West Hollywood Restaurants

This is the west coast outpost of one of our Boston favorites. The menu is huge; your best bets are lobster rolls, clam chowder, and whatever else feels stereotypically New England. They have an impressive collection of tinned fish. But perhaps the biggest highlight comes at the end of the meal: Founder Kathy Sidell’s son, pastry chef Ben Sidell, runs the dessert operation and makes one of the best chocolate chip cookies we’ve ever had.

This all-day Thai spot serves an excellent rice porridge breakfast, Intelligensia coffee, and has solid list of natural wines.

This busy stretch of La Cienega craved a spot like Fellow Traveler—a natural wine bar helmed by former Auburn sommelier Nick Arlene. Fellow Traveler is all about fostering an atmosphere of kinship and community over glasses of biodynamic Sangiovese and a plate of deliciously salty Serrano ham. Arlene has curated interesting wine boxes for his new subscription service, homing in on Spanish bottles and a small selection from California producers. While indoor dining is currently off the table, the blue banquettes and checkerboard tiles inside Fellow Traveler exude a cozy bistro vibe, and the cheeseburger is one of the best in town.

Genghis Cohen has been a staple for good Chinese in Los Angeles for more than three decades. And since Marc Rose and Med Abrous, the restaurant partners behind Winsome and the Spare Room, took over ownership several years ago, it's gotten even better. The interiors are dark and moody. The food, umami-rich and satisfying. Go for the New York Style Eggrolls (never greasy, always crispy), vegetarian pot stickers, crackerjack shrimp, and cashew chicken, which is unexpectedly smoky and sweet.

Sure, Nicole Rucker is the baker who got LA hooked on miso date cookies and stone fruit gallettes at Gjusta, but her pedigree as former pastry chef at the Gjelina Group is hardly the most interesting thing about her. She’s now chef and co-owner of the West Hollywood bakery Fiona, a light-filled space with emerald-green walls and an intoxicating baguette-based scent profile. To call the menu “breakfast and lunch” feels limiting—options range from sesame-butter toast reminiscent of a black-and-white cookie to banh mi sandwiches and yellow curry. Fiona serves up coffee, tea, and sparkling rose water drinks, yes, but also a selection of wine and a well-curated beer list.

There is no lack of restaurants along this strip of Melrose Avenue. But Ronan offers something different: quiet. It's dark, New York vibe sets it apart from the slew of bright, loud eateries in the neighborhood. (And it is also literally set apart; the space sits tucked back from the sidewalk.) Come here to hunker down in one of the cozy booths or share space at the giant communal table. The pizzas are incredible: chewy, airy, slightly charred crust (thanks to the brick oven imported from Italy) underneath perfectly acidic sauce, savory artichokes, and wilted greens. If you're feeling like you want something lighter, chef makes a "rigatoni" from twirled artichokes, lacing them with garlic and butter. It's incredible. Everything at this husband-and-wife-owned spot—down to the cocktails—satisfies.

Pizzana—one of the harder reservations to snag on the West Side—has finally come to West Hollywood. Expect excellent thin-crust pizza from Naples-born chef Daniele Uditi, as well really great iterations of carciofi and caprese. High ceilings and lots of natural light open up the narrow space, which is already packed and buzzy at lunch time—definitely make a reservation, wait times for dinner can be especially long. Note: the pizzas are generous in size—two or three people could comfortably split one (but trying two to share is a safer bet and also too hard to pass up).

When we think of Mexican food, it's often tender pulled-pork carnitas or spicy beef tacos that come to mind. Gracias Madre serves up those same complex, spicy, tangy flavors we associate with Mexican cuisine with the following disclaimer: It's all vegan. The quesadillas are filled with butternut squash, caramelized onions, pumpkin seed salsa, and nutty cashew cheese; enchiladas con mole are reimagined using sweet fried plantains, black beans, and cashew crema. This food is super satisfying and layered with those salty, zesty tastes we all crave. Aside from the feat of creating vegan Mexican food that's actually delicious, Gracias Madre also has a patio that is arguably one of the most beautiful in LA—trees (studded with little lights), plush sofas, and mosaic-topped tables. Request a seat outside and start with an order of chips and guac with the signature mezcal margarita, or if you're feeling adventurous, a CBD snow cone (lemon, agave, hibiscus hielo raspado, and cannabidiol oil).

After a three-year break, chef Ricardo Zarate is back with Rosaliné, named for his mother. The dining room is one of the most beautiful in LA—the glass-paned walls and ceiling replete with hanging plants echo a modern greenhouse.

Thanks to loads of press and a swift global expansion in 2005, the Ladurée celadon green is almost as iconic as Tiffany’s robin’s egg blue, or Hermes’ orange: It all started in 1862 at 16 rue Royale, when writer Louis Ernest Ladurée opened a pastry shop. Though macaroons had been kicking around France since the 16th century, when Catherine de Medici introduced them from Italy, Ladurée’s grandson revolutionized the concept in 1930 by using a bit of ganache to create a macaron sandwich. That said, their lunch service is great, with a kid-friendly menu that adults can enjoy too. The original Ladurée is a fixture on the Champs-Elysées; in addition to this new location at The Grove and another in Beverly Hills, there are now outposts in New York, London, Lebanon, Japan, Sweden, Hong Kong, Brazil, and more.