Welcome to Friday's "Weekend Eats" column, a look at some of the newest and most unusual food finds in L.A., made just for members of L.A. TACO.

To see some of our past recommendations, look right here.

CLARK'S OYSTER BAR ~ MALIBU

Clark's Oyster Bar, which has its origins in a former gas station in Austin, now has a location at Malibu's Cross Creek Ranch shopping center. 

It's a polished seafood destination dealing in the classics from both coasts, including fresh oysters from all over; New England-style clam chowder with bacon and chervil; a crudo plate lined with cuts of four fish such as coba, hamachi, sake, and tuna; oak-grilled Spanish octopus; wood-griled shrimp toast with harissa aioli; cioppino; dungeness crab omelettes; and crispy local rockfish with stone ground grits and sofrito. Clark's mountains of fries must be seen to be believed, too.

In addition, the restaurant has numerous "Catch of the Day" options such as Mt. Lassen trout; local halibut; Hokkaido scallops; and oak-grilled whole branzino. Happy hour runs Monday through Fridays, with 50% off martinis and burgers, $5 Trumer Pils, 50 cents off oysters, and $5 oyster shooters.

23465 Civic Center Way Malibu, CA 90265 

EL PATIO SINALOENSE ~ SUN VALLEY

There's a new Sinaloan taco stand in the San Fernando Valley. San Fernando Valley Eats points us to El Patio Sinaloense in Sun Valley, an evening spot in a backyard for asada al carbon in tacos and on tostadas with cabbage and cebolla; plus tacos dorados en manteca; vampiros; chile con carne; tacos dorados cooked in the coals; gorditas con asiento; and the toasted barley drink known as agua de cebada.

8652 Lehigh Ave. Sun Valley, CA 91352  

GOLD BANH ~ GLENDORA

Gold Banh is causing a sensation out in Glendora with its Vietnamese menu of made-to-order, customizable banh mi featuring proteins like Tom's Famous pastrami; "thicc" SPAM; nem sausage; crispy pork belly; roast duck; tofu, and more, with choices of sauces like aji verde, calamansi nuoc cham, and Vietnamese green goddess dressing.

The food court stand also sells its recipes in bowl-form, along with goi cuon; breakfast sandos with eggs and bulgogi or SPAM;  and summer rolls, packed with your pick of three proteins from the menu.

It already sounds way better than the fruit donuts we're driven all the way to Glendora for in the past.

905 E. Arrow Hwy. Ste. 106 Glendora, CA 91740 

BIANCA SICILIAN TRATTORIA ~ ARTS DISTRICT

It's been a minute since a great Sicilian restaurant has opened in Los Angeles, so we were excited to see Bianca Sicilian Trattoria debut in the Arts District. And even more excited to find out how great it is.

The restaurant comes from Palermo-raised chef Michele Galifi, a favorite name to those familiar with his restaurants Casa Mia in La Puente, and Farina Pizza in KTown. Galifi used to be a pizzaiolo at Pasadena's Settebello, which is certified by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (AVPN).

With an uncompromising approach to Sicilian ingredients and recipes, he's serving dishes in a charming dining room and Italian disco-fueled patio, such as ribeye tartare with preserved yolk in a thin, crispy cannolo; burratina with pistachio powder and persimmon; butternut squash, cotto ham, and pepita pizza; langosto fettucine crowned by the entire crustacean; black cod baccala frito; and plump, crisp arancine filled with cotto, bechamel, and mozzarella.

1200 E. 5th St. Los Angeles, CA 90013

CAP'T LOUI ~ KOREATOWN

We love a Cajun-style seafood boil and hope you feel the same. Regardless, Cap't Loui is a chain from Massachusetts, now open in Koreatown.

The boil itself comes with your picks of lobster; shrimp (head on or off); Dungeness crab; mussels; crawfish (live or . . . not so live); clams; and king crab legs, available with sides like garlic noodles; sliced sausage; boiled eggs; corn; and more.

The captain also serves seafood po'boys; soft shell crab baskets; fish and chips; jambalaya; and more. Currently, it's offering snow crab and unlimited garlic noodles with orders of four seafood items. Owners say they haven't put an end date on that offer yet, so go and get some!

3465 W. 6th St. Ste. 110 Los Angeles, CA 90020

M SPOON ~ KOREATOWN

Next time you have kimbap and Korean sundae on the mind, check out Koreatown's new M Spoon.

The cute cafe has a tight menu, with a section for kimbap (with options like fishcake, bulgogi, tuna, and pork belly), one for noodles (like ramyun, cold kimchi, and bibim noodles) and another for stews (brisket-soybean and tofu stew included). 

There's also a backside offering Korean popcorn chicken, rose tteokbokki, and Japanese-style hamburg steak, to go with your sikhye slushies and cans of Milki.

2789 W. Olympic Blvd. Ste. 104 Los Angeles, CA 90006 

NOVEMBER 14, 2025

THE OBSCURE DISTILLERY SEASON #3 ~ DOWNTOWN

The Obscure Distillery and Cocktail Experience is like a spirits tasting from an alternate realm, going down in a immersive, candlelit wonderland popping with elements like a draft cocktail-dispensing tree, glowing cryptic runes, an indoor waterfall, and live art as you tour the distillery's unique offerings through a lively performance incorporating history and spirits knowledge.

Obscure recently debuted its Season #3 tasting, which like the first two still on offer, grants you tastings of three spirits, such as its one-of-a-kind chestnut-aged rye, and three cocktails, including a choose-your-own adventure drink.

To complement its hoodoo vibes, Obscure also has a New Orleans-inspired cafe on its flank called The Rising Sun, with breakfast po'boys, andouille sausage-laced breakfast burritos, house-canned jamaica margaritas, and what might very well be the best beignets in town. All dishes are priced under $15.

1356 Palmetto St. Los Angeles, CA 90013 

HOLLYWOOD DISTILLERY ~ HOLLYWOOD

Speaking of spirits, Hollywood Distillery is now open in a former mortuary across from Hollywood Forever cemetery, now a sparkling space where the brand's spirits are made in copper pot stills. 

Tastings and tours are available, giving you the chance to try spirits such as Oasis vodka made with dates, and rye and bourbon whiskeys made with California-grown grains. The space also serves cocktails, like its recent Halloween recipes that included a Mai Tai variation with lime and orange juice, rye, and pistachio and almond syrups.

5975 Santa Monica Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90038 

PUPUSA TASTING TOUR ~ EAST HOLLYWOOD

Inventive pupusa-makers Walking Spanish and L.A. Pupusa House are teaming up for a "Pupusa Tasting Tour" on Saturday night.

The fun starts at L.A. Pupusa House where guests will be served six collaborative pupusas inspired by L.A. neighborhoods where the chefs were raised, including South Central, Downtown, and West L.A.

"The idea was to get someone from the new generation doing modern stuff and someone more O.G. doing traditional, but both with the same progressive mindset of adding their own twist on pupusas," Walking Spanish chef-and-owner Rene Coreas tells L.A. TACO about the guided tasting. "It’s a story of L.A. through the eyes of a Salvi from the motherland and a Salvi from L.A., fused together."

After dinner, an after-party is going down next at a rave called "Lorocohaus" with Latin house and techno DJs until midnight. $50 tickets here.

Nov. 15, 7 p.m., 4814 Melrose Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90029

LUCKY TIKI ~ HIGHLAND PARK

Lucky Tiki, which has been thrilling people in West Hollywood, in the space over West Hollywood's Tail o' The Pup, has a new, second location, now open behind a secret entrance next to Highland Park Bowl.

It's got all the tiki vibes, done right, from tasteful, wall-to-wall, Polynesian-maritime bric-a-brac, a soundtrack of exotica, skull and Easter Island-head drink-ware, and cocktails variously flaming, foaming, and smoking.

Drinks include the Lucky Chi-Chi with vodka, macadamia nut-and-strawberry cream, pineapple juice, and walnut chocolate liqueur, and a Tiki Diablo bowl with blended rums, guava soda, and Alma Tepeca chile liqueur. That serves one to two people.

To fortify you, there's a menu with more progressive takes on pupu platter classics like crab rangoon, coconut shrimp, Sichuan pork dumplings, and Hawaiian pizza.

5621 N. Figueroa St. Highland Park, CA 90042 

TIKI KAI ~ HERMOSA BEACH

“Humans are pattern-seeking story-telling animals, and we are quite adept at telling stories about patterns, whether they exist or not," Michael Shermer once said.

All of which is to note that Hermosa Beach also has a new tiki bar. Tiki Kai is now open with walls of human skulls, rattan, velvet paintings, palm leaf wallpaper, Polynesian masks, and glass buoy chandeliers, right in the thick of the city's bar scene.

In addition to a big rum selection, drinks include Navy Grog; lychee martinis; "Ube Your Thirst" with vodka, ube, toasted jasmine, pineapple, and coconut; "Puca" punch with a blend of four rums; and frozen numbers like Dole Whip and a Hawaiian Coffee with Jamaican rum and, ironically, Honduran coffee.

Dishes include shoyu-marinated huli huli chicken; Duroc pork chops with brown butter apple glaze; Kona coffee-and-herb-encrusted ribeye steaks; build-your-own pupu platters; firecracker shrimp; tropical ceviche; and macadamia-nut-and-panko-encrusted mahi mahi.

There's also wine, in case you need some perspective on what the fuck you're doing drinking wine inside a tiki bar.

73 Pier Ave. Hermosa Beach, CA 90254

NOVEMBER 7, 2025

BENEFIT FOR JAMAICA @ LUCIA ~ FAIRFAX

This Sunday, November 9, Lucia will hold a fundraiser for Jamaicans affected by the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa last week. Lucia will open earlier, at 5 p.m. that day, as well.

The modern Caribbean restaurant will match 100% of total sales from Sunday's service to American Friends of Jamaica and World Central Kitchen. This gives you the chance to enjoy dishes like chef Adrian Forte's jerk-spiced steaks; Trini mac pie; Wagyu patties; and oxtail pepper pot, while doing a good thing for the people of Jamaica.

351 N. Fairfax Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90036

WEST LOS RAPID RESPONSE FUNDRAISER ~ BEVERLY GROVE

West Los Respuesta Rapida will be raising funds for grocery distribution and "winter gear for unhoused folks living on the westside" at a party tonight. 

Held with Puma at Bernie's Coffee Shop (née Johnny's Coffee Shop) at Fairfax and Wilshire, you can expect DJs, dancing, games, abolitionist stickers, tattooing, craft tables, a photo-booth, eats, and drinks. Food includes conchas and coffee from Sidoh Cafe, tacos from a vendor buyout, Mr. Sate's noodles, and vegan pizza from Julie Goes Green.

