The top Dine LA restaurant deals to try this summer

The deal: A $65 four-course dinner 

Why we recommend it: While $65 might not exactly be cheap, the four-course offering at Suzanne Goin and Caroline Styne’s iconic eatery typically goes for about 10 bucks more when ordered à la carte—and A.O.C.’s California-style bill of fare never misses the mark for an elegant, seasonally inspired evening meal. Choose from three different starters, and mains that include the restaurant’s signature Spanish fried chicken, plus a side of vegetables and dessert. Available at the original in Beverly Grove and the roomier expansion in Brentwood, the dinner menu offers more variety than either outpost’s lunch and brunch menus—which we’d skip in favor of better deals elsewhere.

The deal: A $35 three-course meal

Why we recommend it: Move over, Honor Bar—this snazzy new watering hole is the best place for 90210 locals to grab a stiff drink after work and a great, not-too-expensive bite to eat. Deftly mixed craft cocktails balance out straightforwardly delicious gastropub staples, including a killer fried chicken sandwich and Wagyu pepperoni pizza. (This is the Golden Triangle, after all.) Owned and operated by neighborhood residents Matthew and Justine Raanan, Beverly Bar is our favorite place in the Golden Triangle for a reasonably priced meal even when it isn't Dine LA. Dish options include straightforward but excellent options like spicy tuna on crispy rice, Baja shrimp tacos and cookie butter cheesecake for dessert.

The deal: A $120 dinner for two

Why we recommend it: Health-conscious, airy and bright (but with a tad bit of grunge), this all-day eatery is essentially Silver Lake incarnate. Since opening Botanica in 2017, owners Emily Fiffer and Heather Sperling have built a dedicated following with flavorful, light dishes like Turkish eggs and white bean hummus. For Dine LA, the pair are offering an excellent vegetarian-friendly dinner deal: a family-style dinner for two that includes two glasses of rosé and highlights like spring peas with stracciatella cheese and Japanese sweet potatoes with salsa verde. The $35 lunch deal is no slouch either, and includes Botanica’s famed Turkish eggs, gluten-free coconut cake with passionfruit cream and jam and a glass of rosé.

The deal: Seven shared plates for $55 

Why we recommend it: This Downtown hotel rooftop restaurant serves Top Chef contestant Stephanie Izard’s sharp, playful takes on Peruvian cuisine. At $55 a head, Cabra’s Dine LA dinner offering isn't exactly inexpensive, but the seven-course menu is certainly a steal compared to a usual night out at this upscale small plates eatery. Highlights include the chicken thigh skewers, tomato, satsuma and chorizo salad, wood-fired skirt steak and dulce de leche picarones for dessert.

The deal: $25 at lunch for entrée and drink, $35 three-course dinner

Why we recommend it: The affirmation-style menu listings might be fodder for serious L.A. satire, but any local diner in the know can’t deny that the plant-based mini-chain has some of the most delicious vegan food in the city. Available at their Venice and Larchmont locations, Cafe Gratitude’s Dine LA menus run $25 at lunch for your choice of entrée and a drink and $35 for three courses and a drink. Both prix-fixe menus include a non-alcoholic drink, though you can upgrade to a Prosecco-based spritz at dinner for $5 more, and we think the $35 dinner deal is the better of the two menus.

The deal: A $45 three-course dinner

Why we recommend it: Down in Long Beach, this newer restaurant by Michelin-recognized chef Manjunath Mural is bringing a global twist to Indian cuisine—and the Dine LA menu is a great way to experience Cali Chilli for the first time. Start with the beet foogath tart amuse bouche before digging into a first course that might include Indo-Chinese chicken wings, achar-marinated paneer or vegetable kebabs. Other highlights include the Korean-inspired Cali sticky ribs, plus a mango caramel pudding for dessert.

The deal: A $65 four-course steakhouse dinner

The deal: A $65 three-course steakhouse dinner

Why we recommend it: you’ve never been to this well-preserved L.A. institution in East Los Angeles, Dine LA might be a great reason to finally pay a visit. For $65 per head, enjoy a three-course meal that includes your choice of appetizer, entrée and dessert. Highlights include Dal Rae’s signature pepper steak made with filet mignon, fried calamari with spicy marinara and a classic New York-style cheesecake with raspberry sauce. (Given that the same pepper steak cut, as well as the also-included Chilean sea bass, are both $58 on the regular menu, this means you’re getting both appetizer and dessert for just $7 more.)

The deal: A $65 four-course steakhouse dinner

Why we recommend it: A beautifully revamped steakhouse from the Rat Pack era, Dear John’s is here for a good time, not a long time, after the property’s owner indicated plans to raze the building. For now, the new version of this longtime Frank Sinatra haunt is offering a Dine LA menu with a choice of sirloin steak with peppercorn sauce, chicken parmesan or salmon in a white wine and sorrel sauce. Cheesecake or chocolate crunch cake for dessert, a starter and sides of both broccolini and truffle macaroni and cheese upgrade this deal from good to great. If you're more into seafood, check out Dear John's newer sister restaurant, Dear Jane's, which is running a similar deal in Marina del Rey.

