The 10 best new L.A. restaurants of 2024

Opened in: July
It’s an undeniable fact of dining out in 2024: Most ambitious new L.A. restaurants are expensive, but not all of them are worth the high cost of entry. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked out of somewhere new after spending over $300 for two, only to wish I’d spent that money at a more tried-and-true upscale spot. Which is why it’s such a joy to visit—and, if your budget allows, revisit—Camélia, a polished Japanese-inflected bistro in the Arts District. Led by Charles Namba of Tsubaki and OTOTO, the kitchen churns out a seasonal, globally inspired menu rooted in the fundamentals of French cooking. From a slightly sweet Japanese-style bolognese to donabe-steamed clams, each well-crafted dish strikes the perfect balance between comfort food and haute cuisine. Paired with Courtney Kaplan’s excellent sake list and cocktails by Death & Co alum Kevin Nguyen, Camélia isn’t just the best restaurant to open in L.A. this year; it’s one of the most exciting places to dine in the country right now.

Opened in: March
With a name that fittingly translates to “my dear” in Farsi, this casual Persian eatery in Silver Lake takes a page from the Pine & Crane playbook (where co-owner Cody Ma once worked) with counter service and the sort of high-quality cooking you’ll cherish time and time again. Ma and his partner Misha Sesar serve an array of delightful homestyle dishes, including a standout turmeric-braised jidori chicken (dampokhtak), which I also named the Best New Dish of 2024. The delicious, tightly curated menu never wavers, whether you’re taking a bite of the beef tongue sandwich on housemade barbari bread or digging into the kofte tabrizi, a giant meatball in broth that conceals a glorious mix of walnuts and dried fruits at the center. Starters like the classic mast-o-musir (shallot, garlic and mint oil yogurt) and Sesar’s excellent dessert program bookend a destination-worthy meal that showcases a cozier, lighter side of Persian cuisine you’d be hard-pressed to find outside of home kitchens.

Opened in: March
A sense of restrained elegance threads itself throughout each meal at Mori Nozomi, the newest omakase experience to occupy the former Mori Sushi space in West L.A.. Five nights a week, Ginza Onodera alumna Nozomi Mori serves an exquisite omakase ($250) with a touch of Osaka-style flair and elements of traditional Japanese tea ceremony. The all-female team—a rarity in the predominantly male world of sushi—has crafted a phenomenal high-end sushi experience complete with minimalist floral arrangements, an optional non-alcoholic pairing ($50) consisting of artisan looseleaf teas and Mori’s delicate one-of-a-kind wagashi at the end of every meal. I loved the thinly sliced penshell clam wrapped in nori and tamago soaked in hot dashi broth, but what really sets the restaurant apart is the grace and beauty on display every night of service.

Opened in: January
Wedchayan “Deau” Arpapornnopparat first made a splash in the L.A. dining scene with Holy Basil DTLA a few years back, but it’s only with his newer Atwater Village outpost that the Thai-Chinese chef has truly earned his wings. Within the restaurant’s narrow confines, Arpapornnopparat moves beyond precisely executed takeout standards to headier, intensely flavorful wok-fired dishes that will leave even seasoned diners on culinary cloud nine. Alongside longtime favorites like crispy pork belly and crispy rice salad, there’s a pungent wild shrimp curry kissed with Sichuan peppercorn oil, plus shredded barramundi and rice seasoned with chili-flecked fish sauce, shallots and lime—a nod to one of the chef’s favorite childhood meals. High-quality ingredients and a predominance of carefully sourced seafood translate to a higher-than-usual bill at the end of the night, particularly once you factor in the casual ambience, but Holy Basil is just that good—and the food’s worth every penny.

Opened in: August
Tucked away in a barebones Echo Park space just before the Glendale Freeway, Ricardo Zarate’s latest endeavor serves delicious, reasonably priced renditions of the Japanese-Peruvian raw fare that put him on the map at Causita, Picca and Mo-Chica, among other now-closed restaurants. The difference this time? Zarate’s on his own. I’m curious to see how the Hummingbird fares in the long run, but for now, there’s a turquoise-quartz bar serving creative hand rolls and some of the best renditions of ceviches, tiraditos and aguachile I’ve ever had in Los Angeles. The service can be spotty at times and there’s no wine and beer license (yet), but I’ve learned with Zarate that it’s best to just enjoy the moment, and the meals, while they last. Like its namesake, the Hummingbird can be flighty—but if you’re willing to deal with a few caveats, this place is one of the best seafood deals in town.