A sliding scale for admission will be in effect, for anyone who doesn't have the $15 admission fee. Buying tickets ahead of time gets you a free $5 for food and activities.

Nov. 7, 6-10 p.m., 6101 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90048

AJINOMOTO GYOZA POP-UP ~ CITYWIDE

Free gyoza!! Ajinomoto, which calls itself "Japan’s number one cult-following gyoza brand," is popping up at various Southern Californian supermarkets this weekend to prepare and serve free hane-style pork and chicken gyoza with cabbage and onion. 

"Hane" indicates the style of gyoza that have cripsy, lacy skirts, a product Ajinomoto, whose co-founder first discovered "umami," sells a really good frozen version of.

Catch the Ajinomoto truck offering chef-led demos, tastings, social media opps, games, and prizes today at Walmart in Baldwin Park from 2-6 p.m. and Saturday morning at Walmart in Cerritos. Sunday, the pop-up will go down at Pavilions in Sherman Oaks from 10 a.m. to noon.

NAWAL x FEED THE STREETS ~ ELYSIAN PARK

This Sunday afternoon, Syrian street food outfit Nawal will prepare its Syrian–Circassian falafel, using a generations-old recipe, in Elysian Park from 12 - 5 p.m. 

Every falafel sold will help  feed 3–4 people experiencing food insecurity though Feed The Streets L.A., according to the organization.

838 Solano Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90012

BREAD, ESPRESSO, & ~ REDONDO BEACH

Croissant cubes, fig-and-blue cheese focaccia, matcha melon bread, pistachio sandos, and sausage brioche.

If these words intrigue you as much as they do us, you'll want to visit Redondo Beach's Japanese bakery Bread, Espresso &.

Imported from Omotesando, Tokyo, the bakery is renowned for its "mou" (a French term meaning "soft"), a perfectly square cube of bread that's described as a blend between brioche and milk bread, available here in varieties like honey toast, chocolate, matcha, Japanese curry, edamame-and-bacon, and cranberry-and-nuts.

In addition to pastries and baked goods, Bread, Espresso & also serves sandwiches on ridiculously soft slices of bread, including those with pork tonkatsu, tandoori chicken, ginger pork, steak, and honey ham. There are also mou toasts with toppings like mentaiko-and-butter, red bean-and-butter, and egg-and-proscuitto.

1212 S. Pacific Coast Hwy. Redondo Beach, CA 90277

DUMPLING BAR'S $25 AYCE DUMPLINGS ~ SAN MARINO

San Marino's Dumpling Bar has an enticing new weekday special, offering all-you-can-eat dumplings and dishes for $25. Guests can order two items at a time from the full menu (minus drinks), which includes XLB, har gow, shao mai, barbecue pork bao, dan dan noodles, beef noodle soup, scallion pancakes, and wok-fried rice with pork or shrimp.

2148 Huntington Dr. Los Angeles, CA 91108

OCTOBER 31, 2025

SUPER PEACH ~ CENTURY CITY

Super Peach by Momofuku is now open for lunch and dinner at Westfield Century City, featuring a menu of fun, approachable, and creative dishes meant to resonate with the wide-ranging L.A. palate, from David Chang and his team. 

The menu includes kimbap with ingredients like Aussie wagyu beef and spicy bluefin tuna; a savory doughnut filled with Japanese curry; fried chicken with chiles and pickles, as well as Korean wings; marinated Cape Grim filet mignon and Creekstone Farms' ribeyes; maitake and king oyster mushroom noodles; slow-cooked spareribs; and grilled striped bass.

In addition to the classic martini that graces the menu's starters section, and staples like the Paper Plane and Rye Old Fashioned, there are creative cocktails like the "Holiday in the Tropics," bearing blends of different rum with banana, curry leaf, lime, and avocado.

10250 Santa Monica Blvd. Level 1, Los Angeles, CA 90067

"MEET THE CHEF" DINNER AT PANXA COCINA ~ LONG BEACH

Panxa Cocina has a new executive chef, Richie Ramirez, running Long Beach's longstanding temple to New Mexican cuisine. Ramirez is a veteran of Santa Ana's Broadway By Amar Santana.

On November 4, he'll cook a five-course dinner for guests who want to meet him and sample his style, with dishes like tuna tataki with Persian tahdig; crispy pork belly adobada with plantain puree and pickled apple; seared diver scallops with huitlacoche, cactus succotash, and brown butter hazelnuts; and a juniper-roasted venison shoulder with Hatch chile potato pave and espresso demi-glace. 

Tickets are $95, with $45 for wine pairings.

3937 E. Broadway Long Beach, CA 90803 

ALL'ANTICO VINAIO ~ SANTA MONICA

Our favorite restaurants have the power to transport us. Like All'Antico Vinaio, which just opened right off the Santa Monica Promenade, transporting you to its birthplace of Florence with sandwiches built on freshly baked Tuscan schiacciata, Italian meats sliced to order, and decadent spreads like pistachio cream and artichoke cream.

Among our favorites: The Odd Couple with porchetta, gorgonzola; and pistachio cream; La Paradiso with mortadella, stracciatella, pistachio cream, and pistachios; L’Iinferno with porchetta, nduja cream, grilled vegetables, and arugula; an ideal caprese sandwich; Dolcezze D'autunno with lardo, gorgonzola, and truffle honey; and La Favolosa with salame Toscana, pecorino cream, artichoke cream, and spicy eggplant.

316 Santa Monica Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90401

WALLFLOUR x LASITA'S FILIPINO PIZZA ~ EAGLE ROCK

Wallflour Sourdough Pizza is teaming up with Filipino rotisserie concept Lasita for two collaborative pizzas celebrating Filipino flavors, available until November 2 at Wildflour in Eagle Rock. 

One is a Spam Carbonara pizza, featuring SPAM, egg, garlic mojo, mozzarella, fior di latte, and garlic cream; the other is a mushroom adobo pie with marinated oyster mushrooms, adobo glaze, fior de latte, mozzarella, garlic cream, and scallions.

2128 Colorado Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90041  

7 FLAG ~ DOWNTOWN

7 Flag is a Jordanian father-and-son-owned restaurant preparing halal dishes in Little Tokyo. You can get beef or chicken shawarma here, as well as kofta, lamb kebab, or chicken kebab, in extended wraps, plates, or bowls, along with halal burgers, falafel, fattoush, lentil soup, fried kibbeh, stuffed grape leaves, and babaganoush, with basbousa and baklava among the desserts.

107 W. 3rd St. Los Angeles, CA 90013 

NEW MENU AT HOMEGIRL CAFE ~ DOWNTOWN

Homegirl Cafe, one of our own office-adjacent favorites, has a new menu in L.A.'s Chinatown. Offerings include an omelet made with salsa chile morita; a breakfast sandwich made on brioche pan de muerto; pesto panela sandwiches; habanero chile verde breakfast burritos; mijas scramble, an older dish kind of like chilaquiles with nopales and eggs that the owners brought back from the past; and grilled masa pancakes which culinary operations manager Claudia describes as, "kind of like a tamale and a pancake at the same time."

130 W. Bruno St. Los Angeles, CA 90012 

OCTOBER 24, 2026

BROKEN SPANISH COMEDOR ~ CULVER CITY

Ray Garcia's long mourned alta California concept Broken Spanish has been reborn as Broken Spanish Comedor, now open in the former A-Frame space in Culver City.

Garcia, a Cypress Park local and winner of numerous culinary awards, will continue his idiosyncratic explorations of Mexican cooking here, with dishes like duck albondigas with bacon, chipotle, and nopales; kanpachi ceviche tostadas with carrot-habanero Clamato; fiedo verde; rainbow trout with salsa verde and Fresno chile; and the chef's eye-grabbing pinwheel of thick chicharron with mojo de ajo.

Cocktails include "Corazon Salvaje" with Mexican rum, falernum, orgeat, guava, lime, and prickly pear.

12565 Washington Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90066 

ZHENWEI KITCHEN ~ ALHAMBRA

Nearly three year-old Zhenwei Kitchen is under new ownership in Alhambra, which L.A. TACO contributor Tony Chen tells us is resulting in "amped" Chinese and Japanese flavors, including in its Xian-style hand-pulled noodles; Lanzhou-spiced crawfish; stewed big plate chicken; F*C duck head, feet, neck, and wings; cumin-spiced hamburger; sashimi and sushi; stir-fries; sauteed spicy lamb; and grilled fish dishes, among others.

1227 W. Valley Blvd. Ste. 105 Alhambra, CA 91803 

TAMIX OAXACA ~ FLORENCE-FIRESTONE

Tacos Tamix, the Mixe-owned taco truck empire favored for its al pastor, now has a brick-and-mortar business called Tamix Oaxaca in Florence-Firestone.

The menu explores the owner's roots through dishes both traditional and beyond, with papas asadas, tlayudas mixtas, beef barbacoa, chicken barbacoa, mole negro and mole amarillo de pollo, as well as tacos, burritos, quesadillas, alambres, fajitas, gringas, and tortas de asada, pastor, tripa, cabeza, saudero, buche, chorizo, chicken, and lengua.

6319 S. Avalon Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90003

LA MONIQUE ~ SANTA MONICA

A surefire contender for L.A.'s most beautiful new restaurant, La Monique brings an inventive take on classic French brasserie cooking to Oceana Santa Monica.

Chef David Fricaud, a Top Chef France semifinalist and veteran of multiple Michelin-starred kitchens, is at the helm, preparing stunners like escargot poppers with shells full of garlic herb crème fraîche; mini French onion grilled cheese; a whole poulet for two with truffle jus; an A5 Ichibo Wagyu steak; hand-cut steak tartare; octopus roti with Spanish chorizo and Champagne foam; butternut squash agnolotti; a dry-aged Flannery ribeye; crispy halibut milanese; and seared Rohan duck breast with confit croquettes.

Drinks include "Message in The Bottle," with coffee-infused Zacapa 23 rum and amaro, banana liquor, house-made cinnamon syrup and chocolate bitters, while the wine list highlights French producers and curated wines from Italy, Portugal, and California.

The restaurant also tells L.A. TACO that it reserves additional seats for Santa Monica locals and hotel guests on a poolside patio they're calling Little Monique.

849 Ocean Ave. Santa Monica, CA 90403 

ANA'S TACOS ~ MAYWOOD

Ana's Tacos is serving tacos, quesatacos, burritos, quesadillas, mulitas, vampiros, and tortas in Maywood, Tuesday through Sunday afternoons and evenings. 

