Clockwise from top left: Lobster rolls from Luke’s Lobster; crispy rice from Rokusho; matcha and coffee from Modu; tuna tostada from A Tí; and pepperoni pizza from LaSorted’s.
(Collage by Brandon Ly / Los Angeles Times; photos by Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
The best places to eat and drink in L.A. this month, according to our food writers
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- A Dodgers-themed slice shop and a second outpost for New York-style chopped cheese sandwiches cap off a thrilling baseball season.
- Plus, several Japanese concepts land in L.A. and a lauded chef opens a new Venice hot spot.
The City of Angels is riding a high.
On the eve of Halloween, the Dodgers beat their New York rivals in a historic World Series match-up. A celebratory parade will march through downtown L.A. on Nov. 1, with a championship event held at the stadium afterward. Plenty of local establishments are still offering Dodgers-themed food and drink specials, or you could dine at some of the players’ favorite L.A. restaurants, ranging from a classic burger stand to a celebrity-frequented rooftop.
Relish the triumphant atmosphere as long as you can with the 2024 election cycle drawing to a close just days later on Nov 5. Once you’ve done your civic duty, save your “I voted” sticker to take advantage of Election Day deals such as a free slice of cheese pizza or complimentary tiramisu dessert. After the polls close, find solace by joining other anxious Angelenos at L.A. restaurants and bars screening the results, many with extended happy hour deals.
And if you’re in need of additional dining inspiration this month, there are plenty of new openings to explore, including a pair of Japanese restaurants in a Hollywood recording studio, an East Coast lobster roll chain touching down in Santa Monica, a Korean-inspired bakery in Highland Park and more.
Showing Places
Orla
Santa Monica Egyptian Mediterranean $$$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Celebrity chef Michael Mina operates more than two dozen restaurants around the world, but Orla is the first to interpret his Egyptian heritage. Mina opened the first location in Las Vegas earlier this year, but the menu at the Santa Monica outpost features new dishes, with many of the plates overlapping with Mina’s forthcoming cookbook “My Egypt: Cooking From My Roots.” Start with fateer crowned with caviar or falafel topped with urfa-dusted tuna crudo before moving on to toasted orzo and spicy duck or crab fregola, or order a kebab plate for two to sample filet mignon, lamb kofta, chicken dolmas, halloumi, dips, saffron rice and pita. Mina Group beverage director Michael Lay has crafted a cocktail menu that incorporates similar flavors, including a negroni with cardamom and ginger and a floral concoction with vodka, rose petals, orange blossom and lemon.
Read about Michael Mina’s new oceanfront restaurant.
Read about Michael Mina’s new oceanfront restaurant.
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Ettore Vino e Cucina
Fairfax Italian $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
There’s a new destination for Italian pastas, grilled meats and wine flights in the Original Farmers Market. Ettore Vino e Cucina comes from Filippo Cortivo, the sommelier and one of the owners of Osteria Mamma in Larchmont, who partnered with Mendocino-based winery Ettore on the opening. Ettore’s organic wines can be ordered in flights, by the glass or bottle and found in some of the food, which spans dishes from across Italy, including rolled lasagna Bolognese, braised lamb shank and fried anchovies. Limited pantry items are also for sale, such as imported dry pastas and house olive oil.
Read about the Italian wine bar in the Original Farmers Market.
Read about the Italian wine bar in the Original Farmers Market.
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Flower's Finest
Eagle Rock Teahouse $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
An approachable and playful tea house has opened in Eagle Rock from the owners behind Flowerhead Tea, offering tea service, baked goods, tea blending workshops and vintage home decor.
Read about the tea shop in Eagle Rock.
Read about the tea shop in Eagle Rock.
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White Rice
Montebello Filipino $
Chef-owner Phillip Esteban, formerly of Momofuku, is opening the first L.A.-area location of White Rice, a casual Filipino restaurant with two outposts in San Diego, in Montebello’s BLVD MRKT food hall. Silog is the signature dish and the rice bowls can be loaded with longanisa, lechon, soy-braised pork or mushroom with tofu. Lumpia, fresh ube sweet rolls and calamansi iced tea round out the menu.
Read about the new vendor in BLVD MRKT.
Read about the new vendor in BLVD MRKT.
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New York's Chopped Cheese
Mid-City American $
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
A NYC bodega favorite has landed in Mid-City in the form of New York’s Chopped Cheese, from Harlem native Anthony Arias, who first began serving the heroes out of a bright yellow food truck in 2021 before opening a bricks-and-mortar in Hollywood. The second location is located in a strip mall off Venice Boulevard and serves up several versions of the sandwich that typically features griddled beef that’s chopped on the grill with American cheese and loaded into rolls with the usual hamburger fixings, including options with chopped chicken, mushrooms and vegan Impossible meat. A handful of New York staples completes the menu, including a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich and a chopped Italian sub.
