LA’s surf-side cities do things a little differently. The South Bay has its own kind of rhythm and vibe, a laid-back attitude that permeates everything from the fashion choices to the food. Take Phanny’s for example. The decades-old corner restaurant offers a simple, pared-down menu of breakfast burritos and speciality coffee, perfect for morning surfers, kids on their way to school, and anyone else needing a big, cheesy, starchy fix.—Farley Elliott

I return to Los Balcones for one thing: the costilla de short ribs. I know the menu is full of incredible items and I’ve tried many of them, but for some reason this dish just hits all the right spots. It’s hearty, full of flavor, bold, and the kind of dish worth sharing just so you can talk about it with dining partners. This northern Peruvian dish is slow-cooked in a beer-infused tomato chile sauce, so the result is a tender, saucy flavorful bite of beef with a traditional rice and lima bean tacu tacu cake. A fried egg yolk makes it indulgent, and the drippy mess is all I need to make everything right in the world.—Mona Holmes

Let’s be real, cauliflower isn’t the greatest vegetable. The crunchy texture is the only thing really going for it, and even though it seems like many LA restaurants feature this vegetable on its menu, it largely falls short. The lone exception is the charred cauliflower at Tesse. I’ll admit that my dining partner insisted on this dish, otherwise I would have missed the flavorful accompanying harissa, cucumber, and pomegranate which combines perfectly with the wood-fired cauliflower. It’s fresh, filling, and gorgeous to look at.—Mona Holmes

Sure, Los Angeles has a penchant for casual dining styles in places like strip malls and on street corners, but that doesn’t mean the rightfully-lauded chef Joshua Skenes can’t make his restaurant Angler work here. If anything, the semi-hidden Beverly Center location makes the place just as much a crown jewel as any tucked-away restaurant in a back yard or deep in the San Fernando Valley — except here, the final result is a multi-course meal that includes lots and lots of luxury. For starters, there is a seemingly simple banana pancake on the menu, it is used as a vessel for rich lobes of caviar spooned tableside. It’s a simple reintroduction to the glamorous life, and one of the best single bites of food anyone can enjoy in LA right now.—Farley Elliott

Eric Bost serves this roast turnip dish that hides raw Spanish mackerel beneath, all of which settles into a shallow pool of aged pork broth. A fragrant allium oil dots the broth, and together the dish is robust, brothy, and tempered by a subtlety that’s hard to describe. There’s a contrast of the fresh, meaty fish and the heft of those turnips that takes on a Japanese mentality to flavors. This dish is emblematic of the rest of Bost’s food: focused and precise but ultimately pleasurable and delicious.— Matthew Kang

A truly bizarre dish that strikes right into the nostalgic heart of every Korean-American,budaejjigae, or army base stew, is a mashup of American canned meats and Korean ingredients, a result of the tragic Korean War and its aftermath. Using the restaurant’s soulful bone broth, Haemaru builds this dish with a foundation of chopped kimchi, baked beans, onions, tofu, and those canned meats, topping the dish off with instant ramen noodles and a single slice of melty Kraft cheese. As you eat this dish, the flavor deepens, with the faux smoky flavors of the meats melding into the broth.—Matthew Kang

San Pedro’s windswept, seaside fortunes have been slowly changing for years as new developments, restaurants, and customers flood into the sleepy far South Bay town. Next up is Colossus Bread + Pastry, a peach of a newcomer located right next door to the Chori-Man’s busy shop on a mostly residential stretch. Forget waterfront views; the eyeballs here are on all the colorful pastries, from sweet strawberry galettes, to peach danishes and house-made croissants painstakingly sheeted every morning. There are, as the name implies, loaves of bread (and coffee too, of course) to be found inside, but for those making all their carbs count, opt for some pastries soon.—Farley Elliott

Just type ‘Los Angeles mariscos’ into Google Maps and you’ll find a heavy concentration of Mexican seafood restaurants north of the 105, east of the 405, and south of the 10. While we’re lucky to have so many choices in the city, it can be overwhelming to settle on which one to try. When in doubt, head to Holbox. Convenient to the 110 and 10 freeways, this cozy stand inside the Mercado La Paloma prepares ceviches, tostadas, and aguachiles right before one’s very eyes. Owner Gilberto Cetina has quite the following, so he tends to sell out quickly. Go early and order the delightful sea urchin and scallop ceviche, which is served in a dramatic sea urchin shell.—Mona Holmes

