But even with the uncertainty of the last two years, there have been tireless operators, chefs, workers, and other creative people doing their best to follow their passion for providing amazing food and drink to diners in Los Angeles.
The top overall restaurant for 2020 and 2021 was a pop-up from talented chef Rashida Holmes, who compiled the food of Barbados into an easy-to-appreciate collection of flavor-packed dishes like a red curry goat paratha roti, salted cod fritters, oxtail patties, and snackable doubles .
The former chef of Tacos Punta Cabras, Gil’s return to the LA dining scene means Angelenos get a chance to taste one of the city’s most brilliant chefs in his prime, serving things like the showstopping deep-fried snapper in masa tomatillo jus, which comes with big floppy heirloom blue corn tortillas.
Holy Basil began at Smorgasburg but graduated to a takeout stall in Downtown serving an expanded menu of its flavorful classics like pad thai, chicken wings, and green curry from Deau Arpapornnopparat and Joy Yuon.
Instead, at the core of Jerusalem Chicken’s menu are the roast chicken options in four different styles: sumac; lemon and garlic; onion and potatoes; or stuffed with rice, mushrooms, and beef.
Both View Park/Windsor Hills businesses sit in the same shopping complex on the corner of Slauson and Overhill, but Jerusalem Chicken’s sky-blue exterior is impossible to miss.
How does a restaurant address the forces of gentrification? Uyên Lê, the chef and owner of Bé Ù in Virgil Village, believes it’s all about the triple bottom line: social justice, economic justice, and environmental sustainability.
Additionally, Lê is committed to paying her workers above-market wages, prioritizing their health and safety, and fostering a respectful and equitable culture.
The Long Beach partners first opened their home bakery on a residential street in 2017, turning out naturally leavened loaves of bread, pastries, cookies, and more from what was otherwise their living room, part of a growing movement of home bakers and cottage industry operators that has taken hold in Southern California’s food scene.
They currently produce some of greater LA’s most flavorful and thoughtful breads and pan dulce, relying on organic flours, local producers, and a lot of heart.