15 Best Restaurants in Hollywood, CA

Luisa Kho

Oct 11, 2022 • 12 min read

LeoPatrizi / iStock.com

Hollywood is a district located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, California.

Its name came from Daeida Wilcox, the wife of Harvey Wilcox, the district's first owner.

Also known as Tinseltown, Hollywood is famously synonymous with the country's film industry and is home to several superstars.

This popular and highly diverse district is also a go-to spot for people looking for a new and exciting food adventure.

With that, here's a glimpse of the best restaurants in Hollywood, California:

Providence

Providence is a two-Michelin-star restaurant on Melrose Avenue.

Thanks to its high-class dishes, the restaurant has landed on several prestigious lists of the best restaurants in Los Angeles and in the United States.

Among the most loved Providence specialties is their Pacific oysters served in shells topped with champagne butter and caviar.

Make sure not to miss out on their farm-raised and sustainable caviar, salt-roasted Santa Barbara prawns, and sea urchin served with champagne beurre blanc and brioche croutons.

Providence is also the place where you can taste A5 Wagyu beef with a side of pumpkin, habanada, and matsuke.

You can also try their Norweigan king crab, Hokkaido sea scallop, Santa Barbara vermillion rockfish, and Columbia river king salmon.

The Musso & Frank Grill

The Musso & Frank Grill on Hollywood Boulevard has served top-class cuisine since 1919.

The famous Charlie Chaplin once dined in this restaurant; since then, it's maintained its classic and refined menu and ambiance.

Their appetizers include avocado cocktails, baked escargot, stuffed celery, Caprese salad, and more.

The Musso & Frank Grill is also known for their mouth-watering ribeye steak, 8oz and 12 oz filet mignon, 12oz New York steak, bone-in pork chop, ground beef steak, and grilles land kidneys.

If you're not much of a red meat eater, you may try out their tasty pan-seared scallops, lobster, salmon filet, swordfish, shrimp, or trout.

Bossa Nova Brazilian Cuisine

Bossa Nova Brazilian Cuisine on Sunset Boulevard guarantees to serve you the best Brazilian and Continental cuisines.

It first started its business in 1993.

Their trained and expert chefs personally hand-picked the ingredients for their mushroom appetizer, Alfredo pasta, black bean soup, and more.

This ensures you'll only taste the best and most high-quality dishes at Bossa Nova Brazilian Cuisine.

You may try their vegetarian options, such as al pesto pasta, arrabbiata pasta, and Aglio e olio pasta.

The most popular item on their menu that you shouldn't miss out on is their chicken lasagna served with spinach and homemade tomato and white cream sauce.

A family meal good for four persons is also available here.

It consists of pasta plates with salad and bread, rice, mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, fries, sweet potatoes, and more.

Pizzas, other pasta, salads, and a variety of chicken recipes can also be ordered at Bossa Nova Brazilian Cuisine.

25 Degrees

Located on Hollywood Boulevard, 25 Degrees will give you the experience of crafting your own burger.

Its name was derived from the temperature between a medium-rare and well-done hamburger patty.

From burgers, fries, wings, grilled cheeses, draft beers, and spiked shakes, you won't run out of good choices at 25 Degrees.

They also offer a happy hour menu with jalapeno poppers, beef sliders, mac and cheese bites, beers, and other alcoholic beverages.

Johnny Rockets

Johnny Rockets is a retro-style restaurant on Hollywood Boulevard.

They serve burgers, fries, and shakes that are perfect for an afternoon snack with friends and family.

Both children and adults will enjoy their savory food and drinks.

Johnny Rockets serves burgers with bacon, cheese, caramelized onions, green peppers, onion rings, and other special sauces.

Vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate shakes can also be enjoyed here.

Aside from those three classic flavors, there are also shakes in flavors of peanut butter, banana, and Oreo cookies and cream.

You can also try their sandwiches, chicken, and chili hot dogs.

Hard Rock Cafe

The Hard Rock Cafe is a high-energy entertainment and restaurant on Hollywood Boulevard.

Their 20,000-square-foot area has spacious seating, a bar, two retail stores, and a live band area.

While enjoying their handmade and fresh menu items, you'll be entertained and hyped up by the Hard Rock Cafe's lively atmosphere.

You can enjoy their mouth-watering burgers, steaks, grilled chicken, bread, bruschetta, and boneless chicken wings.

Their special entrees, such as cowboy ribeye steaks, New York strip steaks, fajitas, mac and cheese, smokehouse barbeque, plank salmon, and chicken tenders, are to die for.

Sandwiches and salad bowls that are as good as their specialties can also be enjoyed here.

Rao's

Rao's is situated on Seward Street.

It was established in 1896 by Charles Rao.

This restaurant is well-known for serving spotless Italian delicacies.

Some of their most popular dishes are meatballs, seafood salad, lemon chicken, clams, and stuffed mushrooms. and mussels.

Make sure to try out their pasta.

You can choose from salsa alla marinara, rigatoni bolognese, penne alla vodka, spaghetti aglio olio, rigatoni pomodoro, linuini and clams, orechiette, gemeli pesto, fiocchi, and muchroom risoto.

Aside from pasta, Rao's also serves shrimp, lobster, salmon, and chicken, all meticulously cooked by their experienced chefs.

Petit Trois

Petit Trois is a French restaurant on North Highland Avenue.

Aside from delectable appetizers, entrees, and desserts, you can also try out their wide variety of wines.

Serving Brut, Domaine Brazilier Méthode Traditionelle, Loire, France NV, Cabernet Franc, Les Terres Blanches Ancestral, Rosé, and Loire France 2021, Petit Trois is the home of the most quality and delicious wines in the state.

