Central Downtown La Restaurants

After seven years of success in the North Hollywood Arts District, Paul Hibler and David Sanfield took their Pitfire Pizza concept downtown in 2005. Across from St. Vibiana’s Cathedral and in the shadow of skyscrapers, office workers flood this modern Italian café at lunch for thin-crust pizzas, hearty pastas, and market-fresh salads. At night and on weekends, the rush subsides and Pitfire offers a more relaxed dining experience with the same value. Order at the counter, where a board lists seasonal specials and fresh-baked desserts are on display. To drink, there’s fresh sangria and watermelon lemonade, plus wine and beer. Learn More »

Step-out of the modern world and into the old country style of Europe. Chef Nicolas T. Peter strives to incorporate local and organic ingredients, ensuring that his menu is healthy, seasonal, and ripe with flavor. The menu consists of French-Mediterranean fusion cuisine. Start off with the “Little Door Mezze Royale” Assorted Mediterranean Appetizers which includes tuna tartare, goat cheese, merguez sausage and grilled scallops. Also try such entrees as the Grilled Filet Mignon with a Tarragon and Green Goat Cheese, Merguez Sausage and Grilled Scallops. With healthy tasty options, you can’t go wrong with eating here. Learn More »

Through exquisite culinary flavorings and technique, Bossa Nova provides guests with a sumptuous menu designed to give the absolute Brazilian experience. Delectable meals are made more delicious as the relaxing environment allows one to take pleasure in their fare, a characteristic that has led Bossa Nova’s four locations (Los Angeles, West Los Angeles, and Beverly Hills) to win a loyal crowd of patrons. You may even catch some Hollywood insiders and incognito stars enjoying grilled meats and Brazilian favorites. Come and allow Bossa Nova to satisfy your culinary cravings! Learn More »

Located in a Greek Market that has been open since the 1940’s, Papa Cristo’s Greek Restaurant has been serving South Los Angeles authentic culinary delicacies for more than 20 years. Using imported seasonings, cheeses, olives, olive oils, as well as other ingredients to prepare the culturally true plates featured at Papa Cristo’s, it is no wonder people rave that this is some of the best Greek food available in Los Angeles. A full menu with items like Sizzling Feta & Tomato, Dolmades, Tabouli, Gyro, and Rack of Lamb just to mention a few, will satiate any desire for tasty Greek … Learn More »

Enter into Electric Karma and prepare to excite all your senses. At this upscale casual Indian restaurant on Third Street in West Hollywood, you will find a warm atmosphere suitable for any day of the week. Bold colors and dim lighting set the mood for the experience, and a movie screen projecting Bollywood images is the anchor of the dining room décor. The plush floor pillows in the outdoor seating area invite you to get cozy and take in the scents of exotic Indian spices featured in the restaurant’s extensive menu of traditional Punjabi cuisine. Learn More »

Terroni is a West Hollywood restaurant that serves authentic southern Italian cuisine, using fresh and traditional ingredients straight from Italy, priding itself on using the same cooking techniques used in Italy 100 years ago. This restaurant doesn’t take reservations, so it is key to arrive before the crowd. The combination of a rustic and modern decor creates a feeling of comfort for all. Terroni’s specialty is the pizza, which is thin, delightfully airy, and uncut with 30 different options to choose from. Some of these options include Terroni originals like Smendozzata and Li Pecuri. Give Terroni’s a try, your taste … Learn More »

An experience at Osteria Mozza is one of a kind. The brainchild of super-trio Nancy Silverton, Mario Batali, and Joseph Bastinach, Osteria Mozza is a modern, urban interpretation of the Italian trattoria. Exquisite preparations start at the Mozzarella bar, which sits in the center of the room and serves as a showcase for Silverton’s hand-made cheeses. Her creations can be sampled alone, but also find their way onto the rest of the menu, joining hand-made pastas, artisanal smoked meats, and inspired main courses, turned out by Executive Chef Matt Molina. Add exceptional service, a lively, energetic setting, and an Italian-centric … Learn More »

Katana is a chic assault on the senses. Like an industrial, futuristic Zen temple, Katana’s steel and wood décor juxtaposes urban grit with delicate sophistication. Its staggering menu presents a delightfully daunting selection of treats, through which diners are free to sample with reckless abandon. Katana features two distinctive styles of Japanese cuisine: the familiar sushi bar, and the more novel robata bar, which features tapas-like Japanese barbeque. Food is sculpted skillfully with almost architectural heights, echoing the artistic details of the surrounding environment. With one of Los Angeles’ only sake sommeliers and a sake selection as distinguished as its … Learn More »

Hatfield’s in Hollywood serves California fusion French cuisine in a New American style while using locally grown produce from local farmers markets. Owned and operated by husband-and-wife chefs Quinn and Karen Hatfield, the couple works as a team as Quinn cooks the entrees and Karen creates the desserts and runs the restaurant. The menu consists of items a la carte, a well-known weekly market pre-fixe menu, and a seven-course chefs’ tasting menu. The atmosphere is cozy, simple, and relaxed, perfect for a date or a nice conversation. For a fine dining experience in a striped down modern and modest setting, … Learn More »

West Hollywood’s Comme Ca gives Angelinos the experience of dining in a French bistro with West Coast flair. Chef David Myers opened the restaurant as a way to share his dream of the perfect brasserie experience with the dining public. House signature cocktails such as the Penicillin, Cool Louie, and El Ranchero are bar favorites when warming up for the meal to come. The menu features many French favorites like Fruits de Mer (Oysters on the half shell) and Escargots Persillade for Hor d’Oeuvres. Other meal openers include the Roasted Baby Beet Salad, Assiette de Fromage du Jour as well … Learn More »

