THE BIGGEST LA RESTAURANT OPENINGS TO KNOW IN JUNE
Los Angeles is no stranger to restaurant openings whether a splashy opening in iconic buildings helmed by big-name chefs, a humble neighborhood spot, or a pop-up leaping into a permanent space. Consider this monthly rundown a go-to guide for the newest and boldest debuts across the Southland. For more under-the-radar restaurant openings, check out this companion list, or ones capturing our attention that opened in 2024, check out our LA Heatmap.
June
LA Grocery & Cafe, Melrose Hill
On June 3, Honey Hi alums Caitlin Sullivan and Theresa Ruzumna opened LA Grocery & Cafe. This neighborhood market and cafe is in a former Produce for Less market, a longtime neighborhood grocer whose owners retired. LA Grocery & Cafe is the latest addition to this Melrose Hill complex that houses the adjacent Ggiata, Café Telegrama, Le Coupé, and Ètra. Seasonal fruits and vegetables hail from local purveyors, while the cafe seats 12. Eat grab-and-go banchan boxes, in-house pastries made in-house by Mozza alum Dahlia Narvaez, plus a staff-served hot food counter offering rotisserie chicken, trout, or grass-fed beef combination platters.
Bakers Bench, Victor Heights
Bakers Bench pastry chef Jennifer Yee moved her Chinatown vegan viennoiserie to Victor Heights on June 7. Yee closed down the previous location in February 2024 after establishing a steady following by baking croissants, palmiers, cinnamon knots, a rotating selection of cookies, muffins, and seasonal baked goods. Her new location is in the Alpine Courtyard restaurant hub. The menu is 80 percent vegan, slightly more than the original shop's, with the addition of sandwiches and focaccia slices.
Selvin’s, Thousand Oaks
Chef John Vega, an alum of Grant Achatz’s Chicago restaurant Alinea, opened Selvin’s in Thousand Oaks. The restaurant resides on the ground floor of the Palm Garden Hotel where Vega prepares a California coastal menu with truffle fries, corn agnolotti, pizzas, seared halibut, and mango powder alongside the hamachi crudo. The restaurant is named after the hotel’s owner, Harry Selvin.
Bread Head, Santa Monica
Trois Mec veteran chefs Alex Williams and Jordan Snyder opened Bread Head Sandwiches in Santa Monica on June 15. The duo stepped away from fine dining and into a pandemic pop-up by creating a sandwich that combines focaccia and ciabatta. In their 500 square-foot space on Montana Avenue near 16th Street, they bake bread and assemble sandwiches like ham and butter, roast beef, BLT, chicken salad, and a muffuletta that comes whole or cut in half. Soups, salads, coffees, and lemonade are also available. This is the flagship location for Bread Head Restaurant Group, owned by Williams, Snyder, former Night + Market operations director Michael Pasternak, and Venice Brands founder Greg Willsey.
Triple Beam, Santa Monica
The Nancy Silverton, Pizzeria Mozza chef Matt Molina, and Silverlake Wine’s Randy Clement opened Highland Park’s first Triple Beam Pizza in 2018. Since then, the pizzeria has expanded to Echo Park, Glendora, and now Santa Monica as of June 20. Triple Beam is known for its thin Roman-style pizzas topped with acorn squash, roasted fennel, pepperoni, fresh mozzarella, and more. The pizzeria also offers rotating seasonal specials highlighting local produce and flavors like a roasted spring corn pizza and a chicken bulgogi pie. The new Santa Monica location is set to have a similar menu to the other outposts, with executive chef Juan Robles at the helm in the kitchen.
Sandbourne, Santa Monica
Chef Raphael Lunetta’s Marelle is in Santa Monica’s new Ocean Avenue hotel, the Sandbourne. It’s blocks from Lunetta’s legendary former restaurant Jiraffe, which he opened decades ago with former partner and chef Josiah Citrin. As of June 18, Lunetta continues his longtime dedication to using farmers' market produce and California cuisine that touches various international flavors and ingredients. The interior sports a modern Tulum-meets-Santorini design by Gulla Jonsdottir. Etta and Cal Mare veteran Amanda Fewster is the beverage director.
