The best lunch and dinner deals for Dine L.A. Restaurant Week

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 $72 family-style meal for three to four people in Alhambra and a $65 family-style meal for two to three in West L.A.

Why we recommend it: At around $24 per person, if you divide up this family-style meal meant for three, the Alhambra location is serving is one of Dine L.A.’s most affordable (and delicious) meal deals. Available all day, the spread includes bowls of rice and five savory courses, and lets you pick from several items like boiled fish with rattan pepper, tea-smoked pork ribs and mini lamb skewers. The West L.A. deal ($22 to $32.50 per person) is no slouch either, with highlights like toothpick lamb, smoked pig ears and a homestyle fried rice.

The deal: A $45 three-course dinner

Why we recommend it: This New York City ramenya first opened its doors in Larchmont last year, and the superb ramen and relative value make Tonchin’s $45 Dine L.A. offering one of the restaurant week's best deals. Each prix fixe set includes your choice of salad ($17) or chicken wings ($14), plus your choice of four different ramen bowls ($19–20) and three desserts ($13–16). That's at least $13 in savings on each meal. There's also two different supplemental $10 drink specials: a Japanese whisky highball and a glass of sake. Highlights among the menu items include the Tokyo Banana, a bruléed banana that riffs on the Twinkie-like Japanese snack and the signature Tokyo tonkotsu.

The deal: A $72 three-course steakhouse dinner

Why we recommend it: If you’ve never been to this well-preserved L.A. institution in East Los Angeles, Dine L.A. might be a great reason to finally pay a visit. For $72 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 fres berries. (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 $14 more.)

The deal: A $95 eight-course dinner and a $45 eight-course lunch.

Why we recommend it: This Silver Lake sushi restaurant is serving a seriously great lunch deal that includes sushi, sashimi and mussels in a creamy dynamite sauce. At dinner, Izakaya Osen ups the ante with an A5 Wagyu course, a toro sandwich and a king crab miso soup. $95 for dinner isn’t cheap, but compared to most other L.A. omakase options serving those type of ingredients, it’s a reasonable deal.

The deal: A $35 combination dinner

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 L.A. deals actually constitute deals. For dinner, $35 will get you a few choices of salad, pasta and dessert—and the same combination will run you about $50 or so on a regular day. You also can’t go wrong with either of the desserts, which use coconut cream for that oh-so-dreamy dollop of whipped cream on top. 

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 L.A. 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 L.A. option for those in the South Bay.

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 L.A. 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 $65 family-style dinner for two

Why we recommend it: This high-profile Midwestern import from Top Chef winner Stephanie Izard is one of the biggest crowdpleasers in the Arts District. For Dine L.A., the stylish restaurant is serving a $65 family-style dinner menu that includes five shareable plates including chili crunch chicken thighs and a Sichuan basted bass. For dessert, there's a plantain leche cake with banana-tamarind sorbet and a masa, almond and cacao nib crunch.

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 L.A., 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 winter’s Dine L.A. (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 a free cup of coffee plus a choice of starter, including a delicious Japanese blueberry pancake (normally $14) and a white sesame Caesar ($18). Ryla’s gourmet take on shoyu ramen, which usually goes for $21, 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 egg crepe (normally $19). 

The deal: Six 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 L.A. dinner offering isn't exactly inexpensive, but the six-course menu is certainly a steal compared to a usual night out at this upscale small plates eatery. Highlights include the chicken thigh skewers, wood-fired sprouted cauliflower, wood-fired skirt steak and dulce de leche picarones for dessert.