Best New Restaurants in Los Angeles 2016

Fiona Chandra

Los Angeles has seen many much-anticipated restaurant openings this year. From a fine dining restaurant high in the sky to a Sonoran BBQ garden in Frogtown to a number of new plant-based eateries, many new establishments are giving Los Angeles neighborhoods the benefits of a growing culinary scene. After serious consideration, Entertainment Voice presents a countdown list of the 10 best new restaurants that opened in LA this year:

10. Norah
This sexy and airy Southern-inspired restaurant in West Hollywood boasts an eclectic menu that includes Southern traditions such as cast-iron cornbread and braised greens as well as globally inspired dishes such as uni butter poached shrimp and hand-cut pasta. The marble bar in the large dining room serves seasonal cocktails and riffs on classics. Dinner is served until midnight daily, giving Angelenos a new hotspot for late night eats.

9. Here’s Looking at You
This year’s Koreatown culinary hotspot is not a Korean restaurant, but a truly Angeleno small plates eatery. The menu from Chef John Whitener (formerly chef de cuisine at Animal) is heavily influenced by Mexican and Japanese cuisine with other ethnic inspirations drawn from the surrounding city. The cocktails, coming by way of a couple of Cana Rum Bar alums, are complemented by the Tiki-inspired touches throughout the dining room and wooden bar.

8. Erven
Los Angeles lost a culinary gem when Koreatown’s Saint Martha shuttered, but Chef Nick Erven has returned with Erven on Santa Monica Boulevard. His namesake restaurant sports a plant-based menu, but carnivorous diners wouldn’t miss the meat. The nachos dish called seaweed dorito from Saint Martha make a comeback at Erven, now served with guacamole and hearts of palm. Korean gnocchi is served with chickpeas and okra. Chef Erven aims to make “vegan food for non-vegan people” – taste his beer-battered tofu sandwich to see what he is talking about.

7. Fritzi
Chef Neal Fraser has expanded his downtown Los Angeles reach with the opening of Fritzi in the Arts District. The casual restaurant is centered on the wood-fired rotisserie, which churns out some of the best chicken of its kind in the city; pick the crispy potato waffle as a side. Fritzi’s burger should also not be missed, and it goes well with suds from neighboring Arts District Brewing.

6. Winsome
You haven’t seen a diner like this if you haven’t been to Winsome. The interior comes by way of Wendy Haworth, who designed Gracias Madre, while the food comes courtesy of Chef Jeremy Strubel, a Rustic Canyon alum. The pastries are the crafts of Leslie Mialma, a Republique veteran. At first glance, it seems like a mere diner – but it soon becomes apparent why Bon Appetit named it one of the 50 best new restaurants in the country. The grass-fed burger comes served on Gjusta brioche bun and the potato chips are dusted with chile and makrut lime zest. Drinks include quinoa horchata or craft cocktails.

5. Shibumi
Shibumi brings Osaka’s kappo-style dining to downtown Los Angeles, thanks to Chef David Schlosser, who has worked at Urasawa and Michelin three-star Kikunoi Honten in Kyoto along with L’Arpege in Paris. He’s taken his fine dining experiences to bring a different Japanese culinary experience to an intimate 40-seat restaurant. Dishes including deep-fried monkfish and squid sashimi can be accompanied by picks from a strong cocktail program and a sake and whiskey selection.

4. Salazar
Chef Esdras Ochoa’s Sonoran BBQ has put Frogtown on the dining map. Diners from all over the city head to Elysian Valley to enjoy tacos, whole-grilled fish, and cocktails at Salazar’s outdoor tables. Solo diners and those on a date can start with some seafood tostadas and tacos, then try something from Chef Ochoa’s mesquite grill, such as rainbow trout zarandeado, hanger steak. There’s also a vegetarian Garden Plate.

3. Kali
For many years after working at Patina Restaurant Group, Chef Kevin Meehan held an underground dinner series called Kali Dining. Fortunately for Angelenos, he has since landed a permanent space at Kali Restaurant in the Larchmont Village area. Now, Chef Meehan serves his contemporary Californian cuisine in a chic-casual space on Melrose Avenue to critical acclaim.

2. 71 Above
High in the sky above the city, 71Above was one of LA’s most anticipated openings of the year. The restaurant sits atop the 71st floor of the US Bank Tower with 360-degree views and offers a multicultural menu from Chef Vartan Abgaryan, and craft cocktails from rising-star bartender Darwin Manahan. There is a two-course lunch menu and a four-course dinner menu, along with selection of a la carte items.

1. Gwen
This meat-centric restaurant from Chef Curtis Stone sits next to the butcher shop of the same name that he opened with his brother, Luke Stone. A glass-encased fire pit is the center of the restaurant and the menu. The dining room offers a five-course tasting menu, each centered on one animal. The bar and patio offer an a la carte “Butcher Scraps” menu for casual diners who want a bit to accompany their craft cocktails and wines.