The Benjamin Hollywood, Hollywood
Two decades ago, the Hundreds co-founder Ben Shenassafar launched his popular streetwear brand. On June 25, he started his next venture, the Benjamin Hollywood on the corner of Melrose and Formosa Avenues. The 1920s Art Deco building is a stunner with a dining room showcasing frosted glass Art Deco chandeliers set against dark wood-paneled walls, an L-shaped oak bar, and olive green mohair booths. Chef Johnny Cirelle (whose resume includes Spago, Bavel, and Bestia) developed a menu that draws on Shenassafar’s memories with starters like the deviled eggs or the crab beignets, and salads, Australian wagyu with a cognac cream sauce, and roasted heirloom chicken. Bartender Nathan Oliver developed the cocktails, including drinks like Ben’s Martini, which is served a sidecar and a side of chips.
May
Brewco Social, Manhattan Beach
The former Brewco in Manhattan Beach has reopened on May 22 after nearly closing forever last year. Operator Michael Zislis, who also owns Strand House across the street, completely overhauled the interior with the help of designer Noelle Isbell, giving the former sports bar a really elegant new look. Zislis asked chef Neal Fraser to consult on an expansive, crowd-pleasing menu ranging from pao de queso, citrus-tinted shishito peppers, Japanese crab California rolls, and pork schnitzel. It’s all over the place, but that’s on purpose. The beachside neighborhood is always looking for easy dishes that won’t challenge the palate or the wallet.
Chelsea, Santa Monica
Father-and-son duo Moez and Karim Megji opened the London-inspired Chelsea in Santa Monica serving dishes flavored by ingredients from East Africa, India, and more. Chef Manolo Espejel does pretty-looking plates like tikka masala fried chicken, harissa lamb tartare, and hoisin-marinated pork chop with chimichurri. The posh space goes into the redesigned Dono and Grammercy space along Wilshire Boulevard.
Kisa Sikdang, Koreatown
In South Korean, taxi drivers stop on the roadside for quick, affordable, and mostly pre-made meals with banchan, soup, and a protein to enjoy. Kisa, or the Korean word for driver, need these convenient types of restaurants so they can keep earning fares. Kisa Sikdang looks like it might’ve copped a similarly stylish new restaurant that debuted in April in New York City, but the concept didn’t originate in the East Coast. LA’s Kisa Sikdang was conceived more than a year-and-a-half ago by Bon Shabu owner Danny Lee but waited to find the right space to finally open. (LA even had another kisa sikdang that opened years ago but closed.) Kisa Sikdang offers beef and pork bulgogi, spicy stir-fried pork, and stir-fried squid as proteins surrounded by a daily selection of banchan, rice, seaweed soup, and ssam for a modern $18.99 for lunch and $23.99 for dinner. Note: there’s no requirement to be a taxi driver to enjoy the food here.
Leopardo, Mid-Wilshire
Former Angler chef Joshua Skenes has opened Leopardo, a vaguely Italian restaurant that serves wood-fired pizza, raw bar items, and a few other dishes that feel reminiscent of his former Beverly Center menu, but pared down even further. The result, located inside the old La Brea Bakery building that debuted on May 14, feels like a bustling neighborhood mainstay already. The vibes are really casual, from the stacked plates and silverware bunched up in old coffee cans, but the execution and the quality of the ingredients are fine dining-level. Don’t skip the frozen milk cream with Biscoff sandwiches for dessert.
Paseo, Céntrico, and Tiendita, Anaheim
Chicago chef Carlos Gaytán opened three separate restaurants on May 2 at the busier-than-ever Downtown Disney District in Anaheim, bringing polished modern Mexican dishes to the Orange County dining scene. The most ambitious is Paseo, located upstairs and serving gorgeous renditions of dishes he learned to make from his childhood. Céntrico and Tiendita are more casual and everyday, with things like tacos and nachos that are clear steps above the basic rice-and-beans dishes one would expect at chain Mexican restaurants.
