If someone asked you to make a list of the best restaurants in Los Angeles, what would you put on there? There are some restaurants we all think of as obvious choices, but the people making those lists aren’t always on the same page (crazy, right?).  Gayot recently named 40 of the best restaurants in the United States and Los Angeles was recognized with five of our most delicious spots – can you guess which ones?

Melisse, in Santa Monica, followed by Patina, Providence, Spago Beverly Hills, and Urusawa.  Did they miss anything, in your opinion? The website notes that their list is a celebration of restaurant veterans and newcomers alike; it’s a look at who’s making a splash in the culinary world and who’s been able to maintain a presence despite any economic battles.

The list rounded out with restaurants in New York including favorites like Le Bernardin, Per Se, Blue Hill, and Masa alongside Chicago’s Alinea, Cyrus restaurant in Healdsburg, California, No. 9 Park in Boston, and Michel Richard Citronelle in Washington, DC.  Worry not, Thomas-Keller-devotees, his French Laundry made the list, even if his Bouchon outpost in Beverly Hills didn’t.

On their list of top 10 new restaurants in the US, you won’t be surprised to find Jose Andres celebrated again for his whimsical molecular gastronomy at The Bazaar at the SLS Hotel.  Also on the list is Twist by Pierre Gagnaire in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Las Vegas.

These are the culinary institutions loved most by Gayot, would your list look just the same or completely different?