Downtown Los Angeles has long been a crossroads of culture, creativity and cuisine, but the neighborhood’s dining scene has surged into a new era thanks to a wave of inventive chefs and revitalized spaces.
Through months of reporting, LA Downtown News Contributor Jessica Koslow has charted this transformation dish by dish, highlighting the restaurants that are redefining what it means to eat in DTLA.
Koslow’s coverage captures a district that is bold and diverse in its food offerings. These eateries aren’t just opening their doors — they’re adding character to entire block.
This compilation brings together the standout restaurants she profiled, offering a curated guide to the flavors shaping DTLA right now.
Whether you’re seeking the comfort of tradition or the creativity of chefs pushing boundaries, these are five places leading the city’s culinary renaissance.
Bungraze
Bungraze is a new eatery in Little Tokyo that puts a health-minded twist on classic American comfort food.
Chris Mortenson/Staff
Bungraze is a new eatery in Little Tokyo that puts a health-minded twist on classic American comfort food by offering healthier hamburgers and hot dogs crafted by father-son team Neil and Raj Syal. Neil, who came to cooking later in life after a career in accounting and a passion for fitness, teamed up with his chef and baker father to launch the concept on Central Avenue. What sets Bungraze apart is its focus on fresh, handmade components — including flatbread focaccia buns made daily — and a culinary approach inspired by both family tradition and wellness goals.
“This is a culmination of what we’re passionate about,” Neil told the LA Downtown News, emphasizing their shared mission and the personal nature of the project.
The idea began years earlier at Raj’s Rockfire Grill and grew when Neil started making bone broth and yogurt during the pandemic, eventually leading them to sell their products at the Historic Downtown LA Farmers’ Market under the brand Sungraze. As they saw available retail space, the duo decided to open Bungraze and bring their healthier takes on burgers and hot dogs to a wider audience.
“I am actually trained in Europe and Asia,” Raj added. “The idea came to me because I wanted to make a bread fresh without having to wait for it to cool off. I combined this idea of a flatbread, and the best flatbread I could think of was a focaccia bread, which is almost like a pizza dough but little softer, and it comes out crispy on the outside and soft in the inside. I developed it in a way where I could use a pre-ferment. This actually has fermented dough in it, and what that does is it is easier to digest and after you eat a burger, you don’t feel that heavy.”
Bungraze, 130 S. Central Avenue, Los Angeles, 213-265-7289, bungraze.com
Bianca Sicilian Trattoria
Bianca Sicilian Trattoria recently opened in Los Angeles’ Arts District, bringing authentic Sicilian cuisine and a warm, inviting atmosphere to the neighborhood. The restaurant is the vision of chef-owner Michele Galifi, who steers a menu of hearty antipasti, pastas, and classic Sicilian dishes executed with care and traditional technique. The trattoria occupies a brick-lined space that fits comfortably into the Arts District’s evolving dining scene while offering something rooted in Galifi’s heritage.
The road to opening wasn’t without hardship: in late August, just over a month before the scheduled debut, Galifi had a serious accident during construction and suffered multiple fractures. Despite the injury, he pressed on with the launch.
As Galifi explained, “Whatever it is going on in your life or your health, you always have to understand that you have a business, and you need to carry the business forward … you need to make sure that you pull through and do your best at all times.”
Bianca Sicilian Trattoria in the Arts District in DTLA is chef/owner Michele Galifi’s third restaurant.
Jakob Layman/Submitted
Among the standout experiences gaining attention is the restaurant’s tableside-prepared tiramisu, a theatrical dessert that complements its robust savory offerings and reinforces the trattoria’s dedication to both authentic flavor and interactive dining.
“I don’t want to come off as arrogant but a lot of Italian restaurants in LA, about 90% of them, are not real Italian restaurants,” he said. “I grew up in Sicily, and I grew up in a family that we own restaurants. I grew up eating Sicilian food, and I am Sicilian 100%, and I am the owner and chef for the restaurant, so you’re not going to get more real authentic than this.”