Tortillas are made on the spot, and meats include asada al carbon, pastor, buche, saudero, crispy tripas, birria de res, chicken, cabeza, and chorizo, as well as big slabs of short ribs with tortillas, frijoles de olla, and chiles gueros. It's also been known to bust out Aussie wagyu at times.

And they've got deals! Tuesday means $1 chorizo, asada, pollo, and pastor tacos, while Wednesdays bring $6 tortas, while $10 burritos reign on Thursdays, and tacos al pastor will only cost you a buck on Sundays.

4114 E. Slauson Ave. Maywood, CA 90270  

LA SORTED's x TAQUERIA FRONTERA ~ CHINATOWN

L.A. TACO-approved pizza parlor La Sorted's continues its tag-team partnership with Taquería Frontera, our #1 taco of 2024. 

Through the length of the World Series, you'll be able to get this collaborative slice at La Sorteds Chinatown location:

Al pastor pizza with Frontera's pastor, pineapple, cilantro crema, and a chile de árbol salsa-infused tomato sauce.

In addition, LaSorted's has a hot honey maple bacon dog made with Mike's Hot Honey, bacon, and real maple syrup for visiting Candians, and a Dodger Dog pizza slice with mustard bechamel, all-beef hot dogs, bacon, cornichons, and fried onions.

LaSorted's will be partying throughout the series, showing the game on five TVs and one massive outdoor TV, as well as stadium lights that go crazy when the Big Blue Wrecking Crew scores. $50 minimum to join.

3580 E. 1st St. Los Angeles, CA 90063  

OCTOBER 17, 2025

UNIDOS RESTAURANT & WINE BAR ~ STUDIO CITY

Unidos Restaurant & Wine Bar opened this week in Studio City from former Pace general manager and onetime busboy at The Ivy, Che Peña, who is taking inspiration from his Mexican birthplace, L.A. upbringing, and years in Spain for chef Rafael Torres' Iberian-leaning menu.

Dishes include pintxos with yellowtail and smoked salmon; manchego-filled dates; sopa de pollo; pan-roasted scallops with pipian; chicken milanesa with piquillo puree; hanger steak with papas fritas and chimichurri; and for dessert, a cinnamon brioche capirotada soaked in cinnamon-and-clove-infused piloncillo syrup from Peña's mom's recipe.

The bar, run by a former Pace bartender, showcases celebrated and emerging wines from Rioja and Catalonia, as well as France, Italy, and California, along with a nice selection of vermouth from España.

11830 Ventura Blvd. Studio City, CA 91604

FREE THEM ALL BRUNCH ~ EAST L.A.

A brunch will be held at Mexas Cafe this Sunday to raise funds for three women working on rapid response, who are said to be wrongfully detained by ICE. Tickets are being sold online, with a minimum $5 donation.

Oct. 19, 9 a.m. - 2p.m., 710 North Eastern Ave. East Los Angeles, CA 90022

THE CORTÉGE ~ BURBANK 

This is your last weekend to experience The Cortège, which ends its extended six-week run at the L.A. Equestrian Center on Sunday. 

Described as a "festive funeral for our times," the surreal spectacle needs to be seen to be believed; a rich pageant and theatrical procession swirling with myth, ritual, music by artists including Tokimonsta, dance, massive puppets, robotics, and drone apparitions for the whole family, who are invited at the end to join the procession "towards safe passage and a gathering beyond the veil." Damn. 

The evening begins with an open food market, offering live music, Mediterranean dishes like gyros, hummus, and baklava, plus drinks before the show begins. The evening ends with a tea service inside a large communal tent. Tickets here. 

Oct. 17-19, 6:30 p.m., 480 Riverside Dr. Burbank, CA 91506  

BISTRO BLUE ~ ECHO PARK 

Chef Kara Vorabutr is popping up in Echo Park this Sunday with her Thai ceviche and natural wine concept, Bistro Blue. She plans to make three dishes: a passion fruit seafood tostada with shrimp, tuna, tomato, and cucumber; a blue crab tostada with habanero and mayo; and a heart of palm ceviche tostada with jicama and basil. With chile crisp and hot sauce provided as you see fit.

To go with the dishes, there will be a skin-contact wine from Hungary; a white Slovenian wine; a glou glou red from the Czech Republic; and a grape ale from Georgia. All wines are $10 a glass, while dishes range between $10-$14.

Oct. 19, 12- 4 p.m., 1546 Echo Park Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90026

SIDÓH CAFE ~ SAWTELLE

Caló News puts us onto Sidóh Cafe, located just east of the 405 in Sawtelle, a new sibling-run Oaxacan breakfast concept from bothers Marcos and Jason Garcia.

The restaurant only uses coffee from Oaxaca's Sierra Juarez mountains for its americanos, macchiatos, flat whites, and horchata lattes. And also sells a short menu of giant breakfast burritos like the sausage-and-egg-loaded "slugger," alongside conchas, cafe de olla, and a "Sancho" sandwich with chicken, arugula, and jalapeños.

According to the restaurant, Sidoh is a Zapotec word meaning "first light" of the morning, which perfectly fits this welcoming morning cafe.

11102 W. Olympic Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90064 

RAY & ROY'S MARKET CLOTHING SWAP ~ BOYLE HEIGHTS

A clothing swap is going down this Sunday at Ray & Roy's Market with Radical Clothes Swap. Birria Pa La Cruda will be there making tacos, mulitas, tortas, and quesadillas, among other dishes, while Dear Mama L.A. will make plant-based Mexican food. In addition, there will be free clothes, tarot readings, book charms and jewelry for sale. Organizers are accepting donations of 10 gently used pieces of clothes and encourage you to show up in costumes.

2800 E. 4th St. Los Angeles, CA 90033

OCTOBER 10, 2025

NO ROSE ~ BEVERLY HILLS

No Rose is a stylish new nocturnal haunt at La Peer Hotel in Beverly Hills, featuring weekend DJs, cocktails from ace bartender Naomi Schimek, such as "the Starwood" with straight bourbon, apple brandy, maraschino, bitters, and orange oil, and new dishes from Ladyhawk chef Charbel Hayek, including lamb kofta burgers, Wagyu skewers, beef bao with black pepper XO, and heavenly hot honey-and-Aleppo chile skewers.

The lounge goes until midnight, providing a kicked-back but lively space for friends and more-than-friends to share nightcaps, chat, and canoodle after hours.

627 N. La Peer Dr. West Hollywood, CA 90069 

SUE LUCCI'S KITCHEN ~ HOLLYWOOD

A yellow Jamaican food truck known as Sue Lucci's Kitchen can be found during evenings on Hollywood Boulevard, serving curry goat, jerk chicken tacos, festival and coco bread, oxtail, brown fish stew, and other classics. The mobile restaurant often stays out on the streets until 3 a.m., providing its own tunes, and has no relation to oft-Emmy-nominated soap opera star Susan Lucci. As far as we know.

6410 Hollywood Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90028

GOLDEN DRAGON TRUCK

We've seen taco trucks. We've seen yakitori trucks. We've seen trucks making pizza, pupusas, and churros. But Golden Dragon is the first Chinese food truck dedicated to chow mein that we've ever seen. It's roaming the streets of L.A. these days, serving spicy steak chow mein, orange chicken chow mein, chow mein with shrimp, eggrolls, and hot-and-sour soup with pork dumplings. And you never forget your first ... 

OLLE KOREAN CUISINE ~ KOREATOWN

Olle is a unique Korean restaurant inside the Oxford Hotel, specializing in meats steamed in cypress wood (aka hinoki), including smoked duck, brisket, and ginseng chicken. Dishes include galbitang; abalone bibimbap; babyback rib kimchi stew; stir-fried squid with pork belly; army stew; spicy grilled chicken feet; and pumpkin porridge. 

The restaurant is also earning growing cred for its vast selection of banchan, which rotates every couple of days.

745 S. Oxford Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90005 

JAZZ BRUNCH AT SOMERVILLE ~ WINDSOR HILLS/VIEW PARK

Somerville is launching its first Sunday brunch service this weekend. Not only that, but it's a jazz brunch, featuring live music from a house band and guest artists.

Chef Geter Atienza will be cooking up new dishes, including eggs benedict with housemade buttermilk biscuits and tomato hollandaise; Dutch baby pancakes with ricotta, lemon, macerated blueberries, and maple syrup; shrimp and grits; brown gravy-smothered turkey sandwiches; crab quiche; and fried chicken-and-caviar sliders.

Cocktails include an espresso martini and Good Morning Sangria with brandy and market fruit. 

4437 W. Slauson Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90043

OCTOBER 3, 2025

CAMELLO ~ JEFFERSON PARK

Chef Ronnie Muñoz, founder of Ronnie's Kickin', is popping up with Camello, his new Mexican-Mediterranean concept, in Jefferson Park this weekend.

Muñoz is making handmade, heirloom corn pitas using blue dent corn from Tehachapi Grains and Weiser Family Farms, and pink and purple conico corn from Tlaxcala.

Two dishes will be served in these pitas: a grilled wagyu kibbeh with Palestinian za'atar and hoja santo mast o khiar; as well as mesquite-grilled labneh chicken thigh al pastor with avocado hummus and a shirazi salad. Both dishes come with a salsa roja made from Jimmy Nardello peppers.

Munoz tells L.A. TACO he's popping up Friday, and possibly Saturday, if he doesn't sell out before then. He concludes his menu by saying, "Thank you for your support. Fuck ICE & Free Palestine."

Oct. 3, 5-7 p.m., 3209 W. 36th St. Los Angeles, CA 90018  

LAS DELICIAS DE PUEBLA ~ SANTA CLARITA

The bad news? We're pointing you way out to a gas station in Newhall in Santa Clarita. The good news? There's pit-roasted, maguey-steamed lamb barbacoa when you get there on Sundays.

Las Delicias De Puebla opened in August with a daily-changing guiso special; plus cemitas; chilaquiles; tacos arabes; sopes, huaraches, and chalupas made to order; plus menudo, and costillas rojas o verdes, in addition to that smoky Sunday lamb. Godspeed!

23502 Newhall Ave. Newhall, CA 91321

CASA'S TACO TUESDAY ~ ALTADENA

Altadena's Good Neighbor Bar is doing a weekly Taco Tuesday with Casa Tacos, chef Brisa Lopez's Mexico City-style taquiza outfit.

Each week, Lopez offers a new secret menu item as well as a unique handmade tortilla. This week, the special will be blue corn tetelas filled with requesón, and the tortillas will be marbled with yellow corn masa and turmeric.

