Belle’s Bagels Delicatessen and Bar serves classic and modern Jewish-deli creations such as whitefish bagels and a vegan chickpea spin on tuna salad with bagel chips.
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
13 New York-inspired restaurants for a slice of the Big Apple in L.A.
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- New York food concepts continue to migrate to L.A., following in the footsteps of the weekly Smorgasburg food festival, mini-chain Roberta’s and many others.
- With a historic Dodgers-versus-Yankees showdown in the 2024 World Series, baseball fans can satisfy their cravings for the Big Apple’s best culinary exports with chopped cheese, black and white cookies, bagels, pastrami and pizza.
New York can’t seem to stay away from L.A. Its presence as part of the Los Angeles dining scene has perhaps never been greater. There have been plenty of milestones over the last decade: Shake Shack’s landmark entry into L.A., Smorgasburg’s expansion to the Row DTLA and chefs like David Chang setting up L.A. outposts. Now, the Yankees are heading to Dodgers Stadium to kick off a historic 2024 World Series matchup between the longtime coastal rivals.
In addition to New York-founded staples such as Levain Bakery and Roberta’s, more NYC-inspired concepts have migrated to L.A., including New York’s Chopped Cheese from a Harlem native (now with two locations) and Donna’s, an Echo Park red-sauce Italian spot offering a heaping dose of ‘60s East Coast nostalgia with eggplant-strewn wallpaper, checkered floors, and giant meatballs. Nearby, Bodega Park draws inspiration from the Big Apple’s corner-store sandwiches to create a unique, all-day concept.
The 2024 World Series inspired a slew of Dodgers-themed food and drink specials around town, but you might also find yourself craving some classic East Coast eats. These days, one could argue that not only is L.A. the superior dining city, but that it’s churning out better versions of staple New York foods. For a taste of NYC, here are our favorite ways to visit the five boroughs without booking a flight.
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(Bill Addison / Los Angeles Times)
Apollonia's Pizzeria
Mid-Wilshire Pizza $$
Many a pizza enthusiast will tell you this is their favorite slice shop in L.A., known especially for its square, Detroit-inspired slices. Photographer Justin De Leon opened Apollonia’s in 2012 in a former Chinese takeout space and maintains an unassuming, no-frills, cash-only operation that does an especially authentic New York-style slice in classic cheese or pepperoni. Be sure to order ahead online so you can skip the lines.
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(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Belle's Bagels, Delicatessen and Bar
Highland Park Jewish Deli $$
Viral bagel pop-up Belle’s recently expanded into a fully baked deli concept in Highland Park. While the owners are L.A. natives, the full-service deli feels like a nouveau take on the classic New York deli, complete with vintage family photos lining the walls and old-school leather booths reminiscent of the iconic Langer’s Deli. The new menu features deli sandwiches, including a Reuben, the Westlake (hot pastrami, slaw, Swiss and Russian dressing on double baked rye), a schnitzel sandwich and tuna and patty melts. “Noshes” refer to classics such as matzo ball soup, a pickle plate, bagel chips and scallion latkes. There’s also a full cocktail menu featuring drinks that play on Yiddish puns like the Mezcal Tov (mezcal, manzanilla sherry, celery shrub, lime) and the Schtup on the Beach (Tito’s vodka, passion fruit, lemon, sugar).
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(Bill Addison / Los Angeles Times)
Bodega Park
Silver Lake Sandwich Shop Breakfast/Lunch $
The all-day cafe from chef-owners Eric and Miriam Park is directly inspired by New York bodegas, from the tiger in the logo (their version of a bodega cat) to the sandwiches on the menu. Most notably you’ll find excellent takes on the deli classic BEC (bacon, egg and cheese) and another bodega staple, the chopped cheese sandwich with ground Angus beef, American cheese, grilled onions and jalapeños on a pressed sesame hero roll for what’s basically a cheeseburger panini. Park also weaves in influences from his Korean American heritage throughout the menu, as in the spicy pork bulgogi roll, the super-crispy Korean-style fried chicken and drinks like the Misugaru black sesame (made with the Korean multigrain beverage powder) and the brand-new nurungji crema made with toasted rice powder. The compact Sliver Lake spot has been tearing up Instagram since opening in 2022.
