School may be back in session, but summer temperatures are still holding strong in Los Angeles. Beat the heat with silken shaved ice and frozen cocktails from some of L.A.’s best bars, or remind yourself why living in one of the world’s best food cities is worth the occasional furnace-like weather by eating your way through critic-approved breakfast burritos and classic hot dog stands. Watching your wallet? Order a discounted burger and drink combo during happy hour.
Record-breaking temperatures have impacted our local food supply, so make it a priority to visit your local farmers market to snag the last ripe mangoes and other summer fruit. If you’re looking for recipe ideas, try cooking editor Cody Reiss’ easily customizable chaotic fruit salad, and use the leftovers for a refreshing summer spritz.
September also marks the beginning of spooky season, with local theme park Universal Studios Hollywood launching its annual Halloween Horror Nights with a new slate of haunted houses and food vendors inspired by recent horror blockbusters, TV shows and games. One of the region’s scariest Halloween events kicks off on Sept. 3.
Keep reading for even more dining ideas this month, including the relaunch of a Koreatown pocha with a new menu, a new neighborhood destination in Pacific Palisades and a Friday fish fry in West Adams.
Showing Place Places
Alphabet Bar and Grill
Pacific Palisades American $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
In recently reopened Palisades Village, Alphabet Bar and Grill is a brand new entrant from chef Timothy Hollingsworth (Otium, the French Table, “Top Chef”) and the h. wood Group, with classic burgers and rotisserie chickens that make it an instant favorite for families with kids. The project is a personal one for Hollingsworth, who had to evacuate during the Eaton fire and recently lost his childhood home in Northern California to a fire and hopes that the new restaurant will serve the neighborhood as it rebuilds.
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A Tí
Echo Park Mexican $$
(Ron De Angelis / For The Times)
Since launching as a pop-up in 2021, A Tí has quietly grown into a bastion for modern Mexican cuisine seen through an L.A. lens. Chef-owner Andrew Ponce mines his family history, Angeleno upbringing and experience cooking in kitchens at Bestia and now-closed Taco María in dishes including a nostalgic crispy beef and cheese taco, duck leg confit over date mole that’s been fed like sourdough for three years and a tuna tostada with lemony aioli and yellowfin dotted with salsa macha and cilantro, all of it spread to the edges of a blue corn tortilla. The bar menu highlights agave distillates, Mexican wines and locally produced sake.
Auntie's House by Hot Grease
West Adams Southern $
(Nava Rawls / Los Angeles Times)
The Southern fish fry concept from founder Asha Grant regularly pops up across Orange County and debuted at Smorgasburg L.A. in January. Now, Angelenos will have another weekly opportunity to try her crispy yet light fried fish, well-seasoned potato wedges and boiled peanuts with Auntie’s House, a Friday gathering held at Haus of Grams in West Adams. With games, a DJ and guests 21 and up invited to shop at the cannabis dispensary next door, Grant hopes the event will bring the Southern tradition to L.A. and serve as an opportunity to organize community.
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Bad Roman
Beverly Hills Italian $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
In a sea of Italian restaurants, one of L.A.’s newest stands out as its most maximalist and fun-loving. Layered shots arrive atop miniature sports cars, a secret menu offers a Gibson served with its own shrimp cocktail, the pull-apart eggplant parm lifts inspiration from a blooming onion, and the steaks can come crowned with a single, large cacio e pepe raviolo. New York City’s Bad Roman recently debuted in Beverly Hills with over-the-top dishes and decor, with culinary kitsch and tableside theatrics as far as the eye can see. At dinner, expect cacophony in the low-lit dining room. During the newly launched brunch service, look for Bad Roman stalwarts — such as the garlic babka and the pepperoni cups with ranch — as well as Eggs in Purgatorio, smoked salmon with Béarnaise and house-made nutella.
Bengara
Downtown L.A. Japanese $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Earlier this year the team behind Smoke Door Lake Tahoe Saryo — one of the L.A. Times’ best restaurants in California — touched down in Los Angeles with Bengara. The modern genshiyaki, which cooks items by placing them around glowing coals as opposed to grilling atop them, was temporarily shuttered due to what was characterized as a misunderstanding with the health department, but has since reopened. Bengara serves binchotan-cooked skewers, A4 Wagyu sandos, fresh tofu, mochi-cradled crispy pork belly “tacos” and chilled fresh soba, as well as a $98 tasting menu for a sampling of chef-owner Tyler Burges and head chef Phil Mireles’ modern Japanese cuisine.
Daybird
Fairfax Sichuan American $
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Some of L.A.’s best fried chicken sandwiches and fried fish sandwiches can now be found in the heart of Melrose Avenue. “Top Chef” winner Mei Lin founded Daybird in 2021, coating gargantuan fried chicken thighs in Sichuan spices and smothering fried fish in herbaceous (and caviar-optional) tartar sauce. Though she stepped away from Daybird and 88 Club earlier this year, citing a desire to embark on new projects, the restaurant continues under the guidance of Trophy Club chef Geo Delgado. The new Daybird features indoor and limited patio seating, with plans for beer and wine service.
