Clockwise from top left: Iberico pork schnitzel from Darkroom, pastrami sandwich from Le Hut Dinette, croissants from Santa Canela, chirashi from Sama, wontons from 88 Club
(Collage: Brandon Ly / Los Angeles Times, Photos: Ron de Angelis / For The Times, Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
The best places to eat and drink this month, according to our food writers
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The L.A. Dodgers are (thus far) leading the league with the most wins this season, and a celebratory spirit seems to have settled over the city. Perhaps it’s aided by the start of festival season and a bounty of new seasonal fruits and veggies hitting the shelves of our local markets.
In case you’re wondering how to maximize your farmers market spoils, the Food team rounded up our favorite cookbooks released this spring, as well as culinary titles, new and old, that we can’t imagine living without. Sample the splendor with recipes for Queen St.’s mackerel tartare, Fat + Flour’s London Fog brownies and a hibiscus margarita from cocktail expert Caroline Pardilla’s new book.
The month of May often brings showers and flowers, along with Mother’s Day and Memorial Day holidays. Consult our staff guide for the city’s best weekend brunch spots.
And if you’re still looking for dining ideas this month, bookmark this list with new openings including a rooftop temaki bar in the Original Farmers Market, a modern diner in Santa Ana and a recently reopened superette in Altadena.
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Altadena Beverage & Market
Altadena Mini Market $$
(Laurie Ochoa / Los Angeles Times)
In a recent Tasting Notes newsletter, Food general manager Laurie Ochoa noted several Altadena businesses that have recently reopened after the Eaton fire. On Allen Avenue, Altadena Beverage & Market has returned with bread from Bub & Grandma’s, Maury’s Bagels and dishware from the couple’s still-closed sister business Zinnie’s Table.
Read about Altadena businesses that are slowly reopening.
Read about Altadena businesses that are slowly reopening.
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Angel's Tijuana Tacos
Mexican $
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
One of L.A.’s best al pastor specialists has expanded from multiple puestos across the Inland Empire, Orange County and L.A. to a new bricks-and-mortar in Anaheim. The new location of Angel’s Tijuana Tacos features indoor seating, a hand-painted mural and the same lineup of tacos, quesadillas, vampiros, burritos and stuffed baked potatoes, plus micheladas, loaded French fries and rotating specials.
Read about the new location of Angel’s Tijuana Tacos.
Read about the new location of Angel’s Tijuana Tacos.
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AttaGirl
Hermosa Beach Mediterranean $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Chef David LeFevre, who already dominates the South Bay dining scene with favorites including Manhattan Beach Post, Fishing With Dynamite, the Arthur J and RYLA, has expanded with Attagirl, a Mediterranean-inspired spot in Hermosa Beach opened alongside chef-partner Alice Mai. The menu includes house-baked pita and rosemary-smoked salt focaccia paired with hummus, charred tzatziki and spicy whipped feta; mezze including octopus a la plancha, cauliflower falafel and spiced lamb meatballs; salads, skewers and house-made pastas; with shareable plates such as spinach pie and chicken tagine; and Basque cheesecake with orange marmalade for dessert. The beverage menu features California and Mediterranean wines and cocktails that lean fruity and light, including Amalfi Crush with sangria infused with mandarin-infused white wine, limoncello, aloe liqueur and basil.
Read about chef David LeFevre’s new Hermosa Beach restaurant.
Read about chef David LeFevre’s new Hermosa Beach restaurant.
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BBAD
Pasadena Breakfast $
(Jon Demorest Photography)
Columnist Jenn Harris recommends three new breakfast burrito specialists in Pasadena to visit ASAP, including BBAD, which serves versions stuffed with chile verde braised pork, mushroom and classic bacon, egg and cheese, with espresso drinks and house-made vegan horchata available for washing it down. After you’ve picked up your order, find a seat on the plant-strewn patio of the adjoining Pasadena Hotel and Pool.
Read about the new breakfast burrito spots in Pasadena.
Read about the new breakfast burrito spots in Pasadena.
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Darkroom
Santa Ana Eclectic $$$
(Ron De Angelis / For The Times)
In her latest review, columnist Jenn Harris recommends making a visit to Darkroom, a whimsical and experimental restaurant from chef-owner Zach Scherer that’s housed in a Santa Ana industrial park. The frequently changing a la carte menu might feature Nashville hot swordfish or koji-butter-dipped steak and spinach, while the tasting menu with optional wine pairings might delight with Spanish ham-topped zucchini bread, smoked and confit maitake mushrooms sauced with a take on chimichurri or Iberico pork schnitzel. On Thursdays, Scherer offers a three-course menu called Apogee that serves as R&D and is priced at $95 per person.
