Where To Go For The Best Armenian Food In California, According To Geoffrey Zakarian

Geoffrey Zakarian is known for his modern take on American and French cooking, but the restaurateur and celebrated Iron Chef also has a personal connection to Armenian food. With his Armenian American background and upbringing in Worcester, Massachusetts — the location of the first Armenian community in the United States — he knows a thing or two about the Eurasian country's cuisine.

Food Republic had an opportunity to speak with the chef at the 2024 New York City Wine and Food Festival, where he noted that Armenian food is underrated. "It's a peasant food, and I grew up with it," he stated, "but there's not a lot of stuff that's out there. You'd have to go to a really local place." Specifically, Zakarian singled out the Los Angeles city of Glendale with "some great Armenian restaurants." Glendale is home to the largest Armenian population outside Armenia and the area is teeming with highly lauded ethnic restaurants, bakeries, and specialty shops. Aside from Glendale, there's also the Little Armenia neighborhood in Hollywood, which abuts the city's Thai Town in an unexpected yet welcome melding of diverse cultures.

Armenian food has much in common with Middle Eastern food, which Zakarian describes as from "the same basket of stuff we use." According to him, "It's basically the same cuisine[;] it's just a different name." He mentioned the Philadelphia-based Israeli restaurant Zahav, with its menu full of kebabs, shishlik, hummus, and kubbe neeya — a fish, bulgur, and pickled vegetable version of Michael Solomonov's fried kibbe.

The comparison with Middle Eastern food rings true at L.A.'s most popular Armenian restaurants. If you ask around for the best in town, you'll hear some of the same names repeatedly. At the heart of the community are Elysee House Restaurant (formerly known as Old Gyumri), which offers high-end Armenian and Mediterranean food, and Carousel Restaurant with its melding of Lebanese staples, Armenian soujouk sausages, and belly dancing.

Sahag's Basturma is where to go for traditional air-dried meat sandwiches. For fresh grilled meats, you'll get recommendations for Mini Kabob as well as the Original Kabob Factory. While they're often lumped together, there's a difference between kebabs vs souvlaki (which are Greek) — both of which vary from how they make giant doner kebabs, which originated in Turkey. Another popular stop when touring Glendale's culinary scene is Zhengyalov Hatz. It's the only Armenian restaurant in the States that's in the Michelin Guide, and it only serves one dish ... a vegan combination of seasoned greens, herbs, and vegetables wrapped in lavash bread.

The Armenian bakeries are also not to be missed. Sasoun Bakery has locations in Glendale, Little Armenia, and the San Fernando Valley, and is loved for its cheesy stuffed beoregs and lahmajunes (Armenian flatbread pizza). Papillon Bakery specializes in ponchik doughnuts (very similar to Polish Mardi Gras paczki), and Georgian Khachapuri, which is baked dough stuffed with cheese and other delicious fillings. Head to Monta Factory for handmade dumplings or comforting garlic yogurt soup.