El Ruso
Studio City Mexican $
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
One of L.A.’s best taqueros just landed in a brick and mortar in Studio City after years of selling tacos and massive sobaqueras from a food truck. In the former Roadside Tacos space, there is plenty of space to enjoy chef Walter Soto’s char-grilled carne asada, chile colorado and birria de res in flour tortillas handmade fresh by co-founder Julia Silva. New menu items have been added, including sauteed shrimp tacos and fried fish tacos, alongside rotating specials such as bone-in costilla tacos. Daily aguas frescas and a bar serving margaritas and beer are available.
Franklin Lounge
Hollywood Hills Cocktails $$
(Chiara Alexa / For The Times)
Hidden on the ground floor of the Hollywood Franklin Hotel, the speakeasy formerly known as Lily’s Bar rebranded as Franklin Lounge earlier this summer. A new cocktail menu features playful riffs on classic drinks, like a caipirinha with coconut cream and rotating martinis such as the Garden Variety with cucumber- and bell pepper-infused vodka. There’s just one main course: a thick-patty burger draped with melted aged cheddar on a Clark Street bun. The burger is available a la carte for $18, or you can add a martini for $28 total. A side of fries is an additional $6. The deal can be ordered any time and, on Wednesdays, martini hour extends all night long, with a classic version offered for $12 and rotating specials like the Cafe de Canela (vodka, espresso, Mr. Black’s, Licor 43, cinnamon syrup) for $14.
Jilli
Koreatown Korean $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
In 2024, the team behind Chimmelier and the now-shuttered Hanchic launched Jilli, a small-plates-focused quasi-pocha in Koreatown. Then in August, the restaurant group’s founding chef of Hanchic and Chimmelier returned after years away, and took over the Jilli kitchen in the process. Chef Justin Min rewrote the menu, adding new and more elegant options such as whole-shrimp “mandu” wrapped in perilla leaves and pork, and seaweed pasta with gin butter and dashi. He’s also reintroducing some of Hanchic’s classics, such as bulgogi risotto, which now comes topped with hanger steak. The same focus on makgeolli and soju remains, as do two of Jilli’s stalwarts: the Chimmelier fried chicken wings and the kimchi vodka-sauce rigatoni.
Jodo Sake Bar
Historic Filipinotown Sake Bar Japanese $
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
A new sake bar offering stalwart and esoteric pours alongside Japanese small plates is now open in Historic Filipinotown. An aficionado and student of sake for the last 25 years, owner Josh Janowicz quietly launched Jodo Sake Bar, where he organizes by-the-glass pours from standard to more rare and complex. Guests can sample varieties made using modern techniques as well as 500-year-old brewing methods, all while nibbling karaage, braised daikon, grilled Kurobuta sausage and fresh-tofu tomato salads. A long bar stretches the length of Jodo, with its seats under hanging lanterns, while there’s also table seating and, for events, a large back patio and private upstairs room.
Love Hour
Koreatown American $
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
The smashburger bar in Koreatown reopened after construction that involved an upgraded interior and newly launched patio, as well as new menu items that make it a full-blown dinner destination, including steak frites, ceviche and shareables such as My Girlfriend Is Not Hungry, with fries, mozzarella sticks and onion rings. The drink menu got a similar revamp, and now features a selection of natural-leaning wines, mini martinis, lychee and spicy cucumber margaritas and signature cocktails like the Light Through Curtains with mezcal, guava, black cherry and stone fruit.
Lulu
Westwood Californian $$
(Bill Addison / Los Angeles Times)
After closing his eclectic downtown bistro Cafe 2001, chef Giles Clark is the summer chef-in-residence at Lulu, the hyper-seasonal, oft-changing restaurant founded by Alice Waters and David Tanis. While you shouldn’t expect to see the watermelon cafe and pork katsu sandos that became staples at Clark’s former restaurant, restaurant critic Bill Addison urges you to visit, saying, “the food at Lulu is quietly the most exciting it’s ever been.” Be flexible, as the menu shifts frequently based on what local farmers are growing, but Addison highlights the omelet crespéus decorated with spinach, dill and feta and the fried barracuda with tomato, cabbage salad and tartar sauce. Order a la carte or let yourself be guided by the daily three-course prix fixe menu.
Mish Delicatessen
Fairfax Jewish Cuisine $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Chef Eric Greenspan, behind New School American Cheese and the former opening chef at Elon Musk’s Tesla Diner, opened a La Brea deli that puts a modern spin on the nostalgic Jewish dishes he grew up with, including dark chocolate and hazelnut babka, scallion and black pepper matzah brei and hardwood-smoked pastrami. The counter-service restaurant features long communal tables and a full bar with an all-day coffee and cocktail menu. Evening service is anticipated for the fall.