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(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Donna's
Echo Park Italian American $$
“My partner and I have wanted to open this restaurant in some form for like 20 years,” says Park Hospitality partner Matthew Glaser. Donna’s is now one of the hottest tables in town, located adjacent to sibling restaurants Lowboy and Bar Flores on Sunset Boulevard in Echo Park. This nonna-inspired dining room in the former Adamae space focuses on all things red-sauce, with a particular emphasis on main courses. “I love how old-school Italian restaurants on the East Coast always have those giant entree menus,” says Glaser. Dishes like shrimp scampi, chicken Marsala and lasagna rollatini are some of the highlights you’ll find on the menu at Donna’s. Park Hospitality tapped chef Sathia Sun (who has worked at Italian favorites like Felix and Union) to helm the kitchen. A playful drink menu filled with Italian amaros, spritzes and even a take on an Amaretto sour comes from beverage director Karla Flores-Mercado. Since opening, Donna’s popularity has soared, making it a bit of a tough reservation, so definitely plan ahead.
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(Eugene Lee)
Genghis Cohen
Fairfax Chinese American $$
Inspired by 1980s Chinese restaurants in New York City, for Marc Rose and Med Abrous, the co-founders of Call Mom, Genghis Cohen started with a longing for childhood favorites: “We couldn’t find the same kind of New York-style Chinese food that we were used to in L.A.,” says Rose. So when legendary Chinese food institution Genghis Cohen was for sale, they jumped at the opportunity to preserve the space and bring those childhood influences to L.A. Inside you’ll find roomy leather booths, a ceiling adorned with paper lanterns, giant egg rolls, and takes on throwback dishes like mu shu pork, lo mein, chow fun, and more. More recent additions include an outdoor patio, as well as a happy hour menu. Dining at Genghis Cohen is an unmistakably New York vibe, only in L.A.
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(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Ggiata
Highland Park Deli $
Homesick for their beloved East Coast-style Italian deli, childhood friends and New Jersey natives Noah Holton-Raphael, Jack Biebel and Max Bahramipour opened Ggiata during the pandemic first as a pop-up concept then eventually out of a storefront in Melrose Hill. Now with four locations (and a fifth coming to Studio City in November), the chainlet has capitalized on Angelenos’ love of a good sandwich. They’re known for signatures such as the Spicy P (a spicy vodka take on the classic chicken parm hero), the viral chicken Caesar wrap and other deli favorites like an eggplant and meatball parm. Be on the lookout for limited rotating specials, such as black and white cookies (a staple of NYC bodegas) in October and November.
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(Shelby Moore / For The Times)
Langer's Deli
Westside Jewish Cuisine $$
When you’re feeling nostalgic for a New York deli, Langer’s rises as a top option. This L.A. institution is steeped in history and tradition, proudly serving up some of the best pastrami and sandwiches in L.A. But the Langer family, like so many other Jewish Americans, has its roots on the East Coast. It’s the closest thing we have in L.A. to Katz’s Deli. The restaurant, which has been in operation since 1947, is lovingly preserved by owner Norm Langer. And the famous #19 sandwich is the top seller along with Jewish classics like matzo ball soup, potato latkes and more.
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(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Levain Bakery
Windsor Square Bakery $
Angelenos are more than ready to embrace New York’s most famous chocolate chip cookie shop that opened in June 2023 in Larchmont Village. The bakery was first opened in 1995 by two friends on New York’s Upper West Side and has been a cult favorite since — known for its giant, fluffy, chewy, chocolate walnut cookies. When the era of social media took hold, Levain’s popularity increased, eventually expanding with more locations throughout New York and the Hamptons, Washington, D.C., Boston, Chicago, Maryland, and now L.A. Levain is also planning a Venice location come 2025.
