Restaurants in East Los Angeles

After cultivating his culinary skills in the major hotels of Europe, Hungarian chef Laszlo Bossanyi brought his passion for traditional cuisine to Maximilians, nestled in the heart of the NOHO art district. The rustic charm of his homeland pervades the dining room, where guests can dine on Eastern European dishes such as veal paprikash, potato latkes, and german sausages. A worldly selection of wine and beer adds to the authenticity of the meal, offering patrons a glimpse into the unadulterated flavors that have since made their way into America’s culinary melting pot.

During warm months, clients and their pets can enjoy the smell of the adjacent rose garden as they eat on a tiled, umbrella-shaded patio, passing tastes to friends in the main dining room through holes in the white trellised fence.

Under the canopy of cathedral ceilings, platters of Mediterranean specialties arrive either hot or cool, seasoned with traditional Lebanese spices. Patrons sample Lebanese fare from a menu that includes chicken or lamb shawarma, kebabs, and hummus mixed with meat and pine nuts. Desserts such as cream caramel flan, rice pudding, and baklava are made fresh in house. The restaurant also offers catering for which the staff will plan out a menu tailored to each event, be it a wedding, baby shower, or baby’s first Lebanese word.

Ben Canter and his brothers had been manning the counter of their deli in Jersey City, New Jersey, for five years—familiarizing faces of regulars and catching their culinary stride—when the stock market plummeted in 1929. Like many, they were forced to scrape together the little they had retained, a mere $500, and head west. Los Angeles in 1931 wasn't a delicatessen owner's dream location, but they opened Canter's Deli nonetheless.

Throughout the next 80 years, three generations of Canters would do their parts to help the displaced deli fit into its Hollywood setting. They moved to their current location at the old Esquire Theatre, added a cocktail lounge named the Kibitz Room, opened a new store in the "O" of the Hollywood sign, and watched their doors open to a who's who of celebrities, including Marilyn Monroe, Jack Benny, Elizabeth Taylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Prince, and the band members from Guns N' Roses.

The Canters overhauled their menu in 2012 to reflect the changing times and West Coast tastes. Among the newcomers are panini-style deli melts (all less than $10) and updated burgers such as the Black and Blue, which comes loaded with thick-cut bacon. The best East Coast staples remain, of course. A good example is the hot corned-beef Reuben served on rye bread that's double-baked in-house and grilled to perfection. Available 24 hours a day, the expansive selection of deli fare and baked goods has garnered an equally expansive amount of press, including the monte cristo’s designation as one of Esquire's Best Sandwiches in America.

As a microcosm of the deli's convenience and culture, the staff validates parking for up to 90 minutes in its parking lot, where muralist Art Mortimer's seven-panel collage-style mural depicts Jewish history in Los Angeles.

Guided by his Cajun roots in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Chef Geyen warms spirits with Southern dishes including po'boys, jerk chicken, and jambalaya loaded with shrimp and chicken sausage. A twinkling backdrop of string lights sets the mood to enjoy fresh grilled catfish, shrimp, and hot or mild chicken links alongside homestyle sides of collard greens and Heart & Soul's signature sweet-potato fries. Guests can cool off with a homemade sweet tea, and question servers about their catered meals that serve up to 100 guests or one well-mannered giant.:

Cooks at Pescado Mojado Seafood Grill prepare the menu of fresh seafood in Sinaloan style, stacking half avocados with fresh-fish ceviche, frying whole tilapia, and stuffing soft tortillas with spicy shrimp. Diners dive into burrito dinners and quesadillas while seated at the blue and white booths and checking a wall mural of the ocean for the Dawn Treader.

Cheese and chutney. Bangers and mash. Shepherd's Pie. At the BYOB Little Britain, UK faves slake stateside cravings with hearty helpings of potato, steak, and curry. Though the lunch and dinner menus are occasionally dotted with decidedly non-British dishes, such as Cajun fish spread and caprese salad, the majority of plates feature classically executed English flavors.

If requested, melty cheddar cheese, known in England as "cheese," will top the clouds of mashed potatoes that crown a chuck-steak-and-gravy-filled shepherd's pie. Sardines and tomato sauce are layered onto thick brioche before the open-faced sandwich is slid under a broiler, and curry cloaks chicken, samosas, vegetables, and fries—known here, of course, as chips.