Read about the New York-themed shop in Mid-City.
Read about the New York-themed shop in Mid-City.
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Luke's Lobster
Santa Monica Seafood $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
A popular East Coast lobster roll chain has washed ashore in Santa Monica with Luke’s Lobster, specializing in wild-caught seafood rolls that come buttered in an array of sauces (sample them all with the lobster roll flight), plus clam chowder, lobster bisque and by-the-pound kits to make seafood and lobster rolls at home. The cozy interior features 22 seats for dine-in, with takeout and delivery available.
Read about Santa Monica’s new lobster shack.
Read about Santa Monica’s new lobster shack.
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Ozzy's Apizza
Universal City Pizza $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
A viral pizza pop-up now serves as L.A.’s first bricks-and-mortar restaurant dedicated to New Haven-style pies with charred (not burnt) crusts, including a tomato pie and a garlicky clam pie with Rhode Island clams. The pizzeria is named after founder Chris Wallace’s chihuahua-terrier mix, and a punk-themed mural of the dog chowing down on pepperoni pizza graces a wall of the newly opened shop, with plenty of seating for enjoying pies on-site. Wallace and business partner Craig Taylor hope to introduce beer and wine and grab-and-go sandwiches soon.
Read more about the New Haven-style pizzeria.
Read more about the New Haven-style pizzeria.
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Modu
Highland Park Bakery Coffee $
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
The inventive pop-up bakery from Jiyoon Jang has landed in a permanent location in Highland Park with an expanded menu of pastries that draw from her Korean American heritage, including some of the best cookies in the city, boricha madeleines, perilla lime tarts and a full coffee and matcha program. Lines are constant at the newly opened shop, with inventory often selling out in hours; customers are limited to four pastries per person.
Read about the Korean American bakery in Highland Park.
Read about the Korean American bakery in Highland Park.
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RVR
Venice Japanese American $$
(RVR / Graydon Herriott)
Gjusta and Gjelina chef-founder Travis Lett has a new Venice hot spot with RVR (pronounced “river”), where his farmers-market-informed approach melds with Japanese flavors and techniques. The menu from executive chef Ian Robinson features izakaya-appropriate small plates, including gyoza bursting with Peads & Barnett pork rib and belly, hand rolls with crispy snapper or hot smoked miso salmon, charcoal-grilled skewers, plenty of rotating veggies and a trio of ramens that recall Lett’s previous ramen-focused venture, MTN. The drink program from beverage director Maggie Glasheen (formerly of Anajak Thai and Bettina) places the focus on sake and shochu, with creative house cocktails such as a plum negroni and a handful of highballs that feature Japanese whiskey.
Read about Travis Lett’s new Venice restaurant.
Read about Travis Lett’s new Venice restaurant.
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Olive & Rose
Long Beach Farm-to-table $$$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Philip and Lauren Pretty, the sibling duo behind Long Beach’s Michelin-starred Heritage restaurant, have opened a new, dual-concept cafe and bistro on the lobby floor of the newly renovated Sonder City Center hotel, featuring a dimly lit interior that faces busy Atlantic Avenue in downtown Long Beach. The dinner menu features French-Californian a la carte plates such as amberjack crudo with cucumber and grape, chicken with foraged mushrooms and jus, and house-spun burnt marshmallow ice cream. During the day, O&R Bagels opens the patio with poolside seating, plus naturally leavened bagels from Costa Mesa’s Boil & Bake topped with house-cured and smoked salmon, farmers market tomato or avocado or simply with plain cream cheese. The coffee program is in partnership with Orange County-based Play Coffee.
Read about the dual-concept opening in Long Beach.
Read about the dual-concept opening in Long Beach.
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A Tí
Echo Park Mexican $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Chef Andrew Ponce, formerly of Bestia, Taco María and Cento, has launched an extended residency in the former Kushiba space in Echo Park with A Tí, where he’s reinterpreting Mexican flavors in dishes such as crispy duck confit with date mole, pumpkin spice tamales and tuna tostadas with salsa negra. The pop-up is the result of a partnership with former Kushiba beverage director Dave Fernie, who is overseeing a cocktail program that blends Japanese and Latin influences. A Tí will run through at least January, with brunch service expected to launch this month.
