From eating your meal in a pitch-black room to a 1920s railcar, Los Angeles offers a variety of different dining experiences—each one even more innovative and adventurous than the next. If you’re looking to switch things up or try something different, these are nine unique restaurants in Los Angeles you need to check out, after you finish going through our seven favorite L.A. restaurants.


First, find the perfect place to stay in Los Angeles.


These Are The Most Unique Restaurants In L.A.


1. Opaque

Dining in the dark might sound scary, but it’s actually supposed to help you focus more on the flavor of the food by getting rid of any visual distractions. Open Thursday through Sunday at V Lounge in Santa Monica, Opaque is a special restaurant where blind wait staff will serve guests their meals in a pitch-black dining room. While it might not be the ideal place to go on your first date, it will certainly be one of your most memorable dates ever.

Address: 2020 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica


2. Private Party Restaurant

If you’re ever wondered what it’s like to dine in a Communist-themed establishment, this Los Angeles restaurant offers an experience unlike any other. The décor features fake propaganda posters and servers in Red Guard uniforms, while dinner is cooked on hot coals. The menu features a selection of hot pot dishes, and the preferred dining style is large groups for sharing communal dishes.

Address: 111 N. Atlantic Blvd, Monterey Park


3. Clifton’s Cafeteria

Open since the 1930s, this redesigned space features multiple floors of dining tables, two bars, and multiple food vendors to choose from. Once you’ve ordered your food, you can pick a seat and let your eyes wander around the room, which is decorated with taxidermy animals. Fun points of interest include the vintage telephone booth and a secret cave with chairs.

Address: 648 Broadway Ave, Los Angeles


4. Animal

For those with adventurous taste buds, this trendy restaurant is known for serving up unique dishes that contain various parts of animals, from chicken liver toast to veal brains and fried rabbit legs. With its minimalist décor and small tables, the focus here is definitely on the food. Dishes to try include the bone marrow served with chimichurri and caramelized onions, barbeque pork belly sandwiches, foie gras with a biscuit, and the bacon chocolate crunch bar for dessert.

Address: 435 N Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles


5. IXLB Dimsum Eats

While traditional dim sum tends to be a sit-down experience, this unique restaurant on Sunset Boulevard creates a modern twist by offering popular dim sum dishes in takeout-style form. All dishes are reasonably priced (think $3.95), and the menu includes everything from spring rolls and soup dumplings to steamed buns, rice dishes, and desserts.

Address: 5900 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles


6. 71 Above

If you want the best views in town, head to this high-end restaurant located on the 71st floor for an amazing dining experience. See views that stretch from Malibu to Laguna Beach while sitting 950 feet above ground level, and enjoy an American cuisine menu designed by Chef Vartan Abgaryan that includes octopus, steak tartare, Foie Gras, and prime ribeye.

Address: 633 W. 5th St, Los Angeles


7. Yamashiro Hollywood

Originally built in 1914 to house a private collection of Asian art, this hilltop mansion was later converted into a restaurant. Tucked away in the Hollywood Hills amid gardens and a koi pond, Yamashiro offers beautiful views of the city and an Asian menu that includes everything from sushi rolls to tempura. Finish the meal on a sweet note by ordering their strawberry filled doughnuts or the molten chocolate cake.

Address: 1999 N. Sycamore Ave, Hollywood


8. Pacific Dining Car

Founded in 1921, this upscale steakhouse offers the best Prime American Corn-Fed Beef in a classic railcar setting. What’s more, the restaurant is open 24 hours a day and serves breakfast and dinner anytime. They also offer afternoon tea from 3 to 5:30pm daily, and they have a second location in Santa Monica on Wilshire Blvd that features retro dining-car décor.

Address: 1310 W. 6th Street, Los Angeles


9. Café Gratitude

Café Gratitude has four locations and serves organic, plant-based food to guests. With dishes with names such as “Grateful” and “Humble”, the restaurant aims to weave a positive message into its menu by inspiring and motivating others. Don’t be surprised when at the beginning of the meal, your waiter asks what you’re grateful for.

Address: 512 Rose Ave, Venice



This article was written by Kamala Kirk.