The Most Talked-About Dishes in Los Angeles – June 2026

The highly anticipated opening of Pizzeria Sei's new Westside location has delivered everything we hoped for. More tables, more space, and more creative inventions from pizza mastermind William (Sang Woo) Joo. Joo's focus on the craft is laser-sharp and obsessive, resulting in pizzas that explore the technical possibilities of different dough styles alongside inventive topping combinations. Case in point: the Four Culture Diavola. Built on Sei's impeccably blistered Neo-Neapolitan crust, the pie layers spicy salami with four fermented ingredients that bring depth, tang, and just enough funk to keep every bite interesting. It's the sort of pizza that only makes sense in Joo's hands, balancing precision with playfulness.

Each weekend, you'll find a line outside Basqueria before the doors even open at 11 a.m. They come in droves for the now-internet-famous sandwich from French-Basque chef Sébastien Pourrat. In a sandwich roulette of sorts, you get what you get. Pourrat makes whatever he feels like that day, often a duck-fat-roasted chicken or grilled steak sandwich on pan de cristal imported from the Basque Country. Is it worth the wait? Very much so. As Malibu hits peak visitor season, these babies have never been in higher demand.

Weiser melon season is a holy period in the Los Angeles farmers market calendar. While chefs across the city make use of this exceptional fruit in countless ways, one of the simplest, and most Los Angeles, iterations is Weiser melon dusted with house-made shrimp head "Tajín" at Little Fish. Recent recipients of the Michelin Young Chef Award, Anna Sonenshein and Niki Vahle have made Little Fish one of the city's most talked-about restaurants, and this deceptively simple dish is one of the seasonally attuned reasons why. Just note: These perfectly chilled wedges of summer are only on the menu until melon season gives way to mango season, another delight entirely.

Chef Eric Greenspan's long-awaited take on the traditional Jewish deli has finally arrived, along with his versions of the classics. While there are wood-fired bagels (the horseradish cream cheese is a standout), babka, and knishes worth ordering, the menu's breakout dish is Greenspan's take on the pastrami Reuben. Hand-chopped, hardwood-smoked pastrami is layered with Swiss cheese, Russian dressing, and fennel kraut before being griddled on chicken schmaltz-brushed rye. It’s a thing of Reuben beauty.