USC Guide: Where to Eat, Drink & Stay (2026)
Find the best restaurants, bars, hotels, cafes, and campus landmarks near the University of Southern California (USC), with a saveable map for students, parents, and visitors.
Whether you’re a USC student working out where to eat once
the USC Village rotation gets old, an admit walking the campus for the first
time, a parent in town for move-in or a football Saturday, an alum back for a
reunion, or a family here for graduation, this guide pulls together the
restaurants, bars, hotels, and campus landmarks worth knowing around the
University of Southern California.
USC sits in University Park, about three miles south of
downtown Los Angeles, on a compact and genuinely walkable campus with
Exposition Park’s museums right across the street and the Los Angeles Memorial
Coliseum a few minutes’ walk from Tommy Trojan. What makes a USC trip different
from most college visits is that the city keeps going: the walkable stuff
around campus is real but limited, and a short drive or a ride on the Metro E
Line opens up downtown LA, the Arts District, and some of the best restaurants
in the country. This guide is organized that way, closest to campus first, so
you can decide how far you actually want to go.
Best Restaurants Near USC
USC dining sorts itself into four rings, and knowing which
one you’re in saves a lot of time. USC Village and the Figueroa Street edge of
campus cover the everyday, walkable meals. A few blocks south, Mercado La
Paloma holds four of the best things to eat anywhere near USC, including a
Michelin-starred seafood counter, all at one address. Downtown LA is a ten to
fifteen minute ride for tacos and a proper dinner. And the Arts District,
twenty minutes out, is where the big-night-out restaurants live. Everything
below is off campus.
Featured restaurants to check out
Cafe Dulce (USC Village)
3096 McClintock Ave Ste 1420, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA
The Japanese-influenced coffee and donut shop in USC Village, and the default caffeine stop for anyone with a morning class or a campus tour to get through. Coffee, pastries, and quick sandwiches, right in the middle of the Village so you can walk to it from almost anywhere on north campus.
McKay's
Radisson Mid-City Hotel, 3540 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA
The restaurant inside the USC Hotel, named for John McKay, the coach who won USC four national titles, and decorated to match. Breakfast and game-day buffets are the draw, and for parents staying at the hotel it’s the one meal that requires no planning at all. The private event room is called the Trophy Room, which tells you everything about the tone.
The Lab Gastropub
3500 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA
A casual gastropub on the Figueroa edge of campus that handles the in-between meals: a sit-down lunch between classes, a group dinner that turns into drinks, a place to watch a game without committing to the 901. Convenient more than remarkable, which is the point.
Rock & Reilly's USC - Restaurant and Bar
3201 S Hoover St, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
The Irish gastropub anchoring USC Village, and the closest thing to a real bar you can walk to without leaving campus. Pub food, a lot of screens, and a crowd that swells on game days. Worth knowing: the Rock & Reilly’s in downtown LA has closed, so this USC Village location is the one to plan around.
CAVA
3201 S Hoover St Suite 1840, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
The build-your-own Mediterranean bowl chain, sitting in USC Village where it does exactly the job you’d expect. Not a destination, but it’s fast, it’s on campus, and it’s the answer when a group can’t agree on anything else.
Northern Cafe
2904 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA
Casual Chinese on Figueroa, a few minutes’ walk from campus, doing dumplings and noodles at student prices. It’s a takeout-and-weeknight-dinner kind of place rather than somewhere you’d bring visiting parents, and it earns its spot on convenience and consistency.
Holbox
3655 S Grand Ave c9, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA
The Michelin-starred mariscos counter inside Mercado La Paloma, run by chef Gilberto Cetina, and the best meal within a mile of USC by a wide margin. The smoked kanpachi taco is the order. Two things to know: there’s no alcohol, and the limited Wednesday and Thursday tasting menu sells out within days of release.
Chichen Itza
3655 S Grand Ave c6, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA
The Yucatecan restaurant in the same food hall, run by the Cetina family, and the older half of the story behind Holbox. Regional Mexican cooking you won’t find near campus otherwise, and an easy, unfussy lunch for families who want something more distinctive than a chain.
Mercado La Paloma
3655 S Grand Ave #280, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA
A 35,000 square foot food hall and community space in Historic South Central, about a mile south of campus, and the single most useful address in this guide. Seven kitchens operate inside, including three listed separately below, so a group that can’t agree can all eat well in one room. Worth a short drive or a fifteen minute walk.
Manuela
907 E 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90013, USA
A farm-to-table restaurant tucked inside the Hauser & Wirth gallery complex in the Arts District, with its own garden and chicken coop feeding the kitchen and commissioned work by Paul McCarthy and Mark Bradford on the walls. It’s the pick when a parent visit calls for something calm, adult, and unmistakably Los Angeles.
Bavel
500 Mateo St #102, Los Angeles, CA 90013, USA
Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis’s Middle Eastern restaurant in the Arts District, named LA Times Restaurant of the Year in 2019 and still difficult to get into. Order the hummus and the malawach. Book well ahead for graduation weekend, because walking in is not a plan.
