West Hollywood may be best known for its glitzy celebrity hotspots, but scratch beneath the surface to find an impressive range of restaurants worth checking out. From old-school red sauce joints to Los Angeles’s best Japanese Izakaya, here now are 7 essential restaurants in West Hollywood.
West hollywood
Milk bar
Milk Bar is a sweet (and occasionally savory) shop that’s been turning familiar treats upside down and on their heads, shaking up the dessert scene since 2008. Bon Appetit magazine called us “one of the most exciting bakeries in the country.” But you can literally just call us Milk Bar. We’re not big on feeding the hype beast. But we’re super into feeding our flavorful treats to those who crave the unexpected.
Fat sal’s deli
Fat Sal's menu is centered around 'fat sandwiches' - a creation from Rutgers University's Grease Trucks in New Brunswick, New Jersey where hero rolls are filled with eclectic combinations of comfort/bar food staples such as mozzarella sticks, cheesesteak, burgers, hot dogs, chicken fingers, etc.
Alfred coffee
The one that started a coffee (and Instagram) revolution. Most people in Los Angeles didn’t know Melrose Place was an actual street until Alfred Planted it’s flag here in early 2013. You never know who you’ll run into when grabbing your morning latte.
croft alley
Hidden in a cute Melrose Place Alley slightly east of Melrose is Croft Alley. It seems impossible that this restaurant can function in such a tiny space, but the formula is successful. The sandwiches are what regulars return for, but so is the Instagrammable croft yoghurt with market berries and chlorophyll.
jon & vinny’s
Pizzas are playfully named -- like Ham & Yeezy (a glorious vessel of salty meat and vodka sauce), and White Lightning (a tomato-less pie filled with an enticing blend of white cheeses, garlic, and pickled jalapeños). Dough is rested for 48 hours before it’s popped into a gas-powered stone hearth oven, which creates a crisp, heavily charred crust with fluffy edges.
Tatsu Ramen
f you’re wondering where the longest lines for ramen are in the city, look no further. But here’s the good news - Tatsu’s worth the wait. The Melrose space has become an all-out mob scene any time of the day, and everyone is here for that rich, pork-based tonkotsu broth. You’ll see some other things on the menu like a pork bun and the somehow-still-a-thing ramen burger, but stay focused - the ramen is why you’re here.
Jones hollywood
Jones has one of the coolest interiors in all of LA, thanks to a rock-and-roll sensibility and plush leather banquettes that gives it that old East Coast Italian restaurant feel. The spaghetti and meatballs are a fantastic entree while the apple pie, served hot in a bubbling pool of caramel, is a legendary LA dessert.
