JSLALALAND

CITY & ITS PEOPLE

Where celebs eat and grab coffee, and you can too | The LA celebrity restaurant & café map

Lots of people think celeb restaurants need connections, but most take reservations: one call or one tap on Notify and you're in. Restaurants and cafés often reported in the media, by area: how to book, what it costs, whether you can take photos, and the big one, table manners.

Translated from Jasmine’s original Chinese. The illustrated slides are on the interactive reader.

Key points

Full text

  1. 00 | Can we even get in?

    You can get into most of them. In LA, the places celebrities eat are places regular people line up and book too. 'We're there to eat, not to stake anyone out.'

  2. 01 | Seven areas, seven vibes

    WeHo is lively at night, with photographers; Beverly Hills is old-school, so call; Melrose and Larchmont are for daytime coffee and strolling. 'The farther east, the more casual; the farther west, the more you need a reservation.'

  3. 02 | Before you walk in: celeb restaurant etiquette

    Eating out is part of their lives: don't stare, don't sneak photos, don't go over for a selfie; photographers at the door aren't an invitation, and don't ask staff 'who's here today.'

  4. 03 | How to land a reservation

    Can't get a table on Resy? Hit Notify; Sushi Park uses Tock, and for old-school places, calling is most direct. Still can't get in? Sit at the bar, switch to lunch, or pick 5:30 on a weekday.

  5. 04 | The price reality

    Factor in tip, valet and drinks; one cocktail often costs as much as a dish. To go easy on your wallet: coffee during the day, one drink at the bar, or lunch instead.

  6. 05 | Craig's: the 'locals' spot' with photographers out front

    The owner says anyone can get a reservation by calling. He recommends the chopped salad and chicken parm himself, the press always mentions the Buffalo Wing Pizza, and there's a vegan section too.

  7. 06 | WeHo's three liveliest at night

    Delilah is a 1920s-style supper club with no photos allowed inside; Catch LA is a rooftop overlooking Melrose; Cecconi's takes reservations even if you're not a Soho House member.

  8. 07 | Sushi Park: omakase on the second floor of a strip mall

    From outside it's an ordinary strip mall; upstairs is an omakase-only sushi bar, no photos, no fancy rolls. Leave it to the chef, and if you don't eat raw fish, pick somewhere else.

  9. 08 | Old-school classics: Dan Tana's, The Ivy, Nobu

    Dan Tana's red leather booths with chicken parm; The Ivy's garden behind the white picket fence, with photographers often across the street; at Nobu LA, order the miso black cod.

  10. 09 | The Polo Lounge: 85 years of pink

    Open since 1941, and you used to need a jacket and tie to get in. They sell about 600 McCarthy Salads a week; afterward, take a stroll around the Beverly Hills Hotel.

  11. 10｜Spago＋CUT

    The same Wolfgang Puck, two kinds of Beverly Hills evening: Spago has a courtyard strung with little lights, and CUT is the steakhouse inside the Beverly Wilshire.

  12. 11 | Melrose Place / Fairfax: daytime coffee

    Alfred, Community Goods, Urth Caffé, with Crossroads and ADKT for dinner. I ran into Teri Hatcher in line at Alfred, a normal line, a normal order.

  13. 12 | Larchmont + Studio City: low-key local streets

    On Larchmont I often run into actors I've seen on TV, and everyone's just a neighbor buying coffee. Studio City has a whole Sushi Row; go to Ventura Place on Saturday morning.

  14. 13｜Giorgio Baldi＋Capo

    One block from the ocean, with a room full of faces you've seen in movies and on TV. The most recommended dish is the asparagus ricotta ravioli, and you can order half portions of pasta; call to book.

  15. 14 | Nobu Malibu: the Pacific as your window

    Eat miso black cod by the ocean, and book the table for an hour before sunset. Book a few weeks ahead, and PCH traffic is often bad, so leave extra driving time.

  16. 15 | Los Feliz / Hollywood: creatives and old Hollywood

    Pam's Coffy is right next to Tarantino's Vista Theatre; Mother Wolf has fried artichokes and cacio e pepe; at Musso & Frank, sit at the bar.

  17. 16 | Two routes

    Daytime version: Larchmont → Melrose Place → Urth Caffé, no reservations needed. Evening version: the Polo Lounge or one spot in WeHo, and leave when you're done; don't wait by the door.

  18. 17 | Two-city mirror

    In Taipei, when people run into a celebrity, everyone whispers 'hey, isn't that…' and pulls out their phones. 'In LA, letting celebrities finish their meal in peace is the polite thing.'

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An original JSLALALAND field guide by Jasmine Chang (@jslalaland).