LA To Do

Amber: This tiny James Beard-nominated restaurant, hidden in a strip mall in East Hollywood, would be voted least likely to succeed on looks alone. Go anyway. Just call ahead to confirm they're open.

Amber: Since its opening in 2012, Bestia's sort of become the definitive LA restaurant. It's no surprise it's one of the few tough reservations in the city.

Amber: Skewers and other Japanese izakaya favorites are the name of the game at this small Echo Park restaurant.

Amber: New York's Michelin-starred The NoMad is running a year long food truck to introduce folks in the city to their more casual fare.

Amber: The lush environs make for an ideal celebrity spotting restaurant while everything from quality cocktails and comfort fare stand out on the menu.

Amber: Humble strip mall restaurant serving inventive Taiwanese and Japanese cuisine. Sure, there are no backs on the chairs, but the price of the menu hovers around $50 and offers up to eight courses.

Amber: While the cocktails are fantastic, the real draw for diners is the spicy Thai-Chinese cooking coming from Crying Tiger, which you can enjoy inside or grab and go from the window outside.

Amber: A festive bar where you can sip beachy libations that feel just right in the PCH-adjacent space

Amber: everything from molecular gastronomy-utilizing amuse bouches to classic cocktails that can be enjoyed alongside anything-but-ordinary bar snacks

Amber: While difficult to find (just head to the Largo, then spot the neon sign for an old psychic parlor), guests feel instantly at home inside the dim-lit spot for mind-blowing mixology.

Amber: Inside a room just large enough to seat 27, the menu tackles a new theme every few months. Also introduced omakase cocktails, allowing imbibers to experience a two-cocktail lineup catered to tastes.

Amber: 1886 isn't just the best cocktail bar in Pasadena—it's one of the best in all of L.A. The 21-long menu changes each season and thrives on originality

Amber: Some of the best drinks in town. What the nine-option menu lacks in quantity, it makes up for in craftsmanship. Strong, sophisticated, shrewdly balanced and accessibly priced swills ($6-$14)

Amber: Happy Hour is in swing every day 5-7pm, w cocktails under $10 and glasses of wine for $6. Be sure to stop by for Burger R&D Nights on Sundays: a burger, fries and a beer for $17

Amber: The Infanté ($12): tequila with lemon, almond, nutmeg and rosewater. Steamed buns ($10), made w pork belly, cucumber pickle and hoisin. Intentionally nondescript exterior, spacious patio out back

Amber: Classic craft cocktail aficionado Sasha Petraske launched one of Los Angeles' first sophisticated bars, now considered the godfather of L.A.'s craft cocktail movement.

Amber: Imagine your grandmother’s house: Warm and inviting, with no shortage of antique knick-knacks. Now add a ton of booze.

Amber: Stop right there if you are getting even the teeniest inclination that this is a speakeasy; instead, the twinkle-lit courtyard and homey interior combo conveys a downright neighborly feel.