LA eating covers every extreme: whatever you want to eat and however much you want to spend, you’re spoiled for choice. Try to take at least a few meals in the more exotic restaurants, if only to watch the city’s many self-appointed food snobs going through their paces. If you simply want to fill up quickly and inexpensively, the options are almost endless, and include free food available for the price of a drink at numerous happy hours. 

Downtown

• Bella Cucina, 949 S Figueroa St (tel 213/623-0014). Fabulous pizzas and homemade pastas, with the accent on northern and rural Italian cuisine.
• Buffet Palace, 3014 Olympic Blvd (tel 213/480-8949). Korean restaurant, strong on spicy barbecued beef.
• Clifton’s Cafeteria, 648 S Broadway (tel 213/627-1673). A cafeteria complete with redwood trees and a waterfall; the food is inexpensive, and good too.
• El Cholo, 1121 S Western Ave (tel 323/734-2773). One of LA’s first big Mexican restaurants and still one of the best, despite the drunken frat-rats from USC.
• Ocean Seafood, 750 N Hill (tel 213/687-3088). Cavernous and often crowded restaurant serving low-priced, excellent food.
• The Original Pantry, 877 S Figueroa St (tel 213/972-9279). Mayor Riordan owns this diner serving huge pork chops and classic American breakfasts 24 hours a day.
• Pacific Dining Car, 1310 W 6th St (tel 213/483-6000). Starched linen and expensive steaks in a former railroad carriage styled after the hushed tones of an English supper club. Good-value breakfasts.
• Philippe’s Original, 1001 N Alameda St (tel 213/628-3781). Since 1908, the home of delicious French “dipped” sandwiches; invented right here as well.

Hollywood

• Casita de Campo, 1920 Hyperion Ave (tel 323/662-4255). Great Mexican food, comfortable atmosphere in the heart of the Silverlake district.
• French Quarter, 7985 Santa Monica Blvd (tel 323/654-0898). Inside the French Market Place, a gay-run, New Orleans-themed restaurant that’s at least as much fun as Disneyland.
• Gloria’s Cafe, 3603 W Sunset Blvd (tel 323/664-5732). Popular, gay-friendly local hangout that’s great for dinner, especially Cajun food.
• Hampton’s, 1342 N Highland Ave (tel 323/469-1090). Over fifty styles of gourmet hamburger.
• Mexico City, 2121 Hillhurst Ave (tel 323/661-7227). Spinach enchiladas and other Californian versions of Mexican standards. Red booths, a great view of the street from the wall-length window and a young crowd. You’re allowed to smoke in the adjoining bar, a rarity in LA.
• Musso and Frank Grill, 6667 Hollywood Blvd (tel 323/467-7788). Since it opened in 1919, all the Hollywood bigwigs have frequented this landmark restaurant and bar – but at $15 for bacon and eggs, you pay for the atmosphere.
• Shibucho, 3114 Beverly Blvd (tel 323/387-8498). Excellent sushi bar in the heart of Little Tokyo; go with someone who knows what to order, as no one seems to speak English.
• Tommy’s, 2575 Beverly Blvd (tel 310/389-9060). Often called LA’s best burgers: loaded with thick beef, toppings and most importantly, grease.
• Yukon Mining Co, 7328 Santa Monica Blvd (tel 323/851-8833). Excellent coffee shop catering to the local gay community and the neighboring senior citizens’ home. Open 24hr.

West LA

• Apple Pan, 10801 W Pico Blvd (tel 310/475-3585). Grab a spot at the counter and enjoy great pies and the best hamburgers in the world.
• Campanile, 624 S La Brea Ave (tel 323/938-1447). Upmarket Italian restaurant with indoor fountain and pleasing pastries from La Brea Bakery next door.
• Canter’s Deli, 419 N Fairfax Ave (tel 323/651-2030). Infamous older waitresses in pink uniforms and running shoes serve kosher soup and sandwiches in a kitsch, white-vinyl setting.
• Casa Carnitas, 4067 Beverly Blvd (tel 323/667-9953). Tasty Mexican food from the Yucatan Peninsula: the dishes are unmistakeably inspired by Cuban and Caribbean cooking; lots of seafood, too.
• Chung King, 11538 W Pico Blvd (tel 310/477-4917). The best neighborhood Chinese restaurant in LA, serving spicy Szechuan food: don’t miss out on the bum-bum chicken.
• Citrus, 6703 Melrose Ave (tel 323/857-0034). Trendy, upmarket restaurant, serving good California cuisine in an outdoor setting indoors. Reservations are essential; lunch for two will be at least $60.
• El Coyote, 7312 Beverly Blvd (tel 323/939-2255). Satisfying portions of genuine Mexican home-cooking in a gloomy setting. Watch soccer and down the legendary cheap margaritas in the bar.
• Georgia, 7250 Melrose Ave (tel 323/933-8420). Down-home Southern cooking, about $25 for a main course. Part-owned by Denzel Washington. Be prepared to tip like you’ve never tipped before.
• The Gumbo Pot, 6333 W 3rd St in the Farmers’ Market (tel 323/933-0358). Delicious and dirt-cheap Cajun cooking; try the gumbo yaya of chicken, shrimp and sausage, and the fruit-and-potato salad.
• Mishima, 8474 W 3rd St (tel 323/782-0181). Some of LA’s best miso soup and udon noodles, at affordable prices.
• Shamshiry, 1916 Westwood Blvd (tel 310/474-1410). The best of the Iranian restaurants that have been established in Hollywood since the fall of the Shah, offering kebabs, pilafs and exotic sauces.
• Swingers, 8018 Beverly Blvd (tel 323/653-5858). Basic and cheap American food served in a strangely trendy motel environment.
• Tommy Tang’s, 7313 Melrose Ave (tel 323/937-5733). Excellent Thai food in very popular, medium-sized restaurant. Incongruous biweekly drag nights.

