15 nostalgic New York-inspired restaurants for a slice of the Big Apple in L.A.
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, Daniel Humm and April Bloomfield setting up L.A. outposts. But over the last three years, the pandemic brought more migrating New Yorkers and NYC-based (and generally East Coast-influenced) restaurants to L.A. than ever before.
Just this summer, NYC favorites like Baar Baar, Szechuan Mountain House, Levain Bakery and Dante Beverly Hills have all opened L.A. outposts. They join the ranks of already transplanted spots such as Employees Only, Death & Co. and Roberta’s.
In addition to New York institutions expanding westward, a wave of restaurants that take inspiration from the City of Dreams have washed ashore, with openings like Linden in Hollywood from former New York chef Jon Harris. Linden’s entire menu is a love letter to the Jewish and Caribbean foods found along his native Linden Boulevard in Brooklyn. Donna’s, a new Echo Park red-sauce Italian spot, offers a heaping dose of ’60s East Coast nostalgia with eggplant-strewn wallpaper, checkered floors and giant meatballs. Nearby, Bodega Park draws inspiration from NYC’s corner-store sandwich shops to create a unique all-day cafe concept.
If Angelenos were ever in their feelings about anything East Coast, these days it’s nothing but a love fest: a happy cross-pollination of culinary cultures, exemplified through The Times’ annual Coast to Coast event, when esteemed chefs from both cities gather to show off exclusive bites and special collaborations. Between newly transplanted restaurants and East Coast-inspired upstarts, here are our favorite ways to visit NYC without booking a flight.
![A bowl of carrot salad and tacos: shrimp, suadero and Brussels sprouts from Enrique Olvera's Atla](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/27ceddd/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3456x4320+0+432/resize/376x470!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F69%2Fe7%2F67174d1b46d89dc4567b8905d5d6%2Fatla-venice-by-stephanie-breijo-3.jpg)
Atla
Baar Baar
Dante Beverly Hills
![Jerk chicken with risotto garnished with pickled carrots and peppers on a round flowered dish](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/62506b7/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4022x2681+5+0/resize/1200x800!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F95%2Fd3%2F7b73d20b4b759758575ea6e43118%2Flinden-1-by-stephanie-breijo.jpg)
Linden
![A box of six of Levain Bakery's signature cookies, each in a paper sleeve](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/87bf3e6/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5184x3456+0+0/resize/1200x800!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F54%2F87%2Fce00d42f49f08546ecb30953e5cf%2Flevain-bakery-by-stephanie-breijo-1.jpg)
Levain Bakery
![Three dishes: veal piccata, fusilli alla vodka and aglio olio from Donna's restaurant in Echo Park](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/fa97cc8/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2692x3365+0+334/resize/376x470!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F74%2Fc1%2F5182449d4b9589e4bbdf9bdce402%2Fdonnas-3-by-stephanie-breijo.jpg)
Donna's
![Chopped cheese sandwich in two paper-wrapped halves at Bodega Park in Silver Lake.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a2b1c4e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2310x1540+45+0/resize/1200x800!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F1b%2F27%2F0bcbefa5412f971ea5255e12adce%2F20230123-fo-poi-sandwiches-bill-addison-bodega-park-silver-lake-chopped-cheese-sandwich.jpg)
Bodega Park
![Szechuan Mountain House's liang yi pork belly hangs thin pork and cucumber slices over a wood dowel.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/2f8486c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5184x3456+0+0/resize/1200x800!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd8%2F78%2F9e97e8ea4d2f87d16f0118688f7b%2Fmountain-house-restaurat-by-stephanie-breijo-1.jpg)
Szechuan Mountain House
Gigi's
![An overhead shot of a Margherita pizza from Roberta's](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a45ff75/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2480x1653+0+165/resize/1200x800!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd5%2F48%2F1933f34b4e588c027d62886cfee7%2Frobertas2-photo-by-brandon-harman.jpg)
Roberta's
![A plate of beef and broccoli from Genghis Cohen](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a515bae/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5179x3453+0+0/resize/1200x800!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F6e%2F44%2F71dd8c03427d94533fbadb1e5f7e%2Fgenghis-cohen-pc-eugene-lee.jpg)
Genghis Cohen
![The #19 pastrami sandwich at Langer's Deli, in side-by-side halves with a pickle spear](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/0c89bbf/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2133x2666+0+267/resize/376x470!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fac%2F36%2F9cb406e946deb2fc3ea2b3b34c1f%2F1207083-fo-101-2022-langers-003.jpg)
Langer's Deli
![An open-faced Pop's Bagels lox sandwich with tomato and cucumber from the Fairfax Pop's Bagels.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/daa16ee/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3794x2529+5+0/resize/1200x800!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F5a%2F7d%2F1cc39f8d4aa489bb3d7118340f98%2Fpops-bagels-by-stephanie-breijo-2.jpg)
Pop's Bagels
![A bowl of ramen topped with pork, half a hard-boiled egg, green onions and nori. From a corner, chopsticks lift noodles.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/55f6182/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4022x2681+5+0/resize/1200x800!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fb0%2F3c%2Fcc0d0b224e899181b4d4d3c12b3e%2Ftonchin-ramen-by-stephanie-breijo-1.jpg)
Tonchin
![A slice of pepperoni pizza on a white paper plate](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/0fd4b0a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3024x3780+0+126/resize/376x470!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fea%2Fe8%2Faef009bb4a0694dee31fc3d74995%2Fvitos-pc-kelly-dobkin.jpg)
Vito's Pizza
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