5. Drago Centro

Drago Centro

At Drago Centro, chef de cuisine Ian Gresik serves sophisticated Italian cooking that’s plated beautifully, in a modern setting worthy of a serious business lunch or a classy date night. Gresik offers a four-course tasting menu for $55, with delicious options including spaghetti bolognese, roasted venison loin, and chocolate panna cotta. The bar menu is one of L.A.’s great dining deals, featuring $5 items like fanny bay oysters, a margherita or sausage pizza, and a $6 charcuterie plate. To pair with the outstanding cuisine, there's an interesting list of mostly Italian wines, as well as a selection of craft cocktails, including an Italian classic, the Negroni, along with seasonal creations.

6. Fifty Seven

Located on the old Heinz '57 loading dock in the Arts District,Fifty Seven is one of this year’s most highly anticipated restaurant openings. Designed to showcase the talents of a rotating roster of chefs from around the country, Fifty Seven will give each chef-in-residence the opportunity to feature his or her original concept for a season. The opening chef is David Nayfeld, perhaps best known for his three years as sous chef at the three-Michelin starred Eleven Madison Park in New York. In a March 2014 interview with Vogue, Nayfeld said, “Los Angeles is the most incredible place for chefs to be in the country. This is only the very, very tip of the iceberg. I think in the next five years,L.A. is going to become the most exciting city for eating in the United States.” The Fifty Seven website describes Nayfeld’s cuisine as “Progressive American, harmoniously combining flavor palettes from around the world with a broad range of techniques to create food that is refined, distinctive and satisfying – all while using ingredients that are grown, harvested, and foraged wild from the land that surrounds us.”

7. Mo-Chica

There’s toe-tapping Latin music on the sound system, the bartender is vigorously shaking tins, the semi-open kitchen is abuzz, and there are bursts of color throughout. In other words, it’s a party at Mo-chica, Ricardo Zarate’s Peruvian dining spot. And his food is as vibrant as the atmosphere. Step outside your routine and try Zarate’s ceviche carretillero: big chunks of fresh sea bass in a zippy marinade made with rocoto, a Peruvian pepper said to be hotter than jalapenos. His lomo saltado might be the best in town - the beef is juicy, well-seasoned, and tossed with wedges of caramelized red onion and tomato. A simple construction of salty, outsized Kennebec fries, each nearly an inch thick, finishes the plate. Lunch specials, which include that lomo saltado, are priced at $15 and come with two sides, rice and dessert.

8. Orsa & Winston

Named one of GQ Magazine's 25 Best New Restaurants in America, Orsa & Winston is the latest venture from chef Josef Centeno, following his previous Downtown successes, Bäco Mercat and Bar Amá. Located next door to Bar Amá, Orsa & Winston is a high-end showcase for exquisite presentations of Centeno’s multicultural small plates. Billed as “Japanese/Italian omakase,” the tasting menus change daily and are available with wine pairings. Omakase options include five courses for $60 per person; eight courses for $85; and a family-style, four-course option for $50. The Super Omakase is $195 for 20+ courses; 72-hour reservation is required and it’s only available at the chef’s counter.