Broken Spanish is the place I’m most eager to return to on my next trip.
Baco Mercat’s my most regular stop downtown. Great vegetable dishes (not necessarily vegetarian). Kid-friendly.
KazuNori is good and cheap for a quick snack.
You can eat well at Little Sister Downtown if you order the right things.
Don’t go to Clifton’s to eat, but walk around and check out the crazy decor.
If I had three nights in LA and was staying downtown I wouldn’t spend two hours schlepping out to Santa Monica and back. Not a bad place to stop if you’re driving to LAX.
Bestia and Gjelina are great but to me very similar to SF places such as Zuni and Nopa.
Gjusta is the most unconvivial place I’ve ever eaten. It doesn’t do anything better than places in SF. Would not go back unless I was staying nearby so I had somewhere to eat takeout.