1 week Ago
Every Friday, our editors compile a trusty list of recommendations to answer the most pressing of questions: “Where should I eat?“ Here now are four places to check out this weekend in Los Angeles. And if you need some ideas on where to drink, here’s our list of the hottest places to get cocktails in town. For a weekend brunch near Echo Park Lake: Honey Hi We’re entering peak holiday season, when pies and casseroles and human-child-sized birds are on the menu agenda for many Angelenos at home (and even in Los Angeles restaurants ).
To make space ahead of Thanksgiving, I can’t think of a better brunch bet than Honey Hi in Echo Park. The small but mighty Honey Hi is a fully gluten-free restaurant that also deals in bright all-day fare like vegetable-laden bowls, heaping salads, and sandwiches. On a recent visit, I had the breakfast bowl — packed with market greens, sweet potato homefries, glistening chunks of bacon, avocado, and a poached egg, all punched up with sumac and fresh herbs.
Oat-y, kabocha-spiced pancakes flew over the counter in waves; the diner next to me dug into the lambwich, a behemoth sandwich stacked with a grilled lamb-and-beef patty, halloumi, arugula, pickled onions, and tamarind date chutney on gluten-free sourdough. There’s no wrong way to Honey Hi, whether by yourself or with friends, and you often feel light enough after to take a walk around glittering Echo Park lake, which is just around the corner. 1620 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90026.
— Nicole Adlman, cities manager For beachside bites with boppin’ tunes: the Waterfront Venice It’s an all-day beach party at the Waterfront in Venice where a DJ spins a millennial-coded playlist while diners and imbibers bop their heads accordingly. Arrive early for calmer vibes and let chef Wes Whitsell’s Tex-Mex fare take the spotlight. The skillet cornbread made with Anson Mills corneal, studded with Fresno chiles, and dolloped with honey butter is an absolute must to start and quite possibly the best thing to eat on all of the boardwalk.
For those feeling like something sweet, the French toast with berries is a well-prepared classic. Savory seekers ought to get at least one of the tacos served on handmade tortillas — the brisket is superb — along with the blackened hamachi collar. Everything pairs well with the slate of fun cocktails that can be served by the pitcher if the mood calls for it.
205 Ocean Front Walk, Venice, CA 90291. — Cathy Chaplin, senior editor For excellent Egyptian-style falafel: King’s Kabob & Cafe Southern California is blessed with so many Mediterranean spots that it’s possible to try a new place every day of the week. This abundance allows city dwellers to be selective, especially when the operators have been preparing lamb and kafta kebabs, shawarma, hummus, stuffed grape leaves, and falafel for decades.
Culver City’s King’s Kabob & Cafe focuses on the entire Mediterranean region with halal meats and recipes that can lean Lebanese, Greek, or Egyptian. The restaurant serves its falafel Egyptian style, full of fava beans and ground herbs with a slightly airy consistency. It’s a refreshing break from its delicious chickpea cousin and carefully placed in pita bread with garlicky toum and tahini.
Sepulveda Boulevard’s longtime dive bar Scarlet Lady Saloon is located two blocks away, making it an ideal post-meal stop. 5508 Sawtelle Boulevard, Culver City, CA, 90230. — Mona Holmes, reporter For a delightfully delicious British-inspired meal: Tomat Trying to understand Tomat in Westchester will be difficult for most first-timers.
The space is tucked in the back of a massive strip mall, the parking a boon for car-loving Angelenos but otherwise offering the aesthetic of suburbia. That sensation breaks once the screaming airplanes land at LAX a few miles away, leading the experience to unravel like an onion rather than its namesake tomato. On the second floor, Tomat offers a private events space with an extra pastry kitchen that’s mostly closed during dinner service.
The third-floor rooftop lounge is ideal for aviation watching. Except it’s as cold as Northern Ireland right now, which leaves the long, cavernous dining room as the main place to enjoy chef Harry Posner’s cooking. On the whole, dishes are excellent, using top-grade seasonal produce and prepared with fine dining precision.
The chicories-based salad is generous and dressed like a Chanel model in its utter elegant simplicity. The Rancho Gordo beans are dreamy and comforting, gently firm on the inside like a legume version of al dente. The $85 bone marrow and beef pie, a nightly special, is big enough for four people to share, though with only three bones, one person will get shafted with the marrow (it’s fine; most of it melts into the filling anyway).
The butter, flakey crust that soaks up the gravy and minced meat make this one of the best and heartiest dishes I’ve had this year. And the piri piri chicken was very tasty, if overpriced at $65 for half a bird. I can’t imagine Westchester locals willing to pitch in the money to dine here regularly, maybe once a quarter, but the splurge might be worth it.
6261 W. 87th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90045. — Matthew Kang, lead editor Related Sign up for our newsletter.
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