Spot Check! Welcome to L.A. TACO's latest column, where we bring you the latest and most exciting openings, pop-ups, and food events around all of Los Angeles to check out.
Ubuntu opens August 1 on Melrose for plant-based cooking inspired by West African recipes. The restaurant comes from 2022 James Beard Award nominee Ravi DeRossi with Virginia-raised chef Shenarri “Greens” Freeman, of DeRossi's Cadence in New York. Dishes include palm bisque, curry jollof arancini, fonio grits with oyster mushrooms, charred okra salad with pigeon peas and passion fruit vinaigrette, and Lion's Mane pie with chile habanero. The beverage program is run by Colin Asare-Appiah, author of Black Mixcellence: A Comprehensive Guide To Black Mixology, and the wine list claims to feature the largest number of Black-owned vinters in L.A., including House of Brown and Kumusha.
7469 Melrose Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90046. Closest Metro line and stop: Bus Line 10 - “Melrose/Gardner.”