Santa Monica, Venice and Malibu

• Cafe 50s, 838 Lincoln Blvd, Venice (tel 310/399-1955). No doubts about this place: Ritchie Valens on the jukebox and burgers on the tables.
• Cafe Montana, 1534 Montana Ave, Santa Monica (tel 310/829-3990). Good breakfasts and excellent salads and grilled fish in this art gallery-cum-cafe on the new upmarket strip.
• Chaya Venice, 110 Navy St (tel 310/396-1179). Coolly elegant culinary crossroads serving Japanese and Mediterranean foods to a smart clientele. Try the huge California roll platter between two.
• Chinois on Main, 2709 Main St, Santa Monica (tel 310/392-9025). LA’s most popular restaurant, run by the city’s best-known chef, Wolfgang Puck, and serving Chinese-style dishes like fresh fish in garlic and ginger. Very expensive, with lunches from $25.
• Inn of the Seventh Ray, 128 Old Topanga Canyon Rd, just off Topanga Canyon (tel 310/455-1311). The ultimate New Age restaurant, serving vegetarian and wholefood dishes in a relatively secluded environment. Excellent desserts, too.
• Lighthouse Buffet, 201 Arizona Ave, Santa Monica (tel 310/451-2076). All-you-can-eat sushi is a long-accepted concept in LA; indulge to your heart’s content for under $10 at lunchtime or $20 in the evening.
• Norm’s, 1601 Lincoln Blvd, Santa Monica (tel 310/450-0074). The prototypical LA diner, with 1950s architecture and $4 breakfasts.
• Versailles, 1000 N Sepulveda Blvd, Manhattan Beach (tel 310/558-3168). Packed and noisy Cuban restaurant with a sibling on La Cienega. Fried bananas, steaks and “Moors and Christians” (black beans and rice) for about $10.

Disneyland and around

• Angelo’s, 511 S State College Blvd, Anaheim (tel 714/533-1401). Straight out of Happy Days, drive-in complete with roller-skating car-hops and good burgers. Open until 1am at weekends.
• Belisle’s, 12001 Harbor Blvd, Garden Grove (tel 714/750-6560). Open late for filling sandwiches, and sweet and meat pies.
• Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant, 8039 Beach Blvd, located just outside Knott’s Berry Farm (tel 714/220-5080). Famous for delicious fried chicken long before Disneyland was around – serving cheap and tasty chicken dishes for over 65 years.

San Gabriel and San Fernando valleys

• Dr Hogly-Wogly’s Tyler Texas Bar-B-Q, 8136 Sepulveda Blvd, Van Nuys (tel 626/782-2480). Queue up for the chicken, sausages, ribs and beans, some of the best in LA.
• Genmai Sushi, 4454 Van Nuys Blvd, Van Nuys (tel 626/986-7060). Japanese-style vegetarian restaurant with brown rice, sushi and seasonal macrobiotic dishes.
• Merida, 20 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena (tel 626/792-7371). Unusual Mexican restaurant, featuring dishes from the Yucatan Peninsula; try the spicy pork wrapped up and steamed in banana leaves.
• Sea Star, 2000 W Main St, Alhambra (tel 626/282-8833). Dim sum at its best: pork, baos, potstickers and dumplings, and delicious sweets.
• Wolfe Burger, 46 N Lake St, Pasadena (tel 626/792-7292). A great place for chili, tamales and burgers, with huevos rancheros served for breakfast.