The equinox is still a few weeks away, but the post-Memorial Day weekend summer vibes are upon us: June gloom, vacation planning, the first of the 2026 World Cup games beginning in Los Angeles on June 12.
For a bit of extra dining inspiration, it feels like a prime moment to gather all the restaurant reviews written so far this year by fellow critic Jenn Harris and me into one easy-to-scroll newsletter.
The Food team rolls out a constant stream of dining-related inspiration: We have fresh guides every week. Jenn writes a regular column, covering, say, the “secret” ice cream pop-up that food obsessives are clamoring for, or how about robots manning woks. In this newsletter I might write about what I consider the best sourdough in L.A. right now or the long-running, midweek pop-up in Palm Springs I plan travels around.
Reviews — written after multiple meals at a restaurant, all of which are paid for by The Times — remain the cornerstone of our work and keep us thinking about what might appear next on our annual 101 Best Restaurants in Los Angeles guide.
This way to all the reviews …
Ten No Meshi: This week Jenn reviewed the Kyoto beef specialist, newly imported to Sawtelle Boulevard, that arrives at a time of peak Wagyu in Los Angeles. Do the katsu and theatrical flourishes make the cut?
Wagyu katsu sets served during lunchtime at Ten No Meshi.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Wilde’s: The buzzword when Los Feliz’s new crown jewel landed in October came down to one word: “British.” But as spring settled in, so did a lightness to the cooking, and the restaurant’s dinner and daytime menus are finding a more personal, label-defying identity.
Lucia: The year-old fine-dining Afro-Caribbean restaurant has a new chef, Cleophus “Ophus” Hethington, a stunning room and dishes like jerk lamb shank and arroz con frijoles. It’s poised to be a major factor in the comeback of the Fairfax neighborhood.
Yerord Mas: The basturma brisket sandwich has gone viral on social media over the past several years that chef Arthur Grigoryan has been refining its form. But that’s only the start of what is arguably the most revelatory Armenian restaurant that L.A. has ever seen. In a former Glendale doughnut shop, no less.
Basturma brisket pita at Yerord Mas in Glendale.
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Loli Farms: Who isn’t seeking comfort these days? Jenn makes the case that L.A.’s best rotisserie chicken, with all the Peruvian sides, may be at this former gas station in Pasadena.
Max & Helen’s: All anyone talked about for months was the wait times. They’re shorter now, particularly during the weekdays. It’s safe to go check out Phil Rosenthal and Nancy Silverton’s Larchmont fantasy of a diner and form your own opinion. (And, yes, you should order the waffle.)
Waffle with maple butter at Max & Helen’s in Larchmont.
(Ron De Angelis / For The Times)
Electric Bleu: A beautifully executed, five-course tasting menu for $79? That’s just the beginning of the pleasures at this new Mar Vista favorite. Jenn described the cooking as “French food caressed with California seasonality and the occasional pop of Aussie nostalgia.” If you’re ordering a la carte, try the pâté en croûte.
The pâté en croûte at Electric Bleu. It is the best, and possibly only, L.A. restaurant preparing the classic charcuterie.
(Yasara Gunawardena / For The Times)
Maydan Market: There is so much energy under the roof of Rose Previte’s multi-vendor project in West Adams that it merited two reviews. One assesses Maydan L.A., the second location of Previte’s live-fire-cooking restaurant, originally in Washington, D.C., for which Beirut is a starting point for the menu’s sweeping influences.
After months of visits, the second review ranks the top 10 best dishes served from the market’s five anchor vendors. Think tlayudas and pozole and Thai fried chicken.
Alfonso “Poncho” Martinez of Lugya’h cooks a tlayuda over the open fire grill at Maydan Market.
(Juliana Yamada / Los Angeles Times)
Colossus Harbor: We are not wanting for neither bakeries nor pizzerias in Los Angeles. But Jenn says that the morning-to-night creations from Kristin Colazas Rodriguez in San Pedro are singularly excellent. Sourdough pizzas with seasonally rotating toppings especially stand out.
Osusume Fumio: Sushi omakase also falls very much in the “not wanting for” category in Los Angeles. One that recently sets itself apart: Veteran chef Fumio Azumi’s first solo sushi counter, in the former Mirohiro space in Atwater Village, where the prices are relatively reasonable, the quality outstanding … and lunch is an option!
Hermon’s: The reservations? Near impossible. The martinis? Pint-sized, or “tiny-tinis,” if you’d like. The dim, dashing setting for a breakout hit in Montecito Heights? Impeccable.
Tiny Tinis at Hermon’s in Los Angeles
(Ron De Angelis / For The Times)
Alto: A Studio City restaurant reimagines Argentine and Uruguayan cuisines in modernist, appealing forms. Swank dining room. Go all in on the breads.
Dim sum, cheesy bread in Van Nuys and wondrous lentils in Culver City
Dim sum: Both avowed dumpling lovers and constant SGV rovers, Jenn and I had to admit it. L.A. dim sum is in a slump. We name five favorites among the current crop, while we keep hoping for new jolts of energy and excellence.
Dim sum spread at Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant in Rosemead.
(Ron De Angelis / For The Times)
Saqartvelo: Speaking from the pre-streaming era, sometimes a greatest-hits collection can be a masterpiece of sequencing and narrative, rather than a retread of played-out anthems or a randomly compiled playlist. That’s how it feels to dine on the Georgian dishes at this woman-run cafe in Van Nuys. The open-faced, cheese-filled versions of khachapuri are reason alone to visit.
Broken Spanish Comedor: Ray Garcia‘s groundbreaking Broken Spanish reopened in Culver City as the neighborhood restaurant L.A. really needs right now. Garcia classics — refried lentils, duck albondigas, lamb neck consommé — return in a new, warm setting. Incredible tequila and mezcal selection, too.
Duck albondigas at Broken Spanish Comedor in Culver City.
(Ron De Angelis / For The Times)
Berenjak: The fourth-and-counting global location of a London-based Iranian kebab house, opened in the Soho Warehouse complex in downtown’s Arts District in late September. My interest in its arrival boiled down to a question: What might this import contribute to the Persian culinary culture in Southern California, where the largest Iranian population outside of Iran resides? Part of the answer: an exceptionally pretty garden patio.
Betsy and Miya Thai: Two very different Altadena restaurants, both owned by residents who lost homes in the Eaton fire, have reopened and serve as symbols of community and places of connection while recovery continues.
Pumpkin red curry, khao soi and pad kee mow with shrimp at Miya Thai in Altadena.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
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