We’re closing out the summer with a mini-series on the most popular restaurants in major U.S. cities, as measured by how many people post online reviews about them. You can read our quick primer here. As a recap:
- Consumers overwhelmingly use online reviews to decide which restaurants they’ll patronize
- They mostly care about recent reviews
- Restaurants with lots of reviews tend to have positive ratings and attract more customers
We analyzed millions of online reviews during June and July to make our list. The top restaurants are the ones that were talked about the most on Yelp, Google, TripAdvisor, and other business review sites during the first two months of summer. (So, “recent reviews” means in June and July of this year.)
The top 10 for Los Angeles includes trendy gourmet spots, fast-casual joints, and even a taco stand. Read the whole list below.
1. Bestia
Bestia is a trendy Italian eatery in the heart of downtown L.A.
- Fare: Italian
- Recent reviews: 312
- Yelp score: 4.5 stars
- 1 dish to try: Bone marrow
- Extra credit: Read about new bar manager Iluggy Recinos
2. Otium
Otium is a “social restaurant” located near The Broad, a contemporary art museum in L.A.’s cultural nerve center.
- Fare: Contemporary American
- Recent reviews: 202
- Yelp score: 4 stars
- 1 dish to try: Buckwheat Blini
- Extra credit: Read about Otium’s neighbor, The Broad
3. Camy’s Grill
Camy’s Grill offers free delivery within one mile of the restaurant at 3339 Wilshire Blvd in Los Angeles.
- Fare: American & Mexican
- Recent reviews: 185
- Yelp score: 4 stars
- 1 dish to try: Camy’s Mega Burger
- Extra credit: Check out their Facebook page
4. Cielito Lindo
A taco stand on Olvera Street, Ceilito Lindo is famous for its taquitos and avocado sauce.
- Fare: Mexican
- Recent reviews: 159
- Yelp score: 4 stars
- 1 dish to try: Taquitos, of course
- Extra credit: They put their recipes online!
5. Little Sister
Little Sister serves up “east-meets-west” Asian dishes to patrons in downtown L.A.
- Fare: Asian
- Recent reviews: 138
- Yelp score: 4 stars
- 1 dish to try: Vietnamese crepe
- Extra credit: They have beautiful photography of their dishes
6. Bossa Nova
Bossa Nova prepares pizza, pasta, and continental grilled dishes for dine-in, delivery, or catering.
- Fare: Latin American, Brazilian, Pizza
- Recent reviews: 127
- Yelp score: 4 stars
- 1 dish to try: Camarão à Brasileira (charbroiled shrimp)
- Extra credit: Get a free drink with delivery when you order on their mobile app
7. The Factory Kitchen
The Factory Kitchen serves traditional and contemporary Italian dishes from a renovated fish factory in L.A.’s downtown Arts District.
- Fare: Italian
- Recent reviews: 122
- Yelp score: 4 stars
- 1 dish to try: Pappardelle — buckwheat egg pasta, lamb ossobuco sugo, rosemary-garlic oil
- Extra credit: Read about The Factory Kitchen in the press.
8. Broken Spanish
Broken Spanish puts a modern, elegant twist on classic Latin and Mexican dishes.
- Fare: Latin American, Mexican
- Recent reviews: 121
- Yelp score: 4 stars
- 1 dish to try: Duck with grape, peanut, mole, and chile tepin
- Extra credit: Learn more about chef Ray Garcia
9. Maccheroni Republic
Located at 332 Broadway, Maccheroni Republic makes fresh artisan pasta daily from organic flour and semolina.
- Fare: Italian
- Recent reviews: 120
- Yelp score: 4 stars
- 1 dish to try: Pumpkin ravioli with butter cream truffle cheese sauce
- Extra credit: They don’t take reservations — first come, first served!
10. Beer Belly
At Beer Belly in Koreatown, they’ll deep fry anything: Twinkies, Pop Tarts, even oatmeal cream pies.
- Fare: New American
- Recent reviews: 103
- Yelp score: 4 stars
- 1 dish to try: French fries tossed in duck fat with raspberry mustard
- Extra credit: Check out all their cool merchandise!
You could be on this list!
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