You’re reading the Essential California newsletter <\/p>\n
With a little help from The Times\u2019 Food team, it\u2019s more than possible to have a standout meal at some of the city\u2019s most exciting restaurants without breaking your budget.<\/p>\n
In their new guide, my colleagues put together a list of 50 L.A. restaurants where you can dine for $50 or less per person, including tax and tip<\/a>.<\/p>\n They include places that require specific hacks to stay within budget, as well as more casual options where $50 lets you sample a wide swath of the menu. There\u2019s something for everyone.<\/p>\n Here are four recommendations. But dive into our list<\/a> to discover more.<\/p>\n Bestia (downtown L.A.)<\/p>\n Yes, it is possible to eat for $50 a person (including tax and tip) at a restaurant that offers a $185 Wagyu ribeye and $80 veal chop. At Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis\u2019 always-in-demand Bestia<\/a>, you could order one of the restaurant\u2019s live-fire-blistered pizzas \u2014 which range from a $25 classic Margherita to one topped with soft and spicy \u2018nduja sausage, San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella, spring onion, garlic, arugula and avocado cream for $29.<\/p>\n With a friend, you could share the whole grilled branzino ($52) or slow-roasted lamb neck ($56), which comes with smoked anchovy cr\u00e8me fra\u00eeche plus herb-adorned gem lettuce for wrapping the meat. Or you could share the $25 pizza and add an appetizer such as the herby Caesar salad with squid ink breadcrumbs ($24) or the buttermilk ricotta ($21) with aged balsamic, fennel pollen, herb oil, lava salt and a hunk of grilled bread.<\/p>\n And if you have enough left for one of Gergis\u2019 fantastic desserts, the $14 buttermilk panna cotta with roasted huckleberries and stone-ground-wheat cookies should keep you within a $76 budget for two people, even allowing for $6 drinks for each person.<\/p>\n From top, tomatoes and cherries, squid ink chittara and vin dolce chiffon cake from Bestia.<\/p>\n (Yasara Gunawardena \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n Sushi:K (Beverly Hills)<\/p>\n Despite being in one of the wealthiest ZIP Codes in California, Sushi:K<\/a> is one of the most affordable sushi restaurants in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n Chef Tomohiko Kawamura offers a $32 K Lite menu that showcases his well-seasoned shari and a daily selection of fresh fish. The set comes with a small sunomono salad and a bowl of miso soup. Next are five pieces of nigiri, followed by a blue crab or spicy tuna hand roll.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re still hungry, you can opt for an additional cucumber hand roll ($5) or another spicy tuna ($6). There\u2019s ice-cold Sapporo Premium ($6) and matcha green tea ($4). And, for dessert, maybe a scoop of the yuzu sorbet ($4.50).<\/p>\n A selection of nigiri from the K Lite menu at Sushi:K in Beverly Hills. <\/p>\n (Jenn Harris \/ Los Angeles Times )<\/p>\n Ruta 15 (Long Beach)<\/p>\n One of the most exciting meals you\u2019ll find in Long Beach is at this ceviche bar<\/a> where mariscos dominate. You can try plenty with a $50 budget: charred ceviche verde ($18) paired with mix-and-match seafood shooters bobbing with octopus, clams or oysters ($18); or Culichi-style shrimp ($25) saut\u00e9ed in garlic and served with cilantro rice, butter-roasted onion puree and julienned veggies, all doused in a creamy green sauce.<\/p>\n Sample the \u201cland\u201d section of the menu with guacamole con chicharr\u00f3n ($15), try churros acanelados ($11) for dessert, or have the rest of your meal with a margarita ($13).<\/p>\n Cheese-crusted shrimp tacos topped with fish chicharrones at Ruta 15. <\/p>\n (Stephanie Breijo \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n Rosty Peruvian Eatery (Highland Park)<\/p>\n At this Highland Park mainstay<\/a>, the portions are generous, making nearly everything shareable \u2014 such as the bowl-like \u201ccup\u201d of comforting aguadito de pollo soup served with crusty bread ($6) or the platter of lomo saltado ($24), its seared steak and saut\u00e9ed vegetables piled atop thick house-made French fries and accompanied by rice and sauces. Order both and a refreshing chicha morada, or purple corn drink ($6), to wash it all down within budget, or swap in sides such as black beans or a salad, also priced at $6.<\/p>\n The Peruvian neighborhood restaurant also specializes in wood-fired rotisserie chicken: The quarter- and half-chicken plates ($14 and $23, respectively) include two sides and also make for great sharing.<\/p>\n Lomo saltado, with the aguadito de pollo soup, at Rosty Peruvian Eatery.