Read about the Echo Park residency from chef Andrew Ponce.
Read about the Echo Park residency from chef Andrew Ponce.
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Chez Mia
West Hollywood French $$$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
The restaurant group behind the Draycott and Olivetta has launched Chez Mia, a Provençal-inspired restaurant featuring an open kitchen and a verdant patio. The menu from executive chef Ivo Filho fuses traditional and creative flare in coastal and provincial French dishes, including seafood towers, caviar-crowned beef tartare, ratatouille and black truffle linguine. The beverage list spans classic cocktails such as a Corpse Reviver and a Last Word as well as creative house creations including Le Mia, with tequila, kumquat, lime, agave and an Espelette pepper salt rim.
Read about West Hollywood’s new French restaurant.
Read about West Hollywood’s new French restaurant.
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Sogno Toscano
Fairfax Italian $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
The Italian importer has launched its second L.A. location at the Grove, including a marketplace with dried pastas, olive oils and sauces; an espresso bar offering juices, Americanos and fresh pastries; and a full cafe serving charcuterie, sandwiches, soups and wine. The generous patio seating features a view of the shopping center’s flowing water features and seasonal displays.
Read about the new Sogno Toscano at the Grove.
Read about the new Sogno Toscano at the Grove.
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Sam's Place
Highland Park Wine Bars $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Highland Park’s popular new wine bar doesn’t have a website or social media, but that didn’t stop news from getting out about the cozy, moody haunt from Scotty Cantino and Ben Jones, both formerly of nearby Hermosillo. The beverage program led by Cantino emphasizes natural wine from across Europe and California, as well as draft and bottled beers and a selection of no-ABV options. Jones helms a tight food menu with comforting basics, including marinated olives, spicy chicken wings in aji amarillo and a bavette steak swimming in red wine jus.
Read about the secretive new spot in Highland Park.
Read about the secretive new spot in Highland Park.
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Good Alley
Rosemead Chinese $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
A Rosemead strip mall has become a destination for Chinese dumplings, wonton soups and cheese-foam tea thanks to Good Alley, from the team behind neighboring Ji Rong Duck House. The Kaifeng-style soup dumplings, filled with Kurobuta pork, chicken or pork with crab, have already begun drawing lines, in addition to other house items such as spicy hot pot, Wagyu fried rice and “Chinese burgers” with pork, beef or cumin lamb placed between flaky pancake buns.
Read about the Kaifeng-style dumpling specialist in Rosemead.
Read about the Kaifeng-style dumpling specialist in Rosemead.
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Edgemar
Santa Monica American $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Historic design meets global flavors with Edgemar, a new Santa Monica restaurant from chefs Jared Dowling (Winston House, the Waterfront) and Jonathan Thoma (Great White) housed in a Frank Gehry-designed building. The menu merges the chefs’ personal tastes with local produce for a creative mix of plates that spans tempura oysters with yuzu tartar sauce, hoisin-sauced duck tacos, lobster fried rice and smoked lamb shoulder. The cocktail menu features an updated selection of classic concoctions, such as a guava and mezcal Daisy and a French boilermaker with cognac and Champagne. Brunch brings a crab cake benedict, loco moco and a selection of dim sum, as well as mimosas, bloody marys and spritzes.
Read about the globally inspired restaurant in Santa Monica.
Read about the globally inspired restaurant in Santa Monica.
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Izakaya Dongame
Echo Park Japanese $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Echo Park just became the home of the first U.S. location of Izakaya Dongame, first founded in Osaka, Japan, more than a decade ago. The new outpost seeks to re-create the feel of a typical izayaka with hanging lanterns, low tables and posters, paired with a menu of grilled veggie and meat skewers, tempura, yakisoba, gyoza and other classic Japanese drinking foods, along with sake, shochu and beer.
Read about the new Echo Park izakaya.
Read about the new Echo Park izakaya.
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Indigo Cow
Echo Park Ice cream $
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Just next door to Echo Park’s newly imported Izakaya Dongame from Osaka, Japan is Indigo Cow, a soft-serve shop that first launched in Seattle and is using Hokkaido dairy as its base, with toppings such as matcha, mochi and house-made fruit sauces.
Read about the Japanese-inspired soft-serve shop in Echo Park.
Read about the Japanese-inspired soft-serve shop in Echo Park.
