Top Chef: All-Stars L.A. is currently airing on Bravo, and while past seasons have inspired us to reserve a table and eat out, the era of self-isolation has changed all that. The restaurant business is hurting, but you can help out—even from the comfort of your own home. If you’re sick of daily PB&Js and midnight boxes of mac and cheese, you’ll want to add these spots to your quarantine meal rotation. (And check out the other guides in this series: Pacific Northwest and the Rockies, the Midwest, the Northeast, and the South.)
TANYA HOLLAND
SEASON 15
Brown Sugar Kitchen
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA
If you’re craving comfort food and aren’t self-isolating with your mom, then this beloved chef and cookbook author’s award-winning soul food is here to the rescue. Order buttermilk fried chicken, gumbo and rice, and sweet potato pie online on Toast for pickup, and add on a pint of her red velvet ice cream, a collaboration with Bay Area favorite Humphry Slocombe.
DAKOTA WEISS
SEASON 9
Sweetfin
VARIOUS LA AND SAN DIEGO LOCATIONS
If unlimited time at home means unlimited unhealthy snacking, this sustainably sourced “pole-to-bowl” poke spot—with nine locations across Southern California—could be your cure. In addition to such favorites as truffled yuzu albacore and sriracha tuna bowls (available for delivery through Postmates), Sweetfin is offering DIY sets of raw fish (marinated or unmarinated) with bulk sauces and bases for in-store pickup.
RICHARD BLAIS
SEASON 4 RUNNER-UP, SEASON 8 ALL-STARS WINNER
The Crack Shack
VARIOUS SAN DIEGO AREA LOCATIONS
Blais’s mini-empire is an ode to chicken and eggs, and the store’s Little Italy, Encinitas, and Costa Mesa locations are still open for curbside pickup and delivery (through a number of third-party apps). While many of their cult-hit sandwiches and bowls are available, we especially love their Flock Meals—basically elevated versions of KFC family buckets, which come with Jidori fried chicken, fries, slaw, biscuits, chicken nuggets, and chocolate chip cookies.
SHELDON SIMEON
SEASON 10 FAN FAVORITE, SEASON 14 FAN FAVORITE
Tin Roof
KAHULUI, MAUI
Raised in Hawaii by Filipino parents, chef Simeon has become something of an ambassador for the diverse cuisines of the Aloha State. In addition to craveable favorites (such as pork belly kau kau tins ), Tin Roof is offering daily specials for pickup and delivery, plus limited-availability ingredients (like fresh saimin and fat chow funn noodles) so you can make your own meals at home.
BROOKE WILLIAMSON
SEASON 10 RUNNER-UP, SEASON 14 WINNER
Playa Provisions
PLAYA DEL REY, CALIFORNIA
Williamson’s casual café sits just across the street from the beach. If you want to bring those playa vibes home with you, the Season 14 winner is offering a limited takeout and delivery menu that includes fish tacos, refreshing salads, and batched spicy pomegranate or mezcal margaritas. Bored? They’re also offering take-and-bake cookie, biscuit, or cinnamon roll packs, plus cookie and cupcake decorating kits.
AMAR SANTANA
SEASON 13 RUNNER-UP
Broadway by Amar Santana
LAGUNA BEACH, CALIFORNIA
This O.C. fine-dining spot has pivoted beautifully to curbside, family-style meals, which are scalable depending on how many you’re feeding: Think salmon, scallops, or lamb shank—plus appetizers and sides—for two, four, or six. Don’t forget to add on batched cocktails and a bottle of wine.
JEN BIESTY
SEASON 4
Shakewell
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA
At this Oakland Mediterranean restaurant, season 4 contestant Jen Biesty—who went on to win an episode of Chopped last fall—serves inventive spins on tapas bar classics, such as purple papas bravas with piquillo pepper sauce and fried chicken with churros. You can order much of the menu, plus batched cocktails (such as rosé sangria), for pickup or delivery on Caviar.
BRUCE KALMAN
SEASON 15
Knead & Co. Pasta Bar and Market
LOS ANGELES
Kalman describes the cuisine at his Grand Central Market stand as “Jersey meets California meets Italy.” Order dishes such as Jersey baked penne, mafaldine alla olio, and chicken parm sandwiches or dried pasta and Sunday gravy for takeout or delivery through Caviar, Postmates, or Uber Eats.
ROGELIO GARCIA
SEASON 15
Spruce
SAN FRANCISCO
Garcia came onboard as the chef de cuisine at this one-Michelin-starred, micro-seasonal restaurant in 2018. While the temporarily shuttered dining room is chic, the new takeout and DoorDash delivery menu is comfortingly downhome: a burger with fries, Caesar salad, a three-course family meal (such as lasagna bolognese with salad and a dessert), and “decent” bottles of wine for under $20.
ALEX REZNIK
SEASON 7
Mrs. Fish
LOS ANGELES
This Downtown LA sushi bar is offering à la carte nigiri and rolls, plus combination boxes, for takeout and delivery through Caviar, Postmates, and DoorDash. You can also find popular items from Mrs. Fish’s sister restaurant Perch, such as steak frites, wild mushroom risotto, and ahi tuna tartare.
ELIA ABOUMRAD
SEASON 2, SEASON 8 ALL-STARS
Cassell’s Hamburgers
VARIOUS LOS ANGELES LOCATIONS
The Mexico City–born chef and her husband, fellow chef Christian Page, run the revived classic LA burger joint, which originally opened in 1948, before shuttering in 2012 and reopening two years later. The Koreatown location is still slinging old-school burgers, patty melts, chili cheese fries, and milkshakes for takeout and delivery on most major apps.
ANTONIA LOFASO
SEASON 4, SEASON 8 ALL-STARS
Scopa Italian Roots
LOS ANGELES
If you’re self-isolating a few states away from your Italian-American nonna, Scopa Italian Roots is the next best thing, with a takeout and delivery menu (via Caviar and Uber Eats) that includes red-sauce classics such as rice balls, lasagna, and DIY fresh pasta kits. And if you’re self-isolating a few states away from your nonna and your Jewish bubbe, Scopa is also offering New York Jewish deli platters on Sundays, complete with bagels, gravlax, smoked trout salad, and all the fixings.
ALEX EUSEBIO
SEASON 5
Sweetsalt Food Shop
TOLUCA LAKE, CALIFORNIA
Described as a Martha’s Vineyard–inspired restaurant “if Martha moved to Los Angeles,” this neighborhood bakery and café serves up organic, local breakfast and lunch dishes, including avocado toast, pesto chicken paninis, and lavender duck confit sandwiches. You can order takeout or delivery by calling or emailing the restaurant, and they’ve also set up a market to sell grocery essentials, such as fresh-baked bread, quarts of tomato soup, eggs, and—you guessed it—toilet paper.
BRYAN + MICHAEL VOLTAGGIO
SEASON 6 RUNNER-UP, SEASON 17 (BRYAN)
SEASON 6 WINNER (MICHAEL)
STRFSH
SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA
Inspired by the Voltaggio Brothers’ New England childhood, this fish-focused stand in Santa Monica’s Gallery Food Hall keeps it simple with a menu of crisp boardwalk fries, fish and chips, and a line of sandwiches that include a highbrow Filet-O-Fish (complete with American cheese and tartar sauce), one named for Michael (pepper-jack-topped swordfish), and one named for Bryan (salmon with Old Bay and green chile mayo). You can order pickup through Ritual or delivery through Postmates, Grubhub, Uber Eats, or DoorDash.