Nightshade continues to grow its menu of Asian-inspired dishes with some shareable larger format fare like this blackened, slow-cooked short rib that very much resembles something one would find at a Texas barbecue joint. Served sliced and assembled atop the bone, think of this as a sort of mash between Chinese and Korean barbecue, with pickles on the side. The rib meat boasts a slightly sweet, soy-like glaze that isn’t the least bit smoky, and Mei Lin serves the hulking rib with butter lettuce to wrap likessam.—Matthew Kang

Bavel continues to deliver one of the finest Middle Eastern dinners in Los Angeles, and this aged roast/grilled duck, served with a side of lightly dressed Belgian endive. The aging on this duck brings out such incredible flavor, with rich minerality and a balanced fattiness of the breast meat complemented by crisp endive. The leg spends time confit-ing in fat, so it’s a different texture than the kebabs, though the skin is equally crisp. This dish is a master class in simplicity, the elegance of Bavel’s flavor-packed approach, and a fine way to finish the savory portion of the meal here. —馬修·康

The SoCal air is so chilly at the moment, so order Guerrilla Tacos’ piping hot bowl of smoked beef cheeks to stay warm. It’s a gorgeous broth with perfectly sized bits of meat that has been smoked for upwards of six hours using a blend of cherry, hickory, and oak woods. For the broth, chef Wes Avila brings together veal bones, dashi, ginger, scallions, and lemongrass. The tomato-based casero-style salsa packs some heat, so add your preferred amount of this salsa and meat to the thick, gordita-like flour tortillas. Pro-tip: save some tortillas for sopping up the broth.—Mona Holmes

Majordomo always finds a way to one up its game. Taking a page from sister restaurant Kawi (“scissors” in Korean) in New York City’s Hudson Yards, this $125 platter of smoked king salmon, fresh diver scallops, salmon roe, and warm white rice is sliced tableside using a pair of sharp kitchen shears. Upon stirring the donabe or claypot, the server instructs the table to build nori-wrapped bundles with the various ingredients including crisp corn kernels with tiny anchovies, pickled cucumbers, yuzu kosho, togarashi, avocado, sliced lemons, perilla leaves, fresh sea urchin, and creamy sauce to bind everything together. Majordomo has settled in well to its second year of operation, but this king salmon donabe is evidence that David Chang’s restaurant is still pushing the flavor envelope.—Matthew Kang

麵條,大米碗,和千層pancakes to be had, it’s no wonder that most folks stumble out of Joy properly stuffed and likely without dessert. But hold back a little on the savories because the hakka mochi is worthy of one’s precious gastro-real estate. Served alongside mugs of warm tea, the mound of mochi arrive dusted in peanut and black sesame powder. While the former tastes something like a sticky PayDay bar, the latter is just bitter enough to counter its neighbor’s nutty sweetness. Speared with a bamboo toothpick and eaten one-by-one, the flavors and textures delight until the sizable mound whittles into a mole hill and then disappears all together.—Cathy Chaplin

The most exciting dishes are the ones that don’t play by the rules, delighting with palate-pleasing combinations that defy expectations. Chef Teresa Montaño’sboquerones y mantequillabrings together fruits of the land and sea with expert flare and funk. Pickled fresh white anchovies—meaty and tangy as all get out—are paired with whipped butter punctuated with tuna and anchovy. The oily and oceanic ingredients, carefully propped and slathered atop crusty loaves of Bub and Grandma’s bread, get better and better with each bite.—Cathy Chaplin

The texture and flavor of unripened mangoes hardly resemble their sweet fleshed counterparts. Pleasantly tart and snappy some, green mangoes are primed to take on savory flourishes. At Oc & Lau, the mangoes are treated to fish sauce, chiles, torn coriander, and best of all, thinly sliced snails. Eaten straight up or perched atop shrimp chips, the gorgeously balanced salad steals the show.—Cathy Chaplin