"If eating the best pasta in LA is your priority, head here. Formerly a pop-up Downtown, Cento reemerged in a new West Adams space this year with a leafy front patio and a wrap-around marble bar that offers intimate views of the pasta-making spectacle in the kitchen. Our tip: sit at the bar. Wherever you land, you’ll eat standout dishes like briny squid ink mafaldine with prawns, towering beet spaghetti topped with ricotta, and spicy pomodoro with a tiny pool of basil oil in the middle. This isn’t traditional Italian—whatever that means—but it is delicious and different from anything else you’ll find in town. " - brant cox, nikko duren, sylvio martins, garrett snyder