Enjoy perusing my L.A. Travel Blog Post! I find L.A. to be one of those cities where you just have to go and see it for yourself in order to appreciate it and understand the hype around it. If I just went to the super touristy areas like Hollywood, Beverly Hills, etc., I would have hated it but having ventured outside of those spots and gone to neighborhoods such as Echo Park Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Chinatown, Koreatown, and Highland Park, I absolutely fell in love with L.A. It is an incredible amalgamation of global cuisines, vibes nestled on hills and a short drive away from the beach with gorgeous sunsets.

While I have previously written about L.A. gems, I’ve returned several times since I first wrote those blog posts in 2020 since L.A. is my favorite American city to visit. So I figured it was time to update my recommendations. However, my previous blog posts are still very helpful and are more thorough.

I decided to organize my recommendations by neighborhood/regions since L.A. is so vast and each neighborhood truly has a different feel.

Downtown, Little Tokyo, Chinatown, Koreatown

The past few times I’ve visited L.A., I have stayed downtown so these recommendations are either downtown or in neighborhoods relatively close to downtown such as Chinatown and Koreatown.

Pine and Crane, Downtown

Given how Chicago doesn’t really have Taiwanese cuisine (that I know of), I was hungry to try some in L.A. Pine & Crane is an absolute gem of L.A. with another location in Silver Lake that I also hear is wonderful with a slightly different menu. Come hungry because you’re going to want to try a lot of different dishes.

We started out with their soothing vegetarian hot and sour soup, which was bursting with flavor. And one can’t go to a Taiwanese spot without trying some dim sum so we got chive dumplings, which were crispy and delicious. As a vegetarian, I have a difficult time finding DanDan Noodles without pork so I definitely had to try their DanDan noodles, which is an absolute specialty. It’s a casual order-at-the-counter spot with indoor and outdoor seating.

Good Clean Fun, Downtown

Natural wine and carbs are what Good Clean Fun specializes in and I am here for it. Good Clean Fun has a lovely outdoor streetside patio with heaters (it was chilly for L.A. standards). We did a wine flight (need more of these) and it was a fun way of trying some of their dynamic wine.

As I mentioned, Good Clean Fun has a lot of tasty carbs. They have a variety of dips with their sourdough bread so I recommend trying any of them – we had the sourdough with the European cultured butter and it was incredible. Another delightful dish was the grilled artichokes with a zesty lemon aioli – a must have!! I died and went to heaven when I ate the truffle mushroom pasta – you just have to have it – it’s creamy and bursting with truffle flavor. We also tried the burrata pizza, which was quite delicious too. The staff was incredibly kind and made us feel very welcome.

Ideology Coffee, Downtown

An adorable dog AND new wave?! Yes please! Ideology Coffee has a variety of unique lattes like the rose latte or matcha. I had an ube latte and absolutely loved it.

Cabra, Downtown

Why would I go to Cabra when there’s one in Chicago? Each Cabra has a different seasonal menu and I love all of Top Chef Season 3 winner Stephanie Izard’s restaurants, so yes I went here. There are also beautiful views of downtown L.A. so I highly recommend coming to The Hoxton’s Cabra during sunset.

Come here for a cocktail and views or stay for some bites. Their menu rotates seasonally but whatever vegetable you get, it’s going to be delicious. I had incredible brussels sprouts on a bed of whipped tofu, bing bread, and crispy cauliflower. While there is a lot of seafood here, you can get a vegan menu!

Azay, Little Tokyo

Japanese-French fusion is a theme in L.A. so I was very excited to try Azay as they had very unique items on their menu. We went there for brunch and started with the egg custard and chili crisp cucumbers (heavenly). We then had the Japanese curry with tofu, which was incredibly bold and flavorful and then concluded with the bento box which had a variety of different components: pickled veggies, miso glazed tofu, miso soup, and more! I  enjoyed all of the different parts and was full for the entire day after this.

Café Triste, Chinatown

How could I not visit a spot with a French name that translates to something along the lines of “sad café”? This super hip neighborhood café is always bustling. Their sidewalk patio has a DIY aesthetic and you can go indoors for something cozier. Café Triste specializes in natural wines so I of course had an amazing funky orange wine. Their bites looked intriguing but I was full from Cabra.

