The 12 Most Classic Restaurants in Los Angeles and what to eat when you’re there!
Take a trip down memory lane and taste the most classic restaurants in Los Angeles with me!
El Pueblo Sobre el Rio de Nuestra Señora la Reina de Los Angeles del Río de Porciúncula, or Los Angeles, is over 238 years old! The first restaurant in Los Angeles county, the Saugus Café, popped up 105 years later and is still open today! Of course it’s one the most classic restaurants in Los Angeles, but foodwise you’ll be better off with one of the below.
Philippe the Original (1908)
The diners, Philippe the Original and Cole’s, share some similarities. Both were founded in 1908, are located in Downtown Los Angeles, and lay claim to inventing the same sandwich. However, Philippe’s has one thing on Cole’s for me…it’s open for lunch every day of the week! So if you’re looking to chow down on a French Dipped Sandwich before the sun goes down go with “the original” and then head to Cole’s for a dinner dip.
What to Order: French Dipped Sandwich of either roast beef, roast pork, leg of lamb, turkey, pastrami or ham. Served on a French roll, it’s been dipped in the jus with your choice of cheese and classic deli sides.
Musso & Frank Grill (1919)
Over 100 years ago, Frank Toulet opened the restaurant Frank’s Café. Eventually, he partnered with restaurateur Joseph Musso and hired French chef Jean Rue who created the menu you still see today. The location and owners have changed slightly, but Musso & Frank Grill has always been a place for the Hollywood elite and everyman alike.
What to Order: The Legendary Martini, served in a smaller glass to ensure coldness. It’s stirred not shaken with either Gilby’s gin or vodka (but no vermouth) and a house-brined Spanish olive.
El Cholo (1923)
El Cholo originally opened in 1923 as the Sonora Cafe. They changed the name to El Cholo in 1925 after a patron drew a sketch of a man with those words while waiting for his food. By 1927 they opened the most famed location on Western Avenue and they now have six locations in total in California.
What to order: The #1 enchilada combination. It’s served with a cheese enchilada, a rolled beef taco, Spanish rice, and refried beans. Also not to be missed, the Nachos, which were brought over from San Antonio, and debuted here in 1959.
Phoenix Bakery (1938)
Phoenix Bakery is one of the oldest Chinese bakeries in Los Angeles and was designed to be a meeting place in Chinatown for early Chinese immigrants. While it all started with Almond Cookies, generations of the Chan family helped develop the trademark Fresh Strawberry Whipped Cream Cake that they are known for today. While the restaurant has expanded their location, they still remain in the heart of Chinatown where it all began.
What to Order: The OG Sweet Almond Cookie, Sugar Butterflies, and Wintermellon Pastries are a great way to start. If you’re having guests over consider the “un-Chinese” Fresh Strawberry Whipped Cream Cake. It pairs well with a side of history.
Pink’s Hot Dogs (1939)
Calling themselves “the little hot dog stand that could”, Pink’s Hot Dogs is a story of perseverance. Paul and Betty Pink started with business with a $50 loan from Betty’s mother and a pushcart. When the landlord raised the rent on the land, the couple got a loan from Bank of America and added a cover to the pushcart so they could make hamburgers. To make ends meet they even started a second business selling flowers! With a little time, they were able to build the stand that still remains on Melrose and La Brea today, allowing for parking and outdoor seating. The couple passed the business on to their kids in 1985 and it now has 15 locations worldwide and offers 35 different hot dog combinations to choose from.
What to order: A classic Chili Dog with mustard, chili, and onions ($4.50). It’s a great way to ease into the American The Beautiful Dog; which is a 12″ jalapeno dog, with pastrami, bacon, lettuce, and chopped tomatoes ($11.95).
Hawkins House of Burgers (1939)
Hawkins House of Burgers from Cynthia Hawkins has been a staple of Watts since the beginning; offering fresh food and familial conversation. They now have almost a dozen different burger options, and at Hawkins House of Burgers it’s the bigger the better!
What to Order: The Whipper Burger which is a double burger with pastrami and a hotlink. It’s the great compromise between the simpler Jr. Burger and the Leaning Tower of Watts.
Langer’s Deli (1947)
Langer’s Deli is one of the original Jewish deli’s in Los Angeles, and today it’s the only deli to have a Michelin rating. It all started with Al Langer and just 12 seats, and his son Norm runs it today. They’ve survived recessions and neighborhood changes all because of that hot pastrami!
