Every Friday, our editors compile a trusty list of recommendations to answer the most pressing of questions: “Where should I eat?“ Here are four places to check out this weekend in Los Angeles. And if you need some ideas on where to drink, here’s our list of the hottest places to get cocktails in town.
For a glistening duck feast: Roasted Duck by Pa Ord in Thai Town
Duck, when done well, is one of my absolute favorite proteins. And the folks at Roasted Duck by Pa Ord know how to cook duck well. You’ll find duck dishes of all kinds at this Thai strip mall joint, including duck curry, duck noodle soup, and spicy basil wok-fired duck. My advice for first time visitors is to get the roast duck platter that serves one or two. It comes with the option of rice or jade noodles (try to get both if you can), as well as a sweet soy sauce and an umami and slightly fruity duck sauce. The steamed Chinese broccoli that accompanies the dish lightens the whole thing, but the star is truly the duck, which arrives glistening with fat. The skin is my favorite part — it tastes luxurious — but the meat is also rich and partners well with plain steamed white rice. Although duck is in the restaurant name, I like to order the fried pork belly, too, which comes with a spicy jaew dipping sauce. 5136 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90027. — Kat Thompson, audience editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest
For pristine Filipino pastries to last all weekend: San & Wolves in Long Beach
San & Wolves Bakeshop, a pop-up-turned-permanent bakery from partners Kym Estrada and Arvin Torres, is a slice of light on the corner of 4th Street and Mira Mar Avenue in Long Beach. Filipino flavors take nostalgic riffs behind the pastry counter: Expect to find puffy ube-filled malasadas, cheez pandesal, and pan de coco; buko pie in the form of an ube-painted Pop-Tart shell; and cubic pandan and black sesame cinnamon rolls. (It’s all vegan, too, but no one who’s not looking for it will notice.) On the gluten-free side, find star-shaped cornbread bibingkas, streaked with blueberries and fig the weekend I went, nestled in the banana leaves they’re baked in. The more you fill your box, the more you have left over for the rest of the weekend. 3900 East 4th Street, Long Beach, CA 90814 — Nicole Adlman, Eater editorial manager
For polished French fare: Pasjoli in Santa Monica
The latest iteration of Dave Beran’s Santa Monica French bistro, Pasjoli, may be his best one yet. After a brief closure in mid-2025, the Main Street restaurant reopened with a decidedly more laid-back a la carte menu featuring steak frites, the popular cheese-laden bar burger, and French onion souplettes that have as much cheese as broth. Where French cooking can often be constrained by tradition, Beran breaks out of the mold within deboned chicken cordon bleu wings, stuffed with ham and cheese and served with a buffalo beurre blanc. A simple roast chicken, dotted with olives and flanked by charred lemon, may be the unexpected menu standout right now. The simplicity works in its favor, with just the right cook on the bird and a deep, acidic flavor from the caramelized lemon accoutrement. Always end with the duck fat sundae, a dessert that will enrapture even those who say they don’t need a post-dinner sweet treat. 2732 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90405. — Rebecca Roland, deputy editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest
For tacos to make Californians proud: Tacos Tamix in Pico-Union
It’s turning into a pattern when I travel outside of the Golden State: everyone wants this Angeleno to try their tacos. New Yorkers and Northeast residents present me a plate, insisting, “Seriously, these are really good!” Listen, I don’t bring sand to the beach, and though Mexican cuisine in New York has improved considerably in recent years, I prefer to eat Mexican food most in my hometown, state, and in close-knit, high-concentration Mexican communities in the Southwest, Texas, and Chicago. Since returning to Los Angeles after nine days on the road, I have been getting my fill of the city’s best, especially Tacos Tamix. These operators have a fleet stationed anywhere between Pico-Union, Mid-City, Santa Fe and Olympic, or Culver City, so there’s no excuse to not try some of the best al pastor in Los Angeles. Order Tamix’s tortas, mulitas, and burritos filled with carne asada, beef cheek, pastor, buche, or suadero and take in California’s taco culture in all of its salsa-laden glory. Go to Tamix’s Instagram to check the hours, which are almost always open late. 1998-1982 S. Hoover Street, Los Angeles, CA, 90007. — Mona Holmes, editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest
