American Restaurants

For over fifty years, the Buggy Whip has remained a prime destination for fine dining in Los Angeles. The classic cuisine and even more classic atmosphere hark back to an older time, when dining was entwined with elegance. Diners may savor an old-fashioned cocktail before favorites such as aged Filet Mignon and stone crab claws, all the while relaxing among regal red leather booths while live piano plays every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in the background. Especially in trend-conscious LA, The Buggy Whip's reliability and consistency can be quite refreshing.

The landmark Union Station, located on the eastern edge of downtown Los Angeles, is an impressive sight. The structure fuses the Spanish colonial, Art Deco and streamline Modern Architecture that represent California's heritage and future ambitions. Traxx is where the romance of the past and the spirit of the future seamlessly merge. Since 1997, Traxx has brought fine dining back to historic Union Station while acting as major player in Los Angeles' downtown renaissance. Its presence, along with the Staples center and the revitalized shopping and cultural venues, adds extra vitality to the cityscape. Even with modern Los Angeles blossoming …

This New York-style bistro has become a popular hangout for locals and late-night diners. The massive dining room features high ceilings and a gorgeous art-deco bar, which gives a festive atmosphere. The classic American fare gets a modern twist with such dishes as Mac & Cheese with white cheddar, asiago, and goat cheese, and the Flat Iron Steak with Bleu Cheese Fries. Regulars also return for the attentive staffs’ service, as well as the delicious food. The restaurant is open until 2am so swing by after a night out to people watch on the outdoor patio and grab some satisfying …

The Ritz offers a taste of Europe in both ambiance and cuisine, with an extensive menu and a high level of service. Open since 1977, the Ritz has consistently offered an elegant setting for patrons to linger over an exquisite meal. The acclaimed menu offers Continental cuisine including an extensive selection of steak and seafood, as well as more unique items ranging from Escargots in Crute to Bavarian Rotisserie-Roasted Duck. Impeccable service and an outstanding wine list round out an elegant dining experience at the Ritz.

Focusing on fresh, quality ingredients, Water Grill offers some of the most exquisite seafood in Southern California. The secret is in the quality, as well as in Executive Chef Davide LeFevre’s respectful preparations that allow natural flavors to shine. Warm décor, cozy booths, and colorful art ensure ultimate comfort, while temptations like Dungeness and Blue Crab Cake with lime-yogurt cucumber sauce and herbed cous cous and Butter Poached Maine Lobster with morel mushrooms, haricot verts and crispy shallots offer decadent indulgence.

Tucked in a remodeled 1924 Craftsman-style firehouse in the peaceful community of Silver Lake, the Edendale offers exquisite cuisine in a comfortable, unassuming setting. Accented with fresh flower arrangements, cozy armchairs, antique sconces and walls of old black and white photos, the setting has the potential to make single diners and large groups alike feel like they are home. As is only fitting in this comforting setting, Executive Chef Paul Downer offers an amazing array of comforting dishes including Ahi Tartare, a Fried Green Tomato Salad, and the signature Edendale Creamy Baked Macaroni and Cheese with chili garlic bread crumbs …

Vermont Restaurant and Bar is a hip Los Feliz hangout offering a stunning atmosphere and serious dining. The dining room's vaulted ceilings, soaring columns, and a huge picture windows fill with beautiful and trendy patrons hungry for stylish New American cuisine. Late night, after such delights as poached salmon and roasted free range chicken, crowds flock to the sleek bar for signature drinks like the sweet-but-lethal Edelweiss martini.

Boasting a decidedly contemporary and chic décor, BOA Steakhouse is a refreshingly unpretentious steakhouse. Serving classic steakhouse fare in a particularly un-classic setting, BOA brings a fresh, modern face to the “surf and turf” dining concept. While you’ll find all the old favorites—petit filet mignon, dry-aged New York strip, Maine and Australian lobster—creative fare also peppers the menu. Begin with the Table-Side Prime Steak Tartare, and then move on to favorites like the Chilean Sea Bass and the American Kobe Beef Flat Iron Steak. But the ultimate decadence may just be the foie gras butter you’ll find gracing your Kobe …

Located in the trendy Melrose district of West Hollywood, Pizzeria Mozza touts some of the biggest names in the culinary world: founding partners Nancy Silverton, Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich. With a trio like that at the helm, you know you can expect something good. If you’re not feeling like pizza try Nancy’s chopped salad or Monday’s dish of the day, featuring Ricotta cannelloni. With a fun, informal atmosphere Mozza offers the opportunity for a fantastic meal. Avoid the hassle of waiting and be sure to book in advance.

Lola’s in West Los Angeles is a popular hangout featuring eclectic cuisine that combines classic comfort food with the glitter and glam of new Hollywood. The bar is famous for creating the Apple Martini, and along with that signature cocktail, the bar serves up well over 50 other custom Martinis. That is right, over 50! Brunch on the weekends is immensely popular as well, and it is no wonder, with 10 flavors of mimosas and 7 unique bloody marys. Nevertheless, enough about the booze, the food at Lola’s is just as popular as the drinks. Dishes like the Baked Brie …

On Melrose, along a popular strip of hip West Hollywood restaurants, Lucques retains its standing as an ideal spot for lunch, dinner, and drinks. In its eighth year, the restaurant excels with its short-list of savory French-Mediterranean cuisine combining subtle, yet distinct, flavors with fish, poultry, and meat. Executive Chef Suzanne Goin uses seasonal ingredients to create dishes that are inventive, fresh, and flavorful. While not extensive, the selections are sufficiently unique to appease finicky Angelenos and most likely tantalize them to return. The wine list is extensive and hand selected by co-owner Caroline Styne.

