It’s safe to say that most Angelenos already appreciate our world-class food scene, and those especially plugged in have watched just how many stellar restaurants have been opening at a rapid-fire pace the last few years. Still, it’s always great to get that national nod from those beyond the sprawl, and this morning, we got six: Bon Appetit magazine just released its annual “50 Best New Restaurants in America” list, and we’ll be damned if L.A. didn’t dominate.
Surpassing the nods for NYC, Houston, Austin, Chicago, Nashville, New Orleans and the entire Pacific Northwest, Southern California’s six wins were only met by, well, Northern California’s.
L.A.’s picks are just as varied and exciting as the city’s openings on the whole, ranging from the expertly and painstakingly prepared Middle Eastern food at Bavel—where Bestia’s Ori Menashe rolls couscous by hand and Genevieve Gergis concocts confections like licorice ice cream bon bons—to the laid-back but ever-inventive Jewish deli fare at Freedman’s, where you’re just as likely to slide into a seat for avocado and crispy-chicken-skin sandwiches as you are marrow-topped brisket.
David Chang’s Majordōmo made the cut, with its impressive and culture-crossing menu of mix-and-match Chinese pancakes, large-format Korean bo ssam and the Mexico-meets-Japan horcha-flavored kakigōri, as did Travis Lett’s MTN, the Abbot Kinney izakaya that made waves with $20 bowls of ramen—until everyone caught on that they were well worth the splurge.
Vespertine, Jordan Kahn’s tasting-menu temple to precision and the otherworldly, is another of the country’s best, a surprise to no one who follows the gospel of the late Jonathan Gold, who named it last year’s number-one restaurant in his annual “101 Best Restaurants in L.A.” list. Perhaps the most surprising addition of all is Felix, Evan Funke’s ode to handmade pasta. It’s a curveball not due to quality, but timing—the restaurant opened in April 2017, nearly a year and a half ago. File under: “Better Late Than Never,” and we’re glad to see it repped.
All 50 restaurants are considered finalists for the magazine’s annual “Hot 10,” which get announced on August 14.