Guests are in town and you have the task of entertaining them. And perhaps more importantly, they must be fed (the traffic is even worse when hangry). Break bread at these quintessential dining options to really give your visitors the proper taste of TinselTown.

1) Urth Caffe (multiple locations)

Do I want a matcha latte, rooibos latte or chai latte? Am I feeling the pumpkin pie with graham cracker crust or the pecan pie today? Should I order the Mediterranean platter or stick to a fresh fruit bowl with yogurt and artisan granola? These are the hard decisions you’ll be making at Urth Caffe. Open air cafe dining, great on a sunny day. Urth Caffe has an extensive breakfast and lunch menu and will make it really hard for you to decide what you want, given all the options, NONE of which disappoint. Patrons will also be dressed trendily, so you will feel immersed in the thick of Southern California culture.

Dig into these bad boys for a gluttonous treat

2) C & O (Venice)

With its endless garlic knots, you can’t go wrong at C&O’s. They have two locations on Washington Blvd in Venice (Trattoria and Cucina), both ardently serving endless garlic knots. It’s Olive Garden breadsticks on a major upgrade. Not to mention a diet killer, so go on your cheat day. PS - the pasta is delizioso!! Reasonably priced and big portions so you can order a few and split.

3) Cafe Gratitude (multiple locations)

Dish names include items like “Evolved”, “Elated” and “Liberated”. This may or may not make you roll your eyes, but there’s no denying that it’s perfectly cliche LA and a magnet for vegan and plant-based fans. With many different diets competing in this city and vegan being a top contender, you just might find yourself wanting to have an attitude of Gratitude :P

Spicy tuna on crispy rice = what people come for. This for sure ain’t my photo (courtesy of Katsuya Hollywood’s Yelp page) because I’m too busy eating mines before I remember to take a photo

4) Katsuya (multiple locations)

Synonymous with the LA sushi scene, there now seems to be a Katsuya everywhere. Hollywood, the Valley, Brentwood, DTLA, etc. Definitely order the spicy tuna crispy rice, creamy rock shrimp, wagyu fried rice and basically everything on the menu that your wallet will allow. Pricey, but if you’re feeling the Hollywood vibe, this is a great place to splurge!

5) Mozza (multiple locations in Hollywood & Newport Beach)

Get your Italian fix on at none other than Mozza. Hint: brought to you by Chef’s Table alum Nancy Silverton. Mozza hosts Pizzeria Mozza and Osteria Mozza, but do not get them confused. Pizzeria leans more towards pizza/pasta, Osteria has a focus on meat and fish entrees (but pasta as well). Osteria also has the Amaro Bar every Sunday - Thursday for lunch for only $35. The Amaro Bar menu lets you choose one item from each menu category including the Mozzarella Bar, Primi, Gelati or Sorbetti.

Chicken liver toast to get your attention (photo courtesy of Animal’s Yelp page; I haven’t been there yet, shame on me)

6) Animal (Hollywood)

Expensive but trendy as hell, I’ve only heard great things about Animal. For at least once, it may be worth it to live on the wild side noshing on pig ear, rabbit larb and veal tongue just for the experience.

7) Bestia (DTLA)

Join the LA Hype. You may need to make reservations months in advanced and this is no exaggeration (unless you’re cool with a 10 pm reservation). Apparently everyone is after the roasted bone marrow and the 32 oz bone-in dry aged prime ribeye clocking in at a hefty $130. And I haven’t even mentioned the pasta! Very indulgent but I swear it is infused with some kind of CBD or melatonin or tryptophan because our whole party felt verrrry sleepy after. This will break the bank, but definitely one of those restaurants that you may have FOMO from not trying.

8) Fonuts <faux - donuts> (Hollywood)

Another huge hit for this diet-conscious town. If things like gluten-free, low-to-no sugar or vegan mean something to you or a loved one (I think that covers just about everyone in town), then you will love Fonuts. A perfect thing to bring to the office or for those just visiting town, no judgement if you buy a box to eat on the plane ride home.

Dare to Diddy. They let you mix and match cookie flavors too.

9) Diddy Reise (Westwood)

Diddy Reise was all the rage when I first moved to LA for college and while there’s been better ice cream places to hit the scene since, the long line for Diddy Reise still stacks up at night. Whether it’s for nostalgia’s sake, because it’s a stone’s throw away from UCLA or because the ice cream sandwiches are only $2.50, none of that matters because no one dislikes ice cream sandwiches (if you do, I’m offended). Many flavors of cookies and ice cream flavors to choose from.

10) Porto’s (multiple locations)

Oh, famous Portos. Great to stop by for a few potato balls or croquettes or bring a box to a party and be worshipped. I don’t know much about the bakery dessert items, but I do know that when most people see Porto’s they immediately and greedily open up the box to see if there’s potato balls or croquettes. Addicting.