Inspired by coastal living, Providence in Mid Wilshire offers diners an assortment of the world’s finest wild seafood and shellfish presented in a pure and simple form. Chefs Michael Cimarusti and Donato Poto have developed a menu of exceptional quality influenced by the treasures of the ocean. In addition to noteworthy cuisine and excellent service, an excellent selection of wine graces Providence's walls, showcased in an elegant glass cellar in the restaurant. Diners can order a la carte, a tasting menu, as well as the chef menu. For those looking to sample the tasting and chef menus, be aware that …

The Ivy’s disarmingly rustic décor and chic Californian twist on American comfort food entice both L.A.’s rich and famous, and their adoring public. The charming white picket fence and fragrant roses of its front patio evoke a by-gone era of simplicity and nostalgia, a glaring, but welcome contradiction amidst the ultra-chic posturing of Beverly Hills. The Ivy’s menu is made similarly appealing by its culinary juxtapositions, creating a balance between hearty comfort and refreshing innovation. The Ivy’s star-studded people watching possibilities, its quaintly romantic atmosphere, and its deeply satisfying cuisine ensure a dining experience that is both delightfully homey and …

Chef Suzanne Tracht’s has rejuvenated proverbial American cuisine through her newest bistro, Jar, creating tangy and zestful editions of classic favorites. Her signature Kansas City Steak and Prime Porterhouse can be sided with her award winning French Fries, made scrumptious by being dusted with garlic and parsley, or the Creamy Spinach, both buttery and rich. The delectable menu ties in well with the warm setting, wrapped in browns and hues of orange. The minimalist décor allows one to experience the retro-modish theme of Jar’s 1940’s-premised dining room. Come enjoy this new twist on American cuisine.

La Bohème rhapsodizes with a quintuplet of dazzling crystal chandeliers looming majestically overhead in a large, yet intimate two-tiered dining space. The semi-private booths downstairs and the rock star booths upstairs, along with the opulent ruby-red décor glimmering softly under the glow of two huge open fireplaces make this seductive bistro one of the a romantic destinations in L.A. Guests are also welcome to dine on the Garden Patio, Café La Boheme’s own al fresco paradise, where they can bask in the warmth of a beautiful fireplace framed by roses and greenery. For more casual diners, the bar lounge offers …

In a city where restaurants vie for celebrity patronage and flashy presentations sometimes precede flavor, The Palm Steakhouse in West Hollywood remains the unpretentious favorite of locals and celebrities alike. Since its opening in 1975, The Palm has been garnering a crowd of devoted followers with its simple, stunning presentations of high quality meat, seafood, and favorite Italian classics, like Veal Scallopine and Linguini with Clam Sauce. Its lively atmosphere, generous portions, and highly attentive service make The Palm an ideal destination for a special occasion dinner, even as the relaxed bar scene invites old friends to re-connect over a …

The Blvd at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel is located at one of Beverly Hills’ most well-known intersections: Wilshire Boulevard and Rodeo Drive. This restaurant is the place to see and be seen as well as dine on some fabulous food created by Chef Brian Moyers. The dining room of The Blvd is sophisticated and stunning, featuring lofty ceilings and large windows that overlook the intersection. Producing American cuisine that incorporates fresh produce from local farmers’ markets, the lunch and dinner menu will include such tasty dishes as Line Caught John Dory and Natural Beef Filet Mignon. Don’t wait any longer; …

Kate Mantilini in Beverly Hills is not just another diner it is a local landmark. Proprietors Harry and Marilyn Lewis established Kate Mantilini in 1987 after selling their first foray into the restaurant business, Hamburger Hamlet, which the couple opened together in 1950. The menu at Kate Mantilini is extensive, with deli classics, gourmet diet fare, mountainous salads, and refined entrees like pork chops and frog legs. Open from early morning to late at night, and always packed with celebrities, wheeling-and-dealing producers, post-theater diners, and retirees, this upscale yet casual joint has something for everyone. Breakfast is served all day, …

Nic’s takes the feeling of upscale grandeur and mixes it with the smooth feeling of the current surfer youth of Los Angeles. Patrons can enjoy private vodka dining lounges to go along with the martini bar. The food is mainly American fare with a few distinctive international twists. The main idea of Nic’s is to have fun. The restaurant illustrates just that with its exquisite menu and the wild outfits of those in the vodka lounge. Live music is provided on Monday, Thursday, and Friday with leanings towards jazz and R&B. That having been established, cocktail parties and dancing are …

One of LA's most exciting jazz spaces, Vibrato Grill Jazz embraces its guests with a warm and elegant interior, a state of the art sound design, and world-class music. The savory menu of contemporary American cuisine features prime steaks, mint-crusted ahi-tuna, and a wide variety of colorful desserts, while the expansive bar offers refreshing signature cocktails. Vibrato offers a unique and rare space where where jazz aficionados and food connoisseurs will feel equally at home.