If you know me, you know I love eating out and documenting my meals. I don’t know if I should be proud or ashamed, but I went to over 150 restaurants this year. I had a lot of good food, but these are the dishes that stood out. I honestly can’t rank them, but the appetizers are at the beginning and the desserts are at the end!
Avocado Crispy Rice from Nic’s on Beverly | Los Angeles, CA
Nic’s on Beverly is the cutest vegan restaurant and I came here on my birthday! It’s in the Beverly Grove/West Hollywood area, and the prices reflect that, but it’s worth it. If you’ve never had crispy rice, it’s typically topped with raw tuna, but the grapefruit and avocado were so refreshing and delicious! Definitely make a reservation and ask to be seated on the back patio. The pizzas are also delicious!!
Baked BBQ Pork Buns from Tim Ho Wan | Irvine, CA
Tim Ho Wan has a Michelin star in Asia and while the Irvine location doesn’t have the best Yelp reviews, these pork buns are legit. They are bite-sized (smaller than most pork buns) crispy, sweet, and savory pillows that may be worth the 40-mile drive from Los Angeles. I’ve grown up eating pork buns in various forms and these are truly the best. The ambiance of the Irvine location is nothing special, so get some for takeout and avoid the wait!
Multigrain Flatbread from Ysabel | West Hollywood, CA
This bread is not free but you must get it. I came to Ysabel for a work dinner and we ordered half of the menu, but this flatbread was the star of the show. It comes out warm and crispy like funnel cake and it was just golden perfection. I ate so many pieces before the main entrees came out. Ysabel is owned by the same people as Laurel Hardware and attracts the same kind of crowd, but the patio is way more lowkey, which I prefer. The inside of the restaurant is very very dark and loud, and I don’t think I’d like to sit there.
Halibut & Shrimp Ceviche from Cafe Sevilla | Costa Mesa, CA
Cafe Sevilla is a tapas restaurant and my parents and I got so many plates, but this ceviche was chef’s kiss. The lime made it taste so fresh and it’s served with some grilled bread, and I cannot stop thinking about it. There’s live music and sometimes flamenco shows at the restaurant, but the outside booths are chill and fun.
Gochujang BBQ Wings from The Sherman | Sherman Oaks, CA
This place honestly surprised me. I went to visit my friend in Sherman Oaks and we went to this restaurant near his house for an early dinner. I had never heard of it before, but it was full of families and had upscale bar food. These chicken wings with the glaze weren’t too spicy and had great flavor. Much wow and the rest of the menu looked pretty good as well!
Pepperoni Pizza from Prince Street Pizza | New York City, NY
Pepperoni pizza is actually my desert island food, I love it and am not picky about it but I have never had a better slice than from Prince Street Pizza in the Nolita neighborhood of NYC. It was my first meal during my trip to New York this fall and it was my favorite thing I had all week. The crust is crispy and golden and the piece is dripping with grease (I’m glad I had wet wipes with me). It is so so good, I have not stopped thinking about it since. Thank goodness, there are a couple of locations in Los Angeles so I will have to see if they live up to the NY standard.
Madre’s Enchiladas from Madre | Los Angeles, CA
My dad loves mole and Madre is an Oaxacan restaurant that has several types of mole. This enchilada dish is a sampler with 4 enchiladas and 4 sauces: mole negro, mole coloradito, mole rojo, and salsa verde. It is so good and we’ve gotten it a few times now since there were locations near both my West Hollywood and Palms apartments.
Smoked Salmon Tartine from Tartine | Santa Monica, CA
A tartine is just a toast, and this toast was beautiful!! It has whipped cream cheese, pickled mustard seed, preserved lemon, pickled red onion, dill, and plenty of smoked salmon. A lox bagel is good but dang this tartine was better. Of course, it’s expensive, but it does not disappoint. The frangipane croissant was also incredible. Tartine has a few locations, but this one is in a remodeled church with patio seating out back. You can’t make reservations or anything, you just stand in the long line and order at the counter, take a number, and then they’ll bring you your food.
