Satisfy Your Hunger and Try a New Restaurant!

Written by: Jennifer Pellerito DineLA

LA, are you ready? It’s every foodie’s favorite season: dineL.A. The 15-day food extravaganza showcasing the delicious restaurants around Los Angeles is happening until Jan. 31. Either hit the gym extra hard over the next two weeks or prepare to unbutton your top button, because this year’s selections will have you coming back for more and more.

 

Preview our top picks:

1 | Respect Your Madre DineLA

Must-Try item: Ocotlan Empanada
Lunch: $25
Dinner: $39

Visit Madre for traditional cuisine from the heart of Mexico, combined with the largest selection of mezcal in the US. Madre’s dineL.A. menu includes four courses, each delicately balancing the complex, rich and often intense flavors renowned in Oaxacan cuisine. Pair your food with the Rey Campero Tepextate mezcal, a private label available exclusively at Madre. “Our mole negro is not too sweet, not too spicy—it has just the right balance of barbecue, roasted flavors, [and] a little bit of Oaxacan chocolate. It’s one of the staples of our menu,” says owner and founder Ivan Vasquez.

Madre
1261 Cabrillo Ave, Ste 100
Torrance, CA 90501
310.974.8005

 

2 | Flirt With Local Flavors DineLA

Must-Try Item: Branzino
Dinner: $49 

Dash into dinnertime delights at Viviane at the Avalon Hotel. See and be seen at the poolside patio or inside the jewel-toned dining room, which was designed by Kelly Wearstler. The dineL.A. menu features a mouthwatering rigatoni prepared with duck confit, swiss chard and aleppo pepper. “We try to change [the menu] between four to five times a year, depending on the season and what’s happening at the LA farmers market,” says Executive Chef Michael Reed.

Viviane
9400 W. Olympic Blvd
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
310.277.5221

 

3 | Tantalize Your Taste Buds DineLA

Must-Try Item: Hung-Ley Curry
Lunch: $15
Dinner: $39

Dine at Chao Krung for some of the best dishes this side of the Pacific. Chao Krung has made a name for itself since the 1970s as LA’s second Thai restaurant. Expect all your curry dreams to be satisfied after feasting on the dineL.A. menu.

Chao Krung
111 N Fairfax Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90036
323.939.8361

 

4 | Explore Mediterranean-California Cuisine

Must-Try Item: Laffa Gyro
Lunch: $25

Head to Calabra for lunch on the rooftop of the Santa Monica Proper Hotel, where an endive persimmon salad and a buttermilk fried chicken sandwich awaits. Don’t miss upcoming live music from DJ Koast and singer-songwriter Rachel Mazer.

Calabra
700 Wilshire Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90401 
424.390.0737

 

5 | Dine Along the Waterside

Must-Try Item: Rainbow Trout
Lunch: $25
Dinner: $39

BALEENKitchen delivers on everything it promises: fine dining that overlooks the Redondo Beach marina. Catch a seat next to an outdoor fire and cozy up with a bowl of tomato bisque to start. Then move on to the must-have rainbow trout.

BALEENKitchen at The Portofino Hotel & Marina
260 Portofino Way
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
310.372.1202

 

6 | Bring the Ocean to the Table DineLA

Must-Try Item: Seared Scallops
Dinner: $49

All the details come into place at Herringbone, a Santa Monica favorite known for its locally sourced produce. Nautical decor inspirations linger throughout the indoor and outdoor dining areas, allowing coastal breezes to flow through. Now that’s a fresh catch!

Herringbone Santa Monica
1755 Ocean Ave
Santa Monica, CA 90401
310.971.4460

 

7 | Roll in for Lunch or Dinner DineLA

Must-Try Item: Yamaimo Hand Roll
Lunch: $15
Dinner: $29

This one’s for all the hand roll aficionados out there. KazuNori specializes in crafting hand rolls using the freshest fish, seaweed and rice available. The dineL.A. dinner menu includes six delectable hand rolls, plus a salmon sashimi. Drool!

KazuNori, Westwood
1110 Gayley Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90024
310.935.3974

Downtown
421 S Main St
Los Angeles, CA 90013
213.493.6956

Mid-Wilshire
6248 Wilshire Blvd, Ste 101
Los Angeles, CA 90048
213.642.6457

8 | Button Up in Beverly Hills

Must-Try Item: Spicy Pork with Chili
Lunch: $35
Dinner: $59

Chinese fine dining at its best. Originally opened in 1974, this LA hotspot continues to draw guests worldwide. Get in on the action by relishing in the $35 lunch or $59 dinner. You might even snag a seat next to your favorite celebrity.

Mr. Chow 
344 N Camden Dr
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
310.278.9911

 

9 | Make Dinner a Breeze DineLA

Must-Try Item: Seared Saffron Salad
Lunch: $20
Dinner: $39

It’s time to wine and dine at zinc@shade, where beachgoers go to get their glam on. Indulge in a choice of an angus ribeye, seared saffron salmon or shrimp bucatini alfredo for your entree. Cool off with a hand-crafted cocktail.

zinc@shade
1221 N Valley Drive
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
310.469.3466

 

10 | Stroll Over to The Strand House

Must-Try Item: Maine lobster bucatini
Lunch: $35
Dinner: $59

View Manhattan Beach like you never have before at The Strand House. With lunch and dinner options as alluring as these, you can’t miss the 180-degree ocean view that complements the cuisine spectacularly. Finish the night with glazed donuts that are worth writing home about.

The Strand House
117 Manhattan Beach Blvd
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
310.545.7470

 

11 | Dream of Southern Italy in Every Bite DineLA

Must-Try Item: Grilled Pork Collar
Lunch: $35
Dinner: $49

Prepare to be inspired. Take just one step into Elephante, and you’ll be floored by jaw-dropping interior design reminiscent of Northern Africa and Southern Italy. Not to mention, the food too. Go for the grilled pork collar, an item made exclusively for dineL.A. “Our most popular dish is the whipped eggplant with puccia bread. This dish sort of came together by accident! I made the whipped eggplant dip for another dish we were testing out. While we were testing pizza dough, we were dipping warm, cooked dough in the whipped eggplant, and it sort of just happened. We all looked at each other and didn’t have to really say anything. We all knew it was a hit!” says Executive Chef Phil Rubino. 

Elephante
1332 Second St
Santa Monica, CA 90401
424.320.2384

 

12 | Honor Your Local Farmer

Must-Try Item: Spiced Swordfish a la Plancha
Dinner: $59

Dedicated to crafting dishes with local, fresh and California-centric ingredients, Farmshop is a must-try for all foodies. After you finish your first and second course, don’t forget dessert: choose between lemon poppy olive oil or flourless, dark chocolate cake. “As we always do, we like to highlight the best our purveyors grow in any given season. Thorne Family Farms is growing amazing cauliflower this month. To highlight that, we decided to make a vegan soup spiced with curry, saffron and apples with coconut milk,” says Brian Reimer, culinary director of, Farmshop Restaurants.

Farmshop
225 26th St, Ste 25
Santa Monica, CA 90402
310.566.2400