Where to Eat in Los Angeles Now

2025 has seen a slew of devastating closures of legacy Los Angeles restaurants (RIP Papa Cristo’s and LA Cha Cha Cha) and the forced closure of street vendors due to ICE raids in the city. However, even amid the grief, the entire city is abuzz with some highly anticipated new openings. The year has been a fertile ground of possibility for pop-ups turned brick and mortar from the if-you-know-you-know Tev’s Kitchen in Leimert Park to the viral Bad Ash Bakes in Pasadena and exciting new beginnings from LA legend, chef Ray Garcia reviving Broken Spanish and a West LA outpost of Tokyo’s Michelin-starred Kojima from chef Hayato Kojima. 

From pizza to Caribbean fare to soul food, this year’s openings have shown LA can do it all — with strength and finesse. Here is a short guide to new openings and offerings from some of LA’s hottest restaurants.

Maydan Market

The mind behind Washington, D.C.’s Maydan delivers an earnest ode to LA’s diverse culinary scene in a 10,000-square-foot food hall in West Adams, taking its name (meaning “town square”) literally. In the Maydan Market court, Rose Previte opens its West Coast outpost, Maydan LA, alongside residencies with local chefs from all over the city — including Wedchayan “Deau” Arpapornnopparat from Downtown’s Holy Basil and Maria Elena from Watts’ Tamales Elena. The stalls and seating surround a large copper-covered fire hearth at the center of the court, where Lug’yah fires up cheesy tlayudas adjacent to Maydan’s flaky branzinos. It’s the perfect spot for dinner with the friend group that can never decide where to go.

Baby Bistro

I’ve always maintained that the best cooking in the city is in somebody’s backyard. Baby Bistro takes this to a whole new level, transforming a renowned Koreatown Normandie Club pop-up to a full-service restaurant in a small home nestled between Chinatown and Echo Park. Baby Bistro is the latest addition to the shared lot with Perilla, Baker’s Bench, and Cassell’s Hamburgers. Driven by seasonal farmers market ingredients, Baby Bistro presents a limited, yet approachable six-entree, two-side menu. Not required, but it behooves you to order all to share. A seasonal standout is the playfully textural spaghetti squash with dates, passion fruit, and a sweet brown butter powder. Baby Bistro is perfect for a close and cozy date night out for eastsiders.

Bub and Grandma’s Pizza

LA is definitely having a pizza moment, and who better to join the game than one of the city’s favorite bakeries, Bub and Grandma’s? Founder Andy Kandin brings his New York/New Jersey roots, gracing Highland Park with naturally fermented sourdough crusts. Bub and Grandma’s Pizza serves up classic cheese and pepperoni pies as well as a few specialties like the potato white pie loaded with potato, caramelized onion, tallegio, parmesan fonduta, and an earthy fried rosemary. If you’re looking to take home a whole pie, we recommend skipping the line and cutting down on wait times by ordering online. 

Lucia

The most stunning new addition to Fairfax Ave. is Lucia, with an upscale approach to Afro-Caribbean cuisine. Top Chef Canada semifinalist Adrian Forte pushed classic Caribbean dishes a bit further, adding a bit of bringing out the best in the downhome favorites like hibiscus-dusted plantain starter, a shallot loaded rice and peas, and a perfectly tender snapper escovitch with a pineapple habanero sauce. Lucia’s dining room features luxe booths with wall accents inspired by the namesake island’s shells and shores. With DJs spinning all the diasporic jams, Lucia feels like a dream of what it means to grow up a Caribbean Angeleno.

Somerville Jazz Brunch

After a year of making waves on Slauson, View Park’s latest hotspot Somerville introduced a brunch service. Listen to a live jazz band cover R&B hits over sultry Sangrias and shrimp and grits at one of the best-dressed establishments to date. Somerville’s brunch menu furthers its take on elevated American fare with melt-in-your mouth soft buttermilk biscuits and a hearty turkey gravy sandwich along with classics like eggs benedict. Some items carry over from dinner, like the fried chicken caviar sliders and Peruvian scallop crudo, which are great as shareables. One thing about co-founder Issa Rae is she’s an expert world-builder: The coffee is sourced from Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen right next door (of which Issa Rae is an investor).

Salted Butter Company

Sundays are for Pasadena. A stop in the new Salted Butter Company cafe could be such a cutesy way to start off your day. On California Ave., it’s a perfect place to stop for a pick-me-up before a stroll in Arlington Garden or Central Park. Don’t skip out on the delectable hand-rolled croissants, chocolate chip cookies, and delicately crafted hagoromo matcha lattes. Salted Butter also offers a custom cake service, which includes flavors like carrot cake and olive oil with strawberry compote.