The 7 Best Restaurants Near the STAPLES Center

The STAPLES Center in Downtown Los Angeles Photo credit FG/Bauer-Griffin / Getty Images

It’s easy to make an evening of a Lakers or Clippers game at the STAPLES Center (or concert/other event nearby at L.A. Live or the Convention Center) with a bunch of solid dining options around South Park. Before the game you can find quality craft beer and light bites that’ll let you skip some of the pricier options inside STAPLES, while afterward you can settle in for a bigger meal or cap off the night with a few cocktails, all within a few blocks.

You may be tempted to stray further into downtown, but the last thing you want to do is move your car (we don’t recommend any extra driving in the city if you can avoid it). So your pre-show or post-game meal needs to be within walking distance, which for Angelenos means 15 minutes max.

Whether you’re looking to pick up something quick or linger for a while, hit up one of these eateries.

Mikkeller DTLA

There is no better place to drink beer in DTLA than Mikkeller. The international craft beer monolith slings some of the best brews around, though it may be a bit crowded depending on how much time you have to pregame. Enjoy a few pours from the bar’s extensive list, which includes a lot of hazy IPAs, sours, and options from local breweries like Smog City and Mumford. The food menu skews toward Mikkeller’s European homeland with options like house smoked bratwurst on a baguette, a Danish cucumber salad called agurkesalat, and pommes frites.
Mikkeller DTLA
330 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90015

Broken Spanish

Ray Garcia serves some of the most interesting and creative Mexican food in a city filled with stiff competition. While it may cost a little more than a taco from your favorite food truck, Broken Spanish is worth a splurge. The epic chicharron easily qualifies as one of L.A.’s best dishes and we’d happy devour it for our last meal. Do not try to rush through this menu before a game, but do post up here with a few pals to celebrate a big win.
Broken Spanish
1050 S Flower St, Los Angeles, CA 90015

El Cholo

If you’re looking for something more low-key, there’s El Cholo. The downtown location of the standby restaurant chain provides a greatest hits list of Mexican food with a side of nostalgia. If you don’t already have a favorite item on the menu, try the enchiladas or chile con carne, both of which El Cholo has been serving since 1923, and of course a margarita.
El Cholo Downtown
1037 S Flower St, Los Angeles, CA 90015

WP24 by Wolfgang Puck

Perched 24 floors up in The Ritz-Carlton, Puck’s WP24 lets diners ball out as they look out on an amazing view of DTLA. Ostensibly a Chinese restaurant, WP24 offers a pan-Asian menu that ranges from dim sum to sushi to curries. The roasted Peking duck makes a fitting feast to cap off any night of festivities.
WP24
900 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90015

The Original Pantry Cafe

The Pantry is a downtown institution. The 24-hour restaurant claims that it has not closed its doors once since opening in 1924. While that boast slightly fudges the truth, the diner does welcome guests at all hours of day and night. Should you need a late-night spot after an event runs late, you’ll find hot coffee, eggs, steak, pancakes, and a collage of Angelenos waiting for you.
The Original Pantry Cafe
877 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90017

Faith and Flower

Stop in to Faith & Flower before a game to slurp down dollar oysters at happy hour while you sip through the bar’s high-end cocktails. A Suntory Toki highball machine makes some of the best bubbly Japanese whisky drinks this side of the Pacific, and the bar offers a number of Old Fashioneds made with their own select barrels from several distilleries. If you have more time, the wood-fired oven churns out amazing pizzas with creative toppings like eggs benedict and truffled porcini mushroom conserva.
Faith & Flower
705 W 9th St, Los Angeles, CA 90015

Katsuya

The luxe sushi chain from the sbe group has a location at L.A. Live, offering guests chef Katsuya Uechi’s inventive omakase (which includes foie gras and wagyu at $98) along with more affordable rolls and sushi combinations, all inside a spectacular, stylized space. This is L.A. sushi at its most chic.
Katsuya L.A. Live
800 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90015