Petit Grain Boulangerie, Santa Monica
Two of Los Angeles’s most talented bakers, Clémence de Lutz and Tony Hernandez opened a bakery in Santa Monica at 1209 Wilshire Boulevard. Set in a 900-square-foot space, Petit Grain Boulangerie serves a tightly focused menu of laminated pastries (croissants, pain au chocolate, Danishes), hand pies, cookies, quiches, sandwiches, and pan loaves. Plans to offer sourdough-style bread are slated for the future, along with New York-style pizzas served on Friday and Saturday evenings.
Riviera Mexican Cantina, Redondo Beach
South Bay institution Riviera Mexican Grill has expanded into the enormous former Samba by the Sea space in Redondo Beach, dubbed Riviera Mexican Cantina. Nearly every seat here has a great view of the waterfront, with an easy combo-plate-style Mexican menu appealing to a wide crowd. Christopher Bresden also owns Captain Kidd’s Fish Market on the other side of the parking lot, and Primo Italia in Torrance, so he really knows the South Bay diner. Expect lobster enchiladas, slow-braised carnitas, and birria quesatacos on the big menu paired with all types of margaritas.
Something About Her, West Hollywood
On May 22, Vanderpump Rules stars Adriana Madix and Katie Maloney opened their long-awaited sandwich Something About Her, just a few doors down from Lisa Vanderpump’s SUR restaurant where they both worked. Crowds descended on the tiny sandwich shop to see their favorite reality television stars. The menu is inspired by Hollywood star actresses, such as the Cameron, after Cameron Diaz, and the Viola, after Viola Davis, a turkey and chipotle mayo panini. Be prepared to wait.
April
Lasung House, Koreatown
Since opening on April 1, Lasung House has been selling out of its deep-fried jumbo pork cutlets almost daily. These eight-or-so-inch-long slabs of meat are pounded thin, deep fried, and served with or without melted mozzarella, along with rice, cabbage salad, and mac salad. Chicken or fish cutlets made with pollack are also on hand for those refraining from pork. This Koreatown restaurant comes from On6thAvenue hospitality group which also runs Korean barbecue hotspots Quarters and Origin in Chapman Market.
Heavy Handed, Studio City
Danny Gordon and Max Miller spent months converting the former Mister O’s restaurant into Heavy Handed’s second location in Studio City. The new space is bigger than the original Santa Monica outpost with indoor seating, a covered wrap-around patio, TVs galore, colorful murals, eight beers on tap, and a parking lot on a busy stretch of Ventura Boulevard. Find Heavy Handed’s single, double, or triple short rib-based smash burgers on the menu, along with tallow fries, sodas, and soft serve. Check Instagram for new menu additions.
Fondry, Highland Park
The founders of Kumquat and Loquat coffee shops, AJ Kim and Scott Sohn, opened a bakery on the border of Eagle Rock and Highland Park on April 20. Fondry (a combination of fond and foundry) specializes in croissants. Kim and Sohn partnered with Ivy Ku, who studied baking at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris before baking professionally in Hong Kong, on the project. The bakery quickly sold out of pain au chocolat and kouign amann during its first few weeks of business.
March
Mori Nozomi, West LA
Nozomi Mori opened her eponymous omakase counter on March 7. The Osaka-born chef came to the U.S. seven years ago as a student and landed her first sushi job at Moto Azabu in Marina del Rey before briefly working at two-Michelin-starred Ginza Onodera in West Hollywood. Mori’s ingredient sourcing reflects the highest levels of Japanese sushi omakase; the restaurant’s fish comes from Japan, while the produce is from the Santa Monica farmers market. Mori prepares a traditional matcha tea at the end of every meal and offers a tea pairing for $55 per person.
Villa’s Tacos, Downtown
The second location of Villa’s Tacos opened inside Grand Central Market at the vacant Belcampo Meat Co. stall on March 24. Villa’s latest location serves the same menu that made owner Victor Villa a Highland Park sensation, with mesquite meat tacos tucked inside cheese-encrusted blue corn tortillas. Plans to launch newer items like micheladas are in the works as soon as the ABC license clears. The new stall boasts a fresh coat of white paint with blue and red accents, along with Villa’s Tacos’ bold logo. Villa and his team are taking full advantage of the expanded square footage that includes a walk-in fridge, a larger prep room, and enough space to hold a custom mesquite grill from Texas.
