunch and meatballs in gravy for dinner, with a beer and wine list to come. Seasonal pastries, fresh-baked breads, a full coffee menu and pantry goods round out the selection.
Read about the new location of Colossus Bread.
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Couplet Coffee

Historic Filipinotown Coffee $
LOS ANGELES, CA -- MAY 18, 2025: Couplet Coffee in Echo Park on Sunday, May 18, 2025. (Chiara Alexa / For The Times)
(Chiara Alexa / For The Times)
Couplet Coffee owner Gefen Skolnick created an approachable coffee shop that would appeal to her Gen Z peers, using her influencer status and background in product management to build buzz before it launched in Historic Filipinotown in January. The colorful shop is rooted in community, hosting friend speed-dating, vintage pop-ups and local meetup groups. Here, you can pick up retail beans, a stylish French press and other quirky merch, as well as viral drinks, such as a rosemary passion fruit espresso tonic and matcha with Filipino banana syrup, banana chips, cinnamon and milk.
Read about the trendy new coffee shop.
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Downtown Dough

Downtown L.A. Pizza $$
A pepperoni pizza from Downtown Dough.
(Jakob N. Layman / Downtown Dough)
In downtown L.A., Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen, a remote-friendly cafe led by entertainer-entrepreneur Issa Rae and partners Ajay Relan and Yonnie Hagos, is flipping to a funk-inspired pizzeria after dark. The food menu from chef Geter Atienza spans pizzas, wood-fired branzino, pastas, salads and starters such as fried calamari, accompanied by magenta lighting and a playlist that favors James Brown, Bootsy Collins and the like. The beverage list features a take on the espresso martini with Hennessy, cold brew, coffee liqueur and demerara syrup, as well as a selection of spritzes. If you’re looking to boogie down after your meal, head to the seventh-floor rooftop for taco, cocktails and themed DJ nights.
Read about the new pizzeria from Issa Rae and partners.
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Firstborn

Chinatown Chinese American $$$
A white dish of Firstborn's signature Chongqing-inspired fried chicken on pink marble against a green tile wall
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angles Times)
A newly opened Chinatown restaurant from chef Anthony Wang, who formerly cooked at Auburn and Destroyer, explores his Chinese-American heritage through creative dishes such as mapo tofu-inspired steak tartare and fried chicken topped with house-made chile crisp. Wang spent years traveling to various parts of China researching the history of Chinese cuisine in order to bridge it with his own experiences growing up in Georgia. The bar menu from Kenzo Han (Steep LA, the Varnish) reflects a similar approach, including a sesame Old Fashioned and a sour with osmanthus and fermented rice.
Read about the new Chinese American restaurant.
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Huo Zhou Wang Porridge

San Gabriel Valley Chinese $$
SAN GABRIEL -- APRIL 4, 2025: Fish congee, with a variety of toppings (roasted peanuts and fermented vegetables) from HUO ZHOU WANG, one of the many restaurants at the Hilton Plaza in San Gabriel on Friday, April 4, 2025. (Jennelle Fong / For The Times)
(Jennelle Fong / For The Times)
Columnist Jenn Harris cites the Hilton Plaza as one of her favorite shopping centers in San Gabriel, thanks to its wealth of top-tier restaurants spanning a range of specialties. At Huo Zhou Wang Porridge, she found congee that was on par with what her grandmother made growing up, featuring a thick soup that you can order with dried scallops, prawns and clams. Harris prefers her congee with sole fish fillet, and orders plenty of deep-fried starters such as red bean-filled sesame balls and mini doughnuts to dip into her porridge, in addition to the complimentary trio of roasted peanuts and spicy marinated radish.
Everywhere you need to eat in the Hilton Plaza.
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Jaime Taqueria

El Segundo Mexican $$
Two beef cheek quesabirria tacos on fresh blue corn tortillas at Jaime Taqueria in El Segundo.
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
“Top Chef” contestant Jackson Kalb, behind Ospi, Jame Enoteca and Jemma restaurants, is branching out from his usual Italian-American-focused ventures with his first taco-driven concept Jaime Taqueria in El Segundo. Seeking to bring a cantina option to the neighborhood, Kalb brought in executive chef Marco Arreguin (Puesto, MXO), who added beef cheek quesabirrias, shrimp gobernadors and plates of pork-shank al pastor and whole branzino zarandeado to the menu. The bar spans tequila flights, an array of margaritas, a paloma and Oaxaca Old Fashioned, with mocktails that use a non-alcoholic tequila.
Read about the new taqueria from chef Jackson Kalb.
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Kismet Rotisserie

