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Best places to eat in Los Angeles

International Traveller

The International Traveller edit of the best restaurants and bars in Los Angeles.


The food scene in Los Angeles is saturated with endless choices to satisfy myriad tastes and budgets, from fine dining to food trucks.

Eating out can be done according to neighbourhoods or ethnic preference – Chinatown for Chinese, Koreatown for Korean and Boyle Heights for Mexican (complete with Mariachi bands).

So, here’s a rundown of some highlights on offer all around the city.

1. Spago

For those wanting to splash a little cash and eat at a true Hollywood institution, celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck’s flagship restaurant Spago is still going strong, having recently had a revitalising facelift (how very LA).

2. Osteria Mozza

Another celebrity chef (well, we are in the ground zero of celebrity), Mario Batalli is one of a trio of culinary whizzes behind Osteria Mozza and Pizzeria Mozza including chef Nancy Silverton, a former Spago alum who oversees the rustic, honest Italian fare on the menu here.

3. Maude

Maude, Los Angeles
Inside Curtis Stone’s Los Angeles restaurant, Maude.

 

Good Aussie boy Curtis Stone’s Beverly Hills eatery Maude (named after his grandmother) is an interesting prospect: it takes one seasonal star ingredient a month to feature, and produces a nine-course set tasting menu in an intimate dining room of only 25 seats. Reviews have been glowing.

Read our review of the brand new menu…

4. Four Seasons Beverly Hills

The ultimate venue for a power brunch Hollywood-style, when we stayed at Four Seasons Beverly Hills around the time of the Emmy Awards, there were various nominees, presenters (and a rather loud name-dropping hair stylist) in residence.

Brunch diners and studio exec types doing deals can choose from a menu that includes waffles dripping with syrup or the signature honey cinnamon granola.

5. Joan’s on 3rd

Joan’s on 3rd is an airy and light celebrity-laden cafe and providor that does a great granola for breakfast.

6. Urth Caffe

Popular with young, hip Hollywood,  Urth Caffe roasts its own organic coffee beans to use exclusively in-store.

7. The Fairfax Farmers Market

The original farmers market in LA, wandering this mall of food will present everything from powdered donuts to spicy burritos, banana leaf curries to deli-style sandwiches stacked high with pastrami, with a pickle on the side.

There are groceries and produce too, and a West Coast outlet of Dylan’s Candy Shop, the sugar-rush-inducing lolly shop started by Dylan Lauren, daughter of Ralph.

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8. Whole Foods

Ultra-cheap but super good for you: the national chain of Wholefoods supermarkets has made eating organically, macrobiotically and fair-trade-friendly accessible to everyone, with a killer readymade meals section in most stores selling sushi, roasted chickens and meats, pizzas and pasta, as well as a self-serve section where you can ladle salads, curries and soups into takeaway containers (recyclable, of course).

9. Sunny Spot

Chef Roy Choi, a native Angeleno, started his meteoric rise to culinary fame with his Kogi BBQ food trucks which serve up cheap but great Korean-Mexican fusion fare on the streets of LA.

The trucks are still on the road, but now Choi also oversees about half-a-dozen food and juice venues in the city including Sunny Spot, perfect for a laid-back breakfast, brunch and lunch spot in the Venice neighbourhood.

10. Trois Mec

It might sound like a gimmick but the reviews seem to validate Trois Mec’s golden ticket booking system: patrons wanting to dine need to log on to the restaurant website and book tickets to secure a table for the $75 set memu.

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5 things every hotel needs for a more restorative stay

    Kate Bettes Kate Bettes
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    Wellbeing means different things to different travellers. Here’s how to pick a hotel that gets it right for you.

    The best wellness holidays aren’t necessarily spent wrapped in a spa robe. Sometimes they’re found around a dinner table in Cambodia, on a hiking trail in New Zealand or after finally beating jet lag on the other side of the world. The hotel you choose is what makes them happen.

    1. Easy access to good food

    meals from Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20
    Taste delicious meals at Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20.

    One of the quickest ways to derail healthy habits on holiday is to spend half of it working out where to eat instead of digging into the culture around you. Thankfully, Novotel has done much of the hard work already, with chefs building menus that lean into the flavours, ingredients and traditions of each destination.

    In Sihanoukville, Cambodia, Korkor soup – often dubbed ‘Cambodian ratatouille’ – sits alongside raw blue crab dressed with lime and chilli, best enjoyed with views across the Gulf of Thailand.

    In the lovingly chaotic city of Bangkok, the presence of food cranks up the sociability. At Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20, you can settle in with mango sticky rice and stranger-turned-friends beside the pool at Sky on 20 rooftop bar, or bring them along to tackle river prawns and stir-fried crab with holy basil at the buzzing Crab Paradise Dinner Buffet.