The deal: A $35 combination dinner and $15(!) brunch

Why we recommend it: Located in a former Chinese restaurant (you can spot it by the entrance’s unique circular archway), this vegan Cal-Italian restaurant in Sherman Oaks comes by way of San Diego. The pizzas and pastas here make for top-notch plant-based comfort food, and the Dine LA deals actually constitute deals. For dinner, $35 will get you a salad, pizza or pasta and dessert of your choice—and the same combination will run you about $50 or so on a regular day. You also can’t go wrong with any of the desserts, which use coconut cream for that oh-so-dreamy dollop of whipped cream on top. For brunch, $15 gets you a drink and an entrée, most of which run typically run in the $16 to $24 range. 

The deal: $35 dinner and $25 lunch

Why we recommend it: It should be said, right off the bat, that Gracias Madre is beautiful. A cross between Mexico City chic and Palm Springs casual, this vegan Mexican restaurant in West Hollywood (and Orange County’s Newport Beach) is decorated with festive cushions and tiles, a gorgeous courtyard and, inside, high ceilings and a comfortable bar. During Dine LA, there's a $35 dinner menu that includes Gracias Madre’s crowd-favorite potato pimiento flautas and hearts of palm ceviche. A lighter $25 lunch special includes a starter, your choice of tacos and a drink.

The deal: A $95 tasting menu (that’s usually $40 more)

The deal: A $55 three-course dinner

Why we recommend it: After a decade-plus in business, Tin Vuong’s flavorful dishes still make for a delightful upscale-casual meal rooted in the fundamentals of Vietnamese cooking. While the DTLA location isn’t participating, diners can find a reasonably priced three-course Dine LA menu at the Redondo Beach and El Segundo outposts for just $55. You’ll start off with goi du du—a green papaya salad that mixes peanuts, beef jerky, chilled prawns with a chili lime vinaigrette. Four excellent entrées, including a pan seared salmon, make this a great Dine LA option for those in the South Bay.

The deal: A $55 three-course dinner

Why we recommend it: They don’t make Italian restaurants like Locanda Veneta anymore. Tucked into a cozy space along West 3rd Street, this reasonably priced decades-old trattoria serves a rustic bill of fare loosely inspired by Venetian cuisine. Think plenty of seafood-centric dishes, plus Italian classics like minestrone, wild mushroom risotto and vegetarian-friendly spinach and ricotta gnocchi. Entrées are simply dressed in garlic, fresh herbs and olive oil, for quality you can taste. For Dine LA, the restaurant is offering a deal-worthy three-course dinner that includes Locanda’s excellent grilled calamari, tagliatelle topped with uni and black caviar and a bone-in pork chop stuffed with fontina cheese, crab meat and sautéed spinach. The $35 three-course lunch deal is reasonably priced as well.

The deal: A $75 family-style feast for two

Why we recommend it: A quick price-specific search of this spring’s Dine LA restaurants might accidentally filter out Mayura, a quiet Culver City strip mall gem and one of the best Indian restaurants in the city. The Kerala-inspired eatery’s family-style feast actually is meant for two, bringing the true cost of the substantial three course meal with drinks and dessert included to $37.50 per head. Available at both lunch and dinner, Mayura’s Dine LA menu allows you to pick two vegetarian and two non-vegetarian dishes, including their delicious Kerala-style fish curry. Combined with choice of appetizer and bread, it’s a veritable feast for two.

The deal: A $25 two-course dinner

Why we recommend it: Who would ever guess that the city’s best pinsas would come from this unassuming wine bar in the Arts District? While the neighborhood is a citywide dining destination, few Angelenos seem to know about these phenomenal Roman-style flatbreads, which use a 72-hour fermented dough as the base for a lightweight, crispy crust that’ll have you munching to the very last bite. During Dine LA, you can snap up one of these babies for dinner alongside an appetizer for just $25—and trust us, these pinsas are worth every penny. (They normally go for $16 to $21, while apps run in the $14 to $17 range, so you're saving $10, give or take a few.)

The deal: A $35 weekend brunch

Why we recommend it: With moody, dark interior design and excellent Japanese American cuisine, this Hermosa Beach stunner is one of the South Bay’s most interesting dining destinations, and it’s got an excellent weekend brunch offering during this summer’s Dine LA. (We’re less keen on the $55 dinner menu, however: You could find better value for the same price at other participating restaurants around town.) Each guest receives their choice of beverage—including a mimosa option!—plus a starter housemade strawberry Pop Tart. Ryla’s gourmet take on shoyu ramen, which usually goes for $20, is available as a main, though you can also opt for a breakfast sandwich with soft scrambled eggs, maple onion jam and spicy mayo (normally $22) or Taiwanese-style breakfast fried rice (normally $16). 

The deal: A $69 family-style meal for three

Why we recommend it: At around $23 per person, if you divide up this family-style meal meant for three, this SGV mala specialist is one of Dine LA’s most affordable (and delicious) meal deals. Available all day, the spread includes bowls of rice and three savory courses, and lets you pick from several items like boiled fish with rattan pepper, tea-smoked pork ribs and mini lamb skewers. The deal also includes two glasses of house wine.