What Expensive LA Restaurants Are Actually Worth It?

LA is full of swanky, trendy restaurants; some of them you may have seen via Instagram, and others are perhaps frequented by your favorite celebrity or even featured in a movie. But when you dine out in style, that also means you can expect higher prices, and if you’re going to be spending your hard-earned money on a nice meal, you want to know that the experience (and the food) is actually worth it. 

Over the course of my 12 years in LA, I’ve been able to try out some of these places and am here to break down my honest thoughts on which high-end, well-known LA restaurants are worth it.


1. Musso & Frank
Musso & Frank is the oldest restaurant in Hollywood. Famously featured in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, this cozy venue used to serve the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Marilyn Monroe, and Elizabeth Taylor (to name a few). 

Musso & Frank Pros

• Service - I was really impressed with the service here. The waiters are dressed in more formal attire, which really echoes to that Old Hollywood vibe.
• Free bread - Who doesn’t love complimentary appetizers? At Musso & Frank, you get free bread as you await your mail, along with butter adorned with the restaurant’s logo.
• Venue - The interior of Musso & Frank is very cozy and charming/ You can opt for traditional dining seating or enjoy your meal and a drink at the bar.
• The food - Yep, this is a big one. The food is here actually really, really good! I had their famous fettucini alfredo and loved it, which is impressive considering I don’t often like fettucini alfredo. 

Musso & Frank Cons 

• The location - Musso & Frank is located in the heart of Hollywood on Hollywood Blvd. While Hollywood Proper may have been all glitz and glamour back when Marilyn Monroe was frequenting the area, it’s now more seedy and crammed with tourists. Plus, parking in the area can be a mess, so I recommend either walking there if you’re close enough or taking an Uber/Lyft.

Is Musso & Frank worth it? 
Yes! 

2. Ka’Teen
Ka’Teen is another Hollywood hotspot. Not a historic venue but rather popular with the ‘influencer’ crowd, this place is designed to be reminiscent of being in Tulum (ironically, another place deteriorated by influencers). 

Ka'Teen Pros

• The venue - Ka’Teen’s true appeal is in its ambiance; it is a very romantic and pretty restaurant with mostly outdoor seating surrounded by gorgeous plant life and twinkling lights. When you walk into the venue, you go through a tunnel that almost makes you feel like you’re being transported to another place.
• The food - The food here was good. I went on a Tuesday evening, which is when they offer a cheaper deal on tacos. I ordered the baja fish tacos (heads up, they are spicy), and also tried the chips and guac and some yucca. While it’s not the best Mexican food in LA, it was still satisfactory.

    Ka'Teen Cons

• The service - I always try to give servers the benefit of the doubt, but in some cases, the service is so glaringly bad you’ve got to call it out. Once we were done eating, our server was nowhere to be found, not having checked on us for a long time. We had to flag down several other employees to finally get her to come by. Once we did get our bill, we noticed that the tacos everyone ordered were still full-price even though they were supposed to be discounted for the Taco Tuesday special. So if you do go here and decide to take part in that deal, just make sure it’s reflected on your bill.
• The prices - This place was really overpriced. Chips and guac were like $20, as were cocktails. The Taco Tuesday deal I mentioned wasn’t as impressive, either. Regularly, you can get two tacos here for $24, but their Tuesday special gets you two for $19 – still ridiculously high.

Is Ka'Teen worth it?
Honestly, for the prices, I think you can find better spots in LA. I would pass on this one.

3. Formosa Cafe
Formosa Cafe is another historic Hollywood spot where legendary actors used to dine. Here, they serve Chinese food, and part of the venue includes a train car where you can sit and eat.

