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The LA Food Podcast
Acquired Taste Media
163 episodes
2 days ago
The LA Food Podcast is where LA’s top chefs, boldest food stories, and biggest restaurant moments all collide. Hosted by Luca Servodio, the official hype man of Los Angeles restaurants, we dig deep into what’s happening across the most exciting food city on the planet — Los Angeles. We’ve chopped it up with legends like Wolfgang Puck, Brooke Williamson, Joe Sasto, and more. Expect chef interviews, restaurant news, behind-the-scenes drama, food culture trends, and no-BS conversations about LA’s dynamic dining scene. Powered by Acquired Taste Media. New episodes drop every Friday. Hit follow!
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All content for The LA Food Podcast is the property of Acquired Taste Media and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
The LA Food Podcast is where LA’s top chefs, boldest food stories, and biggest restaurant moments all collide. Hosted by Luca Servodio, the official hype man of Los Angeles restaurants, we dig deep into what’s happening across the most exciting food city on the planet — Los Angeles. We’ve chopped it up with legends like Wolfgang Puck, Brooke Williamson, Joe Sasto, and more. Expect chef interviews, restaurant news, behind-the-scenes drama, food culture trends, and no-BS conversations about LA’s dynamic dining scene. Powered by Acquired Taste Media. New episodes drop every Friday. Hit follow!
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Arts
Episodes (20/163)
The LA Food Podcast
New Year, New Laws for California Restaurants. Plus, RIP Horses, Welcome Back Bäco, and Sorry Bill Simmons.

Welcome back to The LA Food Podcast! In our second episode of 2026, Father Sal and Luca kick things off with Recent Eats, covering Hermon’s, Superba, Connie & Ted’s, and Etra. Then we dive into the new California food laws taking effect in 2026 — including updates to minimum wage, plastic bag rules, delivery app regulations, tortilla fortification, allergen menu labeling, retirement plan requirements, outdoor dining extensions, and more.

Using reporting from Eater LA’s Mona Holmes, we break down how these policy changes affect restaurants, diners, delivery drivers, street vendors, and the broader hospitality industry. Are these laws a win for consumers? Added pressure for already-strained restaurants? Or a mixed bag lawmakers will need to refine?

Plus, in Chef’s Kiss / Big Miss, we hit:• Horses shuttering amid “catgate” fallout and tax liens• The closure of LA County’s oldest restaurant• A surprise Downtown comeback from a beloved chef• Pete Wells’ health-focused reset after stepping away from criticism• Blackbird’s 56 wild restaurant ideas for 2026

If you care about LA dining culture, food policy, restaurant trends, and what's ahead for hospitality in 2026, this episode is a must-listen.

SEO Keywords Included: new California food laws 2026, LA restaurants, delivery app regulations, California minimum wage 2026, Eater LA, Mona Holmes, restaurant trends 2026, Horses LA closure, Pete Wells health, LA dining news, LA food podcast

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2 days ago
1 hour 4 minutes 56 seconds

The LA Food Podcast
Food Resolutions, What’s In & Out for 2026, and Luca’s 2026 Countdown Announcement

It’s the first episode of The LA Food Podcast in 2026, and Luca Servodio and Father Sal are kicking off the new year the only way they know how: with food resolutions, trend forecasting, and a healthy dose of Chef’s Kiss / Big Miss.

On this episode, Luca and Sal trade three food-related resolutions each, from how they plan to dine out in 2026 to charitable goals that may or may not end in regret. Luca also officially announces the food category he’ll be counting down for the 2026 LA Countdown, while Father Sal attempts to prove he’s finally qualified to host a Los Angeles food podcast.

In Chef’s Kiss / Big Miss, the guys break down what’s in and out for 2026, reacting to food predictions from The New York Times, Helen Rosner, and Matt Rodbard of This Is TASTE. Topics include quieter restaurants, comfort food, texture-driven cooking, value dining, non-alcoholic buzzes, food media’s future, and whether food culture is finally moving away from spectacle and back toward warmth, intention, and community.