Kitakata Ramen Ban Nai, Torrance
Word spread quickly when Kitakata Ramen Ban Nai opened in on March 4. Diners waited outside for the Japan-based chain to open at 11 a.m., but the dining room was full by noon. Kitakata has 57 locations in Japan, plus outlets in Costa Mesa, Buena Park, Fountain Valley, and Irvine. The Torrance Kitakata is the first LA County expansion outside Orange County with a unique ramen style that originated in the Japanese city of Kitakata in Fukushima prefecture in 1927. A 19-year-old Chinese immigrant named Bankinsei first opened a ramen shop using shina soba (Chinese-style noodles), and the rest is history.
Tacos Por Vida, Palms
On March 12, LA chef Roy Choi debuted his first food project since 2016, Tacos Por Vida. The new spot operates on Overland near Palms next to his Kogi Taqueria truck. Choi says, “We’re bringing it back to the essence of like wood fire, charcoal grill, backyard taco-man style,” with tacos and burritos served on handmade flour and corn tortillas. Fillings include asada, chicken, mushrooms, or al pastor sauced with verde and roja salsas, creamy guacamole, and dusted with custom salt blends. Tacos Por Vida went from an idea to a full-blown business in just two months, with recipe development completed over two days.
Smoke Queen Barbecue, Garden Grove
Popular Orange County pitmadam Winnie Yee opened Smoke Queen Barbecue this month after years of development. Yee is the latest SoCal pandemic pop-up to storefront success story, operating as a regular stand at Downtown’s Smorgasburg before debuting at Cottage Industries in Garden Grove on March 9. It’s quite a setup with outdoor lounge areas, a play area for children, and a handful of semi-and full-shade picnic tables on the premises. Yee’s barbecue draws from classic American-style barbecue and Asian flavors with a Chinese eight-spice-glazed pork belly char siu, dry-aged pork belly siu yuk, and gochujang beef ribs on Sundays. Sides include jasmine chicken rice, dirty rice with Chinese sausage, potato salad, mapo chili with ground brisket, pasta shells and cheese, sesame slaw, and Sichuan peppercorn simmered beans.
Coucou, West Hollywood
On March 27, Coucou opened steps away from legendary concert venue the Troubadour. Owners Jesse and Hayley Feldman opened the first Coucou in Venice in 2023 with future sights on West Hollywood for Coucou part deux. Bouchon alum chef Jacob Wetherington introduced more traditional French dishes to its menu with dishes like the flatbread topped with bacon and escargot served with aioli and green garlic; bone marrow served over frisee; and steak tartare. Weekend brunch is also an option here. Coucou WeHo can seat 45 in the main room and another 30 on the patio.
Café Tropical (Silver Lake) and Sweet Lady Jane (multiple locations)
March’s most surprising openings were two longtime establishments thought to have completely disappeared from the LA landscape. In February, the CEO of Pacific French Bakery purchased the shuttered local chain Sweet Lady Jane and brought back its beloved line of cakes and pastries in Santa Monica, Encino, and Beverly Hills. Silver Lake’s longtime Café Tropical reemerged on March 16 under new ownership from the Milkcult team, who also run a traveling novelty ice cream pop-up.
February
Waka Sakura, Gardena
Squeezing in under the February wire is Waka Sakura, Gardena’s new conveyor belt sushi restaurant that opened on February 27 on the second floor of Tokyo Central market. Use a tablet at the table or scan a QR code to order nigiri, rolls, hand rolls, sashimi, or grilled salmon filet and hamachi collar, with orders arriving as they’re prepared on a conveyor belt. Waka Sakura is owned by Pan Pacific International, a Japanese conglomerate that owns Tokyo Central, Marukai, and Gelson’s Markets.
