The Biggest LA Restaurant Openings to Know in July

By Eater Staff

Original Article Published by LA Eater

Los Angeles is no stranger to splashy restaurant openings situated in iconic buildings and helmed by big-name chefs. 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.

July

Queen St., Eagle Rock

Queen St. is the latest project from Last Word Hospitality, the LA-based restaurant group behind Found Oyster, Barra Santos, and Nossa Caipirinha Bar — meaning it’s got great bona fides (and fans) already. The horseshoe bar, ample seafood, and bright afternoon light make this new Eagle Rock destination a prime spot for the greater Eastside to indulge in executive chef Ari Kolender’s menu, which draws inspiration from his childhood and time spent cooking in South Carolina. Reservations can be scarce since the place is so busy right now, but there’s always room for early arrivals to walk in and sit at the bar.

Best Bet, Culver City

Chef Jason Neroni’s new Best Bet completes a nearly four-year journey at the former A-Frame space in Culver City. Already known for his Italian prowess and wood-fired acumen at spots like the Rose in Venice, Neroni is leaning into not just pizza but also Cal-Italian staples including pastas like cacio e pepe to a fritto misto. Desserts come from Neroni and Rose pastry chef Jose Mariscal. The design is fun, funky, and personal to Neroni — a self-described Star Wars fanatic — making Best Bet a great all-around place for a night out in Culver City.

Đi Đi, West Hollywood

TikTok Star Tway Da Bae’s first standalone restaurant is not to be messed with. The Saigon-inspired hangout, born out of a deal with nightlife and restaurant powerhouse the H.Wood Group, lands on La Cienega with bold flavors and big Vietnamese vibes. “These are the flavors I grew up eating and I’m proud of them,” says Tuệ Nguyễn of her personal menu, which includes honey-glazed shrimp and Vietnamese coffee creme brulee. “It’s Vietnamese food, yes, but it’s also my version of Vietnamese food,” she says.

Charcoal Sunset, West Hollywood

Los Angeles loves a steakhouse, though not all red meat is created equal. At the new Charcoal Sunset, star chef Josiah Citrin is crafting dry-aged cuts of beef (as well as duck) and cooking vegetables, seafood, and more over namesake charcoal for hundreds of hungry diners a night. With 230 seats in total, this sprawling export from Venice is sure to be one of the biggest dinnertime stories on the Sunset Strip this year.

Xuntos, Santa Monica

Santa Monica is riding the Spanish dining wave with its own new entrant, a proper pintxos bar from chef Sandra Cordero. The new Xuntos restaurant brings Northern Spanish bites and wines to the Westside (in the former Heroic Italian space), meaning lots of snackable skewers, bikini sandwiches, and natural Spanish and California wines from a collection curated by sommelier Scott Baker, plus Spanish vermouth, beer, cider, and a few cocktails.

Donna’s, Echo Park

The red sauce is working wonders at Donna’s, the new Echo Park restaurant from the group behind Bar Flores and Lowboy. There are hefty meatballs to accompany spaghetti, platters of shrimp scampi to enjoy, and cocktails (from Bar Flores partner Karla Flores-Mercado) for all occasions at this Sunset Boulevard option from the Park Hospitality team. Former Felix and Union chef Sathia Sun is on to oversee the menu.

Jiou Chu Dumplings, Rowland Heights

As big, buzzy dumpling shops go, it’s hard to compete with Jiou Chu Dumplings. This latest Taiwanese export, from the 85C Bakery Cafe family, already has a very loyal following in Taiwan, and has now landed stateside in Rowland Heights, one of the most competitive areas for dining in all of greater Los Angeles. The restaurant’s pork xiao long bao and pan-fried dumplings should be able to keep up, though curious customers should expect busy days at the large 2,700-square-foot ultra-colorful new space.

June

Pane Bianco, Downtown

Pizza maestro Chris Bianco has brought his celebrated Phoenix-based sandwich-and-slice shop, Pane Bianco, to the Row, in the same space where he opened a restaurant with Tartine several years back and just steps from his always-bustling Pizzeria Bianco. There, he’s slinging focaccia sandwiches with fillings like burrata and mortadella, as well as roast beef with green garlic aioli on house-made baguette. There’s New York-style pizza by the slice, whole 18-inch pies on offer, and grab-and-go salumi and cheese boxes, all served in an airy space outfitted with Bianco’s signature antique aesthetic.

Levain Bakery, Larchmont Village

Folks lined up for blocks on the opening day of New York City’s beloved Levain Bakery, waiting for their chance to try one of the bakery’s gigantic cookies. At their first LA outpost in Larchmont Village, Levain is serving six signature cookie flavors, including its most popular, a chocolate chip walnut. Other crisp-on-the-outside, melty-on-the-inside options include a vegan gluten-free chocolate chip walnut cookie, as well as Levain’s seasonal Rocky Road cookie, packed with semisweet chocolate chips, almonds and marshmallows. The airy bakery, accented in Levain’s signature blue, also serves pastries and locally roasted Canyon Coffee.

Rakkan Miso Izakaya, Downtown

Rakkan Ramen continues its SoCal expansion with Rakkan Miso Izakaya, which opened next to Downtown’s popular Bottega Louie on June 12. The focus at the group’s latest spot is on skewered grilled vegetables, with standards like cucumber salad, karaage chicken, seared salmon sushi, and more. There’s ramen, too, made with a plant-based broth and offered with a choice of choice of miso, spicy miso, curry miso, and various meats. Sake options abound, as do natural wines, sake-based cocktails, and Japanese beer on tap.

