Best Armenian Restaurants and Businesses in LA to Support

Los Angeles is home to one of the largest Armenian communities outside Armenia, and the quickest way in is through the food. Glendale, Burbank, Little Armenia in East Hollywood, and Pasadena are packed with kebab grills, lahmajoun bakeries, basturma counters, and family markets. Plenty of them have fed the same families for decades.

We organized this guide two ways: by neighborhood and by occasion. Each entry tells you what to order, what the dish actually is, and how to keep supporting the business once the plates are cleared. Hours and menus change, so check current details on Armat Platform or the business's own site before you head out.

Last updated: October 2026, by the Armat editorial team.

Quick picks by neighborhood

• Glendale: The center of Armenian LA. Kebab houses, Persian-Armenian grills, Lebanese-Armenian mezze rooms, and bakeries on nearly every major street.
• Burbank: Breakfast spots, bakery counters, and neighborhood grills, a few minutes from Glendale.
• Little Armenia (East Hollywood): The community's historic heart, with long-running bakeries, basturma shops, and the original Zankou Chicken.
• Pasadena: Western Armenian bakeries, pastry shops, and one of the city's best-known basturma makers.
• San Fernando Valley: North Hollywood, Van Nuys, Encino, and Granada Hills, where Armenian markets and grills share strip malls along the big boulevards.

A Bakery Counter Holds More Than Bread

Here is why these places matter. A neighborhood bakery runs as a business, but it also works as a meeting point. Stand at a Glendale counter on a Sunday morning and you'll hear Armenian, English, Arabic, Farsi, and Russian, sometimes all from one family. Churches and schools carry a lot of community life, but they can't do it alone. The shops fill in the rest.

How Armenian Los Angeles Took Shape

Armenians have lived in Southern California since the late 1800s. The first sizable community settled in Fresno, and Los Angeles drew later arrivals. The population grew in waves, and every wave brought a different kitchen with it. Families came from Lebanon during its civil war, from Iran after 1979, and from Soviet Armenia in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Others arrived from Syria, Iraq, Turkey, and Egypt.

In October 2000, the Los Angeles City Council officially designated Little Armenia in East Hollywood. The district runs roughly along Hollywood Boulevard and Santa Monica Boulevard between the 101 Freeway and Vermont Avenue. Glendale went on to become the largest center of Armenian life in the region. In Montebello, people have gathered for remembrance at the Armenian Genocide Martyrs Monument in Bicknell Park since the 1960s.

Our guide to Armenian neighborhoods in Los Angeles walks through each of these areas and their landmarks.

Support Means Coming Back

Personally, I think supporting a family business comes down to returning. One dinner is lovely. What actually keeps a shop open is the catering order for a baptism, the box of gata (a sweet Armenian pastry) for the office, the review that names the dish you loved, and the friend you send their way. Small shops live on repeat customers and word of mouth. Later in this guide we list ten concrete ways to support Armenian small businesses.

How We Chose These Places

Every business named here passes four tests:

1. Armenian-owned or Armenian-run, based on public, verifiable information.
2. Local reputation: a place community members actually recommend.
3. Staying power: years of steady operation, not a pop-up.
4. A clear specialty: something it does better than most.

If we couldn't confirm that a place was open and Armenian-run, we left it out. Some neighborhoods get a "what to look for" description instead of names, and that's on purpose. We'd rather stay accurate than pad a list. No business paid to appear here.

Verify before you go: Hours, menus, and ownership change. Check the business's official site or its Armat listing before visiting, especially around holidays, when many Armenian businesses shorten hours or close.

Want to spot Armenian-owned businesses in LA on your own? Our walkthrough on finding Armenian-owned shops in LA covers the signs and the directories worth checking.

Armenian Food 101: What to Order First

Knowing the menu makes picking a restaurant much easier. Start with the language. Armenian has two standard forms. People in Armenia and Iran speak Eastern Armenian. Western Armenian comes from the diaspora with roots in Ottoman Anatolia, and many Lebanese- and Syrian-Armenians speak it. So one dish can carry two or three spellings, depending on who runs the kitchen.