Zozo, Hancock Park
John Sedlar, a specialist in American Southwest cuisine, hasn’t cooked in Los Angeles since closing Downtown’s Rivera in 2014. On February 2, he made a triumphant return with Zozo at Maison Midi serving “equatorial food” from Israel, Egypt, Asia, South America, Eastern Europe, and more. Zozo’s main dishes are intended for sharing and include scallops with “citrus vapor,” lamb with a chayote chutney, and turkey albóndigas ladled with a red chile pepita sauce.
K-TEAM BBQ, Koreatown
After a trip to Seoul and noticing the popularity of naengdong samgyeopsal, Park’s BBQ owner Jenee Kim developed the idea for K-TEAM BBQ, which opened on March 8. It’s also known as naengsam, a Korean barbecue trend that uses frozen pork sliced thinly for optimal freshness. The restaurant also serves fresh cuts of pork including belly, collar, and jowl, along with three cuts of beef, beef tongue, and brisket, as well as the same ribeye from Park’s BBQ. Of course, everything is cooked tableside on a rectangular cast iron grill. K-TEAM operates out of the former Ong Ga Nae space, another beloved LA Korean barbecue spot that closed in 2023.
Origin Korean Barbecue, Koreatown
On6thAvenue hospitality group opened Origin Korean Barbecue on February 9. Co-founder Eun Joo Lee’s goal was to serve up a Korean barbecue experience that reflected her native Seoul in an industrial space with top-tier cuts of beef and pork, packed tabletop grills, and quality banchan. The menu includes dishes that aren’t easily found in Los Angeles like garlic short ribs and tteok galbi meat patty.
Pez Coastal Kitchen, Pasadena
On February 15, the team behind Pez Cantina and the now-closed chain of Milk ice cream shops opened Pez Coastal Kitchen in Pasadena. Patina veteran chef Bret Thompson and wife Lucy Thompson-Ramirez first debuted Pez Cantina in Downtown in 2014, plus another one inside BLVD MRKT in 2021. The Pasadena newcomer focuses on seafood with an emphasis on smoked meats and dry-aged fish prepared on-site in a stunning rework of a building constructed in 1896. The menu is seasonally driven and reflects LA’s numerous cultures, Thompson-Ramirez’s Mexican American background, and Thompson’s travels and training in Spain and France.
Pitfire Pizza, Echo Park
One of LA’s most popular pizza chains moved into an iconic Echo Park space on February 15. Pitfire Pizza took over the 2,500-square-foot former Mohawk Bend space for its tenth SoCal location. The menu includes sourdough pizzas and a few of Mohawk Bend’s signature dishes. Yes, Pitfire kept the photo booth.
Pam’s Coffy, Los Feliz
When Quentin Tarantino reopened the Vista Theater in November 2023, he announced that a cafe dedicated to the iconic actress Pam Grier was in the works. (Tarantino has a long history with Grier, having directed her in the 1997 film Jackie Brown.) Pam’s Coffy finally opened on Valentine’s Day with ‘70s vibes, Grier’s face plastered on the window, an outdoor seating area, single-serving cereal bowls, merchandise, and pastries from local bakery Cake Monkey.
Mama Hieu’s, Westminster
Orange County’s favorite underground chicken wing slinger Mama Hieu’s finally has a proper brick-and-mortar in Westminster. On the menu are Nho Thi Le’s Vietnamese-style wings that come in flavors like original garlic and spicy garlic. The chicken is served with steamed white rice, fried shallots, sweet chile sauce, and pickled vegetables. The restaurant is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Prime Hot Pot, Tustin
It took two years and $3.5 million to open the first U.S. location of the Chinese luxury hot pot chain Prime Hot Pot. Behind the venture is restaurateur Arthur Zhang, who opened the ambitious Chinese restaurant Array 36 in the San Gabriel Valley in late 2023. The 11,000-square-foot restaurant seats 200 and serves plenty of wagyu beef and various hot pot preparations.
Tacos La Carreta, West Whittier
The taco truck Tacos La Carreta, which debuted on the Los Angeles Times’s “101 Best Restaurants” list and was named Best in Show at the L.A. Taco’s 2023 Taco Madness event, finally has a permanent restaurant in West Whittier. Owner José Morales opened the Mazatlán-style taquería on February 25. Morales, who took over the truck from his father in 2020, hails from a long line of taqueros including cousins who own some of Mazatlán’s most famous taquerías.