Casaléna, Woodland Hills

This 8,000 square-foot space is Woodland Hills’s splashiest opening in some time. The brainchild of siblings Brandon, Chloe, and Tyler Makhani, Casaléna has five separate dining areas, both indoor and outdoor, each with their own aesthetic. The Mediterranean-leaning menu is equally sweeping, pulling inspiration from Italy and Spain with dishes like whipped eggplant with toasted baguette, charred octopus, shrimp scampi, and sweet-corn agnolotti. The restaurant itself is a space that holds a special place for the Makhani siblings, whose parents built it in 1982 and later married there in 1990.

Szechuan Mountain House, Rowland Heights

This cult-favorite Sichuan restaurant from New York City quietly opened in the San Gabriel Valley, more specifically at Pearl Plaza in Rowland Heights. The 5,000 square-foot space sports accents similar to its always-busy New York outposts, including koi ponds, cascading waterfalls, and bamboo groves. The menu offers popular Sichuan standards like mapo tofu and kung pao shrimp, as well as hard-to-find dishes like Qian Jiang-style chicken giblets with pickled pepper and mala chicken stew. Angelenos can also get their hands on the restaurant’s signature dish: liang yi pork belly, featuring paper-thin slices of pork belly and cucumber on a miniature wooden rack above a minced garlic and chile oil dipping sauce.

Capri, Century City

After operating as a pop-up from Naples-born chef Giuseppe Manco for a year at Eataly in the Westfield Century City, this coastal Italian destination became a permanent fixture as of this month. Capri’s menu leans heavily into crudos, featuring several fish tartares, as well as house-made pastas (think: fresh tonarelli with a half lobster). Larger plates include swordfish with capers and lemons, and baked branzino with cherry tomatoes and olives. The space channels Amalfi Coast vibes, with lots of tasteful greenery, cool green tones, and a lovely patio that overlooks Santa Monica Boulevard.

May

Durango Cantina, Fairfax

A few days before May began, Durango Cantina opened on April 28 blocks away from Fairfax High School. It’s the work of former Bee Taqueria alum, chef Alex Currasco. His menu takes cues from the Mexican state of Durango between Sinaloa and Monterrey. Think guacamole, fundido, and albondigas to share, along with taquitos, flautas, salads, and cocteles, and aguachiles. Currasco also prepares chipotle-glazed beef ribs, grilled carne asada, and a six-hour braised lamb shank that’s traditionally shared during a Durango wedding feast. Cocktails include some classics with margaritas, micheladas, palomas, and a revolving menu of new cocktails in Durango Cantina’s rustic dining room.

Baar Baar, Downtown

By way of Manhattan’s East Village is Downtown LA’s Indian newcomer, Baar Baar. Open on May 2, it’s known as a hangout that prepares contemporary Indian cuisine under chef Sujan Sarkar. Sakar’s restaurant settled into the former Faith & Flower space, adjacent to L.A. Live with the menu that includes modern fare such as a dahi puri with avocado, tamarind, and mint; cauliflower with carrot pachadi, peanut thecha, and pickled kumquat; and a stewed Kashmiri duck taco. There are also tufted banquettes, booths, and large bar with a vibrant mural.

Funke, Beverly Hills

Funke, chef Evan Funke’s three-story, 10,000-square-foot wonder opened on May 5. Funke’s partner Kurt Rappaport purchased the Art Deco building in 2018 to create the space that represents the culmination of Funke’s 25-year career. The team brought in designer Dan Brunn and interior specialist Clint Nicholas to put together one dining room on the ground floor, another on the mezzanine level, a private dining room, three kitchens, and three bars, including Bar Funke perched on the rooftop. Of course, Funke’s menu centers around pasta, but he’ll also serve dishes from the forno (oven), antipasti, and seconds that feature a whole-roasted fish or a large steak, while pastry chef Shannon Swindle handles the Neapolitan-style pizzas, breads, and Sicilian desserts.

Mon Ami, Santa Monica

Stationed in the former 41 Ocean venue is lounge/restaurant Mon Ami, Santa Monica’s hangout that debuted on May 5. The Pacific Coast Hospitality team — also known for Canary — found a similar lushness with tiles, stucco, and plush seating while providing French, Moroccan, Italian, Greek, and Spanish-flavored cocktails and bites. Dishes include prosciutto-wrapped tomatoes, chicken tagine with pickled carrots, and seared branzino with olive tapenade. A handful of creative cocktails adorn the menu, including the gondola with tequila blanco, Aperol, elderflower liqueur, and grapefruit, plus a respectable wine list.

Amiga Amore, Highland Park

Danielle Duran-Zecca introduced Amiga Amore to Highland Park on May 10. The chef came into her own in recent years while working in partnership with her husband Alessandro Zecca to meld Mexican and Italian flavors with chorizo-crusted cod, confit chicken with mole blanco, and cavatelli with chile de arbol and a guajillo-braised beef shank. It’s a cozy transformation of a former shop that’s delicately lit with a patio for overflow.

Esplette, Beverly Hills

Esplette took over the shuttered Jean-Georges space at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills on May 12. At the helm is chef Steve Benjamin, whose resume includes L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon in Las Vegas before joining the Waldorf Astoria team in 2017. The restaurant is fully European-focused with a name that reflects that emphasis (the espelette pepper hails from Southwest France). Benjamin’s menu has a raw bar, caviar options, a langoustine papillote, and salads. The team also makes use of the wood grill for branzino, chicken, and wagyu. Drinks include craft cocktails with ingredients tied to the European coast, as well as an extensive wine list.

Za Za Zá, Frogtown

Loreto restaurant’s casual daytime sibling Za Za Zá opened on May 9, completing a longtime wait for the Frogtown restaurant from the LA Cha Cha Chá crew. Winter rains proved to be challenge