Bestia
2121 E 7th Pl, Los Angeles, CA 90021, USA
The Arts District Italian restaurant from the same couple behind Bavel, open since 2012 and still one of the hardest tables in the city. Wood-fired, loud, and built for a celebration dinner, which is exactly what most people use it for on an alumni or graduation weekend.
Girl & the Goat Los Angeles
555-3 Mateo St, Los Angeles, CA 90013, USA
Stephanie Izard’s shared-plates restaurant, the LA outpost of the Chicago original, a few doors from Bavel. Big, loud, and built around ordering a lot of things for the table, which makes it the easiest Arts District booking for a group of six or more.
Sonoratown
208 E 8th St, Los Angeles, CA 90014, USA
The original location of the Sonoran-style taqueria that changed how LA thinks about flour tortillas, about a ten minute ride north in the Fashion District. Small, fast, and cheap, and the one downtown food stop that’s worth building a trip around even if you only have an hour.
Jacks N Joe
2498 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA
The mom-and-pop breakfast counter at Adams and Figueroa, open since 2010 and running about thirteen kinds of pancake, including the peanut butter and banana Pudgie Elvis. It’s the USC breakfast institution, all-day breakfast, hangover-proof, and a short walk from campus.
Ebaes
2314 S Union Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA
Ramen and sushi just west of campus, and one of the more reliable sit-down dinners in walking distance. The thing students plan around is the $8 Ramen Day on the first of every month, which is dine-in and cash only, plus a daily happy hour from 2 to 6.
KOMAL
3655 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA
Fátima Juárez and Conrado Rivera’s masa-obsessed counter, open in Mercado La Paloma since September 2024 and already carrying a Michelin Bib Gourmand and a James Beard semifinalist nod. They nixtamalize their own corn and supply tortillas to Holbox, which should tell you where to start. Go for the tlacoyos.
Best Bars Near USC
USC nightlife splits cleanly. There’s the walkable
Figueroa corridor, where the student bars actually are, and then there’s
everything downtown, which is where alumni, parents, and anyone wanting a
proper cocktail end up. The four campus-adjacent options below are close enough
to walk to. The four downtown ones need a ride, but they’re the reason a USC
weekend can turn into an LA weekend.
Featured bars to check out
901 Bar and Grill
2902 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA
Open since 1947 and still the USC bar, sitting directly across from the Row. Wings, screens, and a 25% discount with a valid USC ID, which is why nobody has managed to unseat it in almost eighty years. If you only go to one bar near campus, this is the one, and on game days it’s the whole scene.
Bacari W. Adams
2308 S Union Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA
A Mediterranean small-plates spot with a patio in West Adams, about two miles from campus, and the one place near USC that works equally well for a student group, an alumni catch-up, or dinner with parents. Beer and wine only, so plan elsewhere if the night calls for cocktails.
APOTHEKE LOS ANGELES
1746 N Spring St, Los Angeles, CA 90012, USA
A speakeasy-style cocktail bar in Chinatown, roughly fifteen minutes north of campus, where there’s no printed menu and the bartenders build drinks to order from an apothecary conceit. It’s the most theatrical night out in this guide and the right call when the occasion needs one.
Seven Grand
515 W 7th St 2nd floor, Los Angeles, CA 90014, USA
The downtown whiskey bar, up a flight of stairs on 7th Street, with pool tables, taxidermy, and a list deep enough to justify the trip. It’s the after-dinner move for alumni who want somewhere with a bit of history to it, about ten minutes from campus.
Everson Royce Bar
1936 E 7th St, Los Angeles, CA 90021, USA
An Arts District bar built around one of the better patios in Los Angeles, with a serious wine program and a burger people go out of their way for. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays, and worth a Resy reservation if there are more than a few of you.
Perch
448 S Hill St, Los Angeles, CA 90013, USA
The French-leaning rooftop bar above Pershing Square, with fireplaces, fire pits, and the downtown skyline doing most of the work. Reserve ahead, expect it to skew date night rather than casual, and note the automatic gratuity on parties of seven or more.
Tirebiter Brewery
2502 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA
A small brewery and taproom on Figueroa near Adams, opened in 2019 by the Bednorz family, who also run Jacks N Joe next door. House beers, guest taps, wine, outdoor seating, and live music some nights. It’s the low-key alternative to the 901 and the easiest walkable option for grad students and alumni. Closed Tuesdays.
Mal's Bar
2331 S Hill St, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA
A genuine dive east of campus, pool table, cheap beer, no pretense. It draws a neighborhood crowd more than a student one, which is exactly why some people prefer it. Don’t come expecting a cocktail program.
Best Hotels Near USC
There’s really one decision to make here: campus or
downtown. The USC Hotel is directly across Figueroa from campus and is the only
genuinely walkable option, which is why it sells out first for graduation,
move-in, and big football weekends. Everything else in this guide sits in the
downtown and L.A. LIVE cluster, roughly two miles north, which trades a ten to
twenty minute ride for far more choice in rooms, restaurants, and price. The
Metro E Line connects the two, so downtown is a legitimate car-free base.
Listed closest to campus first.
