For sure
Mexican
-Rico's tacos. Little taco cart on the NW corner of Pico and Fairfax. Best al pastor in the city right now
-For "old school" kitschy Mexican I gotta say I dig El Compadre on sunset. It's got a cheesiness factor that I like.
-Loteria in Hollywood. A bit pricey for Mexican but very authentic D.F. style. Good margs too.
-Guisados. They just opened a second location in Los Feliz I think. Very good tacos.
-Mexicali Taco and Co. Best carne asada in the city. Best time to go is during busy lunch hour when the asada is freshly cooked
-La Parilla for Barbacoa
-Las Siete Regiones de Oaxaca. Great Oaxacan restaurant that most Oaxacans will swear by. Better than Guelaguetza.
Italian
(disclaimer: many of the restaurants I've worked in have been high end Italian, so I'm a little jaded. Also, having been to Italy, it's hard to justify paying so much for Italian food when the stuff in the mother country is much cheaper)
-Angelini Osteria: to date, some of the most authentic Italian I've had in the city. It's also 3 times more expensive than what you'd actually pay in Italy.
-Vincenti in Brentwood. I used to work here. Expensive, but very good.
-Bestia Downtown. Just opened. Working out some kinks but the food is seasoned really well and food is solid. Wouldn't drive across town to come here but if I lived in the neighborhood I'd be a regular
-Osteria/Pizzeria Mozza. It's good but it's not true Italian. In February they're opening their salumi restaurant that my buddy runs, called Chi Spacca. Hit that up, my buddy is legit.
-Tasting Kitchen in Venice. Not true italian but some very good pastas.
-Sotto, the restaurant under Picca in west L.A. My homies Steve and Zach run the show, very good southern Italian (Sicilian and Sardegnan), very unusual but good food that most people wouldn't even know is Italian
I would avoid any of the Drago restaurants. Shit is just way too overpriced and underwhelming.
Gastropub
The Gastropub thing is getting old, but there are some solid spots in the city.
-Father's Office. Pretty much the original gastropub. I never go to the SM location as it's always too crowded. I like the Culver City location.
-I liked Lazy Ox first couple times I went, but they've had some chefs come and go and have no idea what it's like now
-Baco Mercat-I've liked about half the food I've had here. Good beer selection
-Superba Snack Bar in Venice. Pretty solid
-Black Hogg in Silverlake. Didn't care for it
-Freddy Smalls. Didn't care for it
-The Parish downtown. Same chef as Tasting Kitchen in Venice. Food was pretty damn good, but a bit expensive. cocktails are also first rate.
-Blue Palms Hollywood. Decent food, one of the best beer selections in the city.
-Little Bear downtown. Good food, great beer selection.
-Umamicatessen. I hate Umami burger. Completely mediocre and overhyped.
-Golden State on Fairfax. Cool little spot with a good burger and good beer.
-Wurstkuche. Dogs and beer, cool vibe.
Wine Bars
I'm a huge wine snob so I can't endorse too many spots. Beer and cocktails are taking over L.A. and wine is just not given due attention here. That said, I like:
-Mignon downtown. Cool little spot with a cute French girl cooking basic food and very obscure, tasty wines.
...Seriously that's it. There was the best wine bar called Lou but he sold the place. I've been to AOC, barbrix, and every other "hot" wine bar you can think of and I think they more or less suck. Surprisingly, that Thai restaurant Night+Market has an excellent wine list. I can't say enough good things about that place.
I know that's more than 5 spots but that should keep you busy for a while. Report back and let me know what you think.
Mexican
-Rico's tacos. Little taco cart on the NW corner of Pico and Fairfax. Best al pastor in the city right now
-For "old school" kitschy Mexican I gotta say I dig El Compadre on sunset. It's got a cheesiness factor that I like.
-Loteria in Hollywood. A bit pricey for Mexican but very authentic D.F. style. Good margs too.
-Guisados. They just opened a second location in Los Feliz I think. Very good tacos.
-Mexicali Taco and Co. Best carne asada in the city. Best time to go is during busy lunch hour when the asada is freshly cooked
-La Parilla for Barbacoa
-Las Siete Regiones de Oaxaca. Great Oaxacan restaurant that most Oaxacans will swear by. Better than Guelaguetza.
Italian
(disclaimer: many of the restaurants I've worked in have been high end Italian, so I'm a little jaded. Also, having been to Italy, it's hard to justify paying so much for Italian food when the stuff in the mother country is much cheaper)
-Angelini Osteria: to date, some of the most authentic Italian I've had in the city. It's also 3 times more expensive than what you'd actually pay in Italy.
-Vincenti in Brentwood. I used to work here. Expensive, but very good.
-Bestia Downtown. Just opened. Working out some kinks but the food is seasoned really well and food is solid. Wouldn't drive across town to come here but if I lived in the neighborhood I'd be a regular
-Osteria/Pizzeria Mozza. It's good but it's not true Italian. In February they're opening their salumi restaurant that my buddy runs, called Chi Spacca. Hit that up, my buddy is legit.
-Tasting Kitchen in Venice. Not true italian but some very good pastas.
-Sotto, the restaurant under Picca in west L.A. My homies Steve and Zach run the show, very good southern Italian (Sicilian and Sardegnan), very unusual but good food that most people wouldn't even know is Italian
I would avoid any of the Drago restaurants. Shit is just way too overpriced and underwhelming.
Gastropub
The Gastropub thing is getting old, but there are some solid spots in the city.
-Father's Office. Pretty much the original gastropub. I never go to the SM location as it's always too crowded. I like the Culver City location.
-I liked Lazy Ox first couple times I went, but they've had some chefs come and go and have no idea what it's like now
-Baco Mercat-I've liked about half the food I've had here. Good beer selection
-Superba Snack Bar in Venice. Pretty solid
-Black Hogg in Silverlake. Didn't care for it
-Freddy Smalls. Didn't care for it
-The Parish downtown. Same chef as Tasting Kitchen in Venice. Food was pretty damn good, but a bit expensive. cocktails are also first rate.
-Blue Palms Hollywood. Decent food, one of the best beer selections in the city.
-Little Bear downtown. Good food, great beer selection.
-Umamicatessen. I hate Umami burger. Completely mediocre and overhyped.
-Golden State on Fairfax. Cool little spot with a good burger and good beer.
-Wurstkuche. Dogs and beer, cool vibe.
Wine Bars
I'm a huge wine snob so I can't endorse too many spots. Beer and cocktails are taking over L.A. and wine is just not given due attention here. That said, I like:
-Mignon downtown. Cool little spot with a cute French girl cooking basic food and very obscure, tasty wines.
...Seriously that's it. There was the best wine bar called Lou but he sold the place. I've been to AOC, barbrix, and every other "hot" wine bar you can think of and I think they more or less suck. Surprisingly, that Thai restaurant Night+Market has an excellent wine list. I can't say enough good things about that place.
I know that's more than 5 spots but that should keep you busy for a while. Report back and let me know what you think.