Pasadena Mediterranean Rotisserie $
A hand holds a chicken pita sandwich at Kismet Rotisserie in Pasadena. Potatoes and hummus visible behind.
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
A new location of Sarah Hymanson and Sara Kramer’s veggie-forward rotisserie has landed on the border of Pasadena and Altadena. In the bright-yellow restaurant, you’ll find the same combo plates with rotisserie chicken, roasted veggies, smashed cucumbers topped with caraway vinaigrette, freshly baked pita and dips, in addition to a monthly-rotating sandwich special in collaboration with local chefs. June will bring an Italian sandwich from “The Bear” culinary producer Courtney Storer.
Read about the new location of Kismet Rotisserie.
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Langer's Deli

Westlake Jewish Cuisine $$
The #19 pastrami sandwich at Langer's Deli, in side-by-side halves with a pickle spear
(Shelby Moore / For The Times)
First opened by Al Langer in 1947, Langer’s is well-established as a favorite among L.A.’s Jewish delis. The top order is the No. 19, a pastrami sandwich with Swiss cheese, coleslaw and Russian dressing on double-baked rye bread. But columnist Jenn Harris is recommending that faithful diners break this tradition to try her new favorite item at the classic Westlake restaurant: the pastrami French dip, which she argues is the best pick for pastrami purists who want to let the meat’s smokiness shine through. She recommends “a squirt of hot brown mustard every third bite” to cut through the richness and bring out the spice.
Read about the best pastrami dip sandwich in L.A.
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Liu Roast Fish

San Gabriel Valley Chinese $$
Grilled fish with two flavors from Liu Roast Fish at Hilton Plaza in San Gabriel.
(Jenn Harris / Los Angeles Times)
The menu item to order is in the name at Liu Roast Fish in San Gabriel’s Hilton Plaza shopping center, but the base flavors are where you can truly get creative. Columnist Jenn Harris typically gets two black cod fillets swimming in a “golden soup garlic” and “Liu’s homestyle,” which come with head and tail on in a steaming raised platter that bubbles with sauce. she spoons over white rice. Spoon each bite over white rice, and consider starting your meal with shareable skewers or spiced quail eggs.
Read about the dining options at Hilton Plaza.
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Matu Kai

Steakhouse $$$
Carnivorous diners have a new dining destination with Matu Kai, a sister restaurant to Beverly Hills’ Matu, with a specialization in Wagyu dishes, including multi-course prix-fixe and a la carte options. The menu is rounded out with 24-hour bone broth, tenderloin carpaccio and maltagliati with rib-eye ragu. The popular Wagyu cheesesteak first launched at Matu is available at the bar. The restaurant plans to launch a lunch menu soon.
Read about the new Wagyu steakhouse in Brentwood.
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Tang Dynasty

San Gabriel Valley Chinese $$
SAN GABRIEL -- APRIL 4, 2025: The salted egg crab, sauteed cabbage and skewers from Tang Dynasty, one of the many restaurants at the Hilton Plaza in San Gabriel on Friday, April 4, 2025. (Jennelle Fong / For The Times)
(Jennelle Fong / For The Times)
Columnist Jenn Harris suspects that the stir-fried cabbage at Tang Dynasty is the dish she craves most often. The cabbage is wok-charred, seasoned with black vinegar and can be eaten alone, over rice or alongside skewers and salted egg yolk crab, with a range of low-ABV beverages available to wash everything down.
Read about the one-stop destination for dumplings, chicken burgers, hot pot and more.
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Three Flames

Westchester Mexican $
A trio of tempura-battered tacos topped with cabbage and pico de gallo on a black plastic tray at Three Flames in Westchester
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Joshua Gil, founding chef of Mírate in Los Feliz, is behind Three Flames, a casual new spot in Westchester that’s blending Baja Mexican influence with Monoglian barbecue. Taking inspiration from the previous tenant that left a flattop grill, Three Flames offers a handful of Mongolian-inspired stir-fried noodle bowls with veggies, seafood, chicken or beef, all topped with a soy glaze, green onion and crispy seaweed. Other items include tempura-fried seafood tacos, cocteles, hamburgers and chorizo-decked fries. Beverages span house-made Jamaica, including a float option, and a short Mexican beer and wine list.
Read about the new Mexican-Mongolian restaurant in Westchester.
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Voodoo Doughnut

Fairfax Doughnuts $
A nationally recognized doughnut chain has opened a new bubblegum-pink outpost on the corner of Melrose and La Brea, offering its signature bacon-sprinkled maple bars alongside a host of creative flavors almost 24 hours a day. The new Fairfax location features a larger menu and space than the outpost on Universal Citywalk and a Venice Beach location is forthcoming.
Read about L.A.’s newest doughnut shop.
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