Armenian dishes to try first:

1. Khorovats or lule kebab
2. Lahmajoun
3. Tolma (dolma)
4. Basturma
5. Manti
6. Gata
7. Armenian coffee

Grill and Kebab

Khorovats (Western: khorovadz) is Armenian barbecue: big pieces of pork, lamb, chicken, or vegetables on long skewers over charcoal. In Armenia, no gathering feels complete without it. Lule kebab is ground meat mixed with onion and spices and pressed onto a flat skewer. At Iranian-Armenian grills around LA, you'll also find Persian-style koobideh (ground meat kebab) and soltani (a koobideh and filet combination).

So how does khorovats differ from kebab? "Kebab" covers grilled meat across the whole region. Khorovats refers to the Armenian style: larger cuts, light seasoning, and smoke doing most of the work.

Breads and Baked Goods

• Lavash: A thin, soft flatbread traditionally slapped against the inner walls of a tonir, a clay oven set into the ground. UNESCO inscribed Armenian lavash on its list of intangible cultural heritage in 2014.
• Lahmajoun (also lahmacun; Eastern: lahmajo): A thin, round flatbread topped with minced meat, tomato, pepper, and herbs. Squeeze lemon over it, add parsley, roll it up, and eat it with your hands.
• Boreg (also burek, beoreg): Flaky pastry filled with cheese, spinach, or meat.
• Choreg (Eastern: chorek): A braided, lightly sweet bread flavored with mahlab, a spice ground from cherry pits. Most families bake it for Easter.

Cured Meats and Deli

• Basturma (Western: basterma): Air-dried beef coated in chaman, a paste of fenugreek, paprika, and garlic. Slice it thin and eat it with eggs or on lavash.
• Sujuk (also soujouk): A dry, spiced beef sausage, often fried with eggs or sliced onto a mezze spread.

Comfort Dishes

• Manti: Tiny meat dumplings baked until crisp, then finished with broth, garlic yogurt, and sumac or red pepper.
• Tolma (also dolma): Grape leaves, cabbage, peppers, or eggplant stuffed with rice and meat. Lenten versions leave out the meat.
• Harissa (also keshkeg): A porridge of wheat and chicken or lamb, cooked slowly and stirred for hours until smooth. Our piece on harissa and its story explains why it carries so much meaning.

Sweets and Coffee

• Gata: A sweet bread or pastry, sometimes filled with khoriz, a buttery crumble of sugar and flour. Styles change from region to region.
• Nazook: A rolled, layered pastry with a sweet filling, cut into rounds.
• Paklava (baklava): Phyllo layered with walnuts or pistachios and soaked in syrup.
• Armenian coffee (soorj, Eastern surch): Finely ground coffee boiled in a small pot called a jezve and served unfiltered.

Why Two Armenian Menus a Mile Apart Look So Different

First-timers often miss this. Two Armenian restaurants in Los Angeles can sit a mile apart and share almost nothing on the menu. Nobody made a mistake. Each kitchen cooks the food of the country its family passed through.

I treat this table as a map. Craving mezze? Go Lebanese-Armenian. Want a mountain of saffron rice? Head to an Iranian-Armenian grill. After smoke and pork skewers? Find a grill run by a family from Armenia.

Glendale: Where Armenian LA Eats

Search "Armenian restaurants Glendale" and the map fills with pins. Glendale has more Armenian restaurants than anywhere else in the region, and Brand Boulevard, Broadway, and Glendale Avenue make the best starting points.

Mini Kabob

Category: Family-run kebab counter. Known for: A tiny dining room and food cooked to order by the Martirosyan family, whose roots run through Armenia and Egypt. Mini Kabob became a citywide name after years of glowing press, including a Los Angeles Times Food "Off Menu" episode on the family's kebab counter. If you want one stop for Armenian kebab Glendale regulars talk about, start here.