Featured hotels to check out
USC Hotel
3540 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA
USC’s own 240-room hotel, directly across Figueroa from campus and about a three minute walk from the Coliseum. It was the Radisson until USC rebranded it in 2019, and it remains the only place you can stay and still walk to everything, with McKay’s on site for breakfast. Book it first and book it early, because for move-in, graduation, and marquee games it goes before anything else.
The Hoxton, Downtown LA
1060 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90015, USA
A 174-room boutique hotel on Broadway with a rooftop pool, the Mediterranean-leaning Inanna bar upstairs, and a diner downstairs. Around two miles from campus. It’s the choice for alumni and parents who’d rather the hotel be part of the weekend than just a place to sleep.
Downtown LA Proper Hotel
1100 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90015, USA
Kelly Wearstler’s 147-room design hotel a block from the Hoxton, with three restaurants and bars including the Cara Cara rooftop. The most style-forward stay on this list and the one to book when the trip is as much about Los Angeles as it is about campus.
Hotel Figueroa - The Unbound Collection by Hyatt
939 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90015, USA
A 1926 building reopened in 2018 after a long restoration, now part of Hyatt’s Unbound Collection, with 268 rooms and a coffin-shaped courtyard pool that is genuinely the best-looking thing in any of these hotels. Two miles out, and a good middle ground between the boutique and full-service options.
JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE
900 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90015, USA
The big full-service option at 878 rooms, attached to L.A. LIVE and next door to Crypto.com Arena, with ten restaurants and bars and a large rooftop pool. About two miles from campus. It’s the safe booking for families who want everything handled in one building, and the one most likely to have rooms left on a busy weekend.
AC Hotel Downtown Los Angeles
1260 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90015, USA
The closest of the downtown hotels at about 1.8 miles, occupying part of a 37-story dual-branded tower that opened in 2023. Clean, modern, European-leaning rooms, and shared access to Level 8, the eight-venue dining and nightlife complex in the building, which is a genuine draw rather than a hotel bar.
The Wayfarer Downtown LA, Tapestry Collection by Hilton
813 Flower St, Los Angeles, CA 90017, USA
The most casual and generally the most affordable of the downtown group, part of Hilton’s Tapestry Collection, with a rooftop restaurant and bar. It’s about 2.4 miles from campus, the farthest here, and there’s no parking on site, so it suits visitors arriving without a car.
Moxy Downtown Los Angeles
1260 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90015, USA
The other half of that same tower, with 380 rooms done up in a 1969 biker-culture theme and a livelier ground-floor bar. Same building, same Level 8 access, same 1.8 miles to campus, but a younger and louder read than the AC. Good for young alumni, less good if you want quiet.
Residence Inn by Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE
901 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90015, USA
Suite-style rooms with full kitchens, in a tower shared with the Courtyard directly across from the JW Marriott. This is the practical pick for move-in week or any visit longer than two nights, since a kitchen and a bit of separate space matter more than a lobby bar when you’re here for four days.
USC Campus Landmarks
USC’s campus is compact, flat, and easy to walk, and you
can cover the essentials in a morning. These six stops run from the statue at
the center of it all out to the stadium at the south end, roughly in walking
order.
Featured campus landmarks
Tommy Trojan
801-899 Childs Way, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
Officially the Trojan Shrine, dedicated in 1930 for USC’s fiftieth anniversary and sculpted by Roger Noble Burnham. It sits at the head of Trousdale Parkway and it’s the photo every visitor takes. In the week before the UCLA game, the Trojan Knights keep an overnight vigil over it and the university wraps it up to keep rival students off, which is worth timing a November visit around.
Doheny Memorial Library
3550 Trousdale Pkwy, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
USC’s 1932 main library, Romanesque, flanked by statues of Shakespeare and Dante, facing the big lawn of Alumni Park. The ground-floor Treasure Room and Special Collections are open to the public, so this is one campus building you can actually walk into on a visit rather than just photograph.
Bovard Auditorium
Bovard Administration Building, 3551 Trousdale Pkwy, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
The 1921 auditorium inside the Bovard Administration Building, seating roughly 1,200 and one of the oldest performance venues still running in Los Angeles. Speakers, concerts, and ceremonies happen here, and the facade is the one you’ll recognize from every USC brochure ever printed.
McCarthy Quad
3551 Trousdale Pkwy, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
The landscaped quad between Leavey and Doheny libraries, converted from a parking lot into lawns, paths, and fountains, and now one of the main outdoor gathering spaces on campus. Worth a few minutes to see how students actually use the campus when they’re not in class.
USC Village
3201 S Hoover St, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
The 15-acre, $700 million residential and retail complex that opened in 2017 just north of campus, built in a Collegiate Gothic style that reads more like a film set than a shopping center. There’s a Trader Joe’s, a Target, and most of the everyday dining students rely on, plus Hecuba, the bronze Queen of Troy in the central piazza, unveiled as a companion piece to Tommy Trojan.
LA Memorial Coliseum
3911 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90037, USA
USC’s football home since 1923, officially United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, seating 77,500 after a $315 million renovation completed in 2019. It hosted the Olympics in 1932 and 1984 and will host again in 2028, making it the first venue anywhere to do it three times. It’s a short walk from Tommy Trojan through Exposition Park.
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