10 Best Restaurants to Try Along Melrose Avenue
Melrose Avenue is one of Los Angeles’ most notable thoroughfares, with a wide range of commercial and leisure opportunities. Melrose runs north of Beverly Boulevard and south of Santa Monica Boulevard. Bring dough and plenty of it because Melrose Avenue “west end” is all about walking and shopping. The street begins at the intersection of posh and trendy in Beverly Hills, otherwise known as the junction of the cities of West Hollywood and Beverly Hills.
It cuts through neighborhoods like Virgil Village and West Hollywood, and it’s on this stretch that you will find a variety of restaurants representing the best dining culture in Los Angeles.
There are a variety of options to choose from, whether you’re hungry for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. There are Italian restaurants, Jewish delis, Thai restaurants, Mexican taquerias, French bakeries, and more!
We curated the 10 most essential restaurants to try along Melrose Avenue!
Best Restaurants To Eat On Melrose Avenue
Marino Ristorante (Italian Dish)
6001 Melrose Ave Los Angeles, CA 90038 – Yelp – Instagram
Marino Ristorante has been serving Los Angeles’ elite since the late 1950s when Ciro (Mario to friends) Marino moved to Hollywood and began a dynasty of prominent figures in film, music, art, political, and business communities. It is still family-owned today, and Mario in the dining room continues its warm welcome with his graciousness and charm.
The appeal of this traditional Italian restaurant is in its classic old-school aesthetic, which includes subdued oil paintings and mementos from a 60-year career. Many people agree that the original flair of today’s chefs who are out daily in the early morning markets, who personally select the ingredients for the menu, seeking out the most amazing and pristine goods for
Our favorite lunch dishes:
- LASAGNA VERDE Dad’s signature 60yr recipe, spinach pasta, bolognese, bechamel
- ORECCHIETTE SAUSAGE homemade sausage, spicy tomato sauce, rapini
- POLLO PARMIGIANA breaded breast, marinara, mozzarella, mashed potatoes, spinach
Rosaline (Peruvian Dish)
8479 Melrose Ave West Hollywood, CA 90069 – Yelp – Instagram
Rosaline is a Peruvian restaurant with all of the traditional dishes served in a special way, such as chaufa paella and Lomo saltado, as well as Corazon anticuchos. The cuisine at this point is quite consistent with West Hollywood customers’ preferences, accompanied by the appropriate cocktails.
Our favorite lunch dishes:
- Chaufa Paella – Peruvian fried rice paella-style, pancetta, la chang sausage, bagoong, prawns, cilantro
- Pescado Parrillero – grilled branzino, charcoal quick-dried, black mint aji sauce, Canario beans puree
- Arroz Con Mariscos – sea urchin, diver scallops, tiger prawns, manila clams, seafood rice
Craig’s (American Dish)
8826 Melrose Ave West Hollywood, CA 90069 – Yelp – Instagram
At any time of year, whether it’s award season or not, this Melrose restaurant is jam-packed with A-list (and maybe C-list) celebrities. The American menu may not be the city’s finest, but that isn’t the point. Craig’s is the ideal modern celebrity restaurant in Los Angeles.
Our favorite dinner dishes:
- Shrimp Diavolo – shrimp sautéed in arrabbiata sauce over spaghetti
- Meldman’s Honey Truffle Chicken – southern-fried, truffle honey, corn pancake, sautéed spinach
- Barramundi Piccata – lemon caper beurre blanc, sautéed spinach
Crossroads Kitchen (Mediterranean Dish)
8284 Melrose Ave Los Angeles, CA 90046 – Yelp – Instagram
Crossroads is a meatless dining experience that you may not even realize when you enter the restaurant’s beautiful dining room and full bar. Crossroads is a gathering place where vegans, flexitarian, omnivores, and meat-eaters can come together to share a delicious supper and pleasant conversation. Chef Tal Ronin is creating some of the city’s most elegant, creative vegan meals, from fresh pasta to composed plates that don’t try to look down on plant-eaters.
Our favorite dinner dishes:
- Homemade Italian Sausage – peppers/onions / tomato demi sauce
- Pumpkin Seed Tofu Marsala – shimeji mushrooms/marsala demi
- Truffle Mushroom Bianca – pizza
Carlitos Cardel Argentine Steakhouse (Argentinean Dish)
7963 Melrose Ave Los Angeles, CA 90046 – Yelp – Instagram
Carlitos Gardel serves a more elegant and quieter Argentinian experience with succulent meats and empanadas that keep customers coming back. The atmosphere is romantic here, and piano music is frequently playing. There are extra-large tables for big groups, but the tiny, intimate tables are usually taken by celebrities alone.
Our favorite dinner dishes:
- Bife De Lomo A LA Portabella – USDA Prime Filet Mignon, Malbec Portabella
- Penne Bolonesa – penne, Angus beef ragu
- Pollo Romanoff – chicken breast, sautéed eggplant, melted mozzarella cheese, tomato-create sauce
Providence (Seafood Dish)
5955 Melrose Ave Los Angeles, CA 90038 – Yelp – Instagram
In its distinctive area, a standalone structure is formerly known as Patina in years past, Michael Cimarusti and Donato Poto’s fine-dining temple focuses on seafood. Providence has maintained its position as the top tier of Los Angeles restaurants, with pricing, service, and presentation to match.