Mistral
Sherman Oaks French $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
In August, two prominent restaurateurs breathed new life into a Sherman Oaks stalwart after the restaurant’s founder decided to retire. Jonah Freedman and Josh Migdal of Greekman’s (formerly Freedman’s) in Silver Lake have just relaunched Mistral, a Parisian-inspired bistro where dark wood paneling and a checkered floor set the scene for steak frites, butter-bubbling escargots and endive salads. Well aware of the restaurant’s decades of fans — former L.A. Times Food critic Jonathan Gold once called it a “true bistro that has it all” — Freedman and Migdal kept much of the menu offerings but tweaked most of founder Henri Abergel’s recipes. Now there’s dried fig and hazelnut in the steak tartare, Urfa pepper in the confit duck leg a l’orange and yuzu in the house take on a French 75. Henri, a tandem raw bar, is slated to open next door in the fall.
Onigiri Time
Pasadena Japanese Korean $
(Jenn Harris / Los Angeles Times)
In L.A., it’s not uncommon to find tacos, kebabs or even hibachi offered at street stands, but in Pasadena, a new onigiri cart is drawing incessant lines. Former restaurant server Tony Choe taught himself how to make shari and infuses his own Korean heritage into his offerings with purple rice. Fillings include blue crab with Kewpie mayo, spicy tuna and teriyaki chicken and corn with Kewpie, plus monthly rotating flavors that recently involved mashed avocado and red pepper. Onigiri are served with a wasabi cream sauce that’s also sold by the bottle. Choe plans to launch a cart on the Westside and, eventually, a brick and mortar in Eagle Rock.
Pinecone Bakeshop + Cafe
Alhambra Bakery $
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Joyce Hsieh began her colorful tart-focused business as a pop-up, but the former Milo and Olive baker dreamed of opening a storefront for years. This summer, she debuted her long-planned Pinecone Bakeshop + Cafe in Alhambra, where she’s selling tart slices, bite-size versions and whole-pie orders alongside coffee, matcha and sparkling drinks made with local fruit. Some tarts are filled with vanilla cream, miso caramel and cinnamon, while others feature more seasonal goods such as the Black Mission fig tart filled with oolong tea and a fig-leaf chantilly cream. Hsieh sources her produce from the Santa Monica and Alhambra farmers markets and spotlights some of the region’s best vendors — including Murray Family Farms, Wong Farms, Tamai Family Farms and Weiser Family Farms — for desserts that are thoughtful from seed to plate.
Seedy
Lincoln Heights Californian $
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
This charming new dinette serves a brief menu of wholesome dishes and local produce from a walk-up window. Lincoln Heights native Raquel Rodriguez and her partner, Nikko Cruz, met while working at Sqirl. Years later, and after popping up throughout the city, they debuted Seedy: their restaurant and cafe that riffs on nostalgia. Rodriguez heads the kitchen, with a menu that turns out familiar favorites such as a BLT, but one that’s slicked with green goddess dressing; produce-packed tostadas featuring mushrooms tender from a secret house marinade; and rice bowls full of grilled meats, herbs and pickles, with some of the vegetables grown in their home yard. Cruz, a Canyon Coffee alum, runs the coffee program with cream tops, house citrus syrup and beyond.
Sqirl
East Hollywood Eclectic $$
(Ron De Angelis / For The Times)
Sqirl expanded our notions of brunch with ricotta toast and sorrel-laced rice bowls in the 2010s, and now owner Jessica Koslow is bringing the same creative energy to the restaurant’s dinner menu that launched in February. Alongside executive chef Guillermo Mendez and chef de cuisine Sandra Felix, Koslow infuses her trademark focus on hyperseasonality and fermentation into new dishes, including pork collar with flour tortillas and grilled fruit and sliced Weiser melon for dessert, with a rotating non-alcoholic kombucha slushie, a blood orange Cosmo cocktail and producer-driven wine list on the drinks side.
The Tasting Kitchen
Venice Italian Spanish $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Following three years of closure, one of the Westside’s favorite restaurants is back — and so is its founding chef. The Tasting Kitchen made waves in Venice with its 2009 launch, when up-and-coming chef Casey Lane wrote an oft-changing tasting menu centered around seasonal Italian cooking. Over the years, Lane departed and then, in 2023, the kitchen suffered a small fire. What followed were years of unexpected permit red tape and repairs, but it provided time to retool the menu. For the Tasting Kitchen’s return, Lane is revisiting some of his signatures, such as delicate fresh pastas, but also incorporating new, more global — and particularly Spanish — influence with dishes such as matrimonio toast with piquillo butter; ’nduja croquettes; and grilled squid with koji and sour mango. And, of course, guests can still try one of Lane’s tasting menus, now with either four or five courses.
West Side Oyster Club
Santa Monica Seafood $$
(Danielle Dorsey/Los Angeles Times)
In the former Blue Plate Oysterette space along Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica, West Side Oyster Club has quickly become a casual destination for seafood and drinks by the beach, with a covered deck patio that offers people-watching and boardwalk views. The menu spans raw and grilled oysters, lobster rolls, poke bowls, fish and chips and seafood platters, perfect for pairing a full bar menu that spans refreshing cocktails, wine and beer.
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