(Collage by Los Angeles Times, Photos by Stephanie Breijo and Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times, Jess Torres / For The Times)
During these dog days of summer, any air-conditioned space feels like an oasis. But we’re heading to L.A.’s newest restaurants not only for the cool breeze but also menus that celebrate the city’s cultures and easy access to seasonal produce.
As restaurants enter the scene, others are shuttering permanently. The family that brought modern Vietnamese cuisine to a once-quiet corner in Beverly Hills will close in October after nearly 30 years. On Pico Boulevard, a soulful Mexican restaurant that has served the neighborhood for 34 years will soon shift to catering.
Bookmark this guide with new and notable spots across the city, including a beachside mariscos restaurant from a famous Mexico City chef, a souped-up sports bar in Hollywood serving caviar-topped hot dogs and a fancy West Hollywood grocer giving Erewhon a run for its money. — Danielle Dorsey
Showing Place Places
Adana
Glendale Iranian Armenian $$
(Jenn Harris / Los Angeles Times )
After a more than year-long closure, Adana, a Persian-Armenian restaurant in Glendale, has reopened with a larger kitchen, chic new dining room and expanded menu. In addition to mainstay kebabs and platters of lamb chops, filet mignon and koobideh, the restaurant is serving fried quail and Iranian rice dishes, including zereshk polo with tart barberries and albaloo crowned with sour cherries. A full bar is a new addition with the remodel — critic Jenn Harris recommends pairing the old fashioned with the lamb chops.
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Alta Adams
West Adams Breakfast/Brunch Soul Food $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
The West Adams restaurant that helped codify California soul cuisine reopened after a brief closure with a new menu that serves as “a true representation of L.A.” Chef Keith Corbin draws inspiration from migration routes and history for dishes such as suya-spiced bone marrow with bacon jam served with house-made pita bread and West African-inspired osso buco with coconut-and-tomato-braised lamb over semolina couscous. The beverage menu follows suit with a Jalisco old fashioned garnished with cold-smoked chapulines and a bourbon cocktail with sweet corn syrup. The adjoining wine shop is expected to reopen in August, and Sunday brunch is expected to relaunch around the same time.
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Asadero
Hollywood Mexican $
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
After a year of quietly popping up along Vine Boulevard serving mesquite-grilled Wagyu, USDA Prime and Angus tacos, chef Emiliano “Ruben” Martinez’s Asadero stand is now drawing hours-long lines. An opening chef at Mírate in Los Feliz, Martinez has opened a bustling puesto that serves Sonora-style steaks seasoned generously with salt, along with al pastor coated in a multiday marinade with house tepache. Tacos are served on locally made flour and blue corn tortillas, with a salsa bar featuring house-made tatemada, salsa verde and sesame-dotted salsa macha.
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Baldi
Beverly Hills Italian $$$
(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)
On the ground floor of the Waldorf Astoria in Beverly Hills, Baldi brands itself as an Italian steakhouse, but restaurant critic Jenn Harris recommends adding pasta to your order. Outside of the spaghetti, all of the pasta shapes are made in house, including sweet corn tortellini and fettuccine with butter and Parmigiano. The bar serves classic cocktails such as negronis and martinis, and Court of Masters Certified Sommelier Loris Jones-Randolph is always ready with a wine pairing recommendation.
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Bar di Bello
Silver Lake Italian $$$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Bar di Bello debuted earlier this year, but it remains one of Silver Lake’s most buzzy and busy restaurants. The sleek, loosely Milanese-inspired restaurant and bar from a team of industry vets — Alex Wilmot (Gigi’s), Kristin Olszewski (Nomadica Wine), Michael Kassar (Wexler’s Deli) and producer Mike Moonves — is popular for its delicate pastas, Italian cocktails, and a show-stopping chicken cutlet that’s sauced tableside.
Bar di Bello’s menu is Milanese-inspired but pulls from broader Italian influence as well as Californian. The ambiance also pulls from Milan, with imported retro-design light fixtures and seating.
“We all came together to create the space that we wish existed in Los Angeles,” said co-owner Kristin Olszewski. As a former Mozza sommelier, Olszewski heads the beverage program with a focus on Italian vintners and amari. Cocktails lean on classics and modern interpretations of them, including the comically large Negroni di Basso (a nod to Milan’s Bar Basso) and a tomato water and olive oil martini.