They also revisit last year’s predictions to see what actually held up, debate whether desserts truly require a glass of milk, and, of course, read a pair of truly unhinged Yelp reviews.

If you care about LA dining, food trends, restaurant culture, and where food media is headed in 2026, this is the perfect way to start the year.

Powered by Acquired Taste Media.

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1 week ago
1 hour 17 minutes 9 seconds

The LA Food Podcast
Building Budonoki: From USC Apartment Pop-Ups to One of LA’s Buzziest Izakayas

It’s a Christmas-week episode of The LA Food Podcast, and we’re celebrating with one of the most joyful restaurants in Los Angeles.

This week, Luca Servodio sits down with Eric Bedroussian and Josh Hartley, the hospitality-driven duo behind Budonoki, the wildly popular Virgil Village izakaya that started as a roaming pop-up and grew into one of LA’s most electric dining rooms.

In this How I Built This–style conversation, Eric and Josh walk us through how they met, how Budonoki evolved from college dinner parties to pop-ups at Melody and Ototo, and how they partnered with chef Dan Rabilwongse to create a restaurant that blends Japanese izakaya spirit with Thai, Vietnamese, and distinctly Angeleno influences. We dig into the details that define Budonoki — from front-of-house philosophy and menu experimentation to building a “party restaurant” that still takes food and hospitality seriously.

We also talk candidly about the realities of running a restaurant in 2025, how tough the year has been for hospitality, what it’s like to receive glowing critical praise while being left off certain lists, and how the team stays grounded amid the hype. And, of course, we close with our holiday tradition: Eric and Josh share the three Los Angeles restaurants they’re loving right now.

Consider this your Christmas gift if you love LA food, restaurant origin stories, and the people who make this city such a special place to eat.

🎄✨

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2 weeks ago
49 minutes 49 seconds

The LA Food Podcast
The 2025 LA Food Awards

The LA Food Podcast does awards… our way. In this first-ever LA Food Awards, Luca Servodio and Father Sal toss out the tired “Best Chef / Best New Restaurant” formula and replace it with an audio awards ceremony celebrating the restaurants, chefs, and cultural moments that actually defined LA dining in 2025. At least for us. 

From the FOMO Award for the restaurants we’re most anxious to finally visit, to debates over the hottest restaurants in LA — both physically and spiritually, we dig into what it really means to be a hot concept in Los Angeles right now. Along the way, we hand out awards for the chef we most want to grab a beer with, the restaurant we’ll never agree on, and the dining experiences that transcended a great meal and edged into something closer to the sublime.

It’s irreverent, occasionally unhinged, and ultimately thoughtful. A holiday-season reflection on why we dine out, what makes a restaurant matter, and how LA continues to influence the way America eats. Happy holidays from The LA Food Podcast — thanks for listening, and welcome to the inaugural LA Food Awards.

Powered by Acquired Taste Media.

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3 weeks ago
1 hour 14 minutes 51 seconds

The LA Food Podcast
Inside the LA Times 101 Best Restaurants List With Bill Addison and Jenn Harris. Plus, Biggest Drops, Rising Stars, and Notable Exclusions with Father Sal.

The LA food equivalent of a new Taylor Swift album dropped this week. The Los Angeles Times has released its annual 101 Best Restaurants in Los Angeles list, and Acquired Taste got early access before anyone else.

On this episode of The LA Food Podcast, Luca Servodio sits down with LA Times restaurant critics Bill Addison and Jenn Harris at Mercado La Paloma, which was named the number one restaurant on the 101 for 2025. The trio digs deep into how the list is made, how hundreds of meals are evaluated, and why this year’s top pick reflects something bigger about Los Angeles dining, community, and resilience.

Bill and Jenn break down the theme of the year, how catastrophe and creativity shaped the list, and what it means to rank restaurants during one of the toughest years the city has faced. They also explain major jumps and drops, including Damian, Stir Crazy, Vespertine, and Restaurant Ki, discuss the emotional weight of cutting restaurants from the list, and address the ongoing debate over whether food lists should consider community impact alongside culinary excellence.