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Azay
Downtown L.A. Japanese French $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Akira Hirose, the profilic Japanese-French chef formerly of Pasadena’s Maison Akira and Azay in Little Tokyo, died at 70 years old following an impressive culinary legacy that involved the popularization of Asian flavors through the perspective of French techniques. In the hands of his son and owner Philip Hirose for the past two years, since August, Azay has brought in a handful of chefs to host a series of dinners honoring Akira’s influence, including Chris Ono, formerly of Hansei, who reprised a signature dish of Chilean sea bass with ratatouille, couscous and dandelion greens. Philip continues to head the wine program that places focus on central France.
Read about the legacy of chef Akira Hirose as well as the influence of Japanese-French chefs in Los Angeles.
Read about the legacy of chef Akira Hirose as well as the influence of Japanese-French chefs in Los Angeles.
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LaSorted's
Chinatown Pizza Bar Bites $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
A newly opened pizzeria in Chinatown quickly became a favorite pre- and post-Dodgers game destination during the World Series. That’s partially thanks to the one-of-a-kind team memorabilia that third-generation fan and owner Tommy Brockert has been collecting for years and hung across the walls of his Chinatown spot, but also due to the crispy-chewy, hybrid-sourdough pies that Brockert first began slinging out of a mobile truck before debuting a Silver Lake pizza counter in 2021. The expanded kitchen offers pies whole and by the slice, plus a fried mortadella sandwich, beef and vegan hot dogs, a house take on Dodger Stadium’s famous garlic fries, salads and wines curated by John Cerasulo of Anajak Thai.
Read about the Dodgers-themed pizzeria in Chinatown.
Read about the Dodgers-themed pizzeria in Chinatown.
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Rokusho
Hollywood Japanese $$$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
The restaurant group behind Yamashiro and Kodo has partnered with Tokyo-based Three Star Lane on a pair of Japanese restaurants that sprawl across two floors of a historic Hollywood recording studio. On the ground floor you’ll find Rokusho, where Scratch by Sushi vet Carlos Couts helms a menu with skewers, handrolls, sukiyaki and a shareable take on crispy rice, while beverage director Felix Campos (formerly of Enrique Olvera’s Casamata group) has designed a drink menu using Japanese and Mexican spirits. Upstairs, Udatsu Sushi serves as an identical sibling outpost of the Tokyo restaurant with the same name, with a 17-course omakase (available with seafood or vegetarian) at its eight-seat counter.
Read about the palatial pair of Japanese concepts.
Read about the palatial pair of Japanese concepts.
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Luv2Eat Express
Hollywood Thai $
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
A 2023 101 Best Restaurants in L.A. awardee has opened a Thai street-food-focused outpost in the same Hollywood shopping center. From Noree “Chef Pla” Burapapituk and Somruthai “Chef Fern” Kaewtathip, Luv2Eat Express offers Thai staples beyond the Phuket region that neighboring Luv2Eat Thai Bistro focuses on with its menu, including rotating combo plates and a la carte dishes such as whole-braised mackerel with cilantro root, tamarind-fried and whole-boiled eggs, colorful curries and house-made puddings for dessert.
Read about the casual new Thai restaurant in Hollywood.
Read about the casual new Thai restaurant in Hollywood.
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Sonoratown
Long Beach Mexican $
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
After launching a Mid-City cantina with micheladas and nachos, Sonoratown owners Jennifer Feltham and Teodoro Diaz-Rodriguez Jr. have expanded to a spacious Long Beach location, where they’re serving an identical menu of caramelos, chivichangas and burritos wrapped in pliant flour tortillas cooked in lard, plus Mexican sodas, a list of rotating beers and house aguas frescas.
Read about the Long Beach location of Sonoratown.
Read about the Long Beach location of Sonoratown.
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Zoku
Redondo Beach Japanese $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
A Japanese-founded yakitori chain is behind Zoku, a sleek new restaurant in Redondo Beach with table service and binchotan-grilled skewers that are fired in a partially open kitchen, as well as sake and wine for pairing. Starters including tofu and seaweed salad, karaage, yaki onigiri and desserts such as hojicha panna cotta complete the menu.
Read about the kushiyaki-focused restaurant in Redondo Beach.
Read about the kushiyaki-focused restaurant in Redondo Beach.
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Tacos el Más Cabron
East Los Angeles Mexican $
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
After popping up as a flame-grilled taco stand for five years, husband-and-wife team Francisco and Nancy Arizpe have debuted a bricks-and-mortar taqueria with Tacos el Más Carbon in East L.A. The new menu has evolved from Tijuana-style tacos, mulitas, burritos and vampiros to include chilaquiles, potato flautas, cafe de olla and a rotating selection of aguas frescas.
Read about the new location of Tacos el Más Cabron.
Read about the new location of Tacos el Más Cabron.
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