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It seems like some sort of restaurant week comes creeping up every 2 months or so, and you know what? NO ONE IS COMPLAINING. At least not this slightly broke writer, struggling to fulfill her foodie dreams. From July 15 through July 27, dineLA is hosting L.A. Restaurant Week, a 12-day culinary fiesta to celebrate the the diversity of culinary treats that Los Angeles has up its sleeve. The specially priced prix-fixe menus range from $15-$20 for lunch to $30-$45 for un meal muy fancy.
Here are a few of our picks to check out, but don’t forget to hit up the rest of the list to enjoy good eats and discover some hidden gems around Los Angeles. Go ahead, fill up that belly without killing the wallet.
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La Alegria Cocina
115 Pine Avenue
Long Beach, CA
562-436-3388
Chef Walter Cotto creates a fusion of Spanish and Latin American cuisine in a laid-back environment, often with live flamenco shows and music to create a prime experience. For lunch, you can choose a more traditional ropa vieja, but save room for the epic dinner choices of plantain crusted crabcakes and the Paella Valencia, because you should never pass up on paella. FULL MENU & RESERVATIONS
Rivera
1050 S. Flower Street
Los Angeles, CA
213-749-1460
Rivera is not your run-of-the-mill Latin restaurant experience. They truly took classic rich, Latin flavors and drinks to the next level. The lunch menu can get you tortillas florales or duck “enfrijolada,” and for dinner an exotic sounding dish called Horse Latitudes, but i’ll leave that decision up to you. Rivera also has seasonal tequilas ON TAP. Enough said. FULL MENU & RESERVATIONS
401 Silver Lake Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA213-273-8945
El Caserio has a beautiful, romantic ambiance, nestled deep in the trendy Silver Lake neighborhood. You can taste the coastal fusion of flavors from Ecuador, Peru and Colombia, serving up lomo saltado, mote con fritada, humitas and many other delicacies in between. For an additional $6 you can add some tasty sangria to make the most of out this destination experience. FULL MENU & RESERVATIONS
1121 S. Western AvenueLos Angeles, CA
323-734-2773 El Cholo is an institution in L.A., having been open since 1923 with family recipes and strong traditions. Their menu shows the dates of the dishes throughout the years, from Joe’s albondigas to the blue corn enchiladas. One thing is for sure, you can’t miss the famous green corn tamale, which is served for both lunch and dinner. FULL MENU & RESERVATIONS
4291 Maine AvenueBaldwin Park, CA
626-337-8686 Chef Juan Mondragon’s spot is not like many other Mexican spots you’ve tried. He is spreading his passion for the lost-world cuisine of pre-Hispanic Mexico, with more than 10 incredible moles, ensaladas de nopales, chile rellenos, platanos al tequila and I need to stop now because I am really hungry and this is not making it easy. Wash it all down with a Margarita de Nopal and summer is ON. FULL MENU & RESERVATIONS.
854 N. Garfield AvenueMontebello, CA
323-728-7492 La Costa is a family owned fine Mexican restaurant serving many Mexican staples. For lunch you can get panuchos yucatan (corn tartlets filled with beans, avocado, cheese, pork chorizo) and chile verdes, and for dinner mariscos mazatleca followed with some Mexican flan. They also have live entertainment to get that appetite going just right. FULL MENU & RESERVATIONS
514 W. 7th StreetLos Angeles, CA
213-622-3744 Chef Ricardo Zarate’s, Mo-chica, serves modern spins to traditional Peruvian comfort foods, and there are a lot. The appetizer menus are laden with fresh gazpachos and vegetable quinoa salad, along with the heftier chupe de mariscos, roasted black cod, and one of my absolute faves, locro de quinoa. For dessert there is an option for Willy Wonka Cake and we are betting it’s pretty magical-just a hunch. LUNCH MENU & RESERVATIONS