In Part 2, Father Sal joins Luca for their signature Frankly Psychotic Analysis of the 101. They examine rising stars, surprising omissions, restaurants that keep climbing, and those that seem to yo-yo year after year, plus the places that intrigue them most heading into 2026.

Note: Luca’s audio dips briefly about 20 minutes into the conversation, but Bill Addison and Jenn Harris remain loud and clear throughout.

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1 month ago
1 hour 45 minutes 9 seconds

The LA Food Podcast
James Beard Awards Controversy Explained, Wagyu Wars, and LA Dominates Esquire’s Best New Restaurants. Plus, 2025 Gift Guide Feat. My Wife.

Welcome back to The LA Food Podcast. This week, Luca and Karen Palmer dive into one of the most fascinating food stories of the year: the global fight over wagyu. Karen breaks down what Japanese producers are trying to protect, whether A5 wagyu is actually worth the hype, and why the debate mirrors DOP fights in Italy over ingredients like San Marzano tomatoes and Neapolitan pizza standards.

We also unpack Esquire’s Best New Restaurants in America 2025, where California dominated the list and Los Angeles landed an incredible six spots, including Travis Lett’s RVR crowned Restaurant of the Year. Karen explains what stood out, how the 5 C’s rubric plays into national lists, and which LA restaurants might have been unlucky snubs.

In Chef’s Kiss / Big Miss, we break down Michael Nagrant’s viral takedown of the James Beard Awards, Greg Dulan winning the LA Times Gold Award, The New York Times critics on what defines a four-star restaurant, DoorDash entering the reservation game, and The Infatuation declaring where you should host your office holiday party.

Plus, Part 2 brings a festive return from Luca’s wife, who drops the hottest gift guide of the season. From Veso vermouth to butter bells, homemade shortbread to A24’s Scrounging cookbook, and at-home wine tasting to Kitchen Lingo classes, this guide has you covered for cocktail lovers, hosts, family, and anyone scrambling for last-minute inspiration.

If you love LA dining, restaurant news, and smart food media commentary, this episode is packed.

Keywords: LA restaurants, LA dining, wagyu beef, Esquire Best New Restaurants, Travis Lett RVR, James Beard Awards controversy, Greg Dulan, NYT food critics, DoorDash reservations, LA Times Gold Award, holiday gift guide, Los Angeles food podcast.

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1 month ago
1 hour 21 minutes 21 seconds

The LA Food Podcast
New York Dining in 2025: NYC's American Bistro Boom, Reservation Crisis, Credit Card Wars — and Why LA Should Care

This week on The LA Food Podcast, Luca welcomes back Nancy DaSilva, co-host of Compliments to the Chef, certified New Yorker, and our official ambassador from LA’s louder, older, and more globally hyped culinary sibling: New York City.

We kick things off with a Thanksgiving ice-breaker before diving straight into the State of Dining in NYC. Is the vibe doom, boom, or mellow in-between? Nancy walks us through the restaurant openings shaping 2025, the spots she loves, the ones that let her down, and the trends taking over New York—while we compare them to LA’s little-gem-salad, Bub-and-Grandma’s-bread era.

We also get into the NY food-media moment: the new critics at The New York Times, the rise of Feed Me and J. Lee’s podcast, and what it means for how diners discover restaurants. Then it’s Michelin time—what shocked Nancy in the 2025 Guide, how New Yorkers actually use it, and how it stacks up to LA’s still-evolving Michelin culture.

From impossible New York reservations to Blackbird’s traction on both coasts, we break down how people are actually eating, booking and talking about restaurants right now. And yes, Nancy finally answers the question every Angeleno secretly wants to know: In 2025, does New York respect LA dining?

Then we close with a special Chef’s Kiss / Big Miss lightning round featuring:
• turkey prices soaring 70%
• Meadow Lane, NYC’s new luxury-grocery fever dream
• the rise of $945 caviar advent calendars
• Bukayo Saka’s deranged childhood breakfast

If you love restaurant culture, food media, LA vs NY banter, or just need a Thanksgiving distraction, this one is for you.