Read columnist Jenn Harris’ Darkroom review.
Read columnist Jenn Harris’ Darkroom review.
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Dog Haus
Pasadena American $
(Jenn Harris / Los Angeles Times)
Visit any Dog Haus location before June 3 to try food influencer Josh Elkin’s bacon and sausage breakfast chimichanga, which columnist Jenn Harris argues rivals some of the best breakfast burritos in the city. The massive burrito is stuffed with three scrambled eggs, cheese, chopped sausage, bacon crumbles, tater tots and a miso-ranch sauce, then deep-fried until the tortilla turns golden and flaky. A maple Sriracha sauce is served on the side for dipping.
Read about the best new breakfast burritos in Pasadena.
Read about the best new breakfast burritos in Pasadena.
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El Patron
Altadena Mexican $$
(Laurie Ochoa / Los Angeles Times)
In March, Altadena’s popular Mexican-American restaurant El Patron reopened following the Eaton fire. When Food general manager and longtime Pasadena resident Laurie Ochoa visited at lunch recently, she found it lively with locals enjoying plates of chile colorado, fajitas and steaming caldos.
Read about the restaurants reopening in Altadena.
Read about the restaurants reopening in Altadena.
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Evangeline Swamp Room
Chinatown Bar $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Adjacent to New Orleans-inspired Little Jewel in Chinatown, owners and husband-and-wife duo Marcus Christiana-Beniger and Eunah Kang-Beniger have opened Evangeline Swamp Room, a cocktail bar and lounge with an overlapping theme. The food menu serves up po’boys, charbroiled oysters and fried frog legs, with cocktails spanning Big Easy classics such as a sazerac, Brandy milk punch and mint julep.
Read about Chinatown’s new cocktail lounge.
Read about Chinatown’s new cocktail lounge.
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Heavy Handed
Silver Lake Burgers $
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
One of L.A.’s best burger spots has expanded to a third location in Silver Lake, in the corner space formerly occupied by All Day Baby. In addition to Heavy Handed’s signature smashburgers and sauce-drenched fries, the orange-and-red-painted storefront will feature a natural-leaning wine list catered to the neighborhood and new retail items from owners Max Miller and Danny Gordon.
Read about the third location of Heavy Handed.
Read about the third location of Heavy Handed.
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Kurrypinch
Los Feliz Sri Lankan $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Head to Thai Town for a taste of Sri Lankan cuisine from Shaheen Ghazaly, who previously launched locations of Kurrypinch in Van Nuys and Tarzana before settling into his new digs off Hollywood Boulevard. Here, Ghazaly grinds his own chile pastes and makes meticulous roti that mimic the versions he had growing up. Still in soft-opening mode, the menu includes a kiribath-inspired coconut milk risotto with mahi mahi and weekend-only biryani, plus mango lassi smoothies and hot ginger black tea.
Read about the new Sri Lankan restaurant.
Read about the new Sri Lankan restaurant.
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Le Hut Dinette
Santa Ana American $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
A creative new diner concept has launched in Santa Ana courtesy of Heritage BBQ co-owners and husband-and-wife team Daniel and Brenda Castillo, alongside executive chef Ryan Garlitos, formerly of Taco Maria. Housed in a vintage Quonset hut, the new restaurant features a Wes Anderson-inspired color palette of mint and rose-pink, alongside a menu that leans on comfort and nostalgia including a pastrami sandwich, brisket tacos and steak Diane with mushroom cream sauce for dinner. In a departure from Heritage, the new-wave diner features a natural wine list with bottles sourced primarily from California and Texas.
Read about the new opening from Heritage BBQ chef Daniel Castillo.
Read about the new opening from Heritage BBQ chef Daniel Castillo.
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Sama
Downtown L.A. Japanese $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
A new hand roll bar in downtown L.A. is prepared to satisfy local cravings for temaki, tempura, sashimi, kushiyaki, chirashi and classic hand and cut rolls. From chef-founder Lester Lai, the Japanese restaurant also offers unagi curry and lobster dashi pasta, and rolls can be further enhanced with caviar, uni and tempura flakes. Lychee mint mojitos and shochu old-fashioneds are available at the bar, as well as sake and Japanese beers.
Read about the new hand roll bar in downtown.
Read about the new hand roll bar in downtown.
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Santa Canela
Highland Park Bakery $
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Head to Highland Park early before the cozy artisanal panadería from Ellen Ramos alongside the team behind Cha Cha Chá and Loreto sells out of conchas filled with burnt-vanilla chantilly cream, fresh “L.A.”-shaped churros and savory items including a soyrizo-and-potato croissant and a chicken tinga tart. Coffee drinks include café de olla and a champurrado latte.
Read about the new Highland Park bakery.