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(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
New York's Chopped Cheese
Mid-City American $
Harlem native Anthony Arias was the first to bring NYC-bodega-inspired items like the chopped cheese to Los Angeles with the introduction of his 2021 food truck, and today the concept boasts two permanent locations, including a newly opened outpost in Mid-City. For the uninitiated, a chopped cheese is like a burger sandwich, featuring ground and chopped burger meat with all the classic burger toppings served on a deli-style hoagie roll. Arias delivers several striking renditions of the dish, including the Classic, the Banger (banana peppers, crispy shallots and YERR sauce), Picante (habanero peppers and pepper sauce), Southern BBQ (BBQ sauce and Frito-Lay’s Honey BBQ Twists), as well as mushroom, chicken and Impossible meat variations. Earlier in the day, be sure to stop by for a classic BEC (bacon, egg and cheese) for breakfast, which any New Yorker will tell you is the ultimate hangover cure. And if you can’t make it to the big game, the World Series will be projected live on a screen outside of the new Mid-City shop.
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(Courtesy of Prince Street Pizza)
Prince Street Pizza: Hollywood Slice Drive-Thru
Hollywood Pizza $$
The ultimate square slice was born 12 years ago on Prince Street in Manhattan’s Nolita neighborhood courtesy of the Morano family. But the brand hit viral status sometime around 2019 and started appearing in L.A. on a pop-up basis, eventually expanding to an outpost in West Hollywood in the fall of 2020 and later to locations in Venice, Malibu, Studio City and beyond. But more recently, the brand has launched a new pop-up in Hollywood: a pizza drive-thru. Located in a former Arby’s, you can now easily snag slices such as the famous Spicy Spring that’s cluttered with crispy rounds of pepperoni, along with drinks and sides (just don’t ask for Ranch dressing)! For Halloween and the days following, the restaurant will “dress up” as former tenant Arby’s by serving the Beefy American slice, featuring RC Provisions Wagyu roast beef, horseradish-whipped ricotta and New School American cheese atop their classic square crust.
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(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Pop's Bagels
Bagels $
Pop’s is arguably the closest thing you’ll find to a New York City-style bagel in L.A. Owner and former New Yorker Zach Liporace drew the name and concept from his grandfather when he opened this spot in Culver City; it has since expanded to four locations around L.A. (the most recent in Beverly Hills). This is the perfect place to grab a bagel and a schmear, or a sandwich filled with everything from bacon, egg and cheese, to pastrami, egg and cheese, to even a $40 Ossetra caviar-topped creation.
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(Brandon Harman)
Roberta's
Culver City Pizza $$
You’d be hard-pressed to find a restaurant that epitomizes Brooklyn more than Roberta’s. Depicted on shows like “Girls,” the Brooklyn-based pizzeria made waves for its rustic-chic aesthetic, which mashed up one part Bushwick shipping container with two parts charming, string-lit outdoor oasis, the perfect backdrop for its artisan-made pizzas. Now with two locations in Los Angeles, including Culver City and the more recently opened location in Studio City’s Sportsmen’s Lodge, both spaces will transport you back to the Big Apple. In Culver City, the only full-service location in L.A., a concise menu of wood-fired pizzas, pastas, salads and starters like prosciutto and cheese boards pair up with cheekily named cocktails like Love in the Time of COVID (gin, beet juice, lemon, honey, thyme), and Benedict Cucumberbatch (habanero tequila, fresh cucumber juice, vanilla, mint).
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(Kelly Dobkin)
Vito's Pizza
Beverly Grove Pizza $$
Owner Vito DiDonato is behind this unassuming WeHo slice shop, which has been open since the ’90s and has one of the most authentically New York-style slices in L.A. Its thin, crispy crust is reminiscent of a street slice you’d grab at NYC spots like Ray’s or Vinnie’s, and the sauce-to-cheese ratio, plentiful spice shakers and fountain sodas most definitely will transport you to the Big Apple.
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Eat your way across L.A.
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Updates:
3:01 a.m. Oct. 28, 2024: This guide has been updated with new information, including the addition of Apollonia’s Pizzeria, Belle’s Bagels, Ggiata, New York’s Chopped Cheese and Prince Street Pizza: Hollywood Slice Drive-Thru. The following entries were removed from this update: Atla, Baar Baar, Dante Beverly Hills, Linden, Szechuan Mountain House and Tonchin.