Stella, West Hollywood
Stella opened on February 28 in West Hollywood. Owner Janet Zuccarini worked with designer Wendy Hayworth to convert the former Madeo space into a sleek first floor with walnut-colored walls and terrazzo-style flooring, and a second-floor terrace. White tablecloths and private dining areas are located on both levels. Zuccarini also brought on Toronto-based chef Rob Gentile to prepare modern takes on regional Italian dishes. Gentile was accused of workplace misconduct when he worked for Toronto’s King Street Food Company; Zuccarini stands by Gentile.
January
Union, Long Beach
Find one of Long Beach’s most notable restaurant newcomers inside Compound, a nonprofit cultural and community space. Behind the stoves at Union is Eugene Santiago, the chef and founder of the Southeast Asian fusion pop-up Baryo. Union’s menu is full of playful dishes with Filipino influences. The cocktails by Stephanie Butchko perfectly match Santiago’s globally influenced menu.
MidEast Tacos, Silver Lake
Smorgasburg favorite MidEast Tacos has finally opened up a permanent location on Sunset Boulevard in Silver Lake. Owned by Mini Kabob’s chef-owner Armen Martirosyan, find tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and more on the menu that blend Armenian and Mexican flavors to create something uniquely LA.
Mars, Hollywood
One of LA’s hottest new bars is hidden behind Mother Wolf in Hollywood. Mars is the latest project from Giancarlo Pagani, who previously worked with Ten Five Hospitality and SBE. Expect rare spirits and expertly made cocktails on the menu, plus the option of a $5,000 yearly membership which includes priority seating, invitations to exclusive events, and more.
Cipriani, Beverly Hills
New York’s famed Cipriani has finally come to the West Coast with a new location in Beverly Hills. Housed in the former Madeo space, the renovations took a year to complete and were led by Florentine architect Michele Bonan for the dining room and Carlos Almada for the upstairs jazz club. Find similar food to the New York location with favorites including risotto primavera and tuna tartare on the menu.
Stay, Chinatown
One of LA’s buzziest new bars doesn’t serve alcohol. Opened in the former Hong Kong Cafe space, Stay is a zero-proof lounge with a full bar menu that includes cocktails and small vegan bites. Try The Horse, a take on a classic espresso martini, or The Rabbit, which is an Old Fashioned made with Lyre’s Highland Malt and mole bitters.
Lustig, Culver City
Culver City’s Lustig is helmed by chef Chef Bernhard Mairinger, previously of Bierbiesl and Bierbiesl Imbiss. Find Mairinger’s famous schnitzel on the menu, plus chicken liver profiteroles, a croque monsieur, and ample dessert options. Make sure to watch out for the cheese cart as well, which rolls around the space with a selection of cheeses under clear glass covers.
Holy Basil, Atwater Village
Downtown Los Angeles’s highly-lauded Holy Basil has expanded to Atwater Village with a second location in the Atwater Canyon development along Glendale Boulevard. The new location serves a similar core menu to the original, with classics including pad see ew and shrimp fried rice, plus a weekend brunch that is available Friday through Sunday.
Chain, Virgil Village
Chain, the pandemic-era popup from Otium’s Tim Hollingsworth and B.J. Novak, has moved into a new permanent location in Virgil Village. The duo plans to offer rotating collaborations in the new space, the first of which was with New York’s Pop Up bagel. The catch is that the storefront’s address is secret and invites to future events require signing up for an extensive waiting list.
Dulan’s on Crenshaw, Hyde Park
Dulan’s on Crenshaw in South LA has reopened after a nearly two-year renovation. The work started when owner Greg Dulan was offered a grant by Los Angeles city councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson’s office to improve the facade in 2018. He decided that if the outside was getting a facelift, the inside should as well, and temporarily closed the restaurant in 2021. The newly reopened space features new seating and a redone prepared food station, but all the same classics like the oxtails and candied yams that guests have come to know and love.
