Throw the best parts of Mr. Chow, La Dolce Vita, and P.F. Chang’s into a blender and you’d end up with 88 Club, a swanky Chinese spot from the former Nightshade chef. With a low-lit clubby vibe, thumping Michael Jackson and Big Pun playlist, and glammed-up prawn toast the size of corn dogs, the place has all the ingredients for a fun Beverly Hills dinner, remixed with Chinese food nostalgia. The crispy sweet and sour fish sauced tableside and glistening char siu with hot mustard should be your priorities—both spendy but shareable. Get the milk tea custard buns to end the night, or the cheeky Long Island Iced Tea with baijiu and bergamot to keep it going.

A Westside Cal-Italian spot with tuna carpaccio, cacio e pepe, and product managers drinking orange wine on a patio. Stop us if you’ve heard this one before. This Mar Vista restaurant follows a familiar formula, but it also makes a damn good case for it. Nothing on the menu is over $30 (not a typo), and every dish is simple and well-done. Green bean and celery salad springs to life with lemony vinaigrette, and the charred pork collar tastes like it was lip-locked with the grill seconds prior. The buzzy candlelit space—a converted corner market flanked by citrus trees—feels lived-in, and that’s because it is. Half of the neighborhood has moved in already, and we can't imagine them leaving anytime soon.

After one bite of duck sausage wrapped in tofu skin, it hit us: The reimagined Chinese food at Firstborn isn’t just unique to Chinatown, but the entire city. Mapo tofu takes the form of spicy steak tartare decorated with tiny figs. Roasted scallops are presented over silky egg custard. Cumin lamb pops with flavor like the kind skewered on toothpicks, but here it’s a three-inch-thick lamb saddle in tangy Sichuan peppercorn jus. The green-tiled dining room in Mandarin Plaza exudes a polished cool that makes it a sexy date night pick, and the elegant cocktails are just as impressive as the food. We were already scheming our next visit before the second mandarin tea negroni landed.

Sushi Masuyoshi is the aspirational version of the dinner party you tried to throw in your first apartment, only with much better fish. This five-seat counter is run by a chef who used to host sushi dinners in people’s homes, and is clearly adept at bringing energy to tight quarters. He slices, plates, and sometimes torches each dish, taking occasional breaks for sake shots or selfies with guests. His 18-course $165 omakase is a generous deal: salmon so silky it dissolves like a breath strip, a three-part tuna progression that builds in fattiness, plus excellent non-nigiri moments like baby squid over seaweed and shrimp head miso soup. Like any good dinner party,  your night hinges heavily on who you’re with—so enlist your most fun friend.

Dinner at Kurrypinch, a cute Sri Lankan spot on Hollywood Boulevard, is not without the occasional hiccup. Dishes often land all at once, and if you and a date show up sans reservation, there might be some scrambling at the host stand. But all is forgiven when the stir-fried kotti roti and sizzling deviled chicken hit the table. The menu is a mix of traditional dishes and “chef’s signatures,” with the highlight of the latter being a curried mahi mahi and fried onions over a lush coconut cream risotto that could moonlight as congee. Mostly, we're just thrilled some of the fiery Sri Lankan food in the SFV has trickled down the 101. And plan on keeping Kurrypinch’s tamarind michelada nearby—they don’t play around with spice.

The back patio at Alba, flanked by tall trellised walls and brooding stone statues, has the same energy as Caesars Palace—the one in Vegas, not Rome. Espresso martinis fill every table, big bowls of orecchiette are tossed tableside, and you'll see a few dudes with one too many shirt buttons undone. It’s a scene even for Weho, but what makes this Italian spot stand out is the food largely keeps pace with the crowd, especially the agnolotti and spicy-sweet chicken alla diavola—two hits from the original location in NYC. That said, even if you’re just looking to get dressed up, people-watch, and maybe send a text to someone you shouldn’t later, there’s no hotter destination right now.

Squint and you might assume Attagirl follows the same formula as every other clubby new Mediterranean restaurant of the moment: wicker basket lamps, a dash of house music, and a mishmash of mezze that spans (one too many?) cultures. But there’s a crucial difference, and it’s that this spot from the Ryla people next to the Hermosa Pier does it better than everyone else. The smoky kebabs grilled over oak in the parking lot are a highlight—the beef one puts the tender in tenderloin—and great for anchoring a breezy dinner of small plates, like spicy lamb meatballs and phyllo spinach pie with lemony bechamel. Cocktails plus dips plus Whitney Houston remixes equals a fun night. The math checks out.