Read about the new Highland Park bakery.
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Savta
Fairfax Californian Italian $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
From founder Vincent Benoliel and owner of nearby Michelina in the Original Farmers Market, Savta is an East Coast-founded bistro that blends European and West Coast inspiration, including char-spotted, wood-fired pizzas; savory, feta-filled phyllo; and herby, garlicky loup de mer. The wine list takes similar cues with bottles from France, Italy and California, and the cocktail list skews classic, with Aperol spritz, mimosa and bellini pitchers offered during weekend brunch.
Read about the new Euro-California bistro at the Original Farmers Market.
Read about the new Euro-California bistro at the Original Farmers Market.
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Sobuneh
Sawtelle Breakfast $
(Ethan Banayan)
Translating to “breakfast” in Farsi, Sobuneh slings hefty breakfast burritos filled with house beef chorizo, Harris Ranch beef bacon, veggies or steak and paired with house salsas including honey-chipotle and cilantro-lime aioli and heirloom pico de gallo. In 2023, Ethan Banayan quit his commercial real estate job and partnered with friends Omeed Minoofar and Ryan Elyahouzadeh on a backyard breakfast burrito pop-up that quickly gained a following and now operates out of the Colony commercial kitchen space in Sawtelle.
Read about the breakfast burrito specialist in Sawtelle.
Read about the breakfast burrito specialist in Sawtelle.
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Sora Temaki Bar
Fairfax Japanese $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Upstairs from Savta you’ll find Sora Temaki Bar, a hand roll concept from owner Vincent Benoliel, where rolls are topped with Wagyu imported from Japan and uni caught in Santa Barbara, plus classic sushi rolls and sashimi and a few worthy starters including red snapper with a truffle yuzu sauce, fried tofu and Japanese eggplant. The same beverage menu with California and European wines, classic cocktails and sake is available at both restaurants.
Read about the new dining concepts at the Original Farmers Market.
Read about the new dining concepts at the Original Farmers Market.
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Stara Pierogi & Sausage
Fairfax Polish $
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
A new destination for Polish specialties, such as handmade pierogi, schnitzel and imported kielbasa sausages has landed at the Original Farmers Market, from Kamila Zymanczyk, who moved to the states five years ago from Poland and grew up cooking with her great-grandmother, grandmother and mother. Now Zymanczyk, alongside her own children, makes traditional versions of placki, or potato pancakes, resh paczki, or doughnuts; and nalesniki, or crepes; plus daily-changing cake offered by the slice at the nearly century-old market.
Read about the new vendors at the Original Farmer’s Market.
Read about the new vendors at the Original Farmer’s Market.
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Villa's Tacos #3
Highland Park Mexican $
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
The taqueria from owner Victor Villa that’s known for its maximalist, L.A.-style tacos has launched a third location in Highland Park with a mariscos-forward menu, including beer-battered wild shrimp and mahi mahi tacos; mesquite-grilled octopus and surf and turf tacos with Mediterranean sea bass and Japanese A5 Wagyu; vegetarian options with twice-cooked sweet potato and a medley of mushrooms; and plates with Mexican rice. Load up on mango pico de gallo, pineapple habanero or guacamole salsas at the bar.
Read about the third location of Villa’s Tacos.
Read about the third location of Villa’s Tacos.
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61 Hundred Bread
Santa Ana Bakery $
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
A Santa Ana bakery is drawing lines for its Filipino-inflected menu with ube cruffins and fluffy pan de sal, plus sourdough shokupan, croissants with Oaxacan quesillo and a blue corn masa sourdough loaf that quickly went viral following its opening last November. Get to chef-founder Karlos Evaristo’s 61 Hundred Bread early for cream-top lattes and to pick up a loaf of the signature vibrant-purple bread before it sells out.
Read about the viral bakery in Santa Ana.
Read about the viral bakery in Santa Ana.
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88 Club
Beverly Hills Chinese $$$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
The chef-owner behind Daybird and winner of “Top Chef” Mei Lin returns to fine dining with 88 Club, a new Beverly Hills restaurant that offers a modern take on Chinese banquet halls in a moody space cloaked in marble surfaces with forest-green and ruby accents. The menu celebrates the dishes that Lin grew up eating but with upscale flourishes, including cha sui made from Iberico pork and sesame prawn toast with sweet and sour and hot-mustard aioli. The wine list curated by Diana Lee includes Reislings intended to play off the aromatic Chinese plates and the cocktail program from Kevin Nyugen plays with similar themes, including a gimlet with perilla and a mai tai with Chinese rhubarb
Read about chef Mei Lin’s new Beverly Hills restaurant.
Read about chef Mei Lin’s new Beverly Hills restaurant.
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