• First-timer's order: Lule kebab plate with hummus and pickled sides.
• Good for: Takeout, small groups, a lunch you'll keep talking about.
• Check current hours on the official site.

The LA Times episode gives a close look at the family and their grill:

Raffi's Place

Category: Persian-Armenian grill. Known for: Koobideh and soltani kebabs, piles of saffron rice, and a big patio. Glendale families have long relied on Raffi's Place for large dinners.

• First-timer's order: Soltani (koobideh plus a filet skewer) with grilled tomato.
• Good for: Birthdays, groups of 10 or more, eating outdoors.

Carousel Restaurant

Category: Lebanese-Armenian mezze restaurant. Known for: Long spreads of small plates. Carousel suits a slow dinner with family.

• First-timer's order: Hummus, muhammara (a red pepper and walnut dip), sujuk, and a mixed grill to share.
• Good for: Celebrations, long dinners, introducing non-Armenian friends to mezze.

Zankou Chicken

Category: Fast-casual rotisserie. Known for: Garlic sauce (toum) with a devoted following. According to Zankou Chicken's company history, the Iskenderian family opened the first Zankou in Beirut in 1962 and brought it to Hollywood in 1984. Zankou now has locations across greater LA, Glendale included.

• First-timer's order: Half chicken plate with extra garlic sauce.
• Good for: Quick lunches, weeknight takeout, feeding a crowd on short notice.

Armenian Food in Burbank Stays Neighborhood-Sized

Armenian food in Burbank runs on a smaller scale than Glendale's. Think breakfast spots serving sujuk and eggs, bakery counters stacked with boreg and lahmajoun, and small grills that fill up with studio workers at lunch. Walk Magnolia Boulevard, San Fernando Boulevard, and the stretch of Glenoaks Boulevard near the Glendale line.

What to look for in Burbank:

• Breakfast: Sujuk or basturma with eggs, lavash, fresh herbs, and Armenian coffee.
• Bakery counters: Cheese boreg and lahmajoun by the dozen for office mornings.
• Lunch grills: Chicken and lule plates, often with online ordering.

Burbank's lineup changes often. Rather than print a fixed list that could go stale, we send readers to Armat's live business listings.

Little Armenia: Where Many Families First Landed

East Hollywood is where a lot of Armenian families started out in LA, and some of the city's longest-running Armenian businesses still operate here.

Sasoun Bakery

Category: Lebanese-Armenian bakery. Known for: Lahmajoun straight from the oven, cheese boreg, and za'atar flatbreads. Sasoun Bakery began in the Little Armenia area and has since opened locations in other Armenian neighborhoods. Ask around about lahmajoun in Los Angeles and this name comes up fast.

• First-timer's order: Two lahmajoun with lemon, plus one cheese boreg.
• Good for: Breakfast, picnic supplies, party trays.

The Original Zankou on Sunset

The first Zankou in the United States opened in Hollywood in 1984. Eating there gives you a small piece of community history, with a plate of garlic chicken on the side.

Walk the neighborhood and you'll pass basturma shops, jewelry stores, and family groceries along Hollywood and Santa Monica Boulevards. Eater's short film on the area captures the mood:

Pasadena and the San Gabriel Valley: Pastry and Cured Meats

Armenian restaurants in Pasadena lean toward Western Armenian baking and house-cured meats. Here are three worth a stop.

Old Sasoon Bakery

Category: Family bakery. Known for: Traditional Western Armenian baked goods. Regulars at Old Sasoon Bakery tend to order by the dozen.

• First-timer's order: Lahmajoun and a bag of choreg for the next morning.
• Good for: Stocking the freezer, holiday tables, host gifts.

Panos Pastry

Category: Lebanese-Armenian pastry shop. Known for: Trays of paklava, bird's-nest pastries, and other syrup-soaked sweets. Families often pick up boxes at Panos Pastry before engagements and name days.

• First-timer's order: A mixed paklava box.
• Good for: Dessert runs, gifts, celebration trays.