<\/p>\n (Stephanie Breijo \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n Today\u2019s top stories Christian Brown gets a COVID-19 shot from Tamina Nassiri, a licensed practical nurse, at the Kaiser Permanente Venice Medical Office building Sept. 23.<\/p>\n (Allen J. Schaben \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n Last year\u2019s flu season was California\u2019s worst in years. How bad will this one get?This exclusive Hollywood private club and workspace shut down. What went wrong?NeueHouse, the exclusive Hollywood co-working club<\/a> that hosted celebrity-filled premieres and parties, abruptly closed last month after filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.The swanky members-only space was undone by overspending, expensive leases, failed restaurant ventures and debt that ballooned to $83.7 million by March.Former executives cite fundamental mismanagement, including spending $40 million over budget on expansion plans.JPL\u2019s rough ride: Can California\u2019s shining star of space science recover?JPL laid off 550 employees<\/a> Tuesday \u2014 the fourth round in a series of layoffs that cut a quarter of its employees over two years.The lab has struggled since Congress pulled funding for its flagship Mars Sample Return Mission because of a ballooning budget and timeline.Now, an institution with an illustrious record of solving the hardest problems in space faces a daunting task here on Earth: reclaiming its place at the vanguard of exploration and innovation.What else is going onCommentary and opinionsThis morning\u2019s must readAnother must readFor your downtime (Photo illustration by Kay Scanlon \/ Los Angeles Times; photographs from Adobe Stock, Associated Press, Getty Images, AaronP\/Bauer-Griffin\/GC Images)<\/p>\n Going outHaunted experiences: 12 Hollywood haunts<\/a> that saw real-life horrors includes the Hollywood Roosevelt, the Mama Cass House and Greystone Mansion.Food: Columnist Jenn Harris\u2019 search for jambon beurre in Paris led her to the best sandwich in L.A.<\/a> Dining: The new dining spot<\/a> to show your out-of-town guests why we love L.A.Staying inA question for you: What frustrates you the most about parking in L.A.?<\/p>\n Michael writes: \u201cIt drives me up the wall when I see big SUVs parked in spots clearly striped for smaller cars. Or when someone has such poor skills that they park with part of their car edging into a second parking spot.\u201d<\/p>\n Email us at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com<\/a>, and your response might appear in the newsletter this week.<\/p>\n And finally … your photo of the day Hundreds of people march along West Cesar E. Chavez Avenue in Los Angeles on Saturday for the second \u201cNo Kings\u201d protest.<\/p>\n (Carlin Stiehl \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n Today\u2019s great photo is from Times photographer Carlin Stiehl at a downtown L.A. \u201cNo Kings\u201d protest <\/a>against President Trump\u2019s policies on immigration, healthcare, the environment and federal agencies.<\/p>\n Have a great day, from the Essential California team<\/p>\n Jim Rainey, staff reporter How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com<\/a>. Check our top stories<\/a>, topics<\/a> and the latest articles<\/a> on latimes.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Living in Los Angeles comes with a lot of challenges, but finding a good meal is not one…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":14112,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[7,2299,1085,891,2300,2297,340,2303,48,52,51,47,50,49,63,2302,1086,1459,2301,2298,74,225,315,688],"class_list":{"0":"post-14111","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles","8":"tag-california","9":"tag-civic-revolt","10":"tag-covid","11":"tag-covid-19","12":"tag-days","13":"tag-essential-california","14":"tag-israel","15":"tag-l-a","16":"tag-la","17":"tag-la-headlines","18":"tag-la-news","19":"tag-los-angeles","20":"tag-los-angeles-headlines","21":"tag-los-angeles-news","22":"tag-los-angeles-times","23":"tag-may","24":"tag-pandemic","25":"tag-part","26":"tag-president-biden","27":"tag-red-county","28":"tag-san-diego","29":"tag-state","30":"tag-time","31":"tag-years"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14111","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14111"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14111\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14112"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14111"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14111"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14111"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}} <\/p>\n
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Hugo Mart\u00edn, assistant editor, Fast Break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew Campa, Sunday writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters<\/p>\n