Restaurants We Endorse
| Location | Hours | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Absolutely Phobulous 350 N. La Cienega Blvd. abpho.com | Daily 11:00am–9:30pm | Typical Vietnamese pho cafe. The perfect solution to cold weather. We really think it should be open late. |
| Astro Burger 5601 Melrose Ave. astroburger.com | Mon–Thurs 7:00am–12:00am Fri–Sat 7:00am–1:00am Sun 9am-12am | Bizarre mash-up of burger joint and Greek food. Large menu. Drive-thru available. |
| Bulan Thai Vegetarian 7168 Melrose Ave. bulanthai.com | Daily 11:00am–10:00pm | We think this is the best of the plethora of vegan Thai places. Doesn't take the copycat route. The Crisp Fish w/ Green Apple is a favorite, despite our initial skepticism. |
| Chili Addiction 408 N. La Cienega Blvd. chiliaddiction.com | Tues–Fri 12:00pm–2:30pm & 5:30–9:00pm Sat-Sun 12pm-9pm | Highly recommended. Winner of numerous cook-offs. A bit pricey, but everything homemade: the chili, hot sauce, ketchup, mustard, sauerkraut, tortilla chips, sausage, fries, potato chips, ice cream, and sorbet. Yes, all homemade. |
| Chipotle 121 N. La Cienega Blvd. or 110 S. Fairfax Ave. or many other locations chipotle.com | Daily 11:00am–10:00pm | A chain, but it's the most flavorful burrito that we can get. Quick, and more food than you may be able to eat. |
| Galco's Soda Pop Stop 5702 York Blvd., Highland Park sodapopstop.com | Mon–Sat 9:00am–6:30pm Sun 9:00am–4:00pm | This market sells fresh sandwiches and vintage candy, but it's first and foremost a soda store. Literally aisles upon aisles of unique sodas. |
| Hugo's Restaurant 401 Santa Monica Blvd. hugosrestaurant.com | Mon–Fri 7:30am–10:00pm Sat–Sun 8:00am–10:00pm | Restaurant with a large, unique menu that's always changing and experimenting. They also have a taco stand in Los Feliz. |
| India's Grill 428 S. San Vicente Blvd. indiasgrill.com | Mon–Fri 11:00am–11:00pm Sat–Sun 12:00pm–11:00pm | If you like your Indian food a little less bitter and a little more sweet, this is the place. |
| Johnny Rockets 100 N. La Cienega Blvd. or 7507 Melrose Ave. or many other locations johnnyrockets.com | Sun–Fri 11:00am–10:00pm Sat 11:00am–11:00pm | A 50s nostalgia burger chain, but the service is usually great and the place is always kept spotless. All-you-can-eat fries with every entree, if that's your thing. |
| M Cafe de Chaya 7119 Melrose Ave. mcafedechaya.com | Mon–Sat 9:00am–10:00pm Sun 9:00am–9:00pm | Our caterer. Macrobiotic with no dairy, eggs, refined sugar, red meat, or poultry. We tend to go for the panini, unique side salads, and fruit tarts. |
| Messob 1041 S. Fairfax Ave. messob.com | Daily 11:00am–11:00pm | Ethiopian restaurant surrounded by others just like it, we like this one for its atmosphere. There are no utensils here, just giant sourdough teff pancakes called injera to scoop up the spicy stews, similar to Indian food. |
| Native Foods 1110 Gayley Ave. nativefoods.com | Daily 11:00am–10:00pm | Vegan cafe in the heart of Westwood. Their stars are the Chicken Ranch burger and the Oklahoma Bacon Cheeseburger. The desserts are not so recommended. |
| Newsroom Cafe 120 N. Robertson Blvd. | Mon–Thu 8:00am–9:30pm Fri 8:00am–10:30pm Sat 9;00am–10:30pm Sun 9:00am–9:30pm | Large menu with something for everyone. Big and often bustling. So, not so much a cafe but an upscale diner. Unique specials. |
| PF Chang's 121 N. La Cienega Blvd. or many other locations pfchangs.com | Sun–Thur 11:00am–11:00pm Fri–Sat 11:00am–12:00am | A chain that gets a lot of flack for not having authentic Chinese food; what Chinese restaurant does? We don't care, it tastes good, especially the amazing lettuce wraps. |
| Pizza Fusion 7950 W. Sunset Blvd. pizzafusion.com/hollywood | Sun–Thur 11:00am–10:00pm Fri–Sat 11:00am–11:00pm | Real, wood-fired brick oven pizza that leaves ash on the crust. California-ized, yes, but this is what all pizza should be like. |
| Shojin 333 S. Alameda St. #310 theshojin.com | Mon–Tue 5:30pm–10:00pm Wed–Thur 11:30am–2:30pm & 5:30pm–10:00pm Fri 11:30am–2:30pm & 5:30pm–10:30pm Sat 12:00pm–10:30pm Sun 12:00pm–10:00pm | This vegan macrobiotic Japanese restaurant is one of our very favorites. Large menu that keeps growing. Sushi that goes beyond avocado and veggie rolls, creatively flaky fish cakes, spicy ramen that's not kidding around, and the best seitan we've ever had. Desserts not recommended. |
| Urth Caffe 8565 Melrose Ave. or 267 S. Beverly Dr. or 451 S. Hewitt St. urthcaffe.com | Sun–Thur 6:30am–11:00pm Fri–Sat 6:30am–11:30pm | Coffee, tea, boba, juice, bread, bagels sandwiches, panini, wraps, salads, soup, many hot entrees, desserts, and even breakfast. This place is very popular and always packed. All coffee is organic, fair trade, and of the highest quality. |
| Veggie Grill 8000 W Sunset Blvd. veggiegrill.com | Daily 11:00am–11:00pm | Similar to Native Foods, but better. More of a southwestern flair, with spicy chili, pepper-coated tortilla chips, and chipotle ranch on nearly everything. Chicken, carne asada, steak burger topped w/ onion rings, creamy mac & cheese, even a kale salad that's actually good. |
| Z Pizza 8869 Santa Monica Blvd. or 123 N. Larchmont Blvd. zpizza.com | Mon–Fri 11:00am–10pm Sat–Sun 12:00pm–10:00pm | Organic pizza offering a wide variety of unique toppings. Sweet corn, three types of mushrooms, capers, carrots, bean sprouts, pears, eggplant, pine nuts, yams, mango chutney, avocado, cucumber, truffle oil, peanut sauce... |