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1 month ago
1 hour 6 minutes 58 seconds

The LA Food Podcast
3 LA Restaurants Make Eater’s Best New Restaurants, Bay Cities’ Fall From Grace, Recipe Brain Rot, and Eric Greenspan’s Tesla Diner U-Turn. Plus Recent Meals at Wilde’s and Camphor.

This week on The LA Food Podcast, Luca and Sal dive into the most chaotic, delicious, and debate-worthy stories shaping Los Angeles dining and the national food world.

We kick things off with recent eats at Wilde’s and Camphor before launching into our first-ever extended Chef’s Kiss or Big Miss lightning round.

We break down Eater National’s Best New Restaurants 2025, including L.A.’s powerhouse showing with Ki, Komal, and Betsy — and what it means for the “LA restaurant scene is dying” narrative. We also get into Eater LA’s Best Sandwiches list, debating Bay Cities’ shocking omission.

Next, we dig into LA Taco’s reporting on Taqueria Frontera’s ICE-delayed opening, the national wave of barista union wins, and Helen Rosner’s hot take that “recipes are brain rot.” Plus, Emily Sundberg says the best bars have terrible Instagrams — is she right?

We also look at America’s top foodcation destinations, and the revelation that Josh Hutcherson is just a Silver Lake guy who loves Dayglow, Salt & Straw, and Night + Market Song like the rest of us. And in a wild twist, Eric Greenspan is leaving the Tesla Diner to open… a Jewish deli. Is ditching robot service for pastrami a chef’s kiss or a big miss?

Finally, the mailbag returns with two bangers: • What inconvenient LA food is worth it? • What’s the best season of Top Chef?

If you love LA restaurants, food news, chef drama, labor stories, sandwiches, tacos, and wildly specific opinions, this episode is loaded.

Powered by Acquired Taste Media.

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1 month ago
1 hour 3 minutes

The LA Food Podcast
Eater/Resy Founder Ben Leventhal on Blackbird and the Future of Dining. Plus: Good News for Food Media, The Infatuation’s Best New Restaurants, Michelin Demotions, and Recent Eats at Betsy & More.

This week on The LA Food Podcast, Luca sits down with Ben Leventhal — the founder of Eater and Resy — to talk about his most ambitious project yet: Blackbird, a next-gen restaurant loyalty and payments app that might reshape how we dine out and how restaurants survive. Recorded at Rustic Canyon in Santa Monica, the conversation breaks down how Blackbird rewards you for actually showing up and paying at your favorite restaurants, why Ben thinks this model could transform the industry’s financial future, and how LA’s rollout fits into his vision for the app. We also get into Ben’s background in food media and reservations, and as a die-hard New Yorker, what he really thinks about Los Angeles as a tier 1 dining city.

Before that, Luca and Father Sal kick things off with recent eats — from Atelier Manna to the San Diego Food + Wine Festival — before diving into a rare silver lining for food media. We react to a week of big news:

  • The New York Times naming two new associate food critics, including friend of the pod Ryan Sutton

  • Elazar Sontag taking over as restaurant critic at The Washington Post

  • Emily Sundberg’s Feed Me launching the podcast Expense Account

  • And rumors of a brand-new food media startup from former Puck staffers

In Chef’s Kiss / Big Miss, we tackle:

  • Robot woks and automation at LA spots Tigawok and Robowok

  • The Infatuation’s Best New Restaurants in LA list for 2025

  • Big three-star demotions in the Michelin Guide (Alinea, Masa, The Inn at Little Washington)

  • AI-driven restaurant marketing and fully AI-generated ad campaigns

  • And looming tariffs on Italian imports and what that could mean for pasta night

We close with a Mailbag question on whether it’s finally time for us to launch a LA Food Awards of our own.

If you care about LA restaurants, restaurant tech, loyalty apps, Blackbird, food media, Michelin stars, and the future of dining, this episode is for you.

