🍟 EATS
SILVER LAKE
SONMARI
The team behind Temaki Society (that legendary DTLA handroll counter) just opened a proper restaurant in Silver Lake, and it's a whole different beast. They're doing maximalist temaki topped with caviar, gochujang-marinated eel, and minced albacore with banh mi pickles, plus chirashi bowls, Korean fried chicken sandwiches crowned with uni and cured egg yolk. Fresh nori, careful fish curing, California sensibility filtered through Korean and Japanese technique. This is handroll refined.
BURBANK
CORNER SANDWICHES
The team behind the legendary Glendale staple Corner Market just brought their sandwich game to Burbank with a dedicated new outpost. Taking over a former Papa John's on Glenoaks, Corner Sandwiches is a massive neighborhood upgrade. They are serving maximalist deli classics on house-baked Dutch crunch and sourdough like the heavyweight turkey and avocado Glendale or the prosciutto and fresh mozzarella specialty with house-made marinated peppers. High-quality proteins, artisanal bread, and a Glendale-perfected sensibility.
CULVER CITY
PICALA
The team behind Acme Hospitality (the group behind Santa Barbara favorites like The Lark) and Chef Luis Sierra (formerly of Estela and Lulu) is bringing a vibrant Spanish anchor to Culver City this March. Set in the Cumulus District, Picala is an energetic new crossroads for the Westside. They are doing market-driven pintxos and vermouth at the bar alongside expansive wood-fired feasts and seasonal plates sourced from local purveyors. Old-world techniques, modern precision, and a sun-drenched patio made for lingering.
HOLLYWOOD
NEW YORK NOOK
A Russian-born owner just opened the doors to New York Nook at 7065 Sunset (corner of La Brea), elevating his longtime Little New York concept into something bigger: family-style European dining with serious pedigree. The menu reads like a love letter to Eastern Europe: borscht with pampushky, beef stroganoff, grilled branzino, pelmeni, vareniki, and Wagyu chebureki, all cooked from recipes that have traveled from Russian and Ukrainian kitchens to Hollywood. It's designed as a lounge with sports on the screens and wine flowing, the kind of spot that feels like home the moment you walk in.
CULVER CITY
BROKEN SPANISH COMEDOR
Chef Ray Garcia (Esquire's 2015 Chef of the Year) just reopened his acclaimed Broken Spanish as Broken Spanish Comedor at 12565 Washington, ditching the Downtown formality for a neighborhood-friendly approach that keeps the passion but drops the price with most dishes running $15–$22. The menu honks back to Mexican comedores (mom-and-pop joints slinging homestyle food): crispy chicharrón in garlic mojo with red cabbage slaw, enchiladas verdes inspired by Garcia's childhood, fideo with avocado and hoja santa, and the signature refried lentils that blur the line between dal and tradition. Walk-ins welcome, happy hour M–F 4:00pm–6:00pm at the bar, and the A-Frame building with heated patio makes this the most exciting Mexican opening LA's seen in months.
MELROSE HILL
LITTLE FISH
After four years in the making, chefs Anna Sonenshein + Niki Vahle have turned the brick building at 5035 Melrose into the full-service seafood restaurant LA's been waiting for. Born as a pandemic backyard pop-up and refined through years of market appearances, Little Fish is now serving lunch, apéro, and dinner Wednesday thru Sunday with the fried fish sandwich that built their cult following plus new depth: tuna-stuffed olives, beef carpaccio crowned with uni cream, steelhead trout finished in roe relish, and a tuna melt on Bub & Grandma's rye that's already getting press love.