Bar di Bello’s menu is Milanese-inspired but pulls from broader Italian influence as well as Californian. The ambiance also pulls from Milan, with imported retro-design light fixtures and seating.
“We all came together to create the space that we wish existed in Los Angeles,” said co-owner Kristin Olszewski. As a former Mozza sommelier, Olszewski heads the beverage program with a focus on Italian vintners and amari. Cocktails lean on classics and modern interpretations of them, including the comically large Negroni di Basso (a nod to Milan’s Bar Basso) and a tomato water and olive oil martini.
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Crustacean
Beverly Hills Vietnamese European $$$
(Crustacean)
The family that helped popularize modern Vietnamese cuisine in America has announced that it will be permanently closing the Beverly Hills location after almost 30 years. After back and forth with a new landlord, Crustacean will remain open with full dine-in service through the end of September and will shift to takeout and special events in October before vacating the space on Oct. 31. Expect customer-favorite dishes including garlic noodles and roasted crab.
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Frank 'n' Frank's
Chinatown Sandwich Shop $
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
A set of Chinatown-restaurant vets have teamed up to launch Frank ‘n’ Frank’s, a gourmet sandwich stand in the neighborhood’s historic Central Plaza.
Chefs Mario Aguilar and Brian Ayala met six years ago while working at Howlin’ Ray’s and Amboy, respectively, which sit across from each other in a neighboring plaza. After leaving their jobs at two of the area’s most popular restaurants, they joined forces for their new project, located in the former Burgerlords and Goldburger space, where they layer ultra-thin deli meats, cheese, house sauces and vegetables on soft three-sesame focaccia by artisan baker Céor.
“It’s a very simple dish that you can elevate with very simple techniques of flavoring,” said Aguilar. “We both love sandwiches. It just made sense. … One of the things we’re very unique on is we slice things pretty thin, and it adds to the flavor profile.”
Look for options such as the Italian, which combines spicy salami with arugula, an ’nduja stracciatella cream and shaved parmesan, or the pastrami-packed Chrissy, which involves house jus, caramelized onions and brown mustard. Given the name — an ode to Ayala’s father and late brother, who always dreamed of opening a family sandwich shop — the chefs also added a hot dog to the menu, with more to come.
Chefs Mario Aguilar and Brian Ayala met six years ago while working at Howlin’ Ray’s and Amboy, respectively, which sit across from each other in a neighboring plaza. After leaving their jobs at two of the area’s most popular restaurants, they joined forces for their new project, located in the former Burgerlords and Goldburger space, where they layer ultra-thin deli meats, cheese, house sauces and vegetables on soft three-sesame focaccia by artisan baker Céor.
“It’s a very simple dish that you can elevate with very simple techniques of flavoring,” said Aguilar. “We both love sandwiches. It just made sense. … One of the things we’re very unique on is we slice things pretty thin, and it adds to the flavor profile.”
Look for options such as the Italian, which combines spicy salami with arugula, an ’nduja stracciatella cream and shaved parmesan, or the pastrami-packed Chrissy, which involves house jus, caramelized onions and brown mustard. Given the name — an ode to Ayala’s father and late brother, who always dreamed of opening a family sandwich shop — the chefs also added a hot dog to the menu, with more to come.
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Gott's Roadside
Fairfax American $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
A lauded Napa Valley restaurant famed for its burgers and seasonal produce expanded to Southern California earlier this year, landing in the L.A.’s historic Original Farmers Market, with a location that features a bar, patio seating and a walk-up window for soft serve and sundaes.
Brothers Joel and Duncan Gott founded their California empire in 1999 when they took over the St. Helena restaurant and renamed it Taylor’s Automatic Refresher, then later, Gott’s Roadside. In 2006 the operation won a James Beard America’s Classics award, and the local chain expanded to San Francisco, Palo Alto and throughout the Bay Area.
This fall, another location is slated to join the roster. The forthcoming Gott’s Roadside is set to open this fall in the former Osteria del Fornaio space with an indoor-outdoor setting that sprawls across 8,800 square feet at 401 Wilshire Blvd.
Brothers Joel and Duncan Gott founded their California empire in 1999 when they took over the St. Helena restaurant and renamed it Taylor’s Automatic Refresher, then later, Gott’s Roadside. In 2006 the operation won a James Beard America’s Classics award, and the local chain expanded to San Francisco, Palo Alto and throughout the Bay Area.