In addition, Casa's menu includes pollo mole negro; boda-style carne asada topped with rose petals; a white mole made with white chiles, white wine, nuts, and plantains; tinga de res; and chicken with a mole encacahuatado made with roasted peanuts, almonds, and roasted guajillo.

"Good Neighbor Bar has become an oasis for all of us that either lost our homes or are evacuated, and opened a patio to help small business like mine to survive the loss in our Altadena barrio," Lopez tells L.A. TACO.

5-8 p.m., 2311 Lincoln Ave. Altadena, CA 91001

MALÉNA ~ WEST ADAMS

Maléna is now open in West Adams from the owners of Tamales Elena, one of the only outfits that represents Afro-Mexican Guerrerense cuisine in L.A.

Judept, Maria, Teresa, Heidie, and Nayeli Irra are paying tribute to their heritage and parents, Maria Elena Lorenzo and Juan Irra, with dishes like seabass sofrito pescadillas; crispy skinned pork relleno inside bolillos; Guerrero-style pozole blanco with fresh nixtamal; and torrejas, an egg-battered slice of fried bolillo saturated in piloncillo sryup. Yoli, a nostalgic lime soda from Taxco, Guerrero, is served, as well.

Maléna opened this week inside of Maydan Market, a 10,000 square-foot food hall with from Ohio-raised chef Rose Previte that revolves around a wood-burning hearth to be shared by other tenant concepts such as Yhing Yang BBQ, Lugya’h by Poncho’s Tlayudas, Middle Eastern market Sook, and Previte's own restaurant, Maydan.

4301 W. Jefferson Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90016

FERIA DE LOS MOLES ~ DOWNTOWN

This Sunday is the 18th annual Feria de Los Moles at Downtown's Gloria Molina Grand Park. 

A motley crew of mole chefs will be selling their wares, giving you the chance to try classic and lesser seen varieties of mole, including mole de camaron, huaxmole, mole blanco, vegan mole, mole almendrado; and manchamanteles, among others. Poblana chef Margarita Villegas will be among the vendors, with her chiles en nogada and mole de camaron.

In addition, Veracruz's Voladores de Papantla will be back to showcase their incredible flying ritual, along with music and crafts. Entry is free to all.

Oct. 5, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., 200 N. Grand Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90012 

SEPTEMBER 26, 2025

ISM x SONORATOWN x L.A. TACO COLLABORATION

For our beer release party tomorrow at ISM, chef Bobby Gill of ISM Brewing's kitchen will bring the best kind of beer-centric snacks in this first-of-its-kind collaboration with their neighbors, Sonoratown, and L.A. TACO. Think pub snacks-meets-taquería. There will be two items on the menu, starting at 5 PM until they sell out: "JUST CABEZA BURGER: Sonoratown's melt-in-your-mouth cabeza (clove-braised beef cheeks), crispy jack cheese skirt, guacamole, jamaica-pickled onions, jalapeños. Along with "COSTILLA FRIES: Hand-cut, skin-on steak fries, mesquite-grilled carne asada (costilla/beef rib), crema, Pico de Gallo, and tripa dust." Only a very limited amount of each will be available tomorrow so show up early if you want to taste. And you're damn right it pairs well with our Deadliner West Coast Pilsner!

 210 E 3rd St Unit A, Long Beach, CA 90802

LA POPULAR ~ HOLLYWOOD

La Popular, which started in Mexico City, is now open at Ovation Hollywood. Executive Chef Jhon Arevalo started as a line cook and now leads the restaurant with dishes such as short rib colorado; carne asada with chimichurri butter; tacos with creamy chipotle shrimp, ribeye steak, carnitas, or chicken; chicken mole poblano; tortilla soup with fried ancho chiles and chicharron; and sides like elote, Tajín fries, and fried plantains.

Dessert includes churros, flan, and turtle pie with peanut butter, chocolate, caramel, and candied pecans. Meanwhile, the bar prioritizes single origin mezcals and tequilas, while offering cocktails like the Oaxacan Jellyfish and a clarified mezcal punch called the Yucatán Toucan.

An outdoor patio provides views of the Hollywood Sign, making it a perfect place to celebrate with your visitors over some tacos.

6801 Hollywood Blvd. Ste. 255 Hollywood, CA 90028 

L.A. TACO'S BEER RELEASE PARTY ~ LONG BEACH

We're releasing our first L.A. TACO beer this Saturday at ISM Brewing in Long Beach. Come be one of the first to taste Deadliner, a West Coast Pilsner we absolutely love. In addition to the beer, El Keamo will be playing his dark neo-cumbia while Sonoratown will be on site making some unique specials, including a cabeza burger with a chorizo cheese skirt, jalapenos, and guacamole; and rib-topped nachos with tripa dust and pico de gallo.

The party starts at 5 PM, we hope you'll make it to party with us!

5 PM - closing, 210 E. 3rd St. Long Beach, CA 90802

STANLEY'S DINER ~ EAST HOLLYWOOD

Chef Michael Tang, a veteran of acclaimed restaurants including Angler, Saison, and Quince, now has his own Sunday diner pop-up at East Hollywood's Fountain Grains & Greens. The menu is nostalgia-inspired, with reinvented versions of dishes like crispy-edged waffles; sandwiches featuring red oak-smoked Tajima wagyu pastrami brisket on Bub and Grandma's rye; a waffle-based "McStandwich" with a pork breakfast sausage and folded egg with maple syrup; a chopped Chinese chicken salad; and raw fruit sodas such as a Tokyo melon soda made with a medley of melons from Munak Farms, mint, and Meyer lemon.

Sundays, 10 AM- 2 PM, 4850 Fountain Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90029 

EL ASADERO PRIME TAQUERIA ~ BELL GARDENS

El Asadero Prime Taqueria has a new location in Bell Gardens for its menu of tacos yaki Sonora; tacos de chilorio con papas; chile poblano tacos; loaded shrimp fries; pure meat and surf n' turf burritos; grilled chicken esquite salads; vampiros; and stuffed potatoes. This is the restaurant's second location, as it's also open in Lynwood.

7220 Eastern Ave. Bell Gardens, CA 90201

BRUNCH AT HAROLD & BELLE'S ~ JEFFERSON PARK

For the first time in its 56 year history, Creole legend Harold & Belle's is doing brunch. Owners Ryan and Jessica Legaux have collaborated with restaurateur Jeremy Fall on a new menu served Saturdays and Sundays with items like breakfast po'boys with your choice of catfish, hot link, or bacon; plus, wings and waffles; shrimp and grits étoufée; and maitake mushroom and spinach hash. Boozy brunch drinks include the Proud Mary with vodka, olive juice, and the restaurant's own spice blend.

Sat-Sun., 9:30 AM - 2 PM, 2920 W. Jefferson Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90018 

SEPTEMBER 19, 2025

TRES DOS TRES ~ SAWTELLE

Former Dodger Adrián González has a new taquería named Tres Dos Tres, now open at Sawtelle and Olympic, next to his pizza concept, Slizeria.

The menu of build-your-own burritos, plates, baked potatoes, and bowls takes inspiration from Tijuana and Sonora, with tortillas made in house, protein options like adobada, asada, al pastor, and filet mignon; salsa choices such as morita, salsa macha, and carrot-habanero; and bases including black or pinto beans, lime-cilantro quinoa, or rice.

González was born in San Diego but raised in Tijuana. Can he beat Chipotle at its own game? Time will tell.

11301 W. Olympic Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90064

FRESH PICKS BEER FEST @ SMORGASBURG ~ DOWNTOWN

Something super cool for beer-lovers is going down at Smorgasburg this Sunday. The Fresh Picks Beer Fest will band together more than 40 beers in a sudsy orgy of fresh hop-worship, celebrating locals who grow hops through limited edition beers, Oktoberfest-style ales, live music, DJs, art, non-alcoholic drinks, all the food vendors you love at Smorgasburg, and a stein-holding contest.

As if that wasn't enough to get you outta bed, Chef Dave Beran of Pasjoli will be cooking burgers for one day only. 

Pours are available in exchange for tokens, which you can purchase online ahead of time: $25 of tokens is redeemable for 5 different 80z. pours.

Sep. 21, 10 AM- 4 PM, 777 S. Alameda St. Los Angeles, CA 90021 

ATHLETES FOR CEASEFIRE'S FUNDRAISER FOR GAZA ~ CULVER CITY

A fundraiser for Gaza is planned this Sunday at Culver City's 100-year-old Jackson Market & Deli, which is known for its sandwiches and Middle Eastern buffet. 

Athletes for Gaza will be celebrating the birthday of their co-founder Omar Dreidi with Jackson Market's sandwiches, pizza, and salads, knafeh from Knafeh Queens for dessert, and music from DJ Gfunktrece.

All proceeds go to help Gaza, and organizers are open to vendors who may want to set up at the event and sell their eats. DM Dreidi if you're an interested vendor. Tickets here.

Sep. 21, 4-8 PM, 4065 Jackson Ave. Culver City, CA 90232 

YORITOFU ~ TORRANCE

Yoritofu is now open for Korean dining in Torrance. A large menu spans pub bites like corn cheese and grilled tripe with garlic; stone pot entrees like galbi jjim, pork and chicken bulgogi, and braised mackerel with aged kimchi; plus soon tofu with grilled flounder; beef brisket soup; acorn noodles with perilla cream; dumplings; sizzling tofu cakes; and savory pancakes. 

21209 Hawthorne Blvd B Torrance, CA 90503 

EARLE'S ON CRENSHAW ~ VENICE

L.A.'s historic hot dog spot Earle's on Crenshaw again is now open next to Marathon Burger on Venice Beach, Thursdays through Sundays for the next few months. The restaurant originally started as a stand in Venice before earning its reputation for Jamaican patties; beef, chicken, turkey, and vegan hot dogs; burgers; pastrami sandwiches, and fries and chips topped with chili on Crenshaw.

And now a few thoughts from L.A. TACO's staff about Earle's:

"Only place I ever get a hot dog from." 

"The best in LA." 

"So good."

And there you have it.

1827 Ocean Front Walk Venice, CA 90291 

GEORGIE'S MEDITERRANEAN ~ PASADENA

Georgie's is a new fast-casual Middle Eastern option in Pasadena, serving sets of shrimp, chicken, beef, lamb, and kefta kebab, as well as various wraps, shawarma variations, falafel, grape leaves, and foul, with walnut and pistachio baklava available for dessert. We've been hearing good things!

3573 E. Foothill Blvd. Pasadena, CA 91107  

SEPTEMBER 12, 2025

DINNER AT TARTINE ~ SANTA MONICA

Tartine has just introduced dinner at its Santa Monica location, Wednesdays through Sundays, marking a new chapter for the James Beard-awarded bakery empire.