With pork headcheese toast that shouts patty melt and a low-ABV carajillo riff called the Single White Female, Vin Folk is a spunky neighborhood bistro that’d turn heads in any part of town. But the offbeat menu and sharp wine list demand even more attention on a sleepy corner in Hermosa, a block up from The Strand. Run by two Somni alums, the kitchen injects geeky fun into wine bar standards, like creamy chopped salad boosted with crispy lap xuong bits, and yellowtail crudo layered with Russian eggplant caviar. The chefs double as servers, which is occasionally chaotic and ultimately endearing. Wrap up an unstuffy date night with their elaborate chocolate dessert inspired by Filipino breakfast cereal, then maybe a twilight beach stroll.

The tangy sourdough pizzas at Redwood Pie are so good, we burned our mouths inhaling a slice hot from the oven. We regret absolutely nothing. The New York-ish style pies at this simple counter-service pizzeria in Hermosa deliver the best of both worlds: crusts that are crisp and nearly burnt on the edges and chewy-soft in the center. Their hand-crushed tomato sauce is tart and pulpy, like someone went Incredible Hulk on a can of San Marzanos, but they also know their way around a white pie, including one perked up with lots of pickled peppers and spicy sausage. We’ve already tasted enough to make the call—best pizza in the South Bay.

The first thing you’ll notice at Mustard’s Bagels—besides the line—is Kendrick blasting from the speakers. Right on cue, DJ Mustard’s “MUSTARRDDD” drops, and you realize there’s some cheekiness happening. This tiny weekend-only pop-up in Highland Park (run by the co-founder of GGET) has a “we’re here until we’re not” attitude and often sells out by 1pm, which might be annoying if its crackly fresh-baked sourdough bagels weren’t so incredible. As good as the loosies are, their messy open-faced sandwiches are even better. We’re fans of the Grampa Sam with a flurry of fried capers that’s their take on the classic lox, but the standout is the Deanna Michelle, a chili oil-topped situation that tastes like Din Tai Fung’s cucumbers in bagel form.

Din Tai Fung needs no introduction, but the dumpling chain’s newest location on the third floor of Santa Monica Place offers something special—the opportunity to eat xiao long bao with an ocean view. That alone is enough reason to visit after hitting the mall, but the food is reliably great, too: expertly pleated soup dumplings, garlicky string beans, and spicy wontons with chili oil you’ll want to put on everything. The spacious turf patio, bamboo steamer-shaped booths, and see-through dumpling window into the kitchen? Added bonuses. There’s even a giant abacus at the front, in case you want to calculate the tip the old-fashioned way.

A meal at Somni is incredible—just know it’s incredibly expensive, too. At this theatrical fine dining spot in West Hollywood, dinner costs $645 per person ($495 for the 20-course tasting menu, plus $150 minimum for the required beverage pairing) which officially makes it the priciest restaurant in LA, by far. That said, it’s clear where your money is going. Chefs with Secret Service earpieces present each Spanish-leaning dish with effortless poise, every detail feels considered, and the three-hour event unfurls like a seamless stageplay. Between the raft of caviar on a dashi-flavored puff, smoked teriyaki turbot fin, and the most ludicrous cheese course we've ever tasted, the deeply layered, seafood-heavy cooking will be haunting our dreams—and our bank accounts—for the foreseeable future.

Elegant lemon tarts and pork terrines inside a half-empty warehouse. That’s the odd juxtaposition to expect at Café 2001, an all-day bistro behind Yess in the Arts District that’s eerily quiet. But what Café 2001 lacks in ambiance, it makes up for in sophisticated Japanese-European dishes that deliver exactly what we want from a leisurely luncheon. Crisp triangular hashbrowns serve as pillowy toasts for salt-kissed smoked trout, and gorgeous pork katsu sandos are 90% lean, juice-oozing pork and 10% milk bread. After 4pm on weekends, Café 2001 sheds its café persona and morphs into a wine bar with oyster platters and hamburg steak.

A nice bottle of wine and fancy pasta never go out of style in Beverly Hills. Pop into Marea the next time you’re on Rodeo Drive for proof. The splashy Italian seafood spot comes from NYC, where it’s been feeding Midtown power brokers and Lincoln Center ticket holders for years. A similar crowd has already settled the LA locale: suits with free-wielding corporate cards and ladies in beehives bemoaning that nobody gets dressed up on airplanes anymore. Beyond the people-watching, the food is outstanding. Start with any crudo that catches your eye, the lobster and burrata appetizer, and then go all-in on pasta. Your server will insist the fusilli with octopus and bone marrow is the best dish they serve in New York, and we’re already convinced it’s the best one in LA, too.