This fall, another location is slated to join the roster. The forthcoming Gott’s Roadside is set to open this fall in the former Osteria del Fornaio space with an indoor-outdoor setting that sprawls across 8,800 square feet at 401 Wilshire Blvd.
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Laurel Supply
West Hollywood Grocery Store $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
After operating one of West Hollywood’s most popular restaurants and bars and then expanding to Culver City, owners Dean McKillen and Phil Howard set their sights on the luxury market — by opening a luxury market.
Laurel Supply, from the team behind Laurel Hardware and Laurel Grill, recently debuted in West Hollywood with produce, health foods, specialty beauty products and a house line to rival other upscale grocers in the space such as Erewhon.
For prepared foods, head to the back of the store to find a wood-fired pizza oven and display cases filled with sandwiches, roast vegetables, fluffy focaccia and, during brunch, a made-to-order omelet station. Nearby sit a pasta counter, a smoothie and coffee bar, and a sushi counter — with a la carte nigiri for purchase — as well as a butcher counter and sections for wood-fired whole rotisserie chickens, organic baked goods, and gelato. Laurel Supply is open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Laurel Supply, from the team behind Laurel Hardware and Laurel Grill, recently debuted in West Hollywood with produce, health foods, specialty beauty products and a house line to rival other upscale grocers in the space such as Erewhon.
For prepared foods, head to the back of the store to find a wood-fired pizza oven and display cases filled with sandwiches, roast vegetables, fluffy focaccia and, during brunch, a made-to-order omelet station. Nearby sit a pasta counter, a smoothie and coffee bar, and a sushi counter — with a la carte nigiri for purchase — as well as a butcher counter and sections for wood-fired whole rotisserie chickens, organic baked goods, and gelato. Laurel Supply is open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
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Little Fish Melrose Hill
Seafood $$
(Shelby Moore / For The Times)
Chefs Anna Sonenshein and Niki Vahle introduced their Filet-O-Fish-inspired sandwich via pop-ups during the pandemic and have since sold it out of a walk-up window in Echo Park, and now during lunch at their full-service restaurant in Melrose Hill. But restaurant critic Bill Addison implores you to explore beyond the very good sandwich into smart seafood dishes such as tuna-stuffed olives, pork and seafood sausage and a mayo-slicked beach sandwich with mussels and potato chips. For land lovers, there’s also chicken in ham jus and bay leaf stracchiatella ice cream for dessert. Ask general manager and beverage director Kae Whalen for a recommendation from the daily-changing wine list.
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Padi
Hollywood Indonesian $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Longtime friends and colleagues behind some of L.A.’s best ramen are now serving food with a deeply personal bent at Padi, an Indonesian cafe in Hollywood. After the success of Iki Ramen and nearby hand roll bar Iki Nori, some of its team members partnered to open Padi: a modern ode to the flavors of their childhood. A cafe by day and an Indonesian tapas-style restaurant by night, Padi serves an array of house-made sambal; small plates such as charred eggplant under a soybean glaze; rendang-spiced satay; rice porridge crowned with turmeric shredded chicken; and sweet-savory desserts such as toasted bread under chocolate and shredded cheese.
Chef Brody Permadi draws on the team’s collective family influences and recipes from Jakarta and Bali, as well as Los Angeles, to offer dishes such as a ceviche-inspired hamachi with dabu-dabu. Co-owner Jeffry Undiarto said his years of owning Iki Nori and Iki Ramen also helped inform dishes such as the almost dashi-like oxtail stew, lending even more international flair to the menu, while Renatta Josephine, another owner, helps lead the team.
Their coffee program incorporates Indonesian flavors and traditions as well, such as the Indonesian-grown, unfiltered kopi tubruk.
Chef Brody Permadi draws on the team’s collective family influences and recipes from Jakarta and Bali, as well as Los Angeles, to offer dishes such as a ceviche-inspired hamachi with dabu-dabu. Co-owner Jeffry Undiarto said his years of owning Iki Nori and Iki Ramen also helped inform dishes such as the almost dashi-like oxtail stew, lending even more international flair to the menu, while Renatta Josephine, another owner, helps lead the team.