Central to the menu is pizza made with the bakery's fermented dough, using Italy's biga method for a lighter crust. Pizzas include a pie with chanterelles and lobster mushrooms; cacio e pepe; "pepper pizza" with arrabiata, drop peppers, chermoula, and shishitos; and a pineapple-pepperoni with black garlic plum tomato sauce. 

In addition, there's pork-beef-and-pancetta meatballs; green goddess salads; sourdough tartine with steak tartare and shoyu egg; roasted spatchcock chicken; and butterscotch budino, Devil's chocolate rye cake, and peach polenta cake for dessert. 

To drink, your options include wine, beer, and cider. In the coming weeks, Tartine plans to add live music, winemaker tastings, and chef collabs under the twinkling lights and vines wrapping its outdoor patio.

1925 Arizona Ave. Santa Monica, CA 90404 

DEDA ~ PASADENA

Deda, an ambitious Georgian restaurant, is now open in Pasadena. Here, the kharcho stew is made with Snake River Farms wagyu; the khinkali with tiger shrimp; three kinds of khachapuri are prepared in-house; the kebabs are skewered with sturgeon and grass-fed lamb; and the kaputi sausage is forged from wild boar.

Cocktails include the rum-laced Dediko served in a glass horn, while the Chacha Sour is topped with foam stenciled to resemble the Georgian flag. გაიხარე everyone!

55 S. Lake St. Pasadena, CA 91101

MARGARITAS AT SONORATOWN ~ MID-CITY/LONG BEACH

How could Sonoratown get any better? 

By pairing frozen margaritas to your caramelos and chivichangas. Both the Long Beach and Mid-City locations of the Sonoran-style taqueria are now offering frozen margaritas, made with Ola Sol agave wine, triple sec, sugar, and fresh lime juice.

The restaurant has a beer-and-wine license and though it's an agave wine, Ola Sol still comes right to the legal limit of a permitted ABV, at 24%. So it tastes good and gets you tipsy. Mission accomplished.

5610 San Vicente Blvd. Los Angeles CA 90019;  244 E. 3rd St. Long Beach, CA 90802

FRESH MOROCCAN SKEWER ~ HOLLYWOOD

While L.A.'s streets are awash in terrific kebab, we too seldom see Moroccan recipes on our sidewalks. 

Fresh Moroccan Skewer, a bright red-and-black food truck on Hollywood Boulevard, is helping change this, serving thinner, more delicate, and excellent kebabs of beef, lamb, chicken, and liver, grilled over charcoal on a tiny Weber over the Walk of Fame, as well as lamb chops, sizable whole sardines, mint tea, and the eggplant-tomato-and-bell-pepper dish known as zaalouk. The truck goes until 3:30 AM most nights.

Check Instagram for exact address.

EL POLLO PERU ~ CHATSWORTH

We've been noticing more fast-casual Peruvian concepts hitting the city, such as Merka Saltao in Culver City and Peruvian Bowl in Venice.

Next up is El Pollo Peru Express, now open in Chatsworth with a tight menu that includes fideo noodle stir-fries with your choice of beef, chicken, or shrimp; lomo saltado fettucini with huancaina sauce; pollo a la brasa; chaufa; acevichada-covered wings; leche de tigre; and desserts like selva negra, tres leches, and ice cream sandwiches.

21534 Devonshire St. Unit A Los Angeles, CA 91311 

LOVERRA CAFE & PATISSERIE ~ SANTA MONICA

A new Turkish restaurant and bakery named Loverra is now open next to DK Donuts in Santa Monica. Opening at lunchtime, you'll find beyti of lavash-wrapped ground lamb; adana kebab; kofte meatballs; kokorec, a sandwich filled with grilled lamb intestines; liver with salad and rice; numerous salads; and kavurma, which they call "Turkish tacos" on their menu.

Soon, Loverra will open in the mornings for pastries like simit, poğaça, eclairs, and baklava with your strong coffee. You can currently find some of these things in their fridges, along with undeniably delicious Dubai chocolate bars at just $3 a slice.  

1612 Santa Monica Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90404 

SEPTEMBER 5, 2025

DONER TURCO ~ HOLLYWOOD

Doner Turco is open on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in a tiny space next door to the sublime Sincerely Syria. The concept specializes in halal Turkish doner while styling itself after the doner stands common to Berlin.

This means beef and chicken doner in wraps, kofteh sandwiches, falafel, beef and chicken beyti, plates of sliced beef and chicken, and tacos (tacos!) with chicken and beef doner. Vegans will also find plant-based kofteh wraps and plates, and everyone will have baklava for dessert.

6323 Hollywood Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90028 

THE CLIFFDIVER & OFFSHORE ~ SAWTELLE

A new location of The Cliffdiver is now soft-open in the Found Hotel in West L.A.'s Sawtelle neighborhood, along with an off-lobby bar and lounge called Offshore. Cliffdiver has an original location in Thousand Oaks. The new restaurant officially opens this Tuesday.

The restaurant offers coastal Mexican food, found in dishes like shrimp ceviche; Acapulco mussels with bacon and garlic; tacos with lobster, carne asada, mahi mahi, cochinita pibil, chicken al pastor, poke, and shrimp; along with surf and turf burritos; camarones a la diabla; a seafood sampler with Old Bay-seasoned fries; and drinks like prickly pear mojitos, dragonfruit gin-and-tonics, and añejo old fashioneds. A dedicated Taco Tuesday offers deals on both food and beverages. 

Across the lobby, Offshore serves casual bites like cheeseburger eggrolls; crab dip with rosemary foccacia; palomas, spicy margaritas, and more.

12311 Santa Monica Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90025

UDATSU SUSHI L.A. @ ROKUSHO ~ HOLLYWOOD 

Chef Hisashi Udatsu, of Tokyo's Michelin-starred Udatsu Sushi, is coming to Hollywood's Rokusho for his own five-night omakase pop-up, from September 9-14. Reservations are a must for his 17-courses of artful sushi, as only eight seats are available.

While that is going on upstairs, L.A.-born-and-raised chef Alex Suzuki has just taken the reigns downstairs at Rokusho and will debut a new menu of his own on September 9th, while mixologist Joe Honda makes drinks based on rare spirits from the 70's and 80's. 

Suzuki's new dishes include "yaki zarandeado" with white miso-marinated loup de mer, ponzu butter, and chipotle-miso crema; and a shrimp and scallop tartare with cured olives and toasted milkbread rusk. 

Suzuki is trained in classical kaiseki and kappo service and worked at Bouchon and Kodo before running Rokusho. He will collaborate with Udatsu on a few dishes, available from September 9-14, in celebration of the restaurant's first anniversary.

6634 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90028

SEOGWAN BY YELLOW COW ~ KOREATOWN

A Pyongyang-style cold noodle (naengmyeon) specialist named Seogwan by Yellow Cow is now open in KTown from Monica Kim, owner of Gardena's 27-year-old Korean barbecue restaurant Yellow Cow. 

It offers Yellow Cow's grilled meats in and among bowls of buckwheat noodles in clear broth, offered a la carte, in sets, and with other dishes like cherry-topped sausage stew; mung bean pancakes; beef tongue; beef tartare; pork cheek; skirt steak; banchan; and mushroom bulgogi hot pot.

3460 W. 8th St Los Angeles, CA 90005

JADE RABBIT ~ SANTA MONICA

Chef Bryant Ng, known for Spice Table and Cassia, just opened Jade Rabbit in Santa Monica with his partner in life and business, Kim Luu-Ng. It's a build-your-own-bowl concept that riffs on nostalgic Chinese-American recipes, taking pride in the cross-cultural cuisine that has come out of diaspora, including Cantonese BBQ and seafood, Hong Kong-style cafes, and L.A.'s own wealth of regional Chinese food.

For your bowls, you'll start with a base of  rice options, chow mein, cold noodles, or salad, add two vegetables, and a main such as mango-orange chicken, smoked sausage and corn, spicy Sichuan chicken, beef and broccoli, spicy minced lamb, or chickpea curry. Additional dishes include scallion-garlic cheese toast; Canto steamed salmon; and garlic-chile shrimp, with housemade Almond Roca cookies or a mango creamsicle pudding for dessert. Family combo meals are also offered.

In a note to L.A. TACO, Ng says, "Kim and I have been talking about opening Jade Rabbit even before we opened Cassia 9 years ago. The reality is, I didn’t get into this industry to just cook for rich people. Jade Rabbit is a more democratic approach to food."

2301 Santa Monica Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90404 

HALLOWEEN HORROR NIGHTS @ UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

Halloween Horror Nights is back at Universal Studios Hollywood through November 2. And whether you enjoy having Jason, La Llorona, and Art the Clown jump-scare you half to Hell or not, we know everyone likes hearing about the seasonal food and drinks on offer during the event. 

Like a vanilla bean sponge cake shaped like Slash's iconic top hat; Thai curry tacos; the above s'mores that resemble Jason's hockey mask; chile-glazed SPAM-loaded Fallout fries; and the below lemon-raspberry cookie sandwich snatched from the killer clown in Terrifier.

AUGUST 29, 2025

BARBAKUSH x UPTOWN PROVISIONS ~ WHITTIER

BarBakush, Petra Zavaleta's traditional, Poblana-style, pit-cooked lamb barbacoa restaurant, will collaborate with Uptown Provisions in Whittier over this Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday morning will find Uptown serving head-to-tail lamb barbacoa dips from 11 AM - 4 PM, with the pit-cooked lamb served on garlic butter-brushed sesame rolls with goat cheese, rosemary aioli, and roasted onion jam, with a side of lamb consomé for dipping and a salsa mache verde. Uptown chef-owner Aaron Melendrez  says," these will sell out, so don't play yourself."

On Sunday night from 5-9 PM, following Uptown's normal hours, Zavaleta will preside over the restaurant with her slow-cooked lamb, served with handmade tortillas, consomé, and salsas. You'll be able to buy barbacoa by the pound, or in tacos and quesadillas.

12819 Penn St. Whittier, CA 90602

MISA ~DOWNTOWN ARTS DISTRICT

A creative pop-up named Misa will be serving at Flamingo Bar in the Arts District this Saturday and Sunday. The pop-up comes from chef Rogelio Hernandez, a veteran of Camphor, Pasjoli, Nightshade, Bar Calo, and Bangkok's Gaggan, who started Misa as a pizza pop-up during the pandemic before it went dormant.

Hernandez's a la carte menu includes oysters al pastor; tacos de asada with charred greens; tacos de papa with potato-leek soubise and salsa verde; an ode to the Caesar salad and huevos lucio; and a dish that combines shrimp toast with a tostada, called the "shrimp toast-ada."