What to Order: The #19 Pastrami with swiss cheese, coleslaw, and Russian style dressing.
In-N-Out (1948)
Rarely is there a restaurant that doesn’t change their menu in over 70 years, but since that first Baldwin Park restaurant opened In-N-Out has been maintaining the legacy of Harry and Esther Snyder with the same great burgers, shakes, and fries. The restaurant has over 300 locations now but has resisted franchising and is run by granddaughter Lynsi Snyder.
What to Order: While this isn’t a secret anymore, ordering things that are not on the menu does great things for the foodie psyche! Get your classic Cheeseburger “Animal Style”, which is a beef patty grilled with mustard, and topped with extra spread, pickles, and grilled caramelized onions.
Miceli’s (1949)
Miceli’s is the oldest Italian Pizzeria in Los Angeles. Carmen and Sylvia Miceli founded it in 1949, and today it’s run by their children. The recipes come from Naples by way of Chicago, and Carmen arrived in Los Angeles after serving in World War II. The restaurant was a hit with Hollywood celebrities, and it’s where Lucille Ball learned to toss a pizza for I Love Lucy. Today you can still enjoy the same great recipes and the famous singing waiters!
The Original Miceli’s is located in Hollywood but the Universal City location that opened in the 1980s is just as integral to the neighborhood as the original. It’s also no coincidence that both are located in entertainment meccas, and that waiter serenading you is probably in-between Broadway gigs!
What to Order: The Miceli’s Special pizza with pepperoni, sausage, meatball, salami, mushroom, onion, and bell pepper ($24-28) and Aunt Angie’s Original Lasagna made with ricotta, mozzarella, romano cheese, beef, pasta and and meat sauce ($17.95).
Neptune’s Net (1958)
It’s impossible to write about the most classic restaurants in Los Angeles and not give a nod to the famed surfer culture of the 1950s and 60s. Neptune’s Net is located in Malibu and is open every day of the year (except Thanksgiving). They offer both cooked and live seafood (to cook at home), and you might recognize the restaurant from Hollywood blockbusters like Iron Man 3 and Point Break.
What to Order: When at Neptune’s Net, try the whole sea! The Neptune’s Net Sampler has 6 pieces of deep-fried white fish; 3 deep-fried scallops; the d.f. clams and calamari; grilled crab cake; french fries; and coleslaw. 2 or 3 land-lovers can enjoy this dish ($29.95).
Pie n’ Burger (1963)
Known for having one of the top five burgers IN AMERICA, Pie n’ Burger is a Pasadena staple with simple burgers, seasonal pies, and just one burger flipper keeping it all together!
What to Eat: A Beef Burger Combo (although Turkey and Veggie are also available) with homemade thousand island dressing, lettuce, tomato, and pickles ($13.50) and a Slice of Pie ($5.75). The one below is Banana Cream.
Porto’s Bakery (1976)
The first thing I did when I moved to Los Angeles was to look for good Cuban food to remind me of my family back in Miami. I started with Versailles (the chain from my childhood) and then learned there was another Cuban restaurant here first.
After emigrating from Cuba, Rosa Porto began by selling cakes out of her house. From there she and her husband Raul opened the first Porto’s Bakery in Echo Park and the business has since expanded to 5 locations! Now they even ship to your home! The children and grandchildren of the Porto family run it today. Yelp ranks it as one of the top 100 places to eat in the United States.
What to Eat: Sweets always “take the cake” for me, but did you know that for less than $12 you can sample a little bit of the best and still have room for dessert. Try a Papa Rellena (Potato Ball™); a Media Noche (grilled Midnight Sandwich with pork, swiss cheese, and pickles); and a Pastelito with Guayaba y Queso (Pastry with Guava and Cheese). Be sure to pair it all with a strong sweetened espresso Cafecito that packs just enough zip to get you to your next coffee break.
1. Philippe the Original
2. Musso & Frank Grill
3. El Cholo
4. Phoenix Bakery
5. Pink’s Hot Dogs
6. Hawkins House of Burgers
7. Langer’s Deli
8. In-N-Out
9. Miceli’s
10. Neptune’s Net
11. Pie n’ Burger
12. Porto’s Bakery
Did you enjoy this list of the Most Classic Restaurants in Los Angeles? Let the list live on with your repin below!
I love Phoenix bakery! My childhood birthday cakes!
I agree with most of your list, but I’d take Cole’s over Phillippe any day. When I finally got to try Philippe’s French dip, I was massively underwhelmed.