This modern Mexican kitchen was just named one of the best new restaurants in the country by Bon Appétit

When seeking out the best restaurants in Los Angeles—hell, the best restaurants in all of America, really—editors aren't looking for tried-and-true concepts or copycats. The restaurants that truly stand out are the ones driven by confidence, venues where chefs take risks, lean into their visions and bring personality back to the table. And that's clearly the case with this year's lineup of America’s Best New Restaurants from Bon Appétit: According to those discerning foodies, Los Angeles’s own Broken Spanish Comedor captures that spirit, earning its place among the nation's newest stars in 2026.

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Led by Chef Ray Garcia, the restaurant revives his "authentically inauthentic" approach to Mexican cooking, with an emphasis on acid, heat and richness throughout the menu. The coal-roasted camote—a sweet potato slathered in rich salsa macha butter—melts in the mouth, while the refried lentils folded with stretchy quesillo achieves a velvety, luxurious texture that wouldn't be out of place on a French menu. Options like raw bay scallops in a citrusy aguachile broth offer a punchy, vibrant contrast to the heavier dishes. A porchetta-style chicharron stands out as the star of the menu. Prepared over a five-day process, it yields an impossibly crisp, savory crunch balanced by a sharp garlic mojo.

Many Angelenos mourned the closure of the original Broken Spanish (it shuttered in August 2020, due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic), but Broken Spanish Comedor marks a celebrated return, earning praise from local diners and now Bon Appétit. Like the other standouts on their list, which includes the likes of Creepies in Chicago, Saint Claire in New Orleans and Kawaba in New York, Broken Spanish Comedor presents a unique take on traditional flavors and techniques, with exceptional results.

The best new restaurants in America, according to Bon Appétit:

• Agnes and Sherman, Houston
• Casa Juani, Boulder
• Junior, Nashville
• Anjin, Kansas City
• Creepies, Chicago
• Kawaba, New York
• Bayonet, Birmingham
• Honeysuckle, Philadelphia
• Le Calamar, Austin
• Broken Spanish Comedor, Los Angeles
• Jules, San Francisco
• Lei, New York
• Leo's, Santa Fe
• Little Mountain, Montecito
• Maison Bar a Vins, Washington D.C.
• Maria Isabel, San Francisco
• Saint Claire, New Orleans
• Sao, Philadelphia
• The Wayland Mill, Seattle