The Foundry on Melrose’s atmosphere is fun, yet sophisticated. On weekends, live music entertains guests as they dine. Executive Chef Eric Greenspan, who was once chef for the renowned Patina, uses his classic techniques to provide a contemporary “Modern American” cuisine with inspiration taken from classic French and Spanish fare. Guests can choose to sit on the lush outdoor patio by the fireplace, under the 18-foot olive tree, or at the intimate mahogany piano bar. The Foundry on Melrose promotes that it has “fine dining for the everyday man” and uses humble ingredients to create dishes such as the Grilled … Learn More »

In the midst of L.A.'s preponderance of vegetarian-friendly and tofu-centric restaurants and a short way from trendy Melrose Avenue lies Animal: a fairly industrial-looking, minimalist locale with no sign. Arouse your inner carnivore with savory dishes such as the Foie Gras with Maple Sausage Gravy and a Biscuit, or for a slightly lighter fare, try the House Smoked Pork Belly with Lentil and Butterbean Salad. To finish off, prowl the dessert menu for the Bacon Chocolate Bars. Localvores and organic supporters can also take joy in their use of local and organically grown delicacies. Learn More »

Just one block east of the Nokia Theater and the Staples Center sits Rivera, the latest Latin creation from legendary chef/owner John Rivera Sedlar. The father of modern Southwest cuisine is back on the culinary scene after a fifteen year sabbatical spent representing Patrón tequila, and while no one would purport that cooking is like riding a bicycle, he certainly re-approaches his craft with the ease and grace of a seasoned veteran. Sedlar merges classical French technique with the memory of the earthy and spicy foods of his New Mexico childhood to produce sumptuous chile-packed masterpieces in a sleek and … Learn More »

Situated just off of Melrose Ave in West Hollywood, Sur attracts exactly the crowd you would expect from this area: the young and trendy and, of course, celebrities. Inside you’ll find a cozy respite from the bustling streets outside. The stunning dining room is eclectically adorned, mixing romantic French touches like dazzling chandeliers and long, dramatic curtains with statues of Hindu gods and lots of dripping candles. The menu offers contemporary American dishes inspired by classic Mediterranean cuisine such as Taboulé Couscous with Ahi Tuna or Crab Gorgonzola Risotto, which can be accompanied with a glass off the extensive wine … Learn More »

If you’re looking for a place to see and be seen, head to the new, super trendy West Hollywood hotspot, STK. With such an edgy slogan (“not your daddy’s steakhouse”), it’s no surprise that the One Group’s latest enterprise has completely reinvented the traditional ambiance of its genre from masculine to sleek and sultry. Steaks come in three different sizes, a la carte, and with a choice of one of eight rich, homemade sauces. If something else is more to your liking, choose from enticing appetizers and entrees such as the Foie Gras French Toast, Shrimp Rice Krispies, or Maine … Learn More »

Taste in West Hollywood offers diners a California spin on down home American comfort food. Lunch features soups, salads, pizzettas, sandwiches and burgers, as well as pasta entrées. Dinner pares down the overall menu options, but expands upon main courses to include items such as Lobster & Brown Butter Risotto, Grilled Salmon, and Crispy Parmesan Chicken Paillard. Brunch, served on the weekends, offers a la carte items like Huevos Rancheros and Brioche French Toast, while a Prix Fixe menu allows diners to choose from a two-course menu for a flat fee. Every Thursday, Taste offers the “Farmers’ Market Dinner,” where … Learn More »

This historic clubhouse, built in 1937, displays a fusion of Spanish Revival Architecture and classic California design styles. Complete with large windows, rustic wood floors, and vaulted high beam ceilings, the clubhouse and its conjoining outside patio can accommodate up to 350 guests, and the view of Griffith Park in Los Feliz is breathtaking. Owned by the Monterey Concessions Group, this events venue can host an cater any event for any season, including Weddings, Anniversary Parties, Business Meetings, Baptisms, and much more. The cuisine for events, though upscale American cuisine, can be altered and created especially for your specific event. … Learn More »

This French bistro only opened in September 2008, but has become an instant classic in downtown LA. The menu is concise but runs the gamut from simple rustic dishes like the Braised Beef to more elevated fare like the Terrine de Foie Gras, which is creatively served with a port wine gelee and brioche. Customers often rave about the housemade charcuterie as well. The dining room borders on industrial, with exposed piping in the ceiling and brick walls, but the soft lighting, close tables and warm service make it a cozy scene. For the real Paris experience, diners can also … Learn More »

It may seem unassuming amongst its trendy West Hollywood neighbors, but ardent local regulars are quick to say that Carlitos Gardel is a treasure well worth seeking out. This family owned restaurant treats every guest as graciously as if you were a guest in their home while serving authentic Argentine dishes such as Grilled Skirt Steak and Parrillada Argentina along with a vast selection of wine. The décor is comfortably understated and refined with dark wood accents and portraits of iconic tango singer Carlos Gardel, for whom the restaurant is named, lining the muted pink walls. Gardel’s brilliance is celebrated … Learn More »

The Downtown Los Angeles location of the esteemed Palm empire of restaurants offers fine steaks, seafood, and Italian specialties in a posh setting. Located at 1100 Flower Street in an enormous space, formerly a Packard car dealership, the Palm Downtown is the largest in the country. Since 2002 The Palm Downtown has managed to execute the same stellar food that original owners Pio Bozzi and John Ganzi started serving three generations ago in New York City. Today, The Palm Restaurants are still a family business run by the original owners’ great-great-grandsons. Learn More »