For dessert, there's "rice and beans" with red bean paste, arroz con leche, whipped creme fraiche, and mazapan crumble. 

"The menu is inspired by my trips to Baja California, my time working in L.A. restaurants, and my summer in Bangkok," Herndandez tells L.A. TACO. "My family would never eat out unless it was after misa or Sunday mass. So I started looking forward to Sundays after mass because I would get to eat mariscos or carnitas or stuff my family would otherwise not be able to afford ... and since the pop up was happening on Sundays originally, we named it Misa." 

Sat. 4-11 PM & Sun. 1-6 PM, 1855 Industrial St. Los Angeles, CA 90021

GUMBOLAYA GIRL ~ VENICE

Norea Hudson lost her housing and job due to fire in Malibu, now she's setting up in Venice most evenings as Gumbolaya Girl, in an attempt to get back on her feet. Find her cooking under a small food stand tent with her two pups in front of Ralph's. Hudson sells a variety of her gumbo-jambalaya hybrids, in versions with sausage, turkey meatballs, and chicken, as well as a 100% vegan recipe. We shared a big, filling $10 bowl this week and really enjoyed it, so give it a try and let us know what you think.

Hudson is also hoping to raise money through a GoFundMe.

910 Lincoln Blvd. Venice, CA 90291

TACOS & BAJA WINE BENEFIT FOR JOSH GIL ~ BOYLE HEIGHTS

As mentioned last week, funds are being raised for our friend, Josh Gil, the talented chef behind Miraté, Supper Liberation Front, Tacos Punta Cabras, and Three Flames, to help him in his fight against cancer.

On Tuesday, September 2, a benefit will be held to raise money for Josh at Distrito Catorce in Boyle Heights, where chef Jonathan Perez will be preparing his genre-busting tacos inspired by flavors found in Baja and the Valle de Guadalupe. A wine tasting will also be offered by Vinos Los Angeles. Tickets for the fundraiser are $75 and are tax-deductible donations. Our own EIC Javier Cabral is helping put on this event for Josh.

Sep. 2, 6-10 PM, 1837 1st St. Los Angeles, CA 90033

TIRE SHOP TAQUERIA #2 ~ HOLLYWOOD

We figured it may have been a mirage after too many martinis at Musso & Frank, some beer chasers at Frolic Room, and whatever that extraterrestrial cocktail was that we scarfed at Scum & Villainy, but lo, there it was ... 

Another location of Tire Shop Taqueria, one of L.A.'s best, fully set-up off the Walk of Fame ... tree stump slice for chopping asada and all.

So you may have known this already. Or maybe you've lived your life in unfulfilled ignorance like us. But Tire Shop Taqueria #2 is up and bustling on Cahuenga just a few stumbling steps from Hollywood Boulevard. So go forth and taco.

1743 N. Cahuenga Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90028 

MELODIA ~ WEST HOLLYWOOD

Melodia has been open for about six months in West Hollywood, offering an intriguing menu that merges Ukrainian, Russian, and Italian cuisine.

Dishes include chicken pate with Coca-Cola-braised onions; four types of blini; sour cherry vareniki; branzino beurre mont; beef cheek with mashed potato; beef tartare with caviar; scallops and shrimp in lobster bisque; and specials like herring croquettes with hazelnut cream, and pan-fried potatoes with chanterelles. 

7300 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90046 

AUGUST 22, 2025

I'd like to draw attention to the plight of a friend of ours and an incredible L.A. chef, Josh Gil, who is currently fighting Stage 4 cancer. A GoFundMe has been launched to help pay for a medical flight to bring him home to California. If you're in any position to help out, here is the link. Thank you.

LUCKY TACOSHI ~ WEST COVINA

A Japanese taco spot called Lucky Tacoshi resides within a West Covina food court, making sushi tacos in nori shells and big sushi rice burritos, poke bowls, and the odd tsukune skewer and tempura item. Your choices include tacos with fresh salmon, raw shrimp, or tempura shrimp; as well as the "Double Dragon" burrito with eel, tempura shrimp, fake crab, avocado, and veggies.

989 S. Glendora Ave. West Covina, CA 91790

K PASA TAQUERIA ~ KOREATOWN

"Hold my Hite," says K Pasa, a Koreatown taqueria that will stuff your tortillas, tortas, burritos, and vampiros with house-marinated carne asada, chorizo, char-grilled Korean short rib, spicy pork belly, cilantro lime chicken and birra from a family recipe. There's also fries and nachos loaded with the protein of your pick, birria ramen, birria taquitos, breakfast burritos, and crunchwrap-like "krunchy wraps."

3958 W. 6th St. Los Angeles, CA 90020

TELEFERIC BARCELONA ~ LONG BEACH/BRENTWOOD

Iberian import Telefèric Barcelona, which has locations in Long Beach and Brentwood, has a new menu that adds some creative kinks to more traditional dishes.

For example, there are Wagyu oxtail empanadas crowned with beef tartare; Manchego-infused meatballs with a ham carbonara sauce; a pork steak with a cocido-inspired sauce; Wellington with puff pastry encasing braised short ribs and jamón ibérico; and paella layered with pork belly, smoked pork chop, and jamón ibérico.

Dessert includes a trompe l'oeil orange mochi with Valencian orange jelly and citrus mousse that resembles real fruit.

11930 San Vicente Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90049; 6420 Pacific Coast Highway Ste. 160 Long Beach, CA 90803

"LUCHANDO CONTRA LA MIGRA" ~ HIGHLAND PARK

Luchando Contra La Migra, a benefit for families affected by ICE, is going down at Highland Park's Nativo on Sunday, with live music from Carlos y Charlos, Maya Isabel, and Karta Brava, and more starting at 5 PM, plus DJs from 9 PM to midnight.

Aug. 24, 5 PM-midnight, 5137 York Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90042  

KARACHI BBQ TONIGHT ~ BELLFLOWER

Bellflower's recently opened Karachi BBQ Tonight doesn't just have a killer name, it also serves excellent Pakistani eats using hand-cut zabihah halal meats.

You can get such dishes as gola kebab, seekh kebab, yogurt-and-mustard-oil-marinated bihari kebab, lamb chops, chicken karahi, and chicken tikka, plus options of five different, paratha-wrapped kathi rolls such as the malai chicken roll.

17210 Lakewood Blvd. Bellflower, CA 90706

BAP & BIRD ~ BEVERLY GROVE

It takes considerable confidence to call yourself "home of the best Korean fried chicken in L.A." right outta the gate. But Bap & Bird upped and did it, with plans to open this Sunday inside of SeoulMates in Beverly Grove, from that concept's founder, Christina Hong. 

The signatures here are double-fried chicken and omubap, which merge the pleasures of onigiri with kimbap, in a rice-padded triangle filled with ingredients like kim chi, bulgogi, vegan jackfruit bulgogi, and spicy pork. Fried chicken glazes and sauces include one inspired by elote, a Korean BBQ-jerk,  spicy gochujang, and honey-garlic.

On Sunday, there will be free wings for the first 50 guests. Big Noise Beers will be $2 with proceeds going to Angel City Pit Bulls. There will also be DJs, and flash tattoos, both for people and, sigh, Labubus. Really.

12-4 PM, 8320 W. 3rd St. Los Angeles, CA 90048 

AUGUST 15, 2025

LA SORTED'S x TAQUERIA FRONTERA ~ CHINATOWN

L.A. TACO-approved pizza parlor La Sorted's is teaming up with Taqueria Frontera, our "best taco 2024" winner, this weekend. 

From August 15-17, you'll be able to get two collaborative dishes at La Sorteds: a pastor dog featuring a beef wiener topped with Frontera's prized al pastor, queso, salsa de arbol, cilantro crema, and pineapple; and papas al pastor featuring loaded fries that mirror those same toppings.

3580 E. 1st St. Los Angeles, CA 90063 

MERKA SALTAO ~ CULVER CITY

Merka Saltao, a new quick-service Peruvian restaurant, is now open in Downtown Culver City. Wok-cooked lomo saltado is at the center of its customizable dishes, with options like steak, chicken, and mushrooms flash-seared with aji chiles, onions, and tomatoes, available in plates, burritos, and salad bowls that you can gussy up with herbed quinoa, rice with cancha corn, sauces, and fries. 

You can also get a beer or a chicha mordada here. Or a rocoto hot chicken sandwich. Even a frozen pisco sour. The world is yours.

3850 Main St. Culver City, CA 90232 

HORCHATA SLUSHIES/ICED HORCHATA CAPPUCINOS ~ TITO'S TACOS & VERVE COFFEE

It's muggy and you have an unquenchable thirst for horchata. And yet the stars have aligned, as a few big names are doing some refreshing things with horchata at the moment.

Tito's Tacos will start selling horchata slushies this Sunday, in time for CicLAvia's Venice's cruise. $4 will get you 20 oz. of semi-frozen horchata and $5.50 will get you 32 oz. 

Meanwhile, Verve Coffee and Guisados have jumped into bed together to offer a new iced horchata cappucino at all Verve locations, melding Guisados horchata with Verve's espresso through September 2. One dollar from every drink sold will go to No Us Without you. So everyone wins!

CAR SHOW @ THREE FLAMES ~ WESTCHESTER

Calling all cars, calling all classic cars!

Josh Gil's Three Flames is having a car show this Sunday. So you can bring your ride if you think it's sick enough, or simply come and check out all the fun, while dining on impeccable local rock cod tacos, scallop-lined tostadas, rock shrimp cocteles, hamberguesas, papas sucias, and Mongolian barbecue items.

Aug. 17, 11 AM-4 PM, 5608 W. Manchester Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90045

KINGS CAREY WINE DINNERS ~ PASADENA/FAIRFAX

Kings Carey is a Santa Barbara wine producer specializing in single varietal/single vineyard grapes that are given low-to-no manipulation to highlight their natural assets. In addition to loving their wines, we find joy in the fact that its labels are designed by Hawk Krall, who has done our TACO Madness art for years.

Its winemaker, James Sparks, is coming to L.A. this week for Kings Carey wine dinners at Pasadena's Wife and Somm on Saturday, and Thursday at American Beauty's Summer Wine Series at the Grove.

Wife and Somm will feature four courses paired with a side-by-side vertical wine tasting led by Sparks, comparing wines like a 2021 Santa Rita Hills Chardonnay with its 2022 vintage. Dishes may include whey-poached halibut with local marigold nectar, and a sous vide Beeler's pork chop with potato rosti.

