I love food and do my best to try as many new restaurants as I can. I went to over 150 restaurants in 2023, and here are my favorite 15 dishes. I traveled a lot and ate very well, so not all of these are in Los Angeles. Similar to last year, I can’t rank them, but the appetizers are at the beginning and the desserts are at the end!
Puffed Ravioli from Rouge | Nice, France
Eating these was just such a surprise and delight moment. They were little salty crispy pillows of ravioli, which now that I think of it look basically like air fryer pasta from TikTok. They reminded me of Cheez-its and idk I just loved these and did not expect this playful dish from a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant (full Nice blog post here).
Malawach from Bavel | Los Angeles, CA (DTLA)
I wasn’t familiar with malawach before, but it’s a Jewish flatbread, kind of like a more doughy puff pastry. It was an appetizer served with grated tomato, dill crème fraîche, soft egg, and strawberry zhoug and it was one of my favorite parts of the meal!
Ceviche from Bellie | Lyon, France
I didn’t do too much research on restaurants in Lyon (full Lyon blog post here). We walked by Bellie on the first day, and I looked up their Instagram. Their menu changes monthly, so this probably isn’t available anymore, but this ceviche was one of the highlights of the trip. It was sweet, but not too sweet, and I loved the pomegranates with it.
House Chaat from Dishoom | London, England
I didn’t know what to order going into Dishoom, but everyone I talked to said we had to go if we were in London (full London blog post here). The hostess recommended the house chaat, and it was fried sweet potato covered yoghurt, pomegranate, beetroot, radish, carrot, tamarind drizzle, and green chutney. It was sweet and earthy and refreshing! I really need to eat more Indian food.
Hand Sliced Smoked Salmon Bagel from Courage Bagels | Los Angeles, CA (East Hollywood)
If you think all bagels taste alike, you need to go to Courage Bagels. These are open-faced bagels and they are perfectly crispy, not too bready, and I haven’t had anything like it before even in New York. I’ve only ever been on Friday mornings, but I would recommend getting there 20 minutes before they open because there will already be a line.
Shrimp Benedict from Cici’s Cafe | Tarzana, CA
I would’ve never ordered a shrimp benedict, but I split it with my friend Helene and it was delicious! I loved the jalapeno for some kick. Cici’s is very popular (check out their soufflé pancakes) and you can’t make a reservation, so be prepared to wait once you put your name on the list.
The Godfather from All About the Bread | West Hollywood, CA
I love sandwiches and this one was fab. With a name like All About the Bread, I had high expectations for the bread and it did not disappoint! Chewy and not too thick, I was a huge fan of the sandwich. Based on Yelp reviews, I was sure to order less peppers since I can’t tolerate too much spice.
Malai Rigatoni from Pijja Palace | Los Angeles, CA (Silverlake)
Imagine a vodka pasta but make the sauce a sweet and savory malai curry sauce. I could eat like 3 bowls of this, it was absolutely delicious. For a while, Pijja Palace was THE “it” restaurant of LA and you just couldn’t get a reservation. We just got there like 25 minutes before it opened and were able to get a table pretty quickly once they did open.
Braised Pork Pappardelle from Scopa Italian Roots | Venice, CA
It’s not that I want y’all to spend literally $30 on a bowl of pasta, it’s just that good. I had heard nothing but great things about Scopa from friends and so it was an option on a list of dinner options I presented to my dad on one of his trips down to LA. The pork is made over the course of 3 days, I believe and I’ve just never had a pasta that was so rich in flavor. We also ordered the pesto which was the brightest pesto I’ve ever had and also a good choice.
Pho Birria de Res from Phorage | Los Angeles, CA (Palms)
It took me way too long to go to Phorage, and I immediately knew I had to order the birria pho when I saw it on the menu. It’s an Asian and Mexican fusion dish with shredded beef, rice noodles, onions, green onions, and cilantro. Absolutely delicious. Will need to order again.
Loaded Baked Potato Gnocchi from Hatchet Hall | Culver City, CA
I’m not usually a gnocchi person, I feel like they’re thick and gummy, but these were the most perfect soft pillows of potato with cheddar, bacon, and chives and there were no faults.
Persimmon French Toast from Destroyer | Culver City, CA
I was worried when the plate came with just a quarter loaf of bread and that it would be super hard to cut, but the bread was warm and soft and the persimmon dressing was sweet and perfect. Expensive, but everything felt like a work of art here so I’m going to rationalize it.
Rhubarb crepe (daily special) from Breizh Café | Paris, France
This was the single best crepe of my life! It had rhubarb compote, gariguette strawberries, buckwheat crumble and red berry caramel. I’m speechless. All I have to say is yummm.
Missionary Crisp from Better than Sex | West Hollywood, CA
Ok so for a while I was putting on a book club where we’d read a book and then do an experience related to the book. We read Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover and I was trying to find something to do related to this smutty book lol #iykyk. I found there was a dessert/bar place called Better Than Sex right on Melrose Avenue that I had never noticed before. As I was eating this crisp, I distinctly remember thinking that this was one of the best desserts I’ve ever had. It didn’t sound like anything special but it was very good: apples, buttery cake-like layer, a salted graham cracker crumble, vanilla ice cream, cinnamon & caramel.
Strawberry Bread Pudding from Jon and Vinny’s | Los Angeles, CA (Slauson)
Honestly I don’t find Jon and Vinny’s pastas or pizzas to be anything that special but this dessert was something else. I’m a sucker for anything with strawberries and this bread pudding was delicious. I hate when you do group desserts because you don’t want to look like a glutton but I ate a lot of this.
RECOMMENDED READING:
My 15 Favorite Dishes of 2022
The Best Fast Casual Restaurants in LA
Sarah’s Food-Filled Week in LA