Their Blanc wine selection includes Jacquère/Altesse, Vins de Envie 'Dahu' Savoie, France 2019, Melon de Bourgogne, Domaine Landron Muscadet, Loire, France 2018, and a lot more.

You may enjoy these wines with their omelet Petit Trois, pesto pasta, Croque sandwich, mussels, roasted duck, chicken, and steak.

Running Goose

Running Goose on North Cahuenga Boulevard jokingly refers to itself as "Hollywood's intermezzo."

It promises you to taste dishes, Los Angeles style.

You are guaranteed that this restaurant only uses sustainable ingredients, and their bread, pastries, ice creams, and pickles are handcrafted by experienced chefs daily.

Their dinner menu features a selection of vegetable, chicken, and seafood items.

You'll also be amazed by their out-of-this-world Chèvre Gnocchi, Vegan Pesto Vindaloo, duck, and salmon.

Running Goose also has a happy hour where you can enjoy sangria, wines, and beers at an affordable price.

Luv2eat Thai Bistro

Luv2eat Thai Bistro on Sunset Boulevard was opened by two Thai natives in October 2014.

This restaurant will make you feel as if you're in a local restaurant in Thailand through its original and delicious Thai cuisine.

Thai favorites like classic northern Thai sausages, green curry chicken, cashew nut chicken, pork spicy basil, shrimp paste fried rice, and Thai fish cake can be enjoyed here.

Of course, a trip to a Thai restaurant is not complete without a serving of pad thai.

Luv2eat Thai Bistro is the place if you're looking for a palatable adventure!

El Compadre

El Compadre can be easily located on Sunset Boulevard.

Since its establishment in 1975, this restaurant has been a go-to place for locals and tourists who want to experience authentic Mexican cuisine as well as drinks.

Here, you'll get the chance to taste traditional Mexican family recipes handed down from generation and generation.

From the premium cuts of meats, seafood, and vegetables, a visit to El Compadre will truly leave you wanting more.

The restaurant also has a bar dedicated to serving mixed cocktails and imported and local beers.

Make sure not to miss out on their famous Flaming Margarita!

TAO

TAO is a Pan-Asian restaurant on Selma Avenue.

The two-level restaurant comprises private dining rooms, a lounge, a minibar, and a main dining room.

This is also where you can find a 16-foot Quan Yin statue.

Their elegant and superb interiors match their mouth-watering menu, which includes dinner, cocktails, and wine/sake options.

Try out their gluten-free Tao temple salad, chicken satay, spicy tuna, Thai chicken lettuce cups, soy chicken, and chicken sea bass.

A wide selection of dim sum, noodles, rice, sushi, and sashimi is also available.

TAO specialties you must try are fresh oysters, seared salmon sashimi, tuna pringles, yellowtail sashimi, and albacore poke tacos.

The Barish

The Barish is a modern Italian steakhouse on Hollywood Boulevard.

It houses 110-seat dining with a wood-fire hearth at the center.

Its interior design preserves Roosevelt's Spanish Colonial Revival details with a fusion of modern Italian furnishings.

While appreciating its historical aesthetic, why not indulge yourself with some of its famous dishes?

You can choose from their preserved vegetables, 24-month prosciutto di Parma, steak tartare, rigatoni, creamed mustard greens, pork chops, lambs, and oxtail.

The Barish also offers a 6-oz ribeye cap and 15oz dry-aged New York steak.

Their Italian, Californian, and German beers are also a must-try.

White, red, and rose wine selections are also available.

Fabiolus Cucina

Fabiolus Cucina is one of the best Italian restaurants on Sunset Boulevard.

Here, you can try out northern Italian dishes while relaxing on their indoor or outdoor garden patio.

You're guaranteed to only taste fresh dishes as this restaurant gets its ingredients from local farmers.

For appetizers, you can try their grilled octopus served with baked potatoes, celery puree sauce, arugula salad, pickled red onion, and cherry tomatoes in lemon and olive oil.

After that, make sure to order their lobster ravioli, penne siciliana, homemade pumpkin gnocchi, and tonno scottato.

You can polish your meal with their special dessert combo of Nutella martini and Ferrero Rocher.

Cocktails like the classic dirty martini, cosmopolitan, and negroni on the rocks are also a great way to end the night at Fabiolus Cucina.

Los Balcones

Los Balcones on Vine Street serves Peruvian classics like ceviche, lomo saltado, and more.

It was founded by brothers Jorge, Eduardo, and Walter Rodriguez who all grew up in Peru.

Some of the classic favorites are their tiradito, sliced sea bass, ahi Amarillo, and choclo.

Los Balcones' corazon anticucho, papa a la huancaina, ceviche classico, pulp al olivo, and pan con palta are also some of their must-try dishes.

They also serve fried rice with prawns, Peruvian scallops, and salsa Criolla fit for a king.

Other top items on their menu are quinoa salad with tomatoes, palm, avocado, and sesame dressing, braised short ribs with cilantro beer, and white bean puree, and braised lamb shoulder with Peruvian beans, rocoto aioli, and organic greens.

After enjoying a hearty meal, there is also a variety of cocktails for you to choose from.

Los Balcones also serves a non-alcoholic drink called chica Morada, which is a homemade Peruvian juice made from purple corn, fruit, and spices.

Final Thoughts

The restaurants in Hollywood are truly as diverse as its neighborhood.

In this district, you will feel like you're in a different and exciting world filled with classic, authentic, and local delicacies from across the globe.

If you ever get the chance to spend some time in this area, make sure to spend time visiting its restaurants.

So, what are you waiting for?

Make sure to list down these best restaurants in Hollywood, Los Angeles for your next trip itinerary.

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