If you steer clear of paparazzi-favoured joints, restaurants that appear to have been designed to within an inch of their life, and anything claiming celebrity ownership, you'll eat well in LA. The city's greatest culinary asset is the diversity of its population: the variety of food out here is as wide as you'll find anywhere on the West Coast.

A number of star chefs ply their trade in and around the city. Among the best of them are Celestino Drago's eponymous Drago in Santa Monica (2628 Wilshire Boulevard, CA 90403, +1-310 828 1585, www.celestinodrago.com), Jean François Meteigner's La Cachette in Century City (10506 Little Santa Monica Boulevard, CA 90025, +1-310 470 4992, www.lacachetterestaurant.com), and Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken's peerless Ciudad in Downtown LA (445 S Figueroa Street, CA 90071, +1-213 486 5171, www.ciudad-la.com). All three have surfed their initial waves in popularity and have long since settled comfortably into their locations, widely regarded as among the best restaurants of their class in town.

Of course, there are also some more straightforward options scattered around LA. In West LA, the Apple Pan (10801 W Pico Boulevard, CA 90064, +1-310 475 3585) dishes up some of the city's best burgers; Downtown's Philippe the Original (1001 N Alameda Street, CA 90012, +1-213 628 3781, www.philippes.com) is perpetually packed with budget-conscious punters seeking one of its trademark French Dip Sandwiches; and in Los Feliz, Fred 62 (1850 N Vermont Avenue, CA 90027, +1-323 667 0062, www.fred62.com) continues to draw hipsters with its menu of modified comfort cooking. And then there are the assorted Mexican restaurants in East LA and the Chinese eateries of Alhambra, both well worth the diversion.

LA's driving culture means it's not really a drinking city, but that doesn't stop some enthusiasts from giving it their best shot. Handily, two of the best drinking neighbourhoods are linked by the Metro, meaning that you can leave your car keys at the hotel for a change. Hollywood is home to everything from the ever-popular Beauty Bar (1638 N Cahuenga Boulevard, CA 90028, +1-323 464 7676, www.beautybar.com) to the old-school, hipster-divey Frolic Room (6245 Hollywood Boulevard, CA 90028, +1-323 462 5890). Meanwhile, the ever-expanding Downtown drinking scene now includes the beautiful Broadway Bar (830 S Broadway, CA 90014, +1-213 614 9909, www.thebroadwaybar.net) and the Edison (108 W 2nd Street, CA 90012, +1-213 613 0000, www.edisondowntown.com).

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