Opened in: November 2023
This no-frills Thai Town strip mall joint is home to the best bowl of boat noodle soup I’ve ever had. Bits of carefully prepared green onions, pork cracklings, bean sprouts, meatballs and your choice of mixed pork or beef offal arrive in each traditionally small bowl—so order two, or even three, if you’re feeling extra hungry. Rich, dark and full of flavor, the broth here even won over L.A.’s fickle Michelin inspectors, who awarded Mae Malai a well-deserved Bib Gourmand earlier this year. If you’re in the mood for variety, there are also larger $15 bowls of tom yum noodle soup and an extended menu that includes pad thai, krapow and housemade Isaan-style sour sausage. For dessert, order the kanom tuay; the delicate steamed pandan-coconut custards are the perfect way to cap off an affordable meal here.

Opened in: June
The quintessential Sichuan flavors of numbing and spicy are just right at Mala Class, a tiny restaurant in Highland Park run by a pair of alums from NYC’s Chinese dining scene. Peruse the small, vegan-friendly menu and zero in on Sichuan-born chef Michael Yang’s phenomenal take on dandanmian, which features a light, subtly flavored peanut sauce, springy noodles, (optional) ground pork and spicy chili oil. A selection of mostly fried appetizers includes craveworthy mushroom fries, pepper-rubbed tofu, and cucumber and bean curd salad. The beef noodle soup and pork dumplings add welcome twinges of heat to two Chinese classics, while those in search of milder, more familiar fare will enjoy the cold sesame noodles and garlic sauce shrimp. Despite having only opened in June, Mala Class’s mapo tofu is easily my favorite version in Los Angeles—and I’ve tried almost everywhere else in town you could possibly imagine.

Opened in: February
Run by the same team behind Park’s, KTeam BBQ takes over the space that once held Ong Ga Nae, which quietly closed last year. The Vermont Avenue newcomer offers a more affordable, pork-centric Korean barbecue experience—albeit with the same meat quality, bounty of banchan and excellent prepared dishes as its older, critically acclaimed sibling across the street. Cheerful orange-and-white checkered tile tables serve as the backdrop for a reasonably priced à la carte menu that includes a great bowl of chilled spicy acorn noodles; delightfully chewy tteokbokki, served with one or more barbecue orders; and three types of beef. The star of the show, however, is the thinly sliced frozen pork belly, a cut popular in South Korea. Paired with black pepper, supplemental myeonglan paste (pollack roe) or the classic trio of spicy soybean paste, garlic and jalapeño, each lettuce or perilla-wrapped bite will transport you to Seoul.

Opened in: May
Over the last year, I’ve spent quite a bit of time in the San Gabriel Valley trying several different Hong Kong-style cafés. Also known as cha chaan teng, the Chinese restaurant genre is defined by an encyclopedic fusion menu that incorporates Cantonese and Western culinary influences, as well as a diner-like atmosphere. Among them, my favorites are Tam’s Noodle House and its more lively San Gabriel follow-up, which also happens to stay open until 2am. HK Macau Bistro draws design and culinary inspiration from neighboring Macau with mahjong-lined tables and regional specialties like curry beef stew, char siu rice bowl and a mouthwatering pork chop pineapple bun sandwich. Not every dish shines—which isn’t surprising with over 150 menu items—but focus in on cha chaan teng staples like Ovaltine French toast, soy sauce chow mein and any of the claypot dishes for one of the most delicious late-night meals in Los Angeles.

Opened in: September
As the year draws to an end, the city is lousy with oh-so-chic natural wine bars serving decent food—so lousy, in fact, that most of them are virtually indistinguishable from one another. You might nosh on couscous at Zizou or run into a bicoastal creative director at Seco, or perhaps they’ll forget to bring your drinks at Stir Crazy. But with phenomenal pizza in the evenings and standout sandwiches by day (both only Wed–Sun), Companion cuts through the pet-nat noise thanks to Quarter Sheets alum Jack Goode’s serious culinary chops. There’s also the fact that Companion actually emphasizes customer service. This might sound like the bar is on the floor, but the sense of warmth is palpable within the narrow restaurant and café along Lincoln Boulevard, where Goode’s crispy, New Haven-inspired dough combines with Santa Monica Farmers’ Market produce for a craveable, reasonably priced dinner that’ll leave you wondering: “Why don’t I come to Venice more often?”