Ben Mesirow

Read the latest articles by Ben Mesirow at Thrillist

Los Angeles

Photo courtesy of Pijja Palace

Find the best spots daily to eat and drink in hipster neighborhoods. Hit the roof, drink a beer and eat delicious at top-tier restaurants. Plan your nightlife adventure with maps and reviews of unknown micro-brews, rooftop parties, and independent drink.

Best Restaurants & Bars - Places to Eat & Drink - Thrillist

Summer technically starts on the solstice in late June, but last weekend it was 96 degrees and there was a child intentionally dumping snow cones on her head at a birthday party in the park, our own Punxsutawney Phil predicting the early arrival of summer.

12 Exciting New Restaurant Openings in LA to Try This Weekend

To suggest that good barbecue didn’t exist in LA before the mid-2010s smoked meat explosion is like claiming avocado didn’t exist before someone smashed it on toast.

The 15 Best Barbecue Restaurants in LA

@olmeca.__

There’s a rising subculture in LA at the center of a complicated Venn diagram of fashion, skateboarding, music, and cacti, a head-on collision between Supreme-style commercial streetwear and Grateful Dead hippie aesthetics, a shaggy 24 year-old in a $60 tie-dye tee with a trowel in one hand and a blunt in the other.

The Best Thing We Ate This Week: Tamales from Olmeca

Photo by Francis Gum, courtesy of Parangal Dance Company

Here in LA, where we have beloved neighborhoods like Koreatown, Thai Town, Little Tokyo, and Historic Filipinotown, we celebrate AAPI Heritage all year long, with frequent reminders of the countless contributions that these communities have made not just to our city, but also our country and across the globe.

13 Events Celebrating AAPI Heritage Month in LA

Photo courtesy of LA Plaza Cocina

The stretch of Spring Street between the 101 and Cesar Chavez Avenue looks a whole lot different today than it did just a few short years ago—where there used to be two largely unused parking lots, there is now LA Plaza Village, four colorful, mixed-use buildings that opened in 2019, with more than 350 apartments, ground-floor retail space, and four large murals.

LA Plaza Cocina Is the Mexican Food Museum of Your Dreams

Hollywood's not just a place where deals get struck and movies get made—it's a massive neighborhood, covering several miles between the 101 and La Brea that are thick with offices and apartments, sound stages and record stores, and it has also become a neighborhood jam-packed with great restaurants.

The Ultimate Hollywood Dining Guide

Riverside Food Lab

In LA, everywhere is a suburb to someone.

10 Restaurants Outside of LA That Are Totally Worth the Drive

First Look

Thrillist takes you inside the hottest new restaurants, from upscale destinations to casual cafes.

First Look - Thrillist

Photo courtesy of Gry Space

The Arts District is the beating heart of Los Angeles’ elevated restaurant scene, keeping time for the city’s neverending rhythm of openings and closings.

A Vibey New Izakaya Flickers to Life in the Arts District

There are no seasons in LA, the transplants complain, as they sip pea milk matcha lattes outside in February.

Ben Mesirow’s Recent Articles

12 Exciting New Restaurant Openings in LA to Try This Weekend

From Indian pizza in a legendary podiatrist’s office to the re-opening of a trailblazing hotspot, LA’s restaurant scene is better than ever.

The 15 Best Barbecue Restaurants in LA

The best brisket, ribs, sausages, and sides in LA, in tacos, sandwiches, and more.

The Best Thing We Ate This Week: Tamales from Olmeca

It was another good food week in LA, and this dish was our favorite thing about it.

13 Events Celebrating AAPI Heritage Month in LA

You didn’t need another excuse to get ramen, noodles, or a new cookbook, but here are 13 good ones anyway.

LA Plaza Cocina Is the Mexican Food Museum of Your Dreams

The new Downtown museum has exhibits, classes, and a store all focused on the history of Mexican cuisine and culture.

The Ultimate Hollywood Dining Guide

From tasting menus to tacos and glitzy to gritty, Hollywood isn’t just for tourists and hustlers, it’s a great dining neighborhood too.

10 Restaurants Outside of LA That Are Totally Worth the Drive

The LA basin is big, but the tempura, tacos, sour beer, and wild boar on this list are worth making the trek.

A Vibey New Izakaya Flickers to Life in the Arts District

The hottest block in town gets a stylish new spot for sushi, grilled meat, and drinks from a veteran chef and a restaurant group on the rise.

18 Essential Mariscos Spots You Should Know in LA

From Peruvian ceviche to Sinaloan aguachile and more.