Their coffee program incorporates Indonesian flavors and traditions as well, such as the Indonesian-grown, unfiltered kopi tubruk.
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Pawn Shop
Hollywood American $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
A new culture hub and sports bar has opened in a former Hollywood pawn shop, with elevated takes on bar food favorites, including a glitzy glizzy with a house-made Wagyu beef hot dog served in a potato brioche bun slathered with Japanese-style mayo and topped with caviar. The menu from chef Tony Messina, formerly of James Beard-award winning Uni restaurant in Boston, also features Rhode Island-style calamari, ramen noodle cacio e pepe, tavern pizza and a pupu platter that blends Polynesian and New England influences. A selection of wine is available by the glass and bottle along with house cocktails such as Amber Waves with mezcal, passion fruit, pandan, coconut and soda.
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Pizza Cafe L.A.
Silver Lake Pizza $$
(Jenn Harris / Los Angeles Times )
A Silver Lake pizzeria is helping to solidify L.A. as the global capital for pizza, according to restaurant critic Jenn Harris. Pizza Cafe L.A. offers seven styles on its menu, spanning New York, New Haven, Chicago tavern, Chicago deep dish, Neopolitan, Detroit and Sicilian. Owner Diego Garcia hopes to expand to even more regional styles in the future.
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Ronnie's Pronto
West Hollywood Sandwich Shop Soft serve $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Since 2018, fashion brand Kith has served its candy- and cereal-topped soft serve on the Sunset Strip at a Kith Treats outpost adjacent to its subterranean clothing store. Now it’s adding sandwiches. New York-inspired bistro Ronnie’s — named for Kith founder Ronnie Fieg — first launched in London, and earlier this year expanded to L.A. with Ronnie’s Pronto, a quick-and-casual walk-up stand and patio specializing in sandwiches, matchas and coffees.
Look for aesthetically minded options such as a grilled cheese with “Kith” branded into its Japanese milk bread; sauerkraut-laden Wagyu pastrami on a kaiser roll; a range of breakfast sandwiches; and drink signatures such as the Pronto Freeze, a granita made from matcha or coffee. Kith Treats is now located at street level, rolled into Ronnie’s Pronto, with milkshakes and soft-serve sundaes concieved by Fieg, Action Bronson, LeBron James and more.
Look for aesthetically minded options such as a grilled cheese with “Kith” branded into its Japanese milk bread; sauerkraut-laden Wagyu pastrami on a kaiser roll; a range of breakfast sandwiches; and drink signatures such as the Pronto Freeze, a granita made from matcha or coffee. Kith Treats is now located at street level, rolled into Ronnie’s Pronto, with milkshakes and soft-serve sundaes concieved by Fieg, Action Bronson, LeBron James and more.
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San Damian
Venice Mexican Seafood $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Chef Enrique Olvera, who founded Pujol in Mexico City and Damian in downtown L.A., has debuted a new mariscos-focused restaurant in Venice just blocks from the beach. The menu overseen by Damian head chef Chuy Cervantes includes classic aguachile and ceviche dishes with intentionally sourced seafood and local produce, as well as a handful of creative, comfort-driven dishes such as a tlayuda with fish chorizo, flautas stuffed with Weiser Farm potatoes and fried chicken glazed in pasilla. The beverage program puts a spin on classic cocktails such as a negroni with Mexico City-distilled gin, as well as unique preparations like the Feliciano with tequila, fino sherry, tomato shio koji, queso cotija, olive leaf and lemon.
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Sky's Gourmet Tacos
Mid-Wilshire American Tacos $
(Nava Rawls / Los Angeles Times)
The Pico Boulevard taco shop known for its soul-inflected tacos will close permanently on Aug. 15 after 34 years. Founded by Barbara Burrell in 1992, Sky’s Gourmet Tacos helped bring a style of Mexican food that was already common in Black households to restaurants across the region. The famous shrimp tacos that get doused in a house-made “sassy” sauce are available alongside nachos, burritos, bowls and breakfast items.