Breakfast Bowl from Little Ruby’s | New York City, NY
There used to be a Santa Monica location that was on my LA bucket list, but it closed during the pandemic, so I had to try it in New York this year! Little Ruby’s is an Australian cafe, and there are several locations around NYC, but we went to the one in SoHo. This bowl was massive and I can’t believe I ate the whole thing, but I couldn’t carry around the leftovers all day! It had prosciutto, poached eggs, whipped ricotta, peas, edamame, avo, sprouts, lemon, and delicious sourdough. It was one of the best brunches I had all year.
Potato Crepe from Girl and the Goat | Los Angeles, CA
I do not like going to downtown LA, but I will brave the 10 East for this crepe. Girl and the Goat opened during the pandemic when I was in WA, so it was a priority to go when I moved back to Los Angeles. The restaurant was aesthetic was on point and the food here absolutely lived up to the hype. The potato crepe was crispy hashbrowns with Vietnamese-style sausage, cheese, sweet n’ sour sauce, and pickled veggies. It was like nothing I’d ever had before and I think I ate most of this dish. The everything crumpets & cured smoked salmon were also super tasty and I need to trek back to DTLA to try more things on the menu ASAP. You 100% need to make a reservation here, do not expect to be able to just walk in.
Spicy & Tingly Beef Biang Noodles from Xi’an Noodles | Bellevue, WA
Xi’an Noodles opened its downtown Bellevue location and the hand-ripped noodles do not disappoint!! My mom likes to get the tingly lamb, but I prefer the pork. There is so much flavor in this dish, every time I think I’m going to save half for another meal but I rarely do. Don’t forget to get sides of chili oil and all the sauces!
Fried Fish Tacos from Malibu Seafood | Malibu, CA
Malibu Farm is where the tourists go, but Malibu Seafood is where the locals go and I’m convinced it served as inspiration for the Pacific Fish restaurant in Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid. This is as fresh as it gets! Malibu Seafood & Fish Market is located literally right along PCH a little past Pepperdine University. The line is always pretty long, but it moves fairly fast. If you just want to buy raw fish at the market, you can skip the line and go inside to the counter. I’ve been a few times before, and the fish tacos always hit the spot! You can get fried or regular fish tacos for $5 each and they’re pretty big! I only eat 2 or 3 max. Pro tip: save one of the tortillas and make an extra taco with all the droppings from your other tacos. The fish and chips are also huge, I can’t even finish a two-piece.
Creme Brulee Crepe from Millet Crepe | Los Angeles, CA
I first saw a picture of the creme brulee crepe in 2019, and I finally went to Sawtelle to try it! You choose a filling for the crepe, and I chose Nutella and strawberries. The crepe was then folded into a cone which was then filled with custard and torched at the top. SO GOOD. Very much worth the $10. Sawtelle can get packed at night, so I recommend going before 5pm.
Salted Caramel Budino from North Italia | Santa Monica, CA
I like tiramisu, but this budino was fantastic and I just loved this dessert! It was sweet and the cake was delicious. North Italia just does baked goods right. The white truffle garlic bread is also what dreams are made of. North Italia is kind of a chain and I’ve been to the Santa Monica and Irvine locations and you should definitely make a reservation.
Croissant Bread Pudding from Laurel Hardware | West Hollywood, CA
This is a dessert that just makes sense. It’s served with vanilla ice cream as it should, and it is just so so good. My friend and I went to Laurel Hardware for happy hour and got a few appetizers and then just ordered dessert and that is the way to do it, my friends. Because it’s WeHo, people dress kinda nice here and you’ll definitely need to make reservations in advance. There’s no guarantee you’ll be seated outside on the patio, but it’s way better than sitting inside in the dark, so try to request that when you check-in.
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