Bianca Sicilian Trattoria, 1200 E. Fifth Street, Los Angeles, 213-915-0052, biancasiciliantrattoria.com
Firstborn
Firstborn is a newly opened restaurant in Chinatown’s Mandarin Plaza, marking chef-owner Anthony Wang’s first solo venture and a personal exploration of Chinese American food that challenges traditional expectations. Wang, who was born in the United States and grew up with a blend of cultural influences, credits his older sister, filmmaker Lulu Wang, for encouraging his path into cooking.
The restaurant’s name, Firstborn, reflects Wang’s identity as the first U.S.-born member of his family, and the menu mirrors his eclectic culinary journey — from classical training and European technique to memories of his family’s food in Beijing and his own childhood across the American South and Miami.
Wang aims to shift how diners think about Chinese American cuisine, blending familiar flavors with inventive presentations and personal heritage.
Discussing his goals, Wang said, “It is obvious that you like cooking … why don’t you try to pursue it?”, a piece of advice from his sister that helped propel him into a career where he now reimagines traditions on his own terms.
Chef Anthony Wang wants to re-evaluate and reinterpret what we think of as Chinese American food.
Ron De Angelis/Submitted
Firstborn joins a wave of new Chinese American dining concepts in Los Angeles that combine cultural narrative with contemporary technique, contributing to Chinatown’s evolving culinary landscape.
“I grew up eating pig’s feet at my grandmother’s house on my father’s side,” Wang said. “It is a memory of my childhood. I take a humble product and elevate it and make it something that’s beautiful. Two guests picked up the flavor of the ragu immediately and identified the traditional dish it came from. That is so rewarding, when dishes resonate with people and a core memory.”
Firstborn, 978 N. Broadway, Los Angeles, 213-637-0142, firstborn.la
Settecento has become a favorite in Downtown since it opened earlier this year.
Settecento/Submitted
Settecento DTLA
Settecento is a highly anticipated Italian restaurant that opened in Downtown Los Angeles’ Maguire Gardens, bringing a new culinary destination to the area adjacent to the Central Library. The restaurant — whose name refers to the number 700, the address of the building it occupies — is the latest concept from Global Dining Inc., the group behind acclaimed LA restaurants La Boheme and 1212 Santa Monica.
Owner Lucian Tudor said the location’s park setting played a big role in the restaurant’s identity, explaining that when scouting the space he and his team “fell in love with the garden aspect of it and saw the potential of creating something unique, a space for the community to enjoy.”
“I develop new concepts, increase the visibility of the company, and bring value to communities,” Tudor stated. “I love helping people develop. Our company gives people chances based on a meritocracy. We have a democratic approach in our company.”
Settecento, 700 W. Fifth Street, Los Angeles, 213-757-7765, settecentodtla.com
Temaki Society
Temaki Society offers open-faced handrolls and more inside The Grayson Bar.
Hoon Kang/Temaki Society
Temaki Society opened inside The Grayson Bar on South Broadway in Downtown Los Angeles on Aug. 1, 2024, bringing a new twist on Japanese handrolls to the neighborhood. The concept debuted in the space formerly occupied by Fabby’s and focuses on temaki — hand-rolled sushi that’s made fresh and meant to be eaten immediately. The restaurant’s owner and chef, Hoon Kang, a Korean-born chef with roots in LA, said he’s “excited to be starting my business in downtown LA,” emphasizing his enthusiasm for the city and its culinary landscape.
“The last thing an immigrant family wants for their children is for them to go into blue-collar work,” said Wang. “My dad’s first job in this country was as a dish washer. This is the last thing he would want for his only son, his first child born in America. My parents moved to the United States so that their kids could have the opportunity for a better future.”
Temaki Society, 351 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, 213-835-0282, @temaki_society