The American Beauty dinner will feature five courses paired to wines from Kings Carey and Liquid Farm, where Sparks is also the winermaker.

AUGUST 1, 2025

LA GRANJA ROTISSERIE ~ HYDE PARK

La Granja Rotisserie is a new spot in Hyde Park from chefs Carlos Lool and Gerardo Hernandez, specializing in wood-roasted chicken marinated in a house blend of seasoning. 

You can get chicken by the whole, half or in parts, served with tortillas and your pick of two sides, like red beans, rice, mac and cheese, and cole slaw, as well as optional sauces like salsa de verde, chimichurri, and Carolina BBQ.

The restaurant also offers its chicken in tacos, burritos, tortas, crispy chicken sandwiches, flautas, nachos, and more.

5960 Crenshaw Blvd. View Park, CA 90043 

HOPE ALLEY @ HOMEBOY INDUSTRIES ~ CHINATOWN

Homeboy Industries is holding an event to benefit street vendors this Saturday. Hope Alley will feature the cooking of ten different vendors, in hopes of the public buying them out, while the vendors will not be there themselves out of concerns for their safety. 

In addition to music and a community altar on site, Homegirl Cafe and Homeboy Threads will be open, as well.

Aug. 9, 10 AM - 2PM, 130 Bruno St. Los Angeles, CA 90012

N/SOTO x CELLADOR ALE  BEER ~ MID-CITY   

Chef Niki Nakayama's n/soto now has its own beer, the result of a collaboration with Torrance's Cellador Ales. Designed as a food-friendly beer that showcases the balanced and layered flavors found in Japanese cooking, N/Soto Tart Wheat Ale is brewed with sansho, Yasutomi farms' shiso, yuzu, and Her Produce's ginger, using a base of oak barrel-fermented witbier. The beer is naturally carbonated using local honey.    

You'll find it exclusively at n/soto.

4566 W. Washington Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90016 

ALL CHILL INC. ~ LEIMERT PARK

Leimert Park has a hip-hop-themed ice cream shop called All Chill Inc.

Opened by Julian Petty and Genelle Brooks-Petty, flavors include honey-lavender, vanilla rose, whiskey praline, chai latte, dairy-free cognac-and-currant, sorrel sorbet, and a flavor styled after local Shabazz Bakery's bean pie, in addition to all the classics. 

The space also houses historic hip-hop artifacts collected over 50 years by Julian, a music executive with Warner Brothers, including a box of Biz Markie cereal, an original RUN-DMC/Beastie Boys tour poster, Public Enemy action figures, celebrity sneakers (including Raekwon/Purple Tape Diadoras and RUN-DMC Adidas) and portraits, and more.

All Chill is one of several businesses participating in Los Angeles’ annual Black Business Scavenger Hunt with Prosperity Market this month.

3415 W. 43rd Pl. Los Angeles, CA 90008

GARMENT WORKERS FOR GAZA & IMMIGRANT RIGHTS ~ DOWNTOWN

This Saturday only, renewable fashion shop SUAY is hosting Garment Workers for Gaza and Immigrant Rights, with tacos by Ditroit and coffee from Cafe Santo. There will also be shopping pop-ups from The Vintage Jesus and For Your Viewing Pleasure, a limited-edition t-shirt drop, community dye bath, a flower workshop by El Creativo, and a teach-in with Garment Worker Center.

Proceeds go to HEAL Palestine and the Immigrant Workers Defense Fund.

Aug. 9, AM - 5 PM, 905 Mateo St. Los Angeles, CA 90021 

EL PIGGY TAQUITOS ~ WINNETKA

El Piggy Taquitos is a new business claiming to be the first to serve taquitos ... in a cup! The concept comes from the owners of El Piggy Hot Dogs.

Five taquitos are plunked into a marsh of cheese sauce, rimmed with shredded lettuce, drizzled with chipotle crema, sprinkled with cotjia, and served with a side of guacamole.

You'll catch them at 101 Night Market in Winnetka every Thursday and Friday nights, along with vendors like Huaraches Jr., the Filipino-influenced meats of Benny's BBQ, cheesesteaks at The Bodega Co., and baked potatoes piled with hot meats.

6543 Corbin Ave. Los Angeles, CA 91367

AUGUST 1, 2025

GOI VIETNAMESE EATS ~ LOS FELIZ

Goi Vietnamese Eats is celebrating its grand-opening this weekend in Los Feliz. Goi is a design-it-yourself concept, with options like spring rolls, bowls, and banh mi, featuring protein options like pork sausage, garlic shrimp or tofu, beef, pork, and chicken, along with customizable sauces, vegetables, and toppings. There's also cafe sau da, fried shrimp rolls, and ca gio.

On opening day, the first 100 guests gets a free spring roll of their choosing, a 16 oz. tumbler, and two free raffle tickets. The next 100 get a $10 coupon with purchase. Raffle prizes include a 65" inch T.V., merch, gift cards to buy things, and more.

1815 Hillhurst Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90027 

CAFE TONDO ~ CHINATOWN

Cafe Tondo, a Mexico City-inspired wine bar and coffee-and-pastry spot, is now open in Chinatown. It's a charming place for an espresso with conchas in the daytime, vermouth and vino tinto at night.

Tondo also serves a tight menu of dishes from Colombian chef Valeria Velásquez, such as chicken milanesa; steak frites using arrachera for the cut; tuna or ham bikini sandwiches; tortas with your choice of chicken milanesa, shroom pastor, or carnitas; and small plates of empanadas, olives, and gildas.

An affogato with cafe de olla awaits you when you're done.

1135 Alameda St. Los Angeles, CA 

BISTRO AXENA ~ ECHO PARK

A "cocina caotica" (chaos cooking) concept called Bistro Axena, opened by pop-up veteran chef Andrew Rodriguez, is taking over the menu at Echo Park's La Fe Bar through August 3, and possibly longer.

Dishes, which meld Mexican and Lebanese flavors, include cured hamachi with watermelon aguachile; spicy calamari with tamarindo pickle and everything spice; duck confit with duck mole; charred octopus with Rancho Gordo beans and carrot harissa; beef chorizo hueso with hummus mousseline; and mezcal berries, tahini whip, and cafe de olla syrup.

Through August 3, 1525 W. Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026

THE LONDON ROOFTOP ~ WEST HOLLYWOOD

In a world where a simple breakfast with friends can run over $100, we were heartened to find one of the city's best rooftop restaurants, at The London West Hollywood at Beverly Hills, is back with an $85 three-course pre-fixe menu in conjunction with LVE Wines by John Legend, in addition to its a la carte selections.

"Legend and LVE at the London Rooftop" menu items on the pre-fixe include appetizers like seared scallops with a salad of charred sweet summer corn and shrimp summer rolls; entrees like a traditional beef Wellington for two; brick chicken; and sweet chile-and-mustard glazed salmon, with desserts like a berry pavolva.

Each dish can be paired with Legend's Napa-made wines, such as LVE's Chardonnay Carneros or Grenache, for $30. With incomparable city views, it's a perfect destination when you need a special place.

1020 N. San Vicente Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA 90069

AMANOS ~ LINCOLN HEIGHTS

Salvadoran pop-up Amanos will be cooking at Arroz y Fun in Lincoln Heights, every Sunday and Monday, beginning this Monday.

Dishes include shucos made with maiz negro, plantains, and red beans; mango salads; egg noodle chow mein with chayote; a recado negro branzino with pipian; and pork belly chicharron with toyopina salsa.

For dessert, Salvadoran quesadillas will be served with queso parm, creme fresh, an orange whipped topping, and optional ice cream.   

5-8 PM, Sun. and Mon. starting August 4, 1822 N. Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90031 

SLIZERIA ~ SAWTELLE

Former Dodger Adrian Gonzalez has opened a pizza joint on Sawtelle. Slizeria features familiar pizzas, as well as creative variations such as the jalapeño poppers pizza with ricotta, bacon, gouda, and jalapeños; a teriyaki chicken pizza; "meaty greedy" pies; and buffalo chicken pizzas. It also sells merch, like a t-shirt with an anthropomorphic slice on a skateboard and a $75 Yeti cup that comes with free soda for a year.

11301 West Olympic Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90064 

BAR 109 ~ LARCHMONT

Bar 109 is now open in Larchmont's Melrose Hill neighborhood from chef-owner Brian Baik, who plans to open the 12-seat Corridor 109 fine-dining seafood restaurant next door later this month.

Bar 109 features 27 seats, Baik's menu of bar snacks, and the drinks of Chicago mixologist and sake sommelier Kayla Garcia, formerly the head bartender at Chicago's award-winning Kumiko.

Her cocktails include Marine Layer, with gin, manzanilla, dry vermouth, saline, and white kelp; an oolong Boulevardier; and the seasonal Ichigo Milk Punch, with vodka, mezcal, strawberry, basil, and clarified milk. The bar's wine program focuses on small producers under master sommelier Michael Engelmann.

Baik, an Eleven Madison Park vet whose family opened Koreatown's 42-year-old Kobawoo House, will prepare snacks such as a U10 shrimp cocktail; fried fish sandwiches; and a smoked fish dip using sashimi-grade salmon he cures and cold-smokes in house. Walk-ins only.

641 N. Western Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90004

JULY 25, 2025

SELATERIA ~ LYNWOOD

SELAtería is going down this Sunday at Balam Tacos, organized by Helping Hands Coffee to unite Southeast L.A.'s Black and Brown communities over tacos, free legal help, live music, local vendors, and free drink vouchers when you visit the booths. 

Twenty-five percent of the proceeds from Helping Hands Coffee, and a portion of the proceeds from the sales of Balam and vendors like Aguas El Chavo, DStroy, and Flores Con Amor, go to Mastering Hope's work in helping families affected by the raids. The event is also seeking help from any baristas who may want to volunteer.

10:00 -11:30 AM free legal help, main event 12:30-4 PM, 11700 Long Beach Blvd. Lynwood, CA 90262 

MOVIE & BITES @JAPAN HOUSE ~ HOLLYWOOD

Japan House, a Japanese cultural center in the heart of Hollywood, is hosting "Movie & Bites" on Saturday morning, showcasing Ayumu Watanabe's all-ages animated film “Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko."

The screening concludes with a tasting of iconic, flour-based konamon popular on Japan's streets, including karaage, edamame, and a yakisoba cooking demonstration, while all guests go home with a okonomiyaki kit from Otafuku Foods to prepare at home. 