Powered by Acquired Taste Media.

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Go check out The Lonely Oyster in Echo Park! ⁠https://thelonelyoyster.com/⁠

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Get 10% off at House of Macadamias using code "LAFOOD" https://www.houseofmacadamias.com/pages/la-foods


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1 month ago
1 hour 29 minutes 16 seconds

The LA Food Podcast
Ludo Lefebvre Just Wants To Be Free. Plus, David Chang's Super Peach, Garibaldina Society, And The SoCal Kabob Chain Taking Over America.

On this episode of The LA Food Podcast, host Luca Servodio sits down with legendary chef Ludo Lefebvre — the culinary rockstar behind LudoBites, Petit Trois, and some of Los Angeles’ most influential restaurants. Recorded inside his intimate Paris-inspired bistro, this candid conversation dives into Ludo’s early days disrupting the LA dining scene, his transition into a restaurant empire, and why he still believes food — and butter — are the ultimate forms of creative freedom.

Plus, co-host Karen Palmer returns to discuss what’s hot in LA dining right now: the rise of a local restaurant chain, David Chang’s new Century City spot, recent meals at Funke, Garibaldina Society, and Wallflour Pizza, and the biggest “Chef’s Kiss, Big Miss” moments — from The Infatuation’s Top 25 list to the backlash against The Bear and Unreasonable Hospitality, and even Erewhon’s wild new toothpaste smoothie.

Powered by Acquired Taste Media.

Keywords: Ludo Lefebvre, LudoBites, Petit Trois, LA restaurants, Los Angeles food podcast, Chef Ludo, Jonathan Gold, David Chang, Funke, The Infatuation, Erewhon, The Bear, Unreasonable Hospitality, LA dining scene, Acquired Taste Media

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Go check out The Lonely Oyster in Echo Park! ⁠https://thelonelyoyster.com/⁠

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Get 10% off at House of Macadamias using code "LAFOOD" https://www.houseofmacadamias.com/pages/la-foods

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2 months ago
1 hour 23 minutes 38 seconds

The LA Food Podcast
150th episode mailbag: Peer-pressured meals, LA food media blindspots & what we’d do as mayor. Plus Katie Parla on Rome, Italian food, and why to avoid Eataly.

It’s a spooky milestone — 150 episodes of The LA Food Podcast! In this special Halloween edition, Luca Servodio and Father Sal dig into your listener questions in our first-ever mailbag episode: from the meals we felt peer pressured into liking to the undercooked food stories LA media ignores, and even what we’d do for restaurants if we were Mayor of Los Angeles. Expect chaos, confessions, and Father Sal’s unsolicited online dating advice.

We also recap recent meals at Cafe Triste, RVR, Anajak and more. 

Then in Part 2, Luca sits down with Katie Parla — bestselling author, Italian food expert, and self-publishing trailblazer — to talk about the state of Roman cuisine, her new book Rome, and how she sees LA’s Italian food landscape evolving through chefs like Evan Funke, Gino Angelini, and the rise of Eataly.

Insightful, funny, and deliciously nerdy — it’s the perfect episode to celebrate 150 with us.

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2 months ago
1 hour 51 minutes 11 seconds

The LA Food Podcast
NYT savages Spago. Plus, Next Gen Chef hot takes and recent meals at Republique, OyBar and Ototo.

Did the New York Times just cross the line with its brutal review of an LA dining icon? 🍽️ This week on The LA Food Podcast, we unpack Tejal Rao’s headline-grabbing critique of Wolfgang Puck’s Spago, the Beverly Hills institution she labeled merely “Satisfactory.” On our segment Chef’s Kiss / Big Miss, we debate: was this fair criticism, coastal bias, or just plain nonsense?

Plus, we’re diving into:

  • 🍔 Bold new California legislation that could transform how restaurants operate

  • 💸 Our insider tips for eating three meals in LA for under $25 a day, inspired by The LA Times article on doing the same

  • 🏛️ The heartbreaking, food-related fallout of the ongoing government shutdown

  • 📺 Father Sal’s sharp-tongued review of Netflix’s Next Gen Chef — did the LeBron James-produced show cook up something special or flop like a soggy soufflé?

