20 Best Restaurants in The Valley, Los Angeles

Waiting in line at Porto's is as much a part of the experience as indulging in one of its roasted pork sandwiches, walnut raisin batards, or guava-and-cheese refugiados. This constantly humming Cuban bakery and café has been an L.A. staple since Rosa Porto founded it 65 years ago. Crowds constantly fill two lines, even on weekdays, but it gives patrons time to peruse the colorful cases filled with both savory and sweet treats and counter service is quick and efficient. Whether you choose to eat a Cubano or clam chowder in a bread bowl in the recently enlarged seating area, grab a honey latte and try the brand new strawberry cheese croissant, or fill a to-go box with potato balls, chicken croquettes, or other fan faves, your stomach will thank you. 

Just because Bea Bea’s is a no-nonsense kind of place, it doesn’t mean the food (of which they have a lot, like 23 different takes on pancakes a lot) isn’t special. This diner serves breakfast food that is about as close to extraordinary as the most important meal of the day can be. Plates are piled high but chances are you'll have worked up an appetite during perpetually long waits.

Borekas, barely more than a walk-up takeout window and some patio furniture run by a husband-and-wife team, proves less is often more by doing five or six variations on one dish extremely well—the namesake Sephardic Jewish pastry. Choose from savory or sweet versions of this Israeli staple, which are all vegetarian, flaky, and filling, and pair well with coffee, herby iced tea, or a sweet-and-salty limonana slushy. The latter is a special—if they have it when you go, do not skip it. Savory options, whether they are stuffed with cheese and za'atar or mushrooms, onions, and truffle, comes with pickle chunks, a soft-boiled egg, tomato pulp, and schug.

Brewing caffeinated concoctions using Sightglass Coffee and Art of Tea products since 2018, this woman-owned café and breakfast/pastry pit stop is at its best when adding Latin flair to classics to create drinks like dulce canela chai, tamarind cold brew, or horchata (oatchata for the dairy intolerant) lattes. The vibe is a little mid-century mod, a little boho between the orb light fixture, angular couch, and displays selling crystals, handmade soap, and fresh flowers. Enjoy breakfast burritos and café de lola's alongside your pooch on the sunny patio or frijoles on toast with a flat white at the communal table up front.

In 1956, Ray Vega, who grew up in his parents' lauded Olvera Street café, headed to the Valley to make a name for himself by serving Cal-Mex hits—burritos, tacos, enchiladas, fajitas, and tamales. Regulars appreciate the cuisine consistency, the big portions, plethora of apps, killer mole, and the staff that treats you like family whether you come in every Sunday, you're visiting from Wisconsin, or you are Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio shooting scenes in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (Quentin Tarantino has a drink named after him). Apparently, the folks behind the James Beard Awards concur as they designated Casa Vega, now run by Vega's daughter who has smartly modernized it only subtly, as an American classic.

Mediterranean-inspired Casaléna, a bi-level maze of large luxe dining rooms, pretty patios and rooftop spaces decked out with dramatic chandeliers, modern art, potted trees, and fireplaces, is another example of the second generation successfully breathing new life into the family business. Befitting the space, the menu is also big, plucking ideas from Italy, Spain, and Greece and putting them through a California filter which results in mostly pasta, pizza, seafood, share-sized salads, and pricey cuts of beef. With a strong bar program, weekend brunch, and special occasion pricing, it's quite popular for date nights and big-group celebrations and, given the scope of the restaurant, it can get pretty busy and then noisy. Never enough however to keep you from the beet salad, the whole branzino in chimichurri, or fried squash blossoms.

In a city full of restaurants touting all things trendy and gimmicky, Centanni and its chef Marin Santos (who came up at posh pasta powerhouse Valentino) focus on executing traditional, comforting fare to perfection. From start (juicy meatballs) to sweet finish (cannoli), this dinner spot delivers la dolce vita on a plate.

Hearty home cooking may not be a big part of L.A.'s dining scene, but that doesn't mean you can't have it when you're visiting the city. Tucked in the heart of Burbank, this diner-style spot serves chili everything, from traditional chili bowls to open-faced chili burgers. Of course, this being Los Angeles, ingredients are locally sourced from organic and sustainable farms.

Big hotel restaurants are rarely great, let alone adventurous with their dishes, but the Front Yard is an exception with its '70s living room look, excellent tunes, and star snacks including fried squash and waffles, 24-hour smoked carnitas in birria broth, and Rockefeller-style scallops. It has the kind of patio that makes you want to linger all day sipping the house rosé and throwing back fluffy cheese biscuits. It's quite a popular brunch spot as well. There are several oversized mains made to be shared including a whole branzino with chocolate mole and a fried chicken with a sweet and spicy chili sauce and mac 'n' cheese.

Its walls may be heavy with framed photographs of stars, and folks from the biz might regularly grace its tables for breakfast burritos and craft-your-own omelet, but this Cahuenga Pass diner is every bit as down-to-earth as your next-door neighbor, even after 40-some years. It gets pretty busy, but a plateful of that comfort cooking is worth the wait. If you’re in a rush, grab something caffeinated or a fruit smoothie from the Neighbarista.

