Mei Lin’s Daybird opens, ‘Cheezy’ L.A. pizza popup is roaming
Daybird
Mei Lin’s long-awaited fast-casual restaurant is now open in Silver Lake, serving Sichuan-inspired hot chicken sandwiches and tenders dusted with numbing spice. Heat levels include none, mild, medium, hot and extreme, with sandwiches topped by a pickled-chile cabbage slaw. Sides include french fries and pickles, and drink selections involve milk tea and a daily lemonade, among others. Open for takeout Wednesday to Saturday.
240 N. Virgil Ave., Los Angeles, daybirdla.com
LA Cha Cha Chá
This sprawling and plant-dotted Mexican restaurant is launching on an Arts District rooftop March 19. A sibling concept to Mexico City’s Terazza Cha Cha Chá, the new LA Cha Cha Chá will bring multiregional and seasonally inspired tacos, tostadas, aguachiles and beyond to an 11,600-square-foot space with views of downtown L.A. Former Le Comptoir sous chef Alejandro Guzmán is helming the kitchen, while Bryan Tetorakis (formerly of Cole’s and the Varnish) is overseeing the bar program. Open Tuesday to Sunday for dine-in, with takeout and delivery to follow.
812 E. 3rd St., Los Angeles, chachacha.la
Breakfast by Salt’s Cure in Santa Monica
Salt’s Cure’s breakfast-only offshoot is set to open a second location by the end of the month, expanding on the West Hollywood restaurant’s crispy-edged griddle cakes and morning fare with specials, a new vegan option and dairy-free cinnamon butter. Expect takeout and delivery in the new Santa Monica outpost (housed in the former Osteria Bigoli space), followed by patio and limited indoor seating.
714 Montana Ave., Santa Monica, breakfastbysaltscure.com
The Hideout
A new cocktail and natural-wine bar is opening March 19 in Hollywood by way of two established beverage-industry vets. The Hideout’s co-owner Julian Cox (formerly of Otium, Rivera, Bestia and more) will focus on mixology using farmers market ingredients and techniques such as fermentation and canning, while co-owner Alex Marchesini (formerly of Portland’s Thelonious Wines) will curate the rotating wine list. Open Wednesday to Saturday with Spanish-inspired snacks; patio seating; and shared indoor seating through Tartine Sycamore in the evening.
911 N. Sycamore Ave., Los Angeles, instagram.com/thehideoutsycamore
Speak Cheezy
Long-time pizza catering operation Urban Pie is adding a mobile pop-up to its offerings with Speak Cheezy, a roaming van with a pizza oven built into the back. Owner Jason Winters takes advance orders online, scheduling stops by neighborhood, then par-bakes his sourdough pizzas in his commercial kitchen’s wood ovens, delivers them throughout L.A. and finishes each pizza in the van’s own oven. Follow @speak_cheezy on Instagram for specials, updates and availability.
Shop Antico
Italian restaurant Antico is getting back to its name in a new way: with a dive into selling antiques. This week husband-and-wife team chef Chad and designer Heather Colby launched Shop Antico: a tangential online store for modern home goods inspired by their travels and artisans as well as Italian antiques, including centuries-old cookware such as grain vessels, wooden dough bowls, Puglian ceramic pitchers, pasta tools, clay milk jugs, sardine jars and Polish wood boards. Orders can be picked up at the restaurant.
4653 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, shopantico-la.com
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