One of the best ways to experience all that LA has to offer in regards to dining is dineL.A.’s highly anticipated Restaurant Week. Kicking off this week and continuing through next weekend, dineL.A. showcases over 350(!) restaurants throughout this gorgeous city that offer up a special prix-fixe menu for lunch and/or dinner at amazing prices. With lunches ranging from $15-$25 and dinners ranging from $30-$50, now is the perfect time to try a new restaurant, hit up a fave, or finally taste something from the kitchen of that high-end place that you’ve been dying to try.
Since we dine out a lot, we thought we’d share a few of our favorites. Here are our top picks for places to dine that we’ve tried and tested and highly recommend:
1. Connie & Ted’s – fresh seafood & cocktails
Lunch $25 I Dinner $40
We are lucky enough to live within walking distance to this salty gem. Make a res during dineL.A. and be sure to choose their lobster roll from their dineL.A. menu served hot with drawn butter and choose the scoop of their homemade ice cream. If peanut butter or butter pecan is an option, do it! Trust us.
Cuisine: Seafood, American
Neighborhood: West Hollywood
8171 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood 90046
Connie & Ted’s: Menu & Reservations
2. A.O.C. – cheese & charcuterie
Lunch $25 (Monday-Friday only)
We had lunch here last weekend and decided to make it one of our go-to dining out staples. With a cheese and charcuterie plate offered on their dineL.A. lunch menu, that’s reason enough for us to go again. And again.
Cuisine: Californian
Neighborhood: Beverly
8700 West 3rd Street, Los Angeles 90048
3. The Bazaar by Jose Andrés – the showstopper
Dinner $50
This is our #1 pick for our favorite restaurant in LA! The dining experience is fun and playful with tapas-style small plates being served like their bite-size “Philly Cheesesteak” made with decadent Wagyu beef or their innovative jicama wrapped guacamole which inspired our immediate need for a mandolin in our kitchen. (True story.)
Cuisine: Spanish
Neighborhood: Beverly
465 South La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles 90048 (located inside the SLS Hotel)
The Bazaar: Menu & Reservations
4. Fig & Olive Melrose Place – fresh mediterranean
Lunch $25 I Dinner $50
The food here is super fresh, imaginative and was a hit with our entire family (that’s hard to do!). The space is warm and beautifully decorated. Grab a seat on the enclosed patio if you can and be sure to enjoy all of their different olive oils with each dish.
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Neighborhood: Beverly
8490 Melrose Place, Los Angeles 90069
Fig & Olive: Menu & Reservations
5. Gracias Madre – vegan mexican
Lunch $20 I Dinner $30
Ok, so maybe “vegan” and “Mexican” don’t sound like they go together. We mean, can it really have authentic Mexican flavors without meat and cheese? Gracias Madre is up to the challenge and killing it with every delicious plant-based bite. Try one of their “snow cone” cocktails and order the empañadas.
Cuisine: Mexican, Vegan
Neighborhood: West Hollywood
8905 Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood 90069
Gracias Madre: Menu & Reservations
6. Jar – modern retro cuisine
Dinner $50
The decor is fashionably retro while the food was more than modernly mouthwatering. Order their famous pot roast or savor the salmon for your main course. You really can’t go wrong with anything on the updated traditional menu.
Cuisine: American
Neighborhood: Beverly
8225 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles 90048
7. Mud Hen Tavern – a foodie’s playground
Lunch $25 I Dinner $30
We went just last week and are still craving that ahhhhhmazing sauce from their chicken, bacon and waffle croquettes. When you’re looking over your shoulder to make sure no other patrons catch you sopping up the sauce with a spoon, there’s no shame in this menu’s game.
Cuisine: American (new)
Neighborhood: Hollywood
742 North Highland, Los Angeles 90038
Mud Hen Tavern: Menu & Reservations
8. Red O by Rick Bayless – modern mexican
Dinner $50
We’ve got a soft spot for Mexican food and then when you tell us that this place serves a mean spicy jalapeño margarita, we’re jumping in flan first!
Cuisine: Mexican
Neighborhood: Fairfax
8155 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles 90046
9. Rocksugar Pan Asian Kitchen – banana custard cake
Lunch $15 I Dinner $30
This is basically our excuse to say that we need to go shopping or see a movie at the Century City mall (even though we don’t actually do either and just really need that banana custard cake). Each plate we’ve ever tried is filled with tons of flavor, is always consistent, and the decor is gorgeous. Order the crispy samosas or the Indian stuffed flatbread and end your meal with the caramelized banana custard cake. Every. Single. Time.
Cuisine: Asian Fusion
Neighborhood: Century City
10250 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles 90067
RockSugar Pan Asian Cuisine: Menu & Reservations
10. The Village Idiot – a great lively little bar
Lunch $15 I Dinner $30
Belly up to this fun and inviting bar and restaurant that’ll remind you of that trip to London you took after college. The atmosphere is welcoming and the food is hearty. Try their roasted apple and arugula salad and the braised pork pie with a sweet ending of warm sticky coffee cake. And don’t forget the pint of beer, mate.
Cuisine: American (new)
Neighborhood: Fairfax
7383 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles 90046
The Village Idiot: Menu & Reservations
For the full list of restaurants participating in dineL.A.’s Restaurant Week, click here.
For more of our favorite restaurants to try in LA, visit our “dine” section and check out our thoughts on places like Animal and Eveleigh.
photos: food republic, aaron cook, boy meets girl meets food, fig and olive, the suite life, jar, mud hen tavern, locale magazine, la restaurants, la weekly
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