Best Outdoor Dining Oasis Restaurants in Chinatown
9 hand-picked restaurants, critic-reviewed and ranked
Last Updated: February 2026
Our Top Pick
Bakers Bench
French Laundry-trained pastry chef Jennifer Yee applies Michelin-level lamination technique to 100% vegan croissants and danishes with Japanese flavor influences — named a top-22 bakery in the nation by the New York Times.
Notable Picks
#1
Bakers Bench
8.3
French Laundry-trained pastry chef Jennifer Yee runs a fully vegan bakery where Michelin-level lamination meets Japanese pantry staples like furikake, black sesame, and yuzu — the kind of technique that earned a top-22 national bakery nod from the New York Times. Tucked in a quiet Chinatown courtyard off Alpine Street, it draws pastry purists who come specifically for the croissant program and leave wondering how none of it contains butter.
Must-Try Dishes:
Furikake Croissant, Egg Roll Croissant, Seasonal Fruit Danish
What Makes it Special: French Laundry-trained pastry chef Jennifer Yee applies Michelin-level lamination technique to 100% vegan croissants and danishes with Japanese flavor influences — named a top-22 bakery in the nation by the New York Times.
Vibes:
Brewery & Beer Garden Republic
Outdoor Dining Oasis
Pet Friendly Paradise
Group Dining Gatherings
Award-winning LA brewery where the food program punches well above typical taproom fare—the fried chicken sandwich with salsa macha and lemon pepper wings draw as much praise as the house-brewed pilsners and IPAs. The warehouse space across from LA State Historic Park works well for groups, dogs on the patio, and pre-Dodgers crowds willing to walk the 15 minutes to the stadium.
Must-Try Dishes:
Pils, Chicken Sandwich, Wings
What Makes it Special: Craft brewery with expansive patio in LA's Chinatown serving house-brewed beers alongside elevated pub fare
#3
Majordomo
8
Vibes:
Group Dining Gatherings
Birthday & Celebration Central
Outdoor Dining Oasis
Instagram Worthy Wonders
David Chang's LA flagship runs on large-format showpieces—the two-day smoked short rib sliced tableside, then repurposed into beef rice—built for groups who want to pass platters and share. The warehouse energy runs loud and industrial by design, so this works best when you're leaning into the communal table rhythm rather than looking for quiet conversation.
Must-Try Dishes:
Bing, Bossam, Stuffed Peppers
What Makes it Special: David Chang's LA flagship brings his bold Korean-American cooking to a Chinatown warehouse with whole-animal feasts and wood-fired dishes
#4
Baby Bistro
8
Chef Miles Thompson runs a tight six-dish progression out of an 1890s Victorian bungalow in Chinatown, where the entire 35-seat room fires the same concise seasonal menu each night. The format rewards diners who want to hand over the reins—ankimo torchon and passionfruit-dressed spaghetti squash signal a kitchen comfortable with Japanese and European technique applied to California produce. Best approached as a complete experience rather than an à la carte stop, with the intimate scale and historic setting doing most of the atmospheric work.
Must-Try Dishes:
Country Bread with Liptauer Cheese, Ankimo Torchon, Spaghetti Squash with Passionfruit
What Makes it Special: Chef Miles Thompson serves a concise six-dish seasonal menu inside an 1890s Victorian bungalow that seats just 35, designed to be fired as a complete progression.
#5
Perilla LA
8
A Busan-inspired banchan shop that rotates its lineup of Korean side dishes with uncommon precision, earning a spot on the NYT 50 Best Restaurants list for that singular focus. The format is built for solo lunchers grabbing a dosirak box or a spread of banchan to go, not a sit-down occasion. With only 62 Google reviews running at 89% five-star, early signals are strong but the track record is still short.
Must-Try Dishes:
Black Cod Dosirak, Gimbap, Gyeran-mari
What Makes it Special: A banchan shop inspired by Busan takeout culture, named to the NYT 50 Best Restaurants list for its obsessively perfected rotating Korean side dishes.
Worthy Picks
7.9
A Northern Baja California-style taco shop where every protein hits a charcoal grill to order, producing a smoky char that separates it from steam-table competitors—the garlic-laced vampiro alone earned its own LA Weekly write-up. It runs as a quick-service counter with outdoor seating on Figueroa, priced for a weekday lunch habit rather than a special occasion. The move is to treat it like a Baja street stand: order two or three tacos, eat them standing, and get back to your day.
Must-Try Dishes:
Al Pastor Taco, Taco de Camarón, Battered Fish Taco
What Makes it Special: Northern Baja California-style taco shop where every meat is charcoal-grilled to order and the signature garlic-laced vampiro has drawn its own LA Weekly feature.
#7
El Paseo Inn
7.9
A sprawling open-air Mexican cantina on historic Olvera Street that leans into the full festive experience—tableside guacamole, mariachi on Sundays, and a patio that fills up with multi-generational tables sharing enchiladas and margaritas. Operating since the 1930s, it draws on atmosphere and tradition more than culinary precision, making it the right call when the occasion matters as much as the meal.
Must-Try Dishes:
Cadillac Margarita, Chicken Enchiladas De Mole, Tableside Guacamole
What Makes it Special: LA's oldest Mexican restaurant, serving on historic Olvera Street since the 1930s with live mariachi and a sprawling open-air patio.
#8
Lasita
7.8
A Filipino rotisserie and natural wine bar built around lemongrass-rubbed chicken inasal and a no-rules, share-everything ordering format. The compact 32-seat Chinatown dining room runs loud when full, so the 25-seat patio is the move for conversation-heavy dinners. The curated natural wine list paired against dishes like sizzlin' shroom sisig gives it a lane that few spots in LA occupy.
Must-Try Dishes:
Chicken Inasal, Pancit Kang Kong, Sizzlin' Shroom Sisig
What Makes it Special: Filipino rotisserie and natural wine bar in Chinatown with a no-rules dining format — order at any pace, share everything, and pair lemongrass-rubbed chicken inasal with a curated natural wine list.
7.8
Old-guard Chinatown comfort with a straightforward menu and a classic sidewalk dining setup. Come for nostalgic Cantonese-American standards and a mellow outdoor meal that feels like a step back in time.
Must-Try Dishes:
Orange Flavor Chicken, Three-Flavor Sizzling Rice Soup, Shrimp Egg Foo Young
What Makes it Special: A longtime Chinatown staple for no-frills outdoor Cantonese comfort.