    Then Novotel Dubai Al Barsha welcomes you with a laidback twist on the level of indulgence the Middle Eastern city is best known for up on Deck Se7en. Looking towards Burj Al Arab, the rooftop lounge has everything from Mediterranean-style dishes like seabass ceviche to Italian prosecco sundowners.

    At the other end of the scale, in the hills that surround the Novotel Bali Ubud Resort, calm comes from nature. At Siralada restaurant, Balinese traditions shape the menu while thunder rumbles over the surrounding jungle – proving the setting is as nourishing as the food itself.

    While at Novotel Nha Trang, chef Kieu Thi My Hanh and her team showcase Vietnam’s knack for balancing freshness, texture and fragrant herbs. Pho remains a favourite, while seafood salad with pomelo and mango brings those flavours together in one bright dish.

    It’s all an approach backed by partnerships with expert food creators such as Alfie Steiner, whose plant-forward recipes prove healthy food should never taste plain.

    2. Better sleep options

    Novotel Bali Ubud Resort room
    Sleep deeply with Novotel.

    There are few travel experiences more disappointing than arriving in a new country, determined to seize the day, only to fall asleep fully clothed by 3pm.

    For Australian travellers, jet lag is often an unavoidable part of the journey. That’s one reason Novotel runs sleep-focused initiatives that help guests adjust quickly without compromising on health. We’re talking partnerships with Sydney-based sleep specialist Olivia Arezzolo, known for her advice on everything from better sleep habits to beating jet lag, alongside features like pillow menus, in-room yoga content and tailored sleep guidance.

    The sooner you’re operating on local time, the sooner you can get back to more pressing matters – like deciding which spa treatment to book.

    3. More ways to move

    woman hiking around queenstown new zealand
    Stay at Novotel Queenstown Lakeside and explore local hiking trails. (Credit: GettyI mages/ naruedom)

    Every place in the world has its own way of getting you moving: whether that’s hiking up ice-bitten mountains before a sauna or gentle stretching by the pool before a facial. From fitness centres to spas, Novotel recognises that wellbeing rarely looks the same.

    At Novotel Queenstown Lakeside, activity is inescapable. Here, hiking trails, ski fields, bungee jumps, and white-water rafting have made the region famous. The hotel’s location on the shores of Lake Wakatipu means less time spent organising yourself and more time out there experiencing them. To top it all off, you can book a private hot tub for the evening before heading back into the wilderness tomorrow.

    Bali, of course, takes a softer approach. At Novotel Bali Ubud Resort or Novotel Bali Nusa Dua, movement is less about conquering a mountain and more about a dance class between the tropical gardens and lagoon pools. Afterwards, the spa takes over, with traditional treatments like a Lulur body scrub: a combination of rice, turmeric, sandalwood, ginger and jasmine that’ll soothe muscles already relaxed by the Balinese heat.

    4. Better connections

    Novotel Sharm El Sheikh
    Kids will love a stay at Novotel Sharm El Sheikh.

    One of the best things about travel is that it gives your family stories you’ll be telling for years. Novotel helps create them with activities that bring everyone together, whether that’s trying something new, learning a local skill, or simply spending more time together.

    Go for a distinctly Thai twist at Novotel Phuket Vintage Park, where many of the family activities draw on local culture. Kids can try everything from beginner Thai boxing and language lessons to umbrella painting and – a pastime beloved by children the world over – pool foam parties. Everyone is welcome to join in, whether that’s getting splashed, covered in paint, or simply watching their children discover a new side of Thailand during the dedicated Family & Kids Day.

    A different adventure awaits at Novotel Sharm El Sheikh. Kids could be perfectly content with discos, drawing classes and new holiday friends, but the Red Sea has other ideas. Sitting on the edge of Naama Bay, days here might involve snorkelling colourful reefs, taking a boat trip to Ras Mohammed National Park or heading into the desert by quad bike or camel for a Bedouin-style dinner beneath the stars.

    5. Location is everything

    Surin Beach, Choeng Thale, Thalang District, Phuket, Thaiföld
    Explore Phuket’s gorgeous beaches. (Credit: Bence Biczo)

    Everyone’s idea of wellness looks a little different. With more than 600 hotels across 65 countries, Novotel gives guests the freedom to choose the destination that suits them best. Whether that’s a beachside escape in Phuket, an alpine expedition in Queenstown or a city break in Bangkok, there’s a good chance a Novotel isn’t far away.

    All that’s left? Choosing your version of wellbeing.

    Discover stays to inspire your everyday at novotel.accor.com.