And don’t miss our 150th-episode announcement — we’re hosting our first-ever listener Q&A! Send your questions via DM to @TheLACountdown or @ItsAcquiredTaste.

🎙️ Powered by Acquired Taste Media.


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2 months ago
1 hour 3 minutes 31 seconds

The LA Food Podcast
The dark side of "enlightened hospitality," with Adam Reiner. Plus, Great White's racist controversy, LA Taco's "best" Mexican restaurants, and thoughts on Quarter Sheets Pizza.

Today on The LA Food Podcast, we’re flipping the script — focusing not on the restaurant, but on you, the diner. Joining Luca and Father Sal is James Beard Award–winning author Adam Reiner, whose new book The New Rules of Dining Out redefines how we experience hospitality from the other side of the table. Reiner shares insider wisdom on how to dine like a pro, earn the respect of even the most jaded servers, and why “enlightened hospitality” might be due for a rethink.

Plus, Father Sal recaps recent eats including Quarter Sheets Pizza in Echo Park (was it worth the line?), and the guys unpack Great White’s racist controversy, LA Taco’s questionable Mexican restaurant rankings, the new rules of visiting gentrified Mexico City, and Tyra Banks’s mind-boggling new “hot ice cream.”

A candid, funny, and occasionally spicy conversation about what it really means to be a good diner in 2025. Powered by Acquired Taste.

🎙️ Featuring: Luca Servodio & Father Sal 📚 Guest: Adam Reiner, author of The New Rules of Dining Out 🍕 Topics: LA dining culture, restaurant etiquette, hospitality myths, Quarter Sheets Pizza, Great White LA, Tyra Banks hot ice cream, Mexico City food scene

#TheLAFoodPodcast #LAFood #AdamReiner #TheNewRulesOfDiningOut #Hospitality #QuarterSheetsPizza #LATaco #GreatWhiteLA #TyraBanks #MexicoCityFood


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2 months ago
1 hour 46 minutes 18 seconds

The LA Food Podcast
66 years of wild, wonderful stories at Chez Jay. Plus, Hermosa Beach's culinary rise, Taylor Swift's Hollywood haunt, and our 3 favorite classic LA restaurants.

What do Marilyn Monroe, Jeff Bezos, and Henry Kissinger have in common with The LA Food Podcast host Luca Servodio? They’ve all dined at Chez Jay, the legendary Santa Monica dive bar that’s been serving surf, turf, and stories since 1959.

In this week’s episode, Luca sits down with Mike and Chris Anderson, the father-son duo behind Chez Jay, and longtime chef Memo De Arcos to celebrate the restaurant’s 66th anniversary. They talk Hollywood lore, surviving Santa Monica’s transformation, and how they fought to keep Chez Jay alive when a shiny new park threatened to take its place. Stay tuned after the credits for bonus celebrity tales starring Pierce Brosnan, Fergie, and Elon Musk.

Plus, Karen Palmer returns to discuss the culinary rise of Hermosa Beach, a Los Angeles restaurant’s cameo in the latest Taylor Swift album, and which classic LA restaurants she can’t live without. In Chef’s Kiss / Big Miss, we’re talking pythons in drive-throughs, $100 smoothie kits, Priya Krishna on opening a restaurant in NY, and restaurants taking Bitcoin.

Powered by Acquired Taste Media.

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3 months ago
1 hour 37 minutes 44 seconds

The LA Food Podcast
A Frankly Psychotic™ Analysis of North America's 50 Best. Plus, Baby Bistro impressions, Bub & Grandma's Pizza, New York eats, and Zohran Mamdani the foodie.