Formosa Cafe Pros

• Happy hour deal - The Formosa Cafe offers a happy hour deal from 3pm-6pm daily. They’ve got appetizer dishes for $10. As far as happy hour drinks, cocktails run for $10, wine for $8, and beer for $5. That said, it can get busy, so I recommend making a reservation.
• Service - I liked the service here. Overall, it was a good experience.
• You get your money’s worth - Prices vary here; you can have some dinner dishes around $17 and others near $30 but I will say, you get your money’s worth. My husband ordered fried rice, and it was a mountain of rice. So if you’re keen on leftovers, you’ll like it here. I also recommend the brussels sprouts as an appetizer. They were incredible.

Formosa Cafe Cons 

• Not the best Chinese food - Although I loved the Brussels sprouts and appreciate that you get your money’s worth for the food, I would have loved to see a bit more variety on the menu. I ordered the Chow Fun since I never had it before, and I think if I ever went again, I’d probably get something different.

 
Is the Formosa Cafe worth it?
Yes, I think this one is worth checking out, but I would only go during their happy hour.

4. El Coyote
El Coyote is a Mexican food restaurant that was also featured in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as it was the restaurant Sharon Tate went to the night she and others at her home were murdered. El Coyote has been around since 1931, so if you like historic spots, this is another option.

El Coyote Pros 

• The food - Honestly, the food here is really good. I ordered fajitas here, and they were incredible. You also get plenty, so it’s worth the money since you’ll likely have some leftovers.
• The margaritas - Hands down, some of the best-made margaritas I’ve ever had. I think the only way it would have been topped was if I had the margarita on a beach in Mexico.

El Coyote Cons

• Parking - While you can park in their lot for free up until 4pm, you’ll have to pay after that if you decide to go for dinner. Metered street parking or residential parking is also available but you’ll have to check the signs to ensure you don’t get a ticket.

 
Is El Coyote worth it?
Yes, I would recommend this one, especially sitting outside on a nice sunny day.

5. Gracias Madre
Gracias Made is a pretty West Hollywood restaurant on Melrose that caters to vegan-friendly dishes.

Gracias Madre Pros 

• The food - I was impressed with the food here. I think it’s a nice spot for on a vegan diet.
• The venue - This is a very pretty restaurant. Their outdoor patio is especially nice, so I recommend trying to get a seat out there if you can.

Gracias Madre Cons 

• Parking - The parking situation in this area of West Hollywood is notoriously difficult, especially if you’re not interested in valet. There are meters on Melrose, but if you go on a busy night it may be hard to find an open one. Plus, the meters run late, so no matter what, you’ll have shell out some money for parking here unless you can walk over.

Is Gracias Madre worth it?
I would recommend this one for those who are vegan. It's a great date night spot, in particular.

 6. Cecconi’s
Another Melrose hotspot in West Hollywood, Cecconi’s is a swanky restaurant with an emphasis on Italian food. 

Cecconi's Pros

• Pretty venue - Cecconi’s is very pretty inside, and you are immediately greeted by a crowd dressed to impress (sometimes rare in a highly casual city like LA).
• Service - I had no complaints about the service here. Our waiter was very nice and attentive.

Cecconi's Cons 

• The food - If I’m being honest, I wasn’t too impressed with the food, especially considering the prices. I feel like Italian dishes are hard to miss but somehow Cecconi’s managed to be more about presentation than actual appeal. I ordered their fusilli dish, so perhaps a different meal would have been better, but for over $25 a plate (at minimum), I’m not willing to take the chance.
• Parking - This is in the same neighborhood as Gracias Madre, so parking is very limited if you don’t opt for valet. On the night I went, I had to drive around for 15 minutes before finding an open meter.
• Too loud to talk - This was especially frustrating. During my experience here, I was with a large group of girls and trying to get know most of them for the first time. However, it was really loud in Cecconi’s, so you could barely hear the person sitting next to you. Oddly enough, there wasn’t music playing, it’s just there were so many people that the noise became disruptive to conversation.

Is Cecconi's worth it?
I would skip this one. If you want Italian food, I would instead go to Miceli's in Hollywood. It's the oldest Italian restaurant in Hollywood, and the food is way better.