Los Angeles dwellers: what is your favorite restaurant?

Cafe Carolina in Tarzana in the Valley. Best Italian EVER.

El Cholo on the west side has great mexican food. A little more upscale than most good Mexican food.

Native Foods in Westwood is a very popular vegan place, if that is your thing. Lots of choices.

I like Pinks Hot Dogs just because of the history. I also dig Roscoes in Long Beach. [Haven’t had Sushi in LA but I too have heard there are some top notch chefs in charge of Sushi joints] Let me know what you find!

Check out El Pollo Inka. There are several locations in LA.

Mmm… @RocketGuy is right. Yummy Peruvian food.

I know this is probably too late but I want to mention some great old LA Restaurants.

First there’s Clifton’s, one of the oldest surviving cafeterias. It’s brought a friendly flair to dining with its three stories of themed decoration for many decades. This one is currently closed as it reinvents itself for a trendier era. We’ll see how that goes.

Also downtown is The Original Pantry (or more commonly just “the Pantry”). This is the oldest restaurant still in operation in the city. It’s a casual old diner and open 24 hours. There literally aren’t locks on the doors. They make good pulled pork and cole slaw.

Located at the same intersection as the ginormous and baffling Byzantine-Latino sign is Papa Christos, my favorite Greek place. It’s a family restaurant with a little grocery attached to it. Thursdays are family night where diners all eat together in what amounts to a weekly party with more lamb and belly dancing than you could shake a stick at. You’ll need a reservation on Thursday.

Up in Hollywood there’s Musso Frank’s. As I understand it of the surviving old Hollywood restaurants this one remains the most unchanged. It’s a across the street from the Egyptian to so you can make a pretty swank night of it too without having to drive all over. I can not recommend the Welsh Rarebit but they fucking know how to make cocktails. Really. This is one of those times to get the things they never quite pull off in bars. Maybe get dinner somewhere else and just show up to drink in style.

On the west side there’s the Apple Pan. As so super old, also super homey. The walls are plaid. The fair is simple, but whenever someone says X make the best burgers I politely disagree having eaten at the Apple Pan. They don’t have any tables you just eat at the counter. It’s nice to come in late for a slice of pie and a cup of coffee. It won’t be fancy coffee but those sorts of frills really wouldn’t suit the place.

Then there’s Canters. Honestly I think this one is overrated considering how tricky it can be to get in but it is a landmark and they do what they do well. Of course this one is open 24 hours to so it’s probably best visited when you’re out late, maybe after a long night to decompress. It is again a bit pricey for what it is but it is yummy and the pickles are awesome.

Generally speaking it’s also a good idea to hit up something in Chinatown. I recommend just grabbing one of those yummy steamed buns at a bakery and having a walking lunch exploring the area.