Twilight Bites: The Haute 5 Restaurants for Late Dining in LA

You’ve just stumbled out of Voyeur, it’s 2:30am, the world is spinning just a little, and the vast emptiness that is your refrigerator makes your hunger pangs that much worse.  Unlike New York, LA is not known for it’s all night options – aside from Mel’s Diner, at which the only respectable thing to order is pie.  If this dilemma has stricken you more than once, we recommend you print this out and keep it in your pocket, purse, or make your driver commit it to memory.  That’s because its LA’s most haute late night dining spots.  Yes, they do exist.

Citizen Smith

Located in the middle of Hollywood, conveniently near your favorite places to partake in boozing, Citizen Smith is one of LA’s coziest and still chic places to shamelessly inhale famously delicious Macaroni and Cheese, Sweet Potato Churro Fries, and Cajun Calamari at 1am.  Dark, but wide open spaces with décor that looks almost handmade, Citizen Smith encourages you to sit down and sober up (er, stay a while).  It really does look like your best friend’s amazing house – if your best friend has been to far corners of the world and brought back rough wood tables, mismatched lamps, and an array of brown leather sofas.

Citizen Smith is located at 1600 N. Cahuenga Blvd. in Hollywood.  (323) 461-5001

Kitchen 24

If you, like many of us, have day dreams and fantasies about such delicacies as Croissant French Toast and Ho Cakes (it’s Buttermilk Pancakes with Blueberry syrup, what did you think?), then Kitchen 24 is a danger zone.  At 2am, when your heels are killing you and your judgment is thoroughly impaired, you may too easily convince yourself that you do, indeed, need to eat a Bartender’s Banquet: Bacon, Onions, Eggs, Sprouts, Salsa, and Sour Cream all scrambled together and wrapped in Tortilla with (no, it’s not over) half a Waffle with Strawberries and Whipped Cream.  It’s a diner in the best sense of the word, with a distinctly LA scene.  Simply put, go once and you’ll come back for more.

Kitchen 24 is located at 1608 N. Cahuenga Blvd. in Hollywood. (323) 465-2424

24/7 Restaurant at the Standard Hotel: West Hollywood

They may call it a coffee shop, but truth be told, the Standard’s 24/7 Restaurant is the kind of place that other coffee shops try to be.  Situated just to the left of the Standard’s lobby in West Hollywood, it provides a slick leather booth, an after party atmosphere, and Spicy Tuna Rolls or California Rolls… Only in LA.  They do, of course, offer more traditional diner fare like Pancakes, Eggs with Home Fries, and the Standard Burger – or all the things you most crave in the wee hours of the night.  Also, in case you hadn’t had enough, they also offer wine, sake, and champagne.

24/7 Restaurant at the Standard is located at 8300 Sunset Blvd. in West Hollywood. (323) 650-9090

Canter’s

That this archetypal delicatessen, open since 1924, stays open 24 hours a day is a never-ending reason to eat bagels with lox, Mishmosh soup (Matzo Ball Soup with Kreplach, Rice, and Noodles), Baked Eggplant Parmesan, and Cheese Blintzes all day long.  It’s ambiance goes no further than fluorescent lighting, but the crowd you’ll find sitting at Canter’s on any given night is a veritable cross section of LA’s most in-the-know locals.  There may not be a VIP section, nor a hostess to whom you can slip $20 to get a better table, but Canter’s serves up exactly what you need to eat in the middle of the night.

Canter’s is located at 419 N. Fairfax Ave. in West Hollywood. (323) 651-2030

Magnolia

With Magnolia, we ask you to redefine “late night” only a little.  They may only stay open until 2am on the weekends, but considering this is LA, that’s not bad especially when you’ve got a hankering for Hummus, Spinach Artichoke Dip, or a Magnolia Frittata at 1am.  If this were New York, you’d have to decide between Falafel and Falafel.  Magnolia could be your new favorite post-Arclight spot or, if you’re downtown, you can head to their other location. That one’s only if you need your beauty sleep, they close at 11pm.

Magnolia is located at 6266 1/2 Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood. (323) 467-0660