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You’ve been browsing Salt and Wind Travel, contemplating your next international jaunt, and now you’ve got a major case of wanderlust, don’t you?
We understand. But you can still escape for a few hours if you just don’t have the vacation days to warrant a trip abroad. That is if you happen to live in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles Food Scene
There are many U.S. cities with major international food scenes, but we are partial to our hometown of Los Angeles.
Here we can travel to Phuket with spicy Southern Thai food; taste a bit of Tokyo with Japanese ramen in Downtown L.A.; indulge in trays of dim sum in the San Gabriel Valley; transport ourselves to Addis Ababa with Ethiopian delights on South Fairfax; and visit Seoul with smokey kimchi-decorated barbecue in Koreatown.
This mix of all these international restaurants has us so smitten with Los Angeles. And though almost every neighborhood in L.A. is filled with restaurants that can transport you, these are our top picks of tried-and-true classics that will carry you abroad both with flavors and charming ambiance the minute you enter the door.
Eat Internationally In Los Angeles
Here is where to eat in Los Angeles to feel like you’re abroad in just a few bites:
Asia
Japan: Torigoya
There are plenty of Japanese restaurants in Los Angeles, but for a transportive Japanese yakitori experience, head to Torigoya in Little Tokyo. Torigoya focuses on grilled skewered chicken, and they do so quite well, but it’s the traditional dishes like the Tori Soboro Bowl seasoned ground chicken with seaweed and green onion on a bowl of rice) that make this hole-in-the-wall restaurant stand out.
Not to mention the wallet-friendly prices are well worth the wait. Belly up to the bar, order a bottle of sake or a beer, clink glasses with the stranger sitting next to you, and imagine how much money you just saved by skipping that flight to Tokyo.
Taiwan: Din Tai Fung
Home to the largest Taiwanese-American population in the country, it’s no surprise we have our fair share of Taiwanese food here in Los Angeles. But, to us, the famous dumpling house Din Tai Fung remains the best way to get a “taste of Taiwan” (which also happens to be their slogan).
The original Los Angeles location opened in an unassuming shopping mall in Arcadia, but now you can slurp crab soup dumplings, chomp on pork-stuffed buns, and enjoy cocktails at their swanky newer outpost in Glendale at The Americana at Brand.
Thailand: Ruen Pair
Thai Town, a designated six-block area in East Hollywood, is where Angelenos have been eating Thai classics from Tom Yum soup and Pa Nang curry to pad thai and pork larb salads for decades. Now, there are newer, trendier, chef-ier Thai restaurants in L.A.
But if we’re going to talk about transportive Thai food, it is best experienced in the heart of Thai Town. Ruen Pair is the old-school place you go to when you want to feel like you’re actually in Thailand. It’s cheap, authentic, and open until 3 A.M.. So the next time you’re craving pork blood soup in the middle of the night, you know where to find it.
Korea: Kang Ho Dong Baek Jeong
Almost every block of L.A.’s Koreatown has a crowded Korean barbecue joint, but Kang Ho Dong Baek Jeong is even more so. A grill table at the buzzworthy 6th Street meat haven can easily take two hours to earn.
But good things — like marinated short ribs, bulgogi, gochujang-slathered bean sprouts, and thick-cut pork belly — come to those who wait.
Latin America
Mexico: Guelaguetza
In Los Angeles, we eat tacos like we drink water. It is an everyday go-to delicious food that we cherish like we do our beaches, Dodgers, and year-round sunshine. There are myriad tacos worth talking about, and everyone has a favorite.
So how could we suggest just one place in a city where you can get great Mexican food at every corner? Well, we can’t. But we can say that this Oaxacan haven of mole and mezcal remains a worthy destination spot not just because of the legendary food but because of the overall experience.
Guelaguetza is one of LA’s most treasured eateries; the family-owned and run restaurant serves a wide variety of traditional Oaxacan dishes and a variety of award-winning mole-drenched chicken. Everything from the vibrant-colored walls to live music, crisp tlayudas, and handcrafted mezcal cocktails gives you a taste of Mexico.
Africa
Ethiopia: Merkato
Yes, Merkato is not quite as upscale as the slightly more talked about Meals by Genet across the street in Little Ethiopia. But Merkato’s more casual feel, plus the adjacent market and festive decor, makes us feel like we’ve got a taste for East Africa.
Start with some Ethiopian honey wine, aka Tej, then order from an assortment of vegetable or meat options like Yebeg Sega Wot (braised beef in red pepper sauce) all served on injera, the spongey sourdough flatbread that works as an edible utensil.
South Pacific
Australia: Gwen
Many would say that Sydney and Los Angeles are long-lost sister cities. Maybe this is why one of Australia’s best chefs Curtis Stone has chosen it as his home. (In any case, we are glad).
And though one might say that to truly experience a region’s food, you have to consider the local ingredients. Well, that still applies here as Curtis Stone ships in Australian Blackmore Wagyu for his butcher shop-centric eatery’s tasting menus.
The melt-in-your-mouth beef is paired with smaller dishes created with California’s beautiful produce, making this down-under-inspired eatery the best of both worlds.
Fiji and Southeast Asia: E.P./L.P.
Yes, we would all rather be in Fiji right now. But since we’re not, we’ll go to E.P./L.P. for all of the tropical flavors that Chef Louis Tikram is whipping up. The young chef’s food brings flavors of his native Australia and Fiji to L.A. in a way no one has before.
To be clear, the menu at E.P./L.P. is not just Australian and Fijian but more pan South East Asian. Which is a good thing as dishes like the turmeric and coconut curry, the Kokoda (Fijian style ceviche), and grilled lamb neck are must-orders. Be transported as you sip a tropical cocktail on the hip rooftop patio while watching the sunset. Who needs that over-water bungalow anyway?
Middle East
Iran: Darya
With one of the highest concentrations of Persian food in the U.S., this list would not be complete without including a Persian eatery. The greatest hits of this cuisine are kebab, fesanjan, tahchin, ash joe, tadeeg, and faloodeh. Westwood Boulevard on the westside of Los Angeles is ground zero for Persian food in LA, though that is not the only area you can find it.
Parts of the San Fernando Valley like Encino and the bordering city of Glendale have plenty of it too. But our favorite is Darya Restaurant in Santa Monica, where you can taste some of the freshest kebabs in town, and its overly decorated interior only adds to its charm.
Europe
France: Petrossian
The original Petrossian caviar boutique was founded in Paris in 1920, and the swanky restaurant in the city’s 7th arrondissement is always packed. But you don’t have to fly to the “City of Lights” to get a taste of the classic place.
The kitchen at Petrossian West Hollywood has recently been taken over by chef Alex Ageneau, who does a brilliant job of using the restaurant’s signature ingredient to elevate dishes like white wine and shallot poached Alaskan halibut with white corn, trout roe, caviar, and chives. It’s worth noting that you easily spend as much on caviar here as it would cost to fly to Paris. So it might be best to save it for a special occasion.
Germany: Wurstkuche
German food isn’t exactly a culinary trend we find ourselves dishing about often. And yet, Wurstkuche, which opened in downtown Los Angeles’s Arts District in 2009, has been so popular they even opened a second location in Venice. Why? Because sausage is delicious.
Wurstkutche has succeeded in giving the traditional German food an updated twist. Especially when given the option of “Exotics” like rattlesnake and rabbit with jalapeno peppers. Belgian fries and an assortment of German beers on draft keep the German beer garden atmosphere close to authentic.
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Photo Credit: Opening photo by Beatrix Boros