July 26, 10:30 AM – 1:00 PM, 6801 Hollywood Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90028

SAINT & SECOND ~ MANHATTAN BEACH

Chef Jason Fullilove just opened the anticipated Saint & Second in Manhattan Beach. His team is making lamb pastrami reubens on marbled rye; ribeye sandwiches; sweet corn cavatelli; and yellowtail aguachile at lunch. With mac-and-shrooms, gochujang-glazed pork belly, stonefruit-and-burrata salads, grilled provoleta, and a smoked-and-glazed pork chop with 'nduja, cheddar grits, and avocado honey among your choices for dinner. 

Dessert includes peach cobbler hand pies and milk chocolate brownies s'mores bars, with drinks like the Bonded Old Fashioned to wash everything down.

3160 N. Sepulveda Blvd. Manhattan Beach, CA 90266 

COALITION CAFE FOR STREET VENDORS ~ KOREATOWN

On Saturday, July 26, Uju Coffee and Coffee For Palestine are holding a pop-up at Koreatown's Coalition Coffee to raise money to buy out vendors who are afraid to go to work due to the risk of ICE abductions. There will be live acoustic performances in a "cloud room," and DJs to get you dancing, while you sip on Uju's cold brews and hand-whisked matcha for a great cause.

July 26th, 10 AM-2 PM, 672 La Fayette Park Pl. Los Angeles, CA 90057  

SAZON CON CORAZON ~ LONG BEACH

A stand dedicated to Peruvian street food stand has been setting up in front of a Long Beach Northgate over the last 13 months. Sazon Con Corazon cooks everything before your eyes, including barrel-smoked chicken and ribs; ceviche made with halibut; salchipapas with lomo; sandwiches with your choice of lomo or chicharrón; causa; and stir-fried arroz chaufa and tallarin (noodles) with chicken or lomo grilled in a wok over an open flame.

Tues.-Weds., Sat.-Sun., 3-1o PM, E. 10th St & St. Louis Ave Long Beach, CA 90804

GHISALLOS' ESCARGOT & RABBIT PIZZA ~ SANTA MONICA

Chef Casey Lane, esteemed for his cooking at Tasting Kitchen, is now leading the kitchen at Santa Monica's Ghisallo, and collaborating with Jyan Issac bread-maker Jyan Horwitz on two types of dough for his pizza.

This weekend, the El Paso-raised chef is offering this limited edition pizza called "What We Find in the Garden," topped with snails, rabbit sausage, pea tendrils, and peas. It's one of the best pizzas we've tried in a while. We also went wild for Lane's chicken parm.

1622 Ocean Park Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90405 

OCCUPY ICE PIZZA PARTY ~ DOWNTOWN

An "Occupy ICE Bloc Party" fundraiser for frontline protesters has been announced tonight, featuring live bands, protesting, and pizza at the Federal Building in Downtown. If you can't make it, organizers encourage you to help by sending pizza!

JULY 18, 2025

RAMEN OCHI ~ ROWLAND HEIGHTS

Ramen Ochi, from championship-winning ramen and gyoza chef Yuichi Ochi, is now open in Rowland Heights, featuring daily-made broths that are simmered for at least eight hours, laboriously filtered water, and egg-free noodles forged from a blend of domestic and imported wheat and tapioca flour.

Ochi's dishes include wasabi tamago kakemen featuring thick noodles in a soy broth served with pork belly and raw egg; ramen with a triple-rich "three beasts" broth that uses a mix of beef, pork, and chicken; nitoryu ramen featuring a blend of pork and seafood broths; sanjyu broth with soy sauce and slow-cooked stock of pork, chicken, and beef bones; and a creamy gyokai tonkatsu broth.

There's also the chef's quadruple award-winning gyoza dumplings and soy sauce from a 129-year-old company.

18253 Colima Rd. Unit #104, Rowland Heights, CA 91748 

YU JI STONE MILL CHINESE CREPES ~ ROWLAND HEIGHTS

And while you're out there digging on ramen, make sure to find some time for Yu Ji Stone Mill Chinese Crepes, a savory jianbing (savory crepe) maker with a pedal bike-driven wooden stand in Rowland Heights. Each traditional, paper-thin crepe is made with an actual stone mill using millet and mung beans, and cooked before your eyes on a circular grill. Fillings include egg, beef hot dog, black sesame seeds, green onion, soy sauce, cilantro, and crushed baocui crackers, accompanied by a chile sauce for added heat.

1648 S. Jellick Ave. Rowland Heights, CA 91748

MR. BEEF ~ BEVERLY GROVE

Mr. Beef, the time-honored, Chicago-based Italian beef sandwich maker that inspired The Bear, is hanging out in L.A. this weekend, in a collaboration with Hexclad.

Mr. Beef will pop up this Saturday and Sunday at Uncle Paulie's Deli next to The Grove, along with Coco's To Go-Go Italian ice, which is operated by The Bear producer Courtney Storer.

Expect sandwiches, a pickle cart, merch for sale, and a few "surprises." And you know, get there early before all the food is gone, cuz it's first-come, first-served.

June 19-20, 11 AM - 3 PM, 8053 W. 3rd St. Los Angeles, CA 90048

CRITICAL MASA ~ BOYLE HEIGHTS

Hungry, hungry cycling fiends are invited to join Critical Masa, a Friday evening group bike ride from Boyle Heights to L.A.'s west side, beginning at Esquina Bicycle Shop and ending at El Gato Night Market in Westlake. It's a great way to support food vendors and a terrific local business.

Organizer and L.A. TACO veteran Erick "El Random Hero" Huerta says all are welcome to join, as long as you bring a bike in riding condition that can cover 12 miles. And a sense of humor.

2228 Whittier Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90023

UNETTO TOKYO PASTA FACTORY ~ SAWTELLE

Japan's Unetto Tokyo Pasta Factory is now open on Sawtelle Bouelvard, serving fusion dishes like pasta in Japanese curry and pasta topped with chicken katsu, as well as dishes like a "Giapponese" pasta with bacon, onion, and bell peppers stir-fried in shoyu; plus spaghetti with cod roe, squid, and sea urchin; farfalle topped with Indian-inspired keema or butter chicken; squid katsu; Sapporo soup curry; and spicy spare ribs.

2047 Sawtelle Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90025

VOSTOK GRILL ~ HOLLYWOOD

Vostok Grill joins a wave of Central Asian-inspired, halal food trucks currently serving Los Angeles with on-the-bone lamb kazan kebab, beef-and-veggie shourpa stew; beef pelmeni in a light broth soup; goluptsi cabbage rolls; beef-and-potato goulash; manti dumplings; samsa; and your choice of beef, cheese, veggie, or chicken shawarma wrapped in freshly baked kulcha.

7225 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90046

THE RIFF RAFF ~ WEST HOLLYWOOD

Fresh from this week's "ICE Out of L.A." benefit show, entertainer Reggie Watts is headlining The Riff Raff, a late-night live show described as "punk rock meets stand up meets pro wrestling meets unhinged group therapy" at The Comedy Store's Belly Room this Saturday night.

Riff Raff creator Billy Myers III tells us Watts' set will be "waaaaaay out of even his odd box," while comedians Willie Simon, Genesis Sol, Orion Levine, Simon Gibson, Tiffany J Corrada, and the Won't Sue Crew will also perform in the show, which finds them all pulling weird stunt requests from a bucket. 

As far as food, The Comedy Store sells cookies, pizza, pretzels, and drinks. Which is perfect. Since it sounds like you should be really high for this.

June 19, 11:45 PM, 8433 W. Sunset Blvd. West Hollywood, CA 90069 

JULY 11, 2025

CHURROS FOR CHIRLA ~ TACOS EL UNICO

From now until August 10, Tacos El Unico is donating 100% of its churro sales to CHIRLA. The taqueria has six locations, spread around South Gate, Compton, Bell, and South L.A. So what are you waiting for? Go get some churros!

TORTAS AHOGADAS EL FIFO ~ SAN FERNANDO

Tortas Ahogadas El Fifo is offering takeout tacos dorados, salchipapas, and its eponymous Guadalajara-style sandwiches via DM every Saturday and Sunday in San Fernando. The owner takes orders over DM and text, and tells L.A. TACO they're "just a kid from the valley, excited to bring you the authentic flavors of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Zapopan."

Sat-Sun, 10 AM-4 PM, Order via DM or text 818-392-0062

OSTRICH EGGS AT K'ARSI LAVASH ~ GLENDALE

Armenian bakery K'arsi Lavash is offering something we've long been curious to try but are yet to see: Ostrich eggs! The Glendale bakery, which sells lavash cooked to order, along with savory pies, torte Napolean, pakhlava, mikado, and ekler from its pastry cases, offers the eggs still in shell for you to take home and prepare however you like your eggs. Ostrich eggs are said to be 20 times the size of chicken eggs, so maybe just do one for breakfast.

222 N. Verdugo Rd. Glendale, CA 91206 

FILIPINO TACOS AT SPOON & PORK ~ SAWTELLE

Michelin-recognized Spoon & Pork is now offering three distinct tacos and burritos filled with its modern Filipino recipes. You can get them only at the Sawtelle location, with chicken adobo, sirloin bistek and Fresno chile aioli, or crispy pork belly lechon and pickled onions on 50/50 corn-and-flour tortillas.

2121 Sawtelle Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90025 

CUMBIA Y VINO ~ LONG BEACH

There's a party going on this Sunday night. Cumbia y Vino promises wine and vinyl DJs playing on a dope sound system, airbrushing, and good wine, with a portion of proceeds going to Órale Long Beach's "liberation fund for immigrant families affected by the ICE raids."

6-9 PM, free, first-come, first-served, 2105 E. 4th St. Long Beach, CA 90814

MALBEC ~ DOWNTOWN ARTS DISTRICT

Argentine restaurant Malbec, which has a Pasadena location and closed a Santa Monica location amid the pandemic, is now open in a big, beautiful space in the Downtown Arts District. Perfect roost to enjoy some provoleta, platters of grilled sweetbreads, carpaccio de lomo, morcilla, lamb ribs, three-pound tomahawk steaks, and pears poached in Malbec syrup.

899 Traction Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90013 

KASSI ~ VENICE

Just in time for the July heat, Kassi is now open on the rooftop of Venice's Hotel Erwin for Greek food with California twists, served all day, from the team behind Élephante and Belle’s Beach House.

Chef Thomas Lim's menu includes spanakopita quesadillas, saganaki with Fresno chile jam, hand-pulled flatbreads, taramasalata, harissa honey chicken, and beef tenderloin with red chermoula.

A large selection of drinks includes six on-tap cocktails like the honeydew thyme paloma, plus sections for both "shaken" and "stirred" cocktails, five non-alcoholic cocktails, and beer and wine.

1697 Pacific Ave. Venice, CA 90291