#1 Verse
4212 Lankershim Blvd, Toluca Lake, CA 91602
Chef-driven Angeleno/contemporary California—confirm address and booking on verse.la.
Photo · Official website
Experiences · Worth Fighting Traffic For
Under-the-Radar Gems: hidden gem LA restaurants
Less covered, still worth the miles: SGV Hanoi pho, Tehrangeles kabob, Sawtelle modern Korean, Highland Park Mexican-Italian, Monterey Park Hainan chicken, Cerritos Sonoran flour tortillas, West Adams cookie drops, Paramount oak pits. Prefer these when the algorithm already ate the icons.
More for Persian kabob fans
For more Westwood kabob and Levantine plates, see Tehrangeles & Levantine Tables.
Questions
What are some hidden gem restaurants in Los Angeles?
Our 14 hidden gems include Pho Ngoon’s Hanoi-style pho in San Gabriel, Taste of Tehran’s kabob in Westwood, Broken Mouth’s Hawaiian-Korean meat jun Downtown and Nandao Rice & Noodle’s Hainan chicken rice in Monterey Park.
The fourteen hidden gems, in order
#2 Sobuneh
11419 Santa Monica Blvd, Space 22, Los Angeles, CA 90025
West LA breakfast-burrito cafe from backyard pop-up roots—The Sig and The Cali plus Persian-tinged drinks.
Photo · Official site
#3 Fleurs et Sel
5300 W Adams Blvd, Suite 100, Los Angeles, CA 90016
West Adams small-batch cookie bakery—Sea Salt Chocolate Chip, London Fog, Napolitaine among the rotation.
Photo · Official site
“West Adams small-batch cookie bakery—Sea Salt Chocolate Chip, London Fog, Napolitaine among the rotation.”
On Fleurs et Sel
#4 Palms n' Patties
8121 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90048
Beverly Grove smashburger on grass-fed beef and beef-fat fries.
Photo · Official site
#5 Broken Mouth
718 S Los Angeles St, Los Angeles, CA 90014
Downtown Hawaiian-Korean meat jun—casual DTLA still under-rotated.
Photo · Official website
#6 Dr. Sandwich
7475 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Glatt kosher Mediterranean on Fairfax—shawarma, kebab, schnitzel, sabich, falafel.
#7 Roots Indian Bistro
7265 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046
Melrose Indian bistro—classic and fusion plates.
Photo · Official website
“Melrose Indian bistro—classic and fusion plates.”
On Roots Indian Bistro
#8 Bollywood Grill
6756 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
Hollywood Indian dining room—tandoor and curry classics.
Photo · Official website
#9 Easy Street
4143 Lankershim Blvd, Studio City, CA 91602
Studio City burger counter—Valley smash-adjacent casual stop.
Photo · Official website
#10 Pho Ngoon
741 E Valley Blvd, San Gabriel, CA 91776
SGV Hanoi-style pho and bún chả—LA County Vietnamese worth the Valley Blvd hop.
#11 Taste of Tehran
1915 Westwood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025
Tehrangeles koobideh and kabob plates—Westwood Blvd without the OC drive.
Photo · Taste of Tehran official website
#12 The Mulberry
1800 Sawtelle Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025
Sawtelle modern Korean bistro—date-night contemporary Asian inside LA County.
Reserve →Photo · The Mulberry official website
#13 Amiga Amore
5668 York Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90042
Highland Park Mexican-Italian intimate room—York Blvd chef cooking that still feels under-rotated.
Photo · Amiga Amore official website
#14 Nandao Rice & Noodle
101 W Garvey Ave, Suite 111, Monterey Park, CA 91754
Monterey Park Hainan chicken rice and SGV noodle hits—county-local, not OC.
Photo · Nandao Rice & Noodle official website