The Brief

It was another great year for food in Los Angeles, and I did my best to try as much of it as possible. Several small independent businesses continued to make waves with delicious plates worthy of praise, from quality bites throughout Los Angeles and Orange County to ones outside city limits worth seeking out.

As we see 2023 near its end, I’ve compiled 23 of my favorite dishes and dining experiences from the past year into one banger of a list.

Let's dig in!

1. Apollonia’s Pizza square slice

Not all square slices are created equal, but the one from Apollonia's Pizza might be the best I’ve had recently. It’s both perfectly crusty on the outside and soft and airy on the inside. Get the pepperoni slice and add burrata and hot honey, and it will feel like you are eating a decadent pizza cake.

2. Mortadella sandwich from Pane Bianco

Words almost fail to describe what it's like when consuming this sandwich from Chris Bianco’s sandwich spot at The ROW near downtown Los Angeles. But I’m still going to try. From the pillowy soft bread that’s so heavenly, you feel like you can take a nap in it, to the apricot mostarda, which is both savory and sweet at the same time, paired with the slightly smoky flavors of the mortadella and a side of pickled vegetables that provides an equal amount of salty crunch after each bite.

3. Danny Palumbo Substack Newsletter

Technically, not something I ate. But it still lands on a list recapping my favorite food discoveries of the year. Palumbo is a pasta chef who makes pasta from his small apartment and sells it online, which I’m embarrassed to say I haven’t yet tried. However, his substack newsletter, The Move, has become a favorite of mine for his musings on all things food, not to mention the L.A. dining scene. A bonus has been the different recipe ideas he tries out and shares with his readers. He recently featured his take on YouTube chef Matty Mattheson’s Butter Chicken recipe, which Palumbo recommended serving with bolillo rolls from Ralphs. Genius stuff.

4. Mental State Coffee

I’m almost tempted to gatekeep this one because it’s that good, but I can’t hide it anymore. Mental State Coffee is an L.A.-based coffee purveyor who sells his beans over Instagram. He specializes in different varietals from Mexico. They are some of the most flavorful beans I’ve tasted recently.

5. Cookies from Fat + Flour

Nicole Rucker is primarily known for her pies, and with good reason, as they are some of the best in all of L.A. However, her cookies are equally excellent, perfectly balancing soft in the middle and crispy edges.

6. All Seasons Brewing Company in Mid-City

As someone who’s been going to the breweries since I was of legal age, I’m always searching for new ones, especially now that I have a family. Finding a good place for all of us to hang out and feel comfortable remains at the top of my priorities. All Seasons Brewing Company is just that type of place. Located in Mid-City, and family friendly, it offers plenty of brews, a full bar, and some great eats from Chica’s Tacos, with plenty of meat and plant-based options that will no doubt satisfy all the taste buds in your group. While enjoying your food and drink, take advantage of their skee ball, which will be way more fun than you remember.

7. Giardiniera from Grá in Echo Park

The pickle tray meets salad dish at the Echo Park pizza restaurant Grá is a sharable plate served at the beginning of the meal. The fresh-tasting dish with vegetables containing all types with different textures, including romanesco cauliflower, green beans, and carrots, manages to steal the show from the rest of the meal. It’s the perfect accompaniment with a glass of wine.

8. Steak Dinner from Jocko’s in Nipomo

My family took a trip to the Central Coast for Thanksgiving. Aside from wine tasting, we ended up at a Santa Maria-style BBQ institution, Jocko’s. It's one of the last places to specialize in the California-specific barbecue style and still manages to wow its diners every night with various cuts of meat and great sides.

9. Oysters from Del Mar Ostioneria in Los Angeles

Enjoy some of the freshest-tasting oysters at Del Mar Ostioneria, the tan-colored food truck in the same lot as a wedding chapel on La Brea Avenue. Make it official with these oysters, splashed with the bright combination of Clamato, lime juice, chopped cucumbers, ponzu sauce, and a sprinkling of crushed chiltepin pepper. Slurping down a couple of these babies will only enhance the feeling of exuberance.