The picture-filled menu at this famous bibimbap chain from South Korea is essentially a Pinterest board of aesthetic rice pots. Do you want yours decorated with spicy pork and carmelized eggplant, shishitos and tofu, or a big grilled mackerel filet that juts out from the bowl? There’s no wrong answer, and the only mistake would be not adding an order of Damsot’s crackly shrimp-stuffed fried eggplant to start. Each piping-hot rice pot costs around $20 and arrives on a tray with salad, soup, banchan, and a kettle of barley tea, plus a step-by-step process on how to eat it. The finale is the best part: pouring tea over the layer of crunchy scorched rice at the bottom to create a toasty soup that’s as soothing as a long, steamy shower.

Getting to Ki feels like an escape room challenge—you’ll walk through three doors, including one labeled “Employees Only.” But once seated at this stone-walled chef’s counter inside Sawa, you’re in for an intimate, high-energy dinner, with cooks shuffling to and fro to a turned-up playlist of Flo Rida and Beyoncé. At $285 per person, the 12-course tasting menu is more laidback than the price suggests, even if the genre-pushing, hypnotizing Korean dishes make you perk up in your chair. A crudo-esque take on mulhwe with shark fin flounder delivers a salty, acidic punch, but the best courses are more restrained, like crispy octopus with key lime, truffle-topped perilla noodles that arrive right as you crave carbs, and an otherworldly lettuce ice cream paired with caviar.

Not No Bar is proof that when you mix good cocktails, good pizza, and good music, people will show up in droves. Walk into this crowded pizzeria-cocktail bar in Santa Monica (located in the former Isla space on Main Street) and you’ll find dates smooshed up against the bar and groups of friends lounging on two-tops and booths like the Feast of Dionysus. Throwback Euro disco thumps over the hi-fi system. It’s loud, a little messy, and a lot of fun. The place is arguably a bar first, but almost every table is eating bubbly-crusted Neopolitan-ish pizzas, too. Get the spicy, soppressata-topped Bang Bang and pair it with a tropical-leaning cocktail like the Curry Killer, made with rum, coconut, and fragrant green curry.

Somerville is a big deal. This retro American restaurant on Slauson is not only one of the few upscale dinner options in View Park, it’s also co-owned by Issa Rae, which might explain why it’s booked out three months in advance. There’s plenty of substance beneath the hype, though, from the mahogany-wrapped room that transports you to a 1940s jazz club to the well-dressed crowds sipping champagne as a band riffs around a grand piano. And while the menu of glammed-up comfort foods isn’t always as memorable as the space, fun shareable dishes like fried chicken sliders with caviar cream and a béchamel-enriched collard green lasagna deliver the kind of unfussy luxury you want from a big, buzzy night out.

Despite what our kindergarten teacher told us, not everyone is unique—and that goes for restaurants, too. But Evil Cooks is. The heavy-metal-themed taquería started as a pop-up and Smorgasburg vendor before opening full-time in El Sereno, and the diner-like space grabs your attention even before you clock the McSatan cheeseburger taco on the menu. Slayer and Megadeath tunes fill the room, a ripping hot plancha sizzles behind the counter, and there’s a trickling fountain of fake blood on the back patio (hell yeah). The excellent tacos take the theme further, with options like The Simmons with thick slabs of lengua and a chunky salsa cruda, the jet-black Poseidon with seared octopus in smoky salsa tatemada, and a $1 fideo taco that’s just tomato-y-sweet noodles stuffed in a griddled, soup-dipped tortilla.

Even if your brain can’t retain the detailed descriptions accompanying each dish (because the internet fried it), a night at Seline is unforgettable. This midnight-black fine dining restaurant in Santa Monica from the Pasjoli chef—who also used to cook at Alinea—likes to get cerebral with seasonal ingredients presented in out-there ways, like geoduck liver crackers served on metallic orbs, banana puree with roasted leeks, and crumbly chestnut ice cream as a mid-dinner palate cleanser. It’s the type of precise highbrow cooking you’d expect from a $295 tasting menu, but just as important, it's plain delicious. Add in bubbly servers who make you feel like houseguests, a dining room with enchanted garden views, and a playlist that slips in the occasional house track, and you’ve got the making of a special occasion spot you’ll be thinking about days after.