On this week’s LA Food Podcast, Luca Servodio and Father Sal recap recent eats in NYC and LA before diving into Tejal Rao’s review of Baby Bistro — is it really the perfect encapsulation of LA dining in 2025? We also break down the new North America’s 50 Best Restaurants list: Atomix takes #1, New York dominates, Canada surges, and LA lands just three spots (Providence, Holbox, Kato). Plus, in Chef’s Kiss / Big Miss, we tackle modern steakhouses, Eater LA’s new “Dining Report,” California’s allergen-labeling law, Zohran Mamdani’s food-fueled campaign, and Genghis Cohen’s big move.

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3 months ago
1 hour 12 minutes 27 seconds

The LA Food Podcast
Is Santa Barbara California’s most underrated dining city? Plus, an interview with the Dom’s Taverna dream team.

Santa Barbara might be known as the American Riviera, but its food scene is finally demanding the spotlight. This week on The LA Food Podcast, we recap 72 hours of eats — from surprisingly great Mexican food to a bao joint everyone’s obsessed with — and explain why SB might just be California’s most exciting dining city right now.

Plus, we sit down with the team behind Dom’s Taverna, the Basque-inspired newcomer from Dominique Crisp, Raj Nallapothola, and Ben Carey that’s redefining Santa Barbara dining.

In Chef’s Kiss/Big Miss: goodbye Birdie G’s, the rise of convenience sushi, and a burger list showdown (how dare you, Farley Elliott).

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Go check out The Lonely Oyster in Echo Park! ⁠https://thelonelyoyster.com/⁠

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3 months ago
2 hours 16 minutes 32 seconds

The LA Food Podcast
Boycott brewing at Enrique Olvera’s Damian? Plus, 2 LA restaurants win Bon Appétit honors, 4 endangered LA restaurants find lifelines, and the NYT dunks on Alinea.

This week on The LA Food Podcast, we dive into one of the most heated debates in the LA dining scene: why are Angelenos calling for a boycott of Enrique Olvera’s acclaimed downtown restaurant Damian? Is the backlash justified, or has a whistleblowing media outlet (LA Taco) gone too far?

Father Sal joins the conversation as we unpack the Damian controversy, celebrate the two Los Angeles spots that landed on Bon Appétit’s 2025 Best New Restaurants in America list (Komal! Camelia!!), and highlight four beloved LA restaurants saved by community support (The Reel Inn! The Pantry!! Dulan’s!!! Cole’s French Dip????). We also break down the New York Times’ lukewarm review of one of America’s most famous dining rooms (Alinea).

Plus, we recap recent eats across the city—from the new tasting menu at Firstborn in Chinatown, to the ever-popular Saffy’s in East Hollywood, to Father Sal’s first (and unforgettable) trip to the celiac-unfriendly cult favorite, Courage Bagels.

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Go check out The Lonely Oyster in Echo Park! ⁠https://thelonelyoyster.com/⁠


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3 months ago
1 hour 5 minutes 9 seconds

The LA Food Podcast
And Dave Beran took that personally. Plus, Food & Wine snubs LA, three LA restaurants score major NYT praise, and our favorite CA pizzas outside of LA.

Today on The LA Food Podcast, Dave Beran—the award-winning chef behind Santa Monica’s Pasjoli and the tasting-menu temple Seline—sits down for his most candid interview yet. We talk about stepping into roles before you feel ready, the line between an intense kitchen and a toxic one, fundraising and vision, and how he truly feels about Seline not earning a Michelin star in year one. We also rewind to his Chicago years with Grant Achatz at Alinea and Next, and dig into how those experiences shaped his approach to leadership, hospitality, and creativity in Los Angeles.

Before that, part-time co-host Karen Palmer joins for recent eats in Ojai, what she’s working on next (including a shockingly great pizzeria in a surprising location), and Chef’s Kiss / Big Miss:

Food & Wine’s LA snub on its latest Best New Chefs list

Which LA spots made The New York Times 50 Best Restaurants in America (2025)

The latest trend sweeping LA restaurants and how we actually feel about it

If you care about fine dining, honest kitchen culture, and where Los Angeles food is headed next, this one is for you.

Powered by Acquired Taste Media.