10. Totti from La Parolaccia in Long Beach

The Roman-style, family-owned Italian osteria in Long Beach is a heartfelt restaurant. A great example is the Totti, a half-calzone and half pizza. The calzone side is stuffed with cheese, mushrooms, and ground sausage. The pizza side contains mushrooms, sausage, and cheese, showered with peppery arugula. The dish is named after a famed Italian footballer, Francesco Totti, and will make you feel like a champion after having it.

11. The Caramelo from Tacos La Rueda in Bellflower

Sonora-style Mexican food has continued to ascend in popularity. La Rudeda is a small but mighty strip mall-based taqueria in Bellflower. Owned and operated by Omar and Alan Cejudo Hernandez, it is a love letter to their home state, with their soft-tasting flour tortillas to their smoke-kissed carne asada. Try the Carmelo, a great combination of both, with silky guacamole and Monterey jack cheese.

12. Flatbread from Forn Al Hara in Anaheim

Located in the Little Arabia section of Anaheim, Forn Al Hara is a Lebanese restaurant specializing in various flatbreads. They come in lots of different sizes and toppings. The most popular option is the manaeesh, which typically comes with topped spices, cheese, ground beef, or sausage. However, a standout for me is the labneh with asel, a combination of strained yogurt, similar to cream cheese, covered with thick, rich honey. It’s so simple yet so undoubtedly satisfying.

13. Birra de Chivo Bowl from Saucy Chick Goat Mafia

When word got out that Saucy Chick Goat Mafia, the mash-up team of two of L.A.'s most exciting pop-ups, had set up shop in a new location, I knew I owed them a visit. Saucy Chick, specializing in Indo-Mex style cooking, is known for its various spiced roast chicken dishes. Goat Mafia is Juan Garcia, a fourth-generation birriero, using his recipes from his family’s roots in Jalisco, MX. The team met at Smorgasburg, Los Angeles, before setting up shop for a small stint on the west side, and they have now landed at their new location in East Pasadena. Garcia’s talent is on full display with the Birria de Chivo bowl, featuring the perfectly tender and flavorful goat meat containing sui generis levels of gaminess, giving the dish its personality and depth with each bite. It's paired with rice that has hints of cumin alongside the exceptionally creamy Mayocoba beans and soft, warm corn tortillas that provide for the perfect taco-making accompaniment.

14. Dollar Hits in East Hollywood

The semi-outdoor DIY Pinoy barbeque restaurant is one of my favorite dining experiences of the last year. When you arrive, you choose from an array of pre-cooked items from chicken, beef, pork, fish, and tofu skewers that run about $1.25 a pop. You grab an aluminum tray (the size of a small roasting pan), collect as many as you can handle, and pay. Afterward, head out to the outdoor seating in their parking lot, where you’ll find long rectangular grills filled with burning hot coals. Find your place at the grill, plot down your collected skewers, and let nature take its course. It all heats and chars quickly, so you must keep an eye on it while you bask in the coolness of this tremendous L.A.-specific experience.

15. Shins pizza in Cypress Park

More pizza? Yes, but this time, we’re headed to Shins in Cypress Park, the northeast L.A. neighborhood located directly off the 5 Freeway, smack dab in the middle of Highland Park and Glassell Park. Yes, there are a lot of parks to keep track of, but once you clear that hurdle, there is some delicious ‘za at the end of that rainbow. (The walk-up counter is next to another favorite spot of mine, Barra Santos, a Portuguese restaurant.) While you can order whole pies, Shins features all their pizzas as a slice option, so it’s easy to try a few. The Mortadella slice is a standout, and here’s why: the white pie contains mozzarella, garlic, and a healthy dollop of ricotta, then is topped with an entire slice of Mortadella. It’s a move that feels both lackadaisical and intentional at the same time. Perfect for a hip slice joint for the budding east side neighborhood. But once you get past the pastiche factor of your surroundings, biting into the crusty yet chewy slice will make you realize it's worth the hype.

