Gado Gado

"Gado Gado was quick to set up outside dining in its Hollywood parking lot when COVID-19 struck, and years later, it’s still going strong. Cute, covered, and heated with standing heat lanterns, it’s a lovely and cozy place to dine on the restaurant’s inventive Indonesian and Chinese dishes, dumplings, and Singaporean chile crab." - Thom Hilton

"A restaurant in Portland, Oregon, known for its creative dishes, led by chef Thomas Pisha-Duffly." - Erin DeJesus

"You probably wouldn’t bring a homesick Indonesian to Hollywood’s Gado Gado, a colorful strip mall spot that spawned Oma’s Hideaway, since the food is rooted in tradition but kind of does its own thing—to delicious effect. The grilled chicken satay and tender beef rendang wouldn’t be out of place in a Jakarta warung, but you’d be hard-pressed to find warm chanterelle and farro salads with mezcal-pickled cherries and fig gastrique on those same streets. And that’s part of the fun, as is the Singapore-style chili crab, a Sunday and Monday “secret” special. If you want to see what Gado Gado can do, gather a group and order the 13-ish course family-style Rice Table ($89 per person), their interpretation of a rijsttafel feast. You might start with a take on panipuri, filled with sweet potato purée and pickled pineapple while being charmed by coconut clam curry with anchovy croutons and clove and pandan-scented rice along the way." - Krista Garcia

"This Hollywood Indonesian restaurant offers one of the more fun options for special occasion dinners with its rice table service, a family-style tasting menu in which chef Thomas Pisha-Duffly covers the table in snacks and dishes like Chinese sausage and shrimp shu mai, coconut-rich beef rendang, and the sweet and tender pork dish babi kecap. The meal is $85 per person, though those hoping for something a little more customizable can opt for the a la carte menu; the restaurant takes reservations online, but those interested can reserve a table for up to 20 people through the website without doing a full buyout." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden

"For some, a celebration dinner means covering the table in food, tangles of arms scooping and grabbing and yanking at the spread in front of them. This Hollywood neighborhood Indonesian restaurant’s “rice table” is specifically designed for those people: the meal comes with a flurry of snacks, grilled meats, curries, and braises served with the restaurant’s tasty clove-scented rice. The menu is available pescatarian or not, though this would not be the best option for vegans." - Michelle Lopez, Brooke Jackson-Glidden