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Go check out The Lonely Oyster in Echo Park! ⁠https://thelonelyoyster.com/⁠

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Get 10% off at House of Macadamias using code "LAFOOD" https://www.houseofmacadamias.com/pages/la-foods


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4 months ago
2 hours 16 minutes 50 seconds

The LA Food Podcast
Nancy Silverton, y’all. Plus, did our first visit to Kato live up to the hype?

Today on The LA Food Podcast, we’re joined by none other than Nancy Silverton — LA’s Queen of Carbohydrates, President of Pizza, and Secretary of Sourdough. Recorded at Osteria Mozza, our free-flowing conversation covers Nancy’s legendary career, her impact on multiple eras of Los Angeles dining, and why she continues to bring new and exciting concepts to life. We also preview her upcoming panels at LA Chef Con 2025, including a tribute to Jonathan Gold and a celebration of 10 years of Netflix’s Chef’s Table.

But first, Luca and Father Sal finally make it to Kato, the #1 restaurant on Bill Addison’s 101. Did Jon Yao and Ryan Bailey’s Michelin-starred spot live up to the hype? We break it down.

In Chef’s Kiss, Big Miss, we dive into Jenn Harris’s review of Nobu, a buzzy new West Hollywood hotspot from a Southern celebrity chef (Sean Brock), plus an ode to the timeless Chinese American combo plate from a local legend.

Powered by Acquired Taste Media.

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Go check out The Lonely Oyster in Echo Park! ⁠https://thelonelyoyster.com/⁠

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Get 10% off at House of Macadamias using code "LAFOOD" https://www.houseofmacadamias.com/pages/la-foods


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4 months ago
1 hour 42 minutes 29 seconds

The LA Food Podcast
The ultimate Las Vegas food weekend featuring MY WIFE !!! Plus, Cracker Barrel in crisis, restaurants face new allergen legislation, and an interview with La Fontaine's Laetitia Rouabah.

What happens on the pod, stays on the pod—or does it? Following the hit Palm Springs recap, Luca is joined once again by his wife to break down a herculean three-day eating marathon at Fontainebleau Las Vegas, the Strip’s buzziest new food destination. From Mother Wolf’s pasta to indulgent dinners at Don’s Prime and Chyna Club, dim sum at Washing Potato, and an ambitious food crawl at the Promenade Food Hall, they ask the big question: is Fontainebleau the best Vegas dining resort for true food obsessives?

In Part 2, Luca sits down with Chef Laetitia Rouabah, executive chef of La Fontaine, who built her career alongside Alain Ducasse in Paris, London, and New York before bringing her classic French sensibilities to Vegas. They dive into her inspiration for leaving NYC, how she adapts French cuisine for a new audience, and the biggest misconceptions about Vegas as a food city.

And of course, there’s Chef’s Kiss / Big Miss—covering the latest Cracker Barrel controversy, a new California restaurant requirement, a killer Infatuation Wallflour review, and the viral US Open cocktail that has everyone buzzing.

If you love Las Vegas dining, fine dining perspectives, and food world hot takes, this episode has it all.

Powered by Acquired Taste.

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Go check out The Lonely Oyster in Echo Park! ⁠https://thelonelyoyster.com/⁠

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Get 10% off at House of Macadamias using code "LAFOOD" https://www.houseofmacadamias.com/pages/la-foods

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4 months ago
1 hour 29 minutes 3 seconds

The LA Food Podcast
The LA Food Podcast is where LA’s top chefs, boldest food stories, and biggest restaurant moments all collide. Hosted by Luca Servodio, the official hype man of Los Angeles restaurants, we dig deep into what’s happening across the most exciting food city on the planet — Los Angeles. We’ve chopped it up with legends like Wolfgang Puck, Brooke Williamson, Joe Sasto, and more. Expect chef interviews, restaurant news, behind-the-scenes drama, food culture trends, and no-BS conversations about LA’s dynamic dining scene. Powered by Acquired Taste Media. New episodes drop every Friday. Hit follow!