Chef Cimarusti is completely dedicated to obtaining the highest quality sustainable seafood—from local seas and global waters—with a meticulous eye for detail. “First and foremost, sustainability is what drives us,” says Cimarusti. “We only utilize wild-caught, long-lasting goods from American bodies of water.
From the chef’s tasting menu, we selected the following selections
- Liberty Farms Duck – eggplant, fig, duck sausage
- Oyster – gently warmed, with kaluga caviar
- Salt-Roasted Santa Barbara spot prawns – rosemary, lemon, extra-virgin olive oil
Kali Restaurant (American)
5722 Melrose Ave., Hollywood, 90038 – Yelp – Instagram
This little storefront, Kali, which blends in with its surroundings, is the very essence of neighborhood dining. Inside you’ll discover Chef Kevin Meehan’s kitchen, whose credentials and locavore ideals are just as strong as its various wines and craft beers. The main room has a relaxing Scandinavian design that combines caramel tones and leather banquettes with wood tables
A meat fridge featuring dry-aged ducks, steaks, and even a whole pig’s head is a great conversation starter that keeps everyone’s attention on the food, which delivers on its promise. Consider adding a unique spin on established tastes and contemporary techniques like fermentation, preservation, and deep cooking to get an idea of what this place is about.
Our favorite dinner dishes
- Black Garlic Barley Risotto – Fiscalini Cheddar / Koji Cultured Butter / Puffed Barley Crisp
- Sonoma County Duck Breast – Fava Beans / Magic Myrna Potato / Asparagus
- Bone-In Pork Chop – Peads & Bernetts Farms /Smoked Peaches / Roasted Cipolini / Green Almond
Ronan (American Dish)
7315 Melrose Ave Los Angeles, CA 90046 – Yelp – Instagram
Chef Daniel Cutler and his wife, Caitlin, own and operate Ronan, a shared plates restaurant that specializes in locally sourced vegetables, responsibly raised meats, and Neapolitan pizza. Jeremy Wade runs the bar at Ronan, which features handcrafted cocktails from Bar Director Jeremy Wade as well as a carefully chosen selection of natural and biodynamic wines hand
Our favorite lunch dishes:
- Spicy Chomper – Tomato, Soppressata, Quattro Formaggi
- The Brooklyn – Shaved mushroom, park, red pepper flakes, oregano
- How ‘Nduja Want It? – Spicy sausage, gorgonzola cream, green onion, celery
Osteria La Buca (Italian Dish)
5210 Melrose Ave Los Angeles, CA 90038 – Yelp – Instagram
This long-established Melrose Avenue restaurant, Osteria La Buca, began as a little place run by a grandmother that has since grown into a full-scale operation, with a broad menu of Italian cuisine including fresh pasta and pizzas. One of the most dependable restaurants on this stretch of Melrose Hill.
As a casual, local gathering place for food, friends, and wine, Osteria La Buca’s menu reflects a less complicated classic grassroots approach to Italian country cuisine inspired by our backyard in Southern California.
Our favorite dinner dishes:
- Nero Spaghetti – clams, squid, shrimp, tomato, bread crumbs, chili flake
- Short Rib Ravioli – pecorino, black pepper, vincotto
- Squash Blossom pizza – tomato, squash blossom, taleggio, mint, lemon, vinaigrette
Olivetta
9010 Melrose Ave West Hollywood, CA 90069 – Yelp – Instagram
This celebrity hotspot, Olivetta, which has some outstanding Italian cuisine from chef Michael Fiorelli to match the beautiful dining room, is one of the most fashionable restaurants to open on this very wealthy stretch of Melrose in West Hollywood. The beautifully elegant 150-seat bungalow on Restaurant Row in WeHo fuses playful exuberance with whimsy op
Chef Fiorelli has taken influences from the old-world cuisine and preparation styles of Italy, Greece, France, and Spain to create a contemporary cuisine with a Californian flair. The menu reflects one’s sense of being on holiday while also fully extending
Our favorite dinner dishes:
- LOBSTER SPAGHETTI Whole 1.5-pound main lobster, tomato, garlic, chili
- GRILLED BRANZINO Green herbs, lemon conserva
- CRESTE DE GALLO roasted garlic and bone marrow
This concludes this list of essential eats along Melrose Avenue, but there are many more great spots worth checking out! Stay tuned for future posts where we explore other parts of Los Angeles.
We hope you enjoyed these recommendations as much as we did when putting them together for this article! This is by no means an exhaustive list – just 10 restaurants that have stood out in our minds over the past few months spent exploring LA’s culinary scene.
If you’re looking for even more foodie inspiration, be sure to check back regularly or subscribe to our blog so new content reaches your inbox
However, if you can’t wait that long, Discover Los Angeles has done a fantastic write-up on a walking tour of Melrose Avenue that includes many of the locations we’ve mentioned above and more.
Founder, Editor-In-Chief // A native Angeleno. John studied engineering at UCLA; founded Schmoozd, an offline social tech networking event in LA with 30,000 subs; ran a startup accelerator (StartEngine). Worked for several major brands like Toyota, DIRECTV, Hitachi, ICANN, and Raytheon. A mentor at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) Entrepreneur School, Dr. David Choi. And advises a dozen local LA startups building amazing tech in various industries; and invested in some. // Let's Connect: john@lastartups.com