16. Teriyaki Plate from 2 Scoops of Rice

There are plenty of teriyaki plates, but coming across this one from the Polylesian-style barbeque pop-up felt extra special. The owners are Samoan and pop up throughout the L.A. area, so watch their IG. The plate I ordered came with perfectly charred barbecue chicken and short ribs that were expertly marinated, tender, and juicy, along with a side of fried shrimp whose batter effectively encapsulated the shrimp at a level I hadn’t yet experienced. The dish comes with two scoops of rice, as mentioned in their name, topped with furikake, a Japanese seasoning typically made with toasted sesame seeds and nori, and a small portion of Hawaiian mac salad. Share with another person or save it for leftovers as it travels well.

17. Oxtail mac and cheese egg roll from Chef Zagga Irie Vibez

A couple of years back, I heard about Chef Zagga Irie Vibez, a Jamaican cuisine pop-up based in Bellflower. I was immediately intrigued by how tireless and committed the young upstart chef from the 562 was about sharing his cuisine. Zagga is known for his exquisite jerk chicken and oxtail. However, it wasn’t until his recent Fall Festival that he unveiled his oxtail and mac cheese egg roll. While I tend to shy away from such culinary mash-ups as they tend to be heavy on grease, Zagga’s eggrolls are light and airy and maintain the integrity of their key ingredients, allowing both to shine through perfectly. Not a regular menu item, but you can bet at his next fest I’ll be first in line to have them again cause they are that good.

18. Padma Lakshmi Mango Lasi Cupcakes from Sprinkles

When it comes to cupcakes from Sprinkles, I’m not always one who you’ll find first in line. The boutique cupcake chain, known for its cupcake ATMs, was all the rage a decade ago. So it had been a minute since we’d had one of their deliciously lush desserts. As part of the Diwali celebration, TV personality Padma Lakshmi partnered with the company to create her version of a cupcake that celebrates her Indian heritage. Based on the popular yogurt-based drink, the cupcake contains rich mango cake piped with a creamy curd center and a blend of cinnamon and cardamom-spiced yogurt frosting. It’s an extremely beautiful bite.

19. Almeja Chocolata from Holbox

The James Beard semi-finalist Holbox is located in the Mercado La Paloma and rarely misses when it comes to their dishes, like the sweet and salty tasting clams, great to toss back with friends with a beer.

20. Pulpo a la Gallega at Serrano

At the Spanish pop-up Serrano, run by chef Jorge Serrano, there’s much to choose from regarding his menu since it’s all so good. Ultimately, what stuck out for me in 2023 is his pulpo dish, made up of the velvety textures of expertly cooked octopus atop a soft bed of mashed Yukon gold potatoes, sprinkled with smoked paprika and drizzled with arbequina olive oil.

21. Specialty Dynasty Xiao Long Bao at Paradise Dynasty

The multi-colored dumpling from the Singaporean food powerhouse, Paradise Dynasty, is an incredible dish not just because of the amazing flavors of each XLB. Still, the multi-colored hues of each make the experience all the more memorable. Truth be told, I’ve always been a sucker for this dish, and these are some of my favorites in recent memory.

22. Agua Chile Negro from Simón in Silver lake

The Silver Lake seafood lochera is another favorite dining experience this year. All of their tacos are for around five bucks and are filling and inventive, such as their whole soft shell crab and fish al-pastor, all wrapped in freshly made blue corn tortillas that sparkle with flavor. However, if you are looking to get the most out of your visit to the little blue truck, then try their agua chile negro made with shrimp bathed in smoked tomatillo sauce.

23. Tacos Los Cholos in Anaheim

On a recent visit to Anaheim, I visited the temple of smoke known as Taco Los Cholos. I give that name to its devotion to grilled meats, some of the best I’ve had in recent memory. From the perfectly charred carne asada to tender-as-the-night ribeye tacos, they make for one helluva bite. Upon arrival at your table, they don’t look like much, just tortilla and meat. They're not looking to dazzle your Instagram discovery page. Instead, they are packed with a ton of flavor and can still fit into the palm of your hand. All that to say, you need these tacos and once eaten, you'll frequently be willing to risk it all by braving the traffic just to get a taste.