Clockwise from top middle: Roast chicken from Henrietta; soup from Bao Kee Cafe; taquitos from Cielito Lindo; a chicken sandwich, cheeseburger, hot dog and beers from Skyduster Beer and a tasting course with Hokkaido scallop from Baroo.
(Ron De Angelis, Dylan James and Silvia Razgova / For The Times; Myung J. Chun and Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
The best places to eat and drink this month, according to our Food writers
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Summer has just begun, but there’s a certain magic in the air in Los Angeles right now. On the heels of Juneteenth and Pride Month, the city is fully immersed in World Cup, which continues through July 19, with some of the matches being played at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium. There are plenty of places to eat and drink near the stadium if you’re heading there for a game and plenty of watch parties at local restaurants and bars for those looking to cheer alongside other soccer fans.
If you’re staying close to home this summer, keep your taste buds entertained with Food’s guide to the 50 essential dining experiences that define living here, from an East L.A. taco truck crawl to pastries in Chinatown and Iranian cafes in Westwood’s Persian Square. There are also plenty of new bars to explore, including rooftop destinations with sparkling views of the city.
And if your summer plans involve travel abroad, bookmark Food’s international dining guides. Far from exhaustive, these food and drink recommendations encompass memorable highlights from past off-the-clock visits to major food hubs like London, Paris, Tokyo, Melbourne, Mexico City, Hong Kong, Lima and little-known Colima, Mexico.
Keep reading for even more dining ideas to keep you busy this month:
Showing Places
Baking With Ish
San Gabriel Valley Bakery $$
(Jenn Harris / Los Angeles Times )
The Filipino bakery in San Gabriel’s Blossom Market recently expanded its menu with savory brunch items, including golden, cardamom-scented waffles crowned with fried chicken, blue corn mochi pancakes and a breakfast sandwich worth planning your visit around, served on a split pandesal roll smeared with garlic and Mornay sauces and stuffed with a sunny side up egg and Spam.
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Bao Kee Cafe
South El Monte Cantonese $
(Dylan James Ho/For The Times)
Head to South El Monte to sample a regional style of Cantonese cuisine rarely seen in L.A. At Bao Kee Cafe, restaurant critic Bill Addison recommends soups steeped in traditional Chinese medicine that offer instantaneous nourishment, as well as deep-fried eggs with pickled vegetables and braised pear with rock sugar that offer a window into Toisan, a region just west of Macau.
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Baroo
Downtown L.A. Korean $$$
(Silvia Razgova / For The Times)
When cookbook author Anissa Helou recently visited Los Angeles, restaurant critic Bill Addison indulged her recent obsession with Korean food with a stop at Baroo in the Arts District, where she was thrilled by a course of buckwheat noodles dressed with super-fine strands of gamtae seaweed, persimmon vinegar, ganjang and minty perilla oil, paired with a glass of acidic Grüner Veltliner. Helou later posted on Instagram calling the restaurant one of her new favorites. During her trip, she also stopped by The Times’ test kitchen to demonstrate her recipe for bulgur risotto.
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Breakfast With Milli
Baldwin Hills/Crenshaw Soul Food Breakfast $
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
A spotlight is being put on chef-owner Milli Jay’s pink breakfast diner in a Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw shopping plaza, thanks to Daisy Miles and the Black-owned food tours she’s hosting across L.A. It’s worth showing up outside of the food tours too, for comforting breakfast burritos with fried catfish, avocado-topped Texas toast and salmon croquettes.
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Fuegos L.A.
Exposition Park Argentinian $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
The Argentine bistro in South L.A. has become a World Cup destination for Messi fans, with indoor and outdoor screens for viewing live matches, plus empanadas, Argentine-style pizza and choripan served alongside South American Malbecs. Reservations are recommended for Argentina games.
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Henrietta
Echo Park Californian Italian $$
(Ron De Angelis / For The Times)
If you’re wondering where you should be dining this summer, the answer — according to restaurant critic Jenn Harris — is Henrietta, a lunch and dinner bistro in Echo Park that’s making memorable versions of dishes you’ll find at restaurants all over town, including roast chicken with a Caesar panzanella and beef tartare on Romesco toast, plus daytime sandwiches and an accesible wine list.
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Olvera Street
Downtown L.A. Attraction
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
The long-standing corridor that’s home to multi-generational Mexican-owned restaurants and businesses has struggled in recent years, with foot traffic down significantly since the pandemic. But business owners are hoping that the World Cup will serve as a reset for the historic landmark that’s located on the site where the Pueblo of Los Angeles was born in 1781. Nearly century-old Cielito Lindo reopened just in time for Olvera Street’s Heritage Festival at the end of June. Nearby, family-owned La Luz Del Dia is serving up Michoacán-style specialties.
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Skyduster Beer
Downtown L.A. Brewery $
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
The Los Angeles-based beer debuted its brewery sports bar in downtown L.A. just in time for World Cup, tapping avant-garde chef Diego Argoti, the mastermind behind Poltergeist and pasta pop-up Estrano, for an ambitious pub-inspired menu. Fans can order spicy Sichuan Jidori chicken wings, an aguachile tostada topped with Hokkaido scallops and white Gulf shrimp and a pad krakow chicken sandwich with masa-fried chicken thighs alongside Skyduster’s super dry lager or West Coast IPA, available by the pitcher, in mix-and-match six-packs and beer cocktails. Argoti’s residence at the brewery will extend beyond World Cup matches.
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Sushi Katsu-Ya
Studio City Japanese $$
(Michael Kovac)
Master sushi chef Katsuya Uechi, the creator of spicy tuna crispy rice and a pioneer who helped shape L.A.’s modern sushi scene, died at 67. While you can visit any number of Sushi Katsu-ya or Katsuya restaurants across L.A. and the world, the Studio City location came first. Head to the original outpost to honor the chef’s legacy over orders of yellowtail sashimi with jalapeño, creative sushi rolls and, of course, spicy tuna crispy rice.
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