L.A.'s pandemic bagel boom is still going strong—even a New York Times critic admitted that some of the best are being baked in California these days—and Hank's hand-rolled bagels and bialys, especially the rosemary sea salt and salty chocolate chip flavors, are at the top of the game. Top them with creamy schmears, dip them in five types of salad including whitefish, lemony chicken, and potato, or mix and match ingredients like pickled onions, braised greens, and fontina to build a sandwich. To be honest, they're also pretty great fresh out of the oven and plain. Be aware that they close early if they sell out and all seating is outside. There are also locations in Burbank and Calabasas.

Sit down here to a table piled high with assorted kibbie, garlic wings, baba ghanoush, falafel, and zesty kebabs piled on a bed of rice. Fresh, satisfying, and with excellent service and big portions, this real-deal hidden gem is worth the trek over the hill. Hayat's does its best to disguise its strip mall setting with flowers, placemats, and Middle-Eastern music in both the open-air patio and the slightly more formal dining room. The menu has all the dishes Americans have come to love like hummus, tabouli, and beef shawarma but adds some unexpected entrees like quail, frog legs, and charbroiled trout in walnut sauce. Complimentary baklava finishes the meal and should be washed down with mint tea or strong coffee. 

If you’re in the mood for good old-fashioned fun coupled with hearty Mexican fare and delicious drinks, consider Los Amigos, whose legendary fruity margaritas—in nine flavors!—alone are worth the drive. Pair those with chili verde, taquitos, or a molcajete for two on karaoke night (four nights a week!), and you’re guaranteed a good time well into the night.

When The Valley contingent of the largest Iranian population outside of Iran wants a taste of home, they look no further than Sadaf, a pretty palace of modern Persian cuisine with white tablecloth levels of service. Combo platters heaped high with lean cuts of filet, chicken, lamb, or fish broiled over an open fire and fluffy basmati rice are the recommended play here if you eat meat. If you don't, you needn't stay away as there are lots of dishes with built around yogurt, fresh produce, beans, or rice. Opened in 2011, there is a sister restaurant in Thousand Oaks and one coming soon in Beverly Hills.

L.A. may not be known for barbecue but this no-frills saloon-inspired joint delivers juicy carnivore cuts like brisket, ribs, and sausage, plus southern sides (corn muffins, potato salad, and mac and cheese!) for when you feel like eating until the meat sweats kick in. The giant double-barreled smoker greets guests before they're even through the door. Try the wide variety of hot and barbecue sauces and finish with fried Oreos or Twinkies. You might just think you've died and gone to Texas though tri tip's roots are firmly planted on the Central California coast.

Muggles can feast on British pub fare and toast with butterbeer just like the boy who lived and generations of Hogwarts students at Three Broomsticks and Hog's Head, a snow-capped rustic tavern and bar found within the Wizarding World of Harry Potter section of Universal Studios. Wash down across-the-pond favorites—including shepherd's pie (there's also a vegan version), fish-and-chips, chocolate trifle, and bangers and mash—with four types of butterbeer (hot, cold, nondairy, and frozen). It's a great choice for diners with allergies as they have menus that cater to those who can't eat the top nine culinary allergens (milk, sesame, soy, tree nuts, etc.).

This is just the kind of over-the-top theme dining situation you'd expect from its prime location on Universal CityWalk and its mouthful of a name. The extensive menu caters to everyone with comfort foods including nachos made with Tater Tots instead of chips, and the steampunk decor includes a domed ceiling with a dirigible mural, industrial cogs, and smokestacks. There's a bar, multilevel dining rooms, and a retail shop to purchase house-made chocolates. Big groups with aching feet slide into comfy booths for fanciful cocktails (one is topped with a cotton candy cloud), over-the-top milkshakes and desserts and a robust selection of soups, salads, burgers, pastas, and larger entrées like vegetarian stir-fry or meat loaf. Gimmicky but unique are the options that use chocolate in savory applications. For example, onion rings come with chocolate aioli, sliders have chocolate covered bacon and wings are flash-fried in hot chocolate sauce.

Yume, which means dream in Japanese, could not be more appropriately named. With its intentionally sourced melts-in-your-mouth fish, precision knife work, eye-catching plating, vegetables that are far from an afterthought (green beans sautéed in sweet garlic sauce will live in your mind rent-free), liberal use of truffle products, and dimly lit sleekly designed space in Old Town Calabasas, you'll fantasize about returning to this second outpost of a stalwart Studio City sushiya nightly. Besides sushi, sashimi, and specialty rolls like cilantro yellowtail roll or albacore with kogashi butter soy (yum!), there are so many other things to eat including salads, oysters with uni and caviar, veggie-forward small plates, skewers, and hot entrées such as escabeche and miso black cod. Open late, a rarity in this sleepy little village, with a bar stocked with rare sakes and lots of Japanese whiskey, it can become quite the "wealthy parents' night out" scene so reservations are encouraged.

With antique wood hutches, copper moldings, and a fireplace, this establishment draws a diverse clientele in search of grilled octopus drizzled with a spicy limoncello vinaigrette, soulful spaghetti carbonara, pumpkin-filled mezzelune (half moon–shaped ravioli), and classic osso buco. The wine list is moderately priced and, weather permitting, you can sit on the walled patio that, despite its proximity to L.A. traffic, feels wonderfully escapist.