This food truck is more than meets the eye. It’s also a smoothie-making robot
Openings
The rise of the smoothie robots
Ono Food Co. is launching a food truck this week with onboard robotics that make organic smoothies. Guests will place their orders via a kiosk on the truck; a 60-second process results in a fully finished smoothie.
A5 Wagyu tacos in South L.A.
Sola Tacos is now open Saturday and Sunday nights in Hyde Park. The stand serves tacos with A5 Wagyu beef from Japan. A pop-up at Sara’s Market in East L.A. is planned for Dec. 21.
3515 W. Florence Ave., Los Angeles, instagram.com/sola.tacos
An exploration into the rich and complex flavors of Los Angeles.
Qué Onda
Onda is now open in Santa Monica from Jessica Koslow of Sqirl and Gabriela Cámara of Contramar in Mexico City. The menu includes a grilled nopales salad with smoked pepita dressing, smoked trout tostada, whole tapioca fried fish and an inside-out turkey quesadilla with burnt hoja santa.
700 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, (310) 620-9917, onda.la
Pav bhaji on demand
Honest Restaurant, which has its origins in a street cart in Ahmedabad, India, now has a location in Artesia. The specialty here is pav bhaji, a utilitarian lunch staple of India’s working class involving thick vegetable curries served with a white roll. The menu also includes dosas, uttapam and various styles of chaat.
18600 Pioneer Blvd., Artesia, honestrestaurantsusa.com
The ardor they come
Ardor is now open at the West Hollywood Edition hotel. The preliminary menu from chef John Fraser includes lamb cooked under pine, tandoori cauliflower with chaat masala, salt-baked pork belly and, for dessert, gooseberry phyllo pizza.
9040 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, (310) 953-9899, ardorweho.com
Canary row
Canary will open Nov. 8 in Santa Monica from the owners of Neat, Bruhaus and the Belmont. The cocktail lounge serves tropical drinks and plans to host live music, performances and a different food truck nightly.
1301 5th St., Santa Monica, canarysm.com
Carnitas pizza and natural wine
Grá is now open in Historic Filipinotown for naturally fermented sourdough pizza, beer and natural wine. Dishes include Benton’s Country Ham, roasted eggplant with pepperonata, Persian sour cream and dried mint, plus kimchi pizza and carnitas pizza.
1524 Pizarro St., Los Angeles, grá.com
Pit perfect
Pitfire Pizza reopened in North Hollywood last week following a nine-month closure. The renovated space now has a 100-seat outdoor beer garden, games and a stand-alone location of Superba Snacks + Coffee with a walk-up window.
5211 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, (818) 980-2949, pitfirepizza.com
Hollywood masala
Masala 2 is now open in Hollywood. The Indian menu includes tandoor-roasted lamb tikka, shrimp vindaloo, chicken-stuffed naan and paneer korma.
7226 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, masalahollywood.com
A Sardinian stronghold in Culver City
Carasau is now open in Culver City. The Italian menu skews Sardinian, with dishes including potato-and-cheese-stuffed culurgiones, ravioli allo Zafferano, pizza with bottarga and moscardini in umido.
3912/3918 Van Buren Place, Culver City, (310) 876-0058, carasauristorante.com
Wenzhou specialties in the SGV
Masterbee Express is now open in El Monte. The restaurant serves dishes such as braised pork fluffy tacos, bacon fried rice and coral fish noodle soup, as well as a few regional specialties from Wenzhou including minced fish ball soup, fish loaves and pork jerky.
9814 Garvey Ave., El Monte, (626) 575-1188
A red sauce situation on Sepulveda
Umberto’s is now open in Culver City for Italian food and wine. Dishes include pizza with prosciutto and arugula, calamari, penne arrabbiata and New York steak with marsala sauce.
3905 Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City, (310) 390-3934, facebook.com/goodvibesgoodfoodgoodstaff
Shack attack
Shake Shack will open Nov. 7 in Long Beach. The location will have a few exclusive items, including a double Swiss cheeseburger topped with Dijon mustard and bacon-and-beer-simmered onions.
6400 Pacific Coast Hwy., Long Beach, (562) 380-2090, shakeshack.com
Beak show
Bok Bok Chicken opened its third L.A. area location last week in Culver City. The Mediterranean restaurant serves rotisserie chicken with fattoush, soom and pita, as well as falafel, beef kabob, cheese boreg and shawarma salad.
4114 Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City, (424) 298-8294, bokbokchicken.com
Bistro vibes on Sunset
Bar Restaurant is now open in the former Mas Malo space in Silver Lake. The bistro-influenced menu includes jambon de Bayonne, boudin noir, lamb tartare and pork tonkatsu with smoked apple and wakame Béarnaise.
4326 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 347-5557, barrestaurant.la
Holcomb hits Highland Park
Holcomb is now open in Highland Park from the owners of Hermosillo and Hi-Hat. The natural-wine bar offers small plates including beef tartare, mussel escabeche and pork rillette sandwiches.
5535 York Blvd., Los Angeles, instagram.com/holcombhighlandpark
Hot pot by the pound
Yintang Spicy Hot Pot has a new location in Arcadia. Guests build their own hot pots and pay based on the weight of the ingredients they choose.
1435 S. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia, (626) 623-8800
Closings
Wadatsumi is closed after two years in West L.A. The Torrance location remains open.
The Sit Down closed in Los Feliz on Oct. 22 after an eviction by its landlord. The Melrose location is still open.
Kippy’s Ice Cream Shop is closed after three years in Venice.
Eat your way across L.A.
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