Guelagetza, Koreatown

Oaxacan cuisine is a specialty in L.A., and while it may seem meat heavy at times, I was able to find this unique gem of a spot called Guelagetza that has vegan and vegetarian versions of Oaxacan classics. I was so grateful to be able to try a vegetarian Tlayuda with a sultry mole and satisfying enchiladas both smothered in Oaxacan string cheese. I cannot wait to return here the next time I’m in L.A.!

Majordomo, Elysian Park

Everytime I come to L.A., I have to come back to Majordomo because it’s a phenomenal spot and the only way I can try David Chang’s cuisine since I am not in NYC frequently (the home of Momofuku). There is usually a wait but it’s not super difficult to get a reservation. As I would expect for a David Chang restaurant, it’s a super hip/vibey spot with a rich assortment of cocktails.

For more gustatory delights, I always love their seasonal rotating salads as they’re always crunchy and of course their bing bread with an assortment of dips like eggplant and sea salt butter honey. Their mushroom fried rice is super appetizing served in a deep bowl with crispy rice at the bottom.

Apotheke Los Angeles, Elysian Park

Conveniently located across the street from Majordomo is hidden cocktail oasis, Apotheke. The vibe and cocktails are just as hip as the name. Apotheke has a collection of absinthe and very unique well-balanced cocktails. If you’re looking to dance, they have a DJ on the weekends playing disco/house.

Silver Lake, Echo Park, Highland Park

These neighborhoods are how I fell in love with L.A. and always make a point of hanging out here as there is plentiful vegetarian food, beautiful parks, and lots of hip coffee/matcha cafes!

Café Nido, Silver Lake

Café Nido is an absolute dream to experience! It is full of lush greenery inside and outside – the décor is so carefully curated. While they have coffee and snacks, they also have a mini book area, and a DJ booth for the nighttime. I tried their cold brew and matcha latte, which were both excellent. I will definitely be returning here the next time I am in L.A.

Canyon Coffee, Echo Park

Craving matcha? Enjoy this super chic spot with a quaint sidewalk café specializing in matcha lattes while also having serious coffee beverages like espresso and pour-overs.

Botanica Restaurant and Market, Silver Lake

I appreciate that with the temperate climate of L.A., there are more opportunities to experience fresh, farm-to-table cuisine that truly honors vegetables. You just feel good and healthy after experiencing a meal at Botanica. We started off with citrus-coriander Castelvetrano olives topped with rose petals (I know, what a dream) and then proceeded to have a comforting marinated heirloom white bean toast topped with fennel pollen on divine bread. We concluded our meal with some crispy mushroom brown rice and an intriguing root lasagna topped with heavenly parmesan.

Maciel’s Plant-Based Butcher Shop, Highland Park

One can’t go to L.A. without visiting an exclusively vegan spot so I had to go to Maciel’s and try this casual vegan butchery. While they do have brunch options, I came for the vegan Italian sub because I used to love eating these before I became vegetarian. The Italian is a robust sandwich with vegan salami, pastrami, provolone, tomato, arugula, pepperoncini, and a red wine vinaigrette on a toasted hoagie. I wish I could have tried more here but will just have to return!

A Tí, Echo Park

A Tí  is intimate spot nestled in a little Echo Park strip mall serves excellent cocktails with mezcal! And they have super tasty snacks – get the guacamole! I had the A-Tini, which was incredibly unique and had the flavor profiles I love: bold and smokey with mezcal, gin, vermouth, and charred oja santa oil.

Woodcat Coffee Shop , Echo Park

Are communal tables your vibe? Woodcat is a great spot to do work when you need to be productive. I had their Kashmiri chai, which was excellent and I basked in the J Dilla Beats.

Bar Bandini, Echo Park

If you’re craving a refreshing natural wine spot, look no further than Bar Bandini. This cozy, dimly lit neighborhood spot has a great assortment of natural wine with a side of vinyl. A perfect spot for long-lasting conversations.

• Hungry for more travel recommendations? Check out my other travel blog posts here.