Los Angeles was the last place Chef Joe Sasto thought he wanted to be, and yet here he is.

In the last decade, Sasto – the mustachioed “Top Chef” contender on Bravo’s culinary adventure through Colorado this season – began to recognize there was a culinary renaissance happening and he wanted to be a part of it.

“People are more appreciative of chef-driven restaurants, and exotic cuisine, and innovative cooking, and people are looking for that,” he said. “The don’t want PF Chang’s and Cheesecake Factory anymore. They want real, good food.”

These days, good food can be found across L.A., which tops Zagat’s list of the “2017 Most Exciting Food Cities in America.”

The 30-cities on that list, released on the morning of Monday, Dec. 18, are both up-and-coming food cities and established dining hubs that had a standout year. From buzzworthy restaurant openings to award-winning chefs, the list is curated based on feedback from industry experts and Zagat editors who have tasted the best these cities have to offer.

Austin, Chicago, Denver, Seattle, Washington, D.C., Charleston, New Orleans, Atlanta and San Francisco and Bay Area round out the top 10 in that order.

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But L.A. has star newcomers, diverse cuisine and an influx of chefs from other big food cities around the country.

Among the restaurants that helped make L.A. the culinary thrill capital are Trejo’s Coffee and Donuts, Holbox, Lobsterdamus, MILK, Killer Noodle, and others.

“It’s a great honor to be included as part of this list,” said Danny Trejo, the actor who recently added Trejo’s Cantina in Woodland Hills to his fast-growing restaurant empire. “A perfect location, the greatest doughnuts, hard work and the freshest coffee have combined to put us where we are.”

For Sasto, it’s that sort of “can do” spirit that has brought him to L.A.this year to serve as executive chef at Michael Mina and Adam Sobel’s new restaurant, Cal Mare.

He came from San Francisco Michelin star restaurants. But the restaurant scene there, he said, is oversaturated.

“You’re hot for a second, and then there are 20 new restaurants opening up right behind you, and 20 more that closed,” Sasto said, countering that with L.A.where “there are so many untapped pockets, which makes it exciting. There’s always something new without necessarily overstepping or overshadowing something else that is new, which makes it an exciting city to be in right now.”