Garo's Basturma

Category: Deli and cured meats. Known for: Basturma and sujuk cured in-house. Customers come to Garo's Basturma from all over Southern California.

• First-timer's order: A quarter pound of basturma, sliced thin, plus sujuk for the grill.
• Good for: Pantry staples, mezze platters, gifts for anyone who misses home.

The San Fernando Valley and Montebello

As Armenian families moved north and west, North Hollywood, Van Nuys, Encino, and Granada Hills grew steadily. The same pattern shows up again and again: a market, a bakery, and a grill sharing one strip mall on Victory, Sherman Way, or Balboa. Many Valley grills serve Armenian-style khorovats with pork, which you won't find at Lebanese or Persian spots.

Montebello plays a different role. Its Armenian community goes back generations, and the Genocide Martyrs Monument makes it a place of remembrance. After the commemorations each April, many families share a meal together. For current food businesses nearby, check Armat's listings.

Armenian Bakeries in Los Angeles Worth the Trip

For me, bakeries are where Armenian LA feels most like home. The standouts from this guide: Sasoun Bakery for lahmajoun and boreg, Old Sasoon Bakery for Western Armenian classics, and Panos Pastry for paklava trays. Glendale and Burbank add plenty of neighborhood counters on top of those.

Holiday tip: Pre-order gata, choreg, and paklava trays at least a week before New Year's Eve, January 6, and Easter. Popular shops sell out, and some stop taking orders days ahead.

Want a preview first? RestroSpot's Top 10 Best Armenian Bakeries in Los Angeles video takes about three minutes to watch.

Armenian Markets in Los Angeles: Delis and Specialty Grocers

Markets stock far more than any restaurant menu can show. The Armenian-American Tachdjian family founded Super King Markets, which runs several Southern California stores with large produce sections, imported cheeses, and Middle Eastern and Armenian staples. Smaller family groceries in Glendale, Little Armenia, and the Valley cover the rest with house-made pickles, fresh lavash, and deli counters.

Armenian pantry starter list:

• Fresh lavash (it freezes well)
• Basturma and sujuk
• Armenian string cheese (braided, often with nigella seeds)
• Dried apricots and apricot preserves
• Bulgur in fine and coarse grinds
• Pickled vegetables (tourshi)
• Dried herbs: tarragon, savory, mint, and basil (reyhan)
• Pepper paste and pomegranate molasses
• Finely ground Armenian coffee
• A bottle of Armenian brandy

That last item comes with its own backstory. Our team's trip to Yerevan traces the story of Armenian brandy from vineyard to cellar.

Pick an Armenian Restaurant by Occasion

Let's break it down. Match the moment to the type of place.

Hosting a big dinner? Learn how Armenian toasts (kenats) work before you raise a glass. You'll also see the word spelled genatz. At a family-style Armenian table, everyone shares the dishes, hosts keep the plates full, and toasts follow a set order.

When to Order: A Seasonal Calendar

Timing matters more than most people expect. Demand peaks at these points in the year:

Anoushabour is a sweet pudding of wheat, dried fruit, and nuts, and topik is a Lenten dish of chickpea and potato wrapped around a filling of onions. For the meaning behind these foods, read about the Armenian New Year table and traditional Armenian Christmas dishes.

Armenian-Owned Businesses in LA Beyond the Kitchen

Food leads this guide, but the Armenian business community in LA reaches much further. Look for:

• Jewelers: Many work in downtown LA's jewelry district and in Glendale.
• Florists: A fixture at weddings, baptisms, and memorials.
• Fashion and design studios.
• Bookstores and gift shops: Armenian-language books, music, and handmade goods.
• Professional services: Accountants, lawyers, physicians, and printers.
• Wellness: Salons, spas, and fitness studios.

For the wider picture, see our roundup of Armenian-owned businesses to support in LA. You can also browse businesses built by Armenian women and our latest Armenian gift finds. Many groups in our guide to Armenian cultural organizations in Los Angeles keep member business directories too.