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Taínos
Woodland Hills Puerto Rican $$
(Jess Torres/For The Times)
A small Woodland Hills restaurant has become a bastion for Puerto Rican cuisine, from the lively music that greets you at the door to a vibrant mural of the Puerto Rican flag bursting with flowers to the expertly prepared slow-roasted pernil, mofongo and potato balls that restaurant critic Jenn Harris says could unseat Porto’s as the best in the city. Tainos is named after the Indigenous people of the Caribbean. The menu traces chef Edwin Torres’ upbringing in Ponce to his years spent cooking in San Juan, including mofongo paired with garlicky shrimp in homage to the northeastern coastal city of Loiza. The restaurant is in the process of getting a liquor license, but fresh soursop juice is available in the meantime.
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Taquearte California
Pico Rivera Mexican $
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Tucked in a Pico Rivera strip mall, Taquearte is drawing lines for its Mexico City-style chilaquiles and massive tacos. Owners Monica Quinto and Anyelo Farfán hail from Mexico’s capital city and also offer lesser-known dishes such as chicharrón de queso and molletes. Restaurant critic Jenn Harris recommends visiting just before noon so you can take advantage of breakfast items then circle back in line for its tacos.
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Thaim
Pasadena Thai $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
A Bangkok-raised chef is now serving vibrant Thai street food such as pan-fried noodles, grilled Isan sausage, Wagyu short rib with herbs and sticky rice, and flame-kissed pork jowl in Old Pasadena. To drink, there’s local ube beer and natural wine.
“I love to eat street food so much,” said Thaim chef-owner Ruethai Boonlieng. “I go back to Thailand all the time, and I always ask my friends, “Hey, don’t take me to the mall — take me to street food. It’s a true food for my soul, and people make the street food with care.”
Boonlieng’s Thaim is a portmanteau of “Thai” and “I am.” While some of her recipes are traditional — such as her mom’s preparation of Sukhothai pad Thai — others are modern spins, like brightening her sweet-spicy mango salad with fresh dill or turning her childhood favorite, egg tofu, into a deep-fried egg custard.
The chef grew up in Bangkok and learned to cook by watching her mother prepare home meals, then took pastry courses in Thailand as an adult. Boonlieng studied finance but entered the restaurant industry to help an aunt and a friend open a Thai restaurant — then discovered she loved it. She opened multiple restaurants in the Bay Area, then moved to Los Angeles to help open another and never wanted to leave.
As an owner of sweets-focused cafe U Dessert Story, with two locations in the Bay Area, Boonlieng wanted to incorporate some of her signature desserts at Thaim, too. Look for Thai tea panna cotta, matcha lava cakes and more.
“I love to eat street food so much,” said Thaim chef-owner Ruethai Boonlieng. “I go back to Thailand all the time, and I always ask my friends, “Hey, don’t take me to the mall — take me to street food. It’s a true food for my soul, and people make the street food with care.”
Boonlieng’s Thaim is a portmanteau of “Thai” and “I am.” While some of her recipes are traditional — such as her mom’s preparation of Sukhothai pad Thai — others are modern spins, like brightening her sweet-spicy mango salad with fresh dill or turning her childhood favorite, egg tofu, into a deep-fried egg custard.
The chef grew up in Bangkok and learned to cook by watching her mother prepare home meals, then took pastry courses in Thailand as an adult. Boonlieng studied finance but entered the restaurant industry to help an aunt and a friend open a Thai restaurant — then discovered she loved it. She opened multiple restaurants in the Bay Area, then moved to Los Angeles to help open another and never wanted to leave.
As an owner of sweets-focused cafe U Dessert Story, with two locations in the Bay Area, Boonlieng wanted to incorporate some of her signature desserts at Thaim, too. Look for Thai tea panna cotta, matcha lava cakes and more.
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Tiger's Den
Koreatown Sushi Japanese $
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
With ready-made nigiri, bento, chirashi and maki, Koreatown’s new Japanese corner store is also one of L.A.’s most affordable new quick-and-casual sushi spots. Tiger’s Den offers a heated selection of grab-and-go dishes such as fish collars, eel, Japanese curry and salmon steak, and near the register is a refrigerated case of fresh sushi where rolls start at $5 and chirashi at $17. The open kitchen prepares colorful sushi-and-maki combo plates, shrimp tempura, $9 katsudon bowls and more, while the rest of the space is devoted to imported goods: Japanese fruit gummies, honey butter potato chips, a rainbow of Pocky, bags of shredded squid snacks, and pantry items like sushi rice, ponzu, nori, soba and miso soup mixes.
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