5 best restaurants in Los Angeles

1. Spago of Beverly Hills

Celebrity restaurant gets a facelift

Spago has long been a favoured haunt of the rich and famous – but, thanks to a complete nip and tuck, is now looking and feeling younger and more beautiful than ever. Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck’s most famous restaurant is still the place to see, be seen and, above all else, eat and drink to the finest. Veal mignon tartare with smoked mascarpone and truffle agnolotti are just two of the new stars on the updated menu. Lights, camera, bon appetit!

176 N Canon Dr, Beverly Hills

Tel: +1 310 385 0880

2. One Pico

Beachside romance

Seduce – and be seduced – at one of LA’s most romantic restaurants. This gorgeous beachside destination restaurant in Santa Monica gives you and your loved one the lovers’ seat just steps from the beach. You’ll be overlooking the Pacific, an amazing sunset and a roaring fire when night descends. The menu’s great for surf and turf dishes like wild snapper and 24-day aged rib-eye. Live jazz and amazing cocktails complete the scene for the happy couple.

1 Pico Blvd, Santa Monica Tel: +1 310 587 1717

3. Seed Kitchen

Vegan burgers in Venice

Healthy cooking is big in LA. And none get any healthier, while still remaining delicious, than the celebrity-friendly Seed Kitchen. Run by the former personal chef of Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow, this hip vegan spot in Venice Beach seats its customers around communal tables. The mainstay of the menu is its range of burgers – not beef, naturally, but a choice of tempeh, seitan or bean and grain – served with sweet potato fries. The taste? Full flavour without the guilt!

1604 Pacific Ave, Venice Tel: +1 310 396 1604

4. Alma

Restaurant of tomorrow

Smoked duck breast with pears, peanuts and a dash of coffee poured over it? That’s novel. Just like most of the dishes on this new LA gem’s menu which heralds a new age of cooking. Combining stupendous modernity with ultra-seasonality, Alma is as close as you’ll get to eating food that punches through conventional boundaries. The restaurant started as a pop-up, hosting dinners which proved so popular they set down roots in the heart of Downtown. Ta!

952 South Broadway Ave, Downtown Tel: +1 213 444 0984

5. Colonia Taco Lounge

LA loves tacos

The City of Angels is also the City of Tacos – and where better to sample a few than a place which brings another local mainstay to the table: beer! Like bacon and egg, tacos and beer were made for each other. Colonia Taco Lounge brings the best of both to your table, including steak tacos with green salsa and sweet grilled scallion washed down by quality beers from around the world. Our tip is to choose several different tacos and share the magic!

13030 Valley Blvd, La Puente Tel: +1 626 363 4691