Taste a Dozen Kitchens at Once: Festivals and Food Fairs

I'll admit it: church food fairs are my favorite way to eat Armenian in LA. One afternoon gets you homemade manti, kebab straight off the grill, and a pastry table run by volunteers who have baked for decades. If you're hunting for the best Armenian food in LA, this is where home cooks show what they can do.

Start with the Holy Cross Armenian Food Fair & Fest, hosted by Holy Cross Armenian Church. Then check our calendar of Armenian cultural events in LA for festivals, school bazaars, and holiday markets.

Festival route tip: Arrive early for the baked goods, eat from the grill at midday, and pick up pastry boxes to take home on your way out.

10 Ways to Support Armenian Small Businesses in LA

1. Order catering for birthdays, baptisms, office lunches, and holidays.
2. Buy gift cards and give them as presents.
3. Write detailed reviews that mention dishes and staff by name.
4. Tag businesses when you post photos on social media.
5. Send friends their way, especially for catering and events.
6. Shop holiday markets and church bazaars.
7. Hire Armenian-owned services such as florists, photographers, printers, and jewelers.
8. Show up to business-hosted events, including tastings and launches. Our guide to where young Armenians connect in LA lists good places to start.
9. Buy pantry staples from family markets instead of big chains.
10. List or claim businesses on Armat so others can find them.

For Business Owners: Get Found on Armat

Run an Armenian restaurant, bakery, market, or shop in LA? A listing on Armat Platform's events and business hub puts you in front of readers who are already searching for Armenian businesses. Customers see your current hours, menus, and events in one place. If anyone has ever told you, "I didn't know you were here," a listing solves that problem.

Frequently Asked Questions About Armenian Restaurants in LA

What city in LA has the most Armenian restaurants? Glendale. It has the region's largest cluster of Armenian kebab houses, bakeries, and markets, followed by Burbank, Little Armenia, Pasadena, and the San Fernando Valley.

Where is Little Armenia in Los Angeles? In East Hollywood, roughly between the 101 Freeway and Vermont Avenue along Hollywood and Santa Monica Boulevards. The City Council designated it in 2000.

What is the most popular Armenian dish to try first? Start with khorovats or lule kebab, then move to lahmajoun. Both are easy to love and appear on most menus.

Is Armenian food the same as Lebanese or Persian food? No. The cuisines overlap because many Armenian families lived in Lebanon or Iran for generations. Armenian cooking still has its own dishes, like khorovats, harissa, and gata, along with its own spellings.

What is lahmajoun and how do you eat it? Lahmajoun is a thin flatbread topped with spiced minced meat. Squeeze lemon on it, add parsley and onion, roll it up, and eat it with your hands.

Are there vegetarian Armenian dishes? Yes. Armenian Lent produced a full meatless menu: rice-stuffed tolma, topik, lentil kufta, spinach boreg, and herb salads.

Where can I buy Armenian groceries in LA? Try Super King Markets, family grocers in Glendale and Little Armenia, and specialty delis like Garo's Basturma in Pasadena.

How can I tell if a business is Armenian-owned? Look for owner bios, Armenian-language signs, community listings, and church or school sponsorships. Our guide on how to spot Armenian-owned shops explains each sign.

Can I order Armenian catering for a large event? Yes. Most kebab grills and mezze restaurants cater. Book 7 to 10 days ahead, and earlier around holidays.

How can I find Armenian businesses near me? Search Armat's business and event listings by neighborhood, or check the directories that local Armenian organizations maintain.

Next Steps

Choose one place from this guide for this weekend. A bakery run counts, and so does a kebab lunch. After that, find Armenian community events near you and put the next food fair on your calendar. Each visit and each review helps these family businesses stay open for the next generation.

Sources

• Little Armenia, Los Angeles (Wikipedia)
• Zankou Chicken: Official Site and Company History
• The best Armenian restaurant in L.A. is this tiny family-run kebab joint in Glendale, Off Menu (Los Angeles Times Food)
• Top 10 Best Armenian Bakeries in Los Angeles (RestroSpot)