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Forbes
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Where To Eat And Drink In Los Angeles This Summer
Los Angeles is one of the best cities in the world to eat in—but only if you know where to go. Summer brings out the worst of its food scene (overhyped openings, influencer mobs, patios with no shade and even less finesse), as well as the very best: smoky tacos on the Westside, rooftop bars with actual personality, and high-falutin' hotspots that are still worth the chase. So, after a few weeks spent scouring street food and fine-dining establishments alike, here's a tried-and-tested guide on where to actually eat well in LA this summer—no gimmicks, just the good Los Angeles KA'TEEN, Hollywood The vibe is lush, the plates are shareable, and the crowd is textbook Hollywood—half gorgeous people, half people with great taste trying to date gorgeous people. All of whom, undoubtedly, leave texting their friends about the best Mexican food they've had in ages. Chef Wes Avila (ex–Guerrilla Tacos) leans into Yucatán cooking at KA'TEEN, with standout wood-fired meats and a roasted bone marrow mole rojo I will defend with my life. Sunday brunch is an attraction in its own right: order the huevos rancheros, a roasted corn ash-rimmed mezcalita, get lost in the foliage and thank me 5 Spot, Los Angeles Desert 5 Spot, Hollywood Imagine Dolly Parton designed a rooftop bar. Now add mezcal. Just upstairs from KA'TEEN, Desert 5 Spot leans full-throttle into kitsch—non-stop country music, poolside cactus murals, and a regular lineup of two-step classes that somehow draw more locals than tourists. Come for line dancing on a Wednesday, stay for the prickly pear-infused Ring of FIrecocktail, and a healthy round of mixologist-fuelled singalongs. It's high-camp, high-altitude, and offers more than enough reasons to forget you're in Hollywood (though you can literally see the Hollywood sign from the bar).The Restaurant at Hotel Bel-Air, Los Angeles The Restaurant at Hotel Bel-Air, Bel-Air If you're skipping a suite but still want the experience, there is no better way to get a taste of Bel-Air's most iconic hotel than visiting its namesake restaurant. Perched beyond a swan‑filled lake and shaded by a canopy of impossibly bountiful florals, Chef Joe Garcia's Mediterranean‑Californian menu will quite simply give you too many options to choose from: handmade pea Agnolotti with sweet butter-poached lobster, the most indulgent Gulf prawn cocktail you'll ever lay tongue on, an impossibly decadent Old Hollywood onion dip topped with caviar, et al. All locally-sourced, all Isla Bonita, LA La Isla Bonita, Venice No summer food guide is complete without the truck that made LA seafood tacos a religion. La Isla Bonita parks up on Rose Ave (often at 4th & Rose), and has been a local institution since the 1980s. Get the ceviche tostada–a juicy mountain of fresh shrimp, octopus, avocado and tomato that barely holds together atop an impossibly light fried tortilla–or the carnitas and fish taco if you're feeling classic. Bring cash. Bring napkins. Bring Atwater Village Chef Morihiro Onodera's omakase-only restaurant shills sushi as slow art. He mills his own rice. He makes his own plates. He'll explain both to you, gently, as you eat in near silence with nine other diners. If that sounds like sweet relief, know it is—and that you need to book immediately. Expect seasonal nigiri, impossibly precise technique, and a sake list that rewards those who lean in with curiosity. It's not flashy, it's just immaculate.88 Club, Los Angeles 88 Club, Beverly Hills Led by chef Mei Lin (formerly of Top Chef fame and Nightshade), this sleek Chinese restaurant just landed in Beverly Hills—and it's already stealing reservations. Dinner feels like stepping into an underground glam‑noir film: dim wood panels, leather booths, vintage accent lighting—think golden‑era Hollywood meets Chinese speakeasy. The menu respects traditional flavors (sweet & sour squirrel fish, Nam Yu roasted chicken) while elevating them through precision and playful presentation. Perfect for a late‑night date or celebratory blow‑ Madre, West Hollywood It's plant-based, yes, but don't hold that against it. Gracias Madre's mega-vegan Mexican menu has long outlived the 'novelty' phase and settled into being reliably great—especially when paired with a mezcal margarita in its bougainvillea-covered courtyard. Try the sweet potato flautas and the mushroom barbacoa, and don't skimp on sides. It's popular with the wellness crowd, but more than delivers for the hungry foodie, Ki, Los Angeles Restaurant Ki, Downtown LA Chef Ki Kim's intimate 10‑seat tasting room just secured a Michelin star, and it's Korean cuisine unlike anything else in LA. Small plates kick off things off via premium palate-rousers (see; horse mackerel, aged kimchi, and perilla), before gliding into heavy luxury: dry-aged squab glazed in foie gras and maple; truffled, perilla‑seed pasta; final flourishes with Porcini, indigenous cacao, and tea leaf. Memorable, inventive, and fully deserving of its place on the list, this one's for the + Market Sahm, Venice Kris Yenbamroong's Venice outpost may be the chillest of his Thai-American empire, but don't let the laid-back vibe fool you—the food still slaps. It's funky, fiery, and served with a natural wine list that could convert a skeptic. The Larb Gai (sour-spicy chicken salad) is essential, the plentiful gin len (snacks)—particularly the crab wontones—will likely be the best you've found since that 2011 stint in Bangkok, and the vibe skews cool-local over tourist-core. Ideal for a group dinner that turns into a beachy crawl.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Food Truck Boom: City has experienced a proliferation of mobile eateries in past 5 years
Sulie and Edilmar Villanueva have been operating their Mexican food truck Taqueria La Bendicion De Dios, which translates to 'Taco Shop God's blessing,' for seven years. Sulie Villanueva said it's a full-time venture for the family, working up to 80 hours per week, especially during the spring and summer months. 'During our busy season, it's like having a newborn sometimes,' she said. '…Usually we might sleep four or five hours because we have to prep; you never know what you're going to run out of for the next day. So you have to cook it all again and be organized.' Although the Owensboro City Commission approved the food truck ordinance in 2014, the Villanuevas were among the first to take the streets as a local mobile eatery. According to city records, there were only a combined nine food trucks and trailers licensed to operate within city limits on Dec. 31, 2020. A year later that number grew to 17 and by 2023 there were 37 food trucks and trailers licensed to sell. In 2024, the number jumped to 62 and as of April 22, there are currently 64 licensed food trucks and trailers. For the first four years of the food truck ordinance, all mobile eateries were prohibited from operating within 100 feet of brick-and-mortar restaurants, which greatly restricted their ability to park downtown. In 2018, the city amended the ordinance to allow vendors with a drivable food truck to park anywhere without the 100 feet restriction, but maintained the prohibition for food trailers. 'All of the ones you've seen proliferation of are the trailers,' said Tim Ross, the city's director of public events. 'So they still can't park on city streets on a Tuesday afternoon.' Despite that restriction, the competition is growing, motivating mobile eatery owners to not only put in more hours but also consider how to separate themselves from the plethora of choices. 'You have to have the passion and the heart to stand behind your product,' said Sulie Villanueva, adding that cost and quality factor into attracting customers. '…We were one of the first trucks starting out but we can't be everywhere at one time.' Two months ago Jerome Hernandez and his family entered into the food truck fray with Mangkok Filipino Cuisine, which is a food trailer. Hernandez said Owensboro is home to a number of Filipino residents who he knew would appreciate his menu. 'They always ask, do we have any Filipino cuisine — there's none and not even in Evansville,' Jerome Hernandez said. 'So for me and my wife, it was our dream to have our own restaurant. So I said let's go ahead and make it into a food truck first. We started it as a dream and now we're making it happen.' So far, the Hernandez family is only operating the food trailer on the weekends. Jerome Hernandez said he and his wife still work other full-time jobs for health insurance purposes. 'Where we work we have good benefits and that's the only thing stopping us from doing the food full-time,' he said. Two years ago Steve and Tina Poll started their food trailer — Torera Hibachi. Steve Poll is a former Shogun restaurant chef. Hibachi is a Japanese term that refers to a style in which food is cooked in a large, open bowl. Torera is another Japanese term that means trailer. The menu includes various bowls — teriyaki chicken, garlic shrimp, teriyaki steak and vegetables only. Egg rolls, spring rolls and edamame are also part of the offered fare. The Polls helped organize what's called Street Eats and Treats, where local food trucks and trailers come together on Saturdays in a parking lot in the 2400 block of Parrish Avenue. Tina Poll said she views all of the food truck and trailer owners as more of a community than competition. 'All of us come together and just have a good time instead of competing (against) each other,' she said. 'People are going to go eat where they want to go. And if you have several people in your family, it gives you choices.' With the number of food trucks and trailers climbing, Ross said the city is having to limit how many of them are approved for city events. 'We've even had to turn food trucks away the last few years for the (Owensboro) Air Show or for July 4,' Ross said. 'Some of that is duplicating vendors. They don't want to have five lemonade trucks. There's just a lot more in the market than we had four and five years ago.' Like any business, the food truck and trailer owners acknowledge there are ups and downs they each face. Sulie Villanueva said many of the food truck and trailer owners are couples or families. And by working with her family, Sulie Villanueva said they've managed to stick with the business, and have also added a dessert trailer called La Michoacana De Owensboro, offering various types of ice cream popular in Mexico. '…The Lord provides for everybody, and if you work hard, we all deserve to have the fruits of our labor,' she said. 'There are good days and bad days. There might be a good day for somebody else and a bad day for us. But the Lord has always taken care of us on that. So I'm not worried about that competition in that way.'