Love the lids on top the sushi at Kura’s too. For hygienic reasons :P

11) Kura Sushi (multiple locations)

Kura can be ridiculously fun. It’s much more than just another sushi restaurant - it’s a dining experience! Ordering and having food arrive is very interactive and entertaining. There’s tables or bar seating, accompanied by tablets that either let you order specialty items from the screen or pick sushi off the conveyor belt going by below. I have fun doing both. Pick food circulating on the lower conveyor belt for instant appetite gratification or when you order something off the tablet it shoots out in front of you on the upper conveyor belt. Plates clock in at $2.75/plate (it increased from $2, bummer) which has the tendency to stack up quickly, but you probably won’t notice until the bill arrives because a) you’re distracted by what to order next and b) they also make the plate count/disposal fun by sliding it into slots that tally the damage. As with so many Asian restaurants, no reservations, you’ll have to put your name on a list once you get there.

12) Jitlada (Hollywood)

If you don’t know how to make decisions, make sure you’re bringing some with you who can. Jitlada has a very lengthy menu of southern Thai dishes and is consistently one of the most mentioned Thai restaurants in LA, even making the Jonathan Gold list. Spice, spicy curry, spicy-anything is king here. (So also make sure whoever is coming with you can handle the heat!)

13) Din Tai Fung (multiple locations)

One of the standout soup dumpling restaurants that, lucky for us, keeps expanding their locations like wildfire. First of all, soup IN a dumpling is super cool and tasty. The cherry on top the cake is now you don’t even have to haul ass to SGV to dive into these dumplings! So many people used to recommend Din Tai Fung when they were still only in SGV. Now they have locations at Century City Mall, Del Amo, Glendale and some in Orange County.

14) Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles (multiple locations)

You probably won't get far in LA without someone mentioning Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles. With locations throughout the city, there's many opportunities to indulge in this sinfully good comfort food combo. I love the Obama special (3 wings and 1 waffle) and he probably does too.

15) Pink’s Hot Dogs (Hollywood)

Ever since I moved to LA, whenever I’d drive up La Brea at any given time during the day I was sure to see a massive line for Pink’s Hot Dogs. With good reason - Pink’s has been around since 1939 (respect) when hot dogs were going for just 10 cents. They started from the bottom and now they here. I think the line has died down just a tad in the last couple of years (they’ve also made their way to different events like OC Fair), but people will still come far and wide for none other than to try something from this extensive hot dog combo menu.

16) Tito’s Tacos (West LA)

Maybe because it’s visibly right off the 405 freeway as people sit in nasty 405 traffic on their way from LAX into Hollywood, but Tito’s has been a longstanding (since 1959) classic LA spot that draws a crowd from all over town. Cheap yet tasty Mexican restaurant/take-out staple that has been mentioned since I’ve moved here. The free chips and salsa doesn’t hurt either!

The spread at Kang Ho-Dong Baekjeong. Say that fast three times.

17) KBBQ (multiple locations)
Do not leave LA without hitting up KBBQ, especially in K-Town where you can go from cheap, to mid range, to royalty level tiers. There’s also many AYCE dining options (although I’m kind of over those nowadays; you just feel too pregnant after). KBBQ is super fun for groups and you’ll ideally want to choose a place that you can make a reservation if you’re going during dinner on the weekends. Some of my favorites are Parks (takes reservations/great private room for parties/valet), Genwa (takes reservations, 2 locations), Kang Ho-Dong Baekjeong (quality meat and banchan) and Soowon (hold your place online on Yelp).

18) Eggslut (multiple locations)

First of all, it’s called “Eggslut”. That alone has appeal. Secondly, the city loves lazy brunches, convenience, trend, and hello, breakfast sandwiches are appropriate at any meal. I personally didn’t find Eggslut to be the most life-changing, sluttiest breakfast sandwich the way others have described, but it certainly makes for a good IG photo if you’re going for the branding on the wrapper.

This city thinks of everything! (photo courtesy of Paper City Mag)

19) Sprinkles (multiple locations)

Sprinkles cupcakes. It’s an LA thing to try for all you sweet-tooth fiends out there. There’s even Sprinkle’s ATMs where you can get a cupcake quickly. That’s how dedicated this city is. They also serve cookies and ice cream but all of that gets outshined by their (constantly rotating flavors) cupcakes.

20) Sugarfish (multiple locations)

NY and LA both bare the blessing and the curse of having Sugarfish in town. In LA, we just have ample locations of it :) I know people who will literally come off the plane and want to go to Sugarfish; like they cannot even function until they have their fix. I can’t say I blame them. The sushi and the rice is soo soft and melt in your mouth, sushi at its purest and finest.

Insider tip: They also have a very nice thing where if you have dined and checked in at least twice at Sugarfish during the calendar year, you are eligible to eat for free on the day of your actual birthday through joining the Birthday Celebration Program.

What other restaurants do you think make the Top Quintessential LA Dining list?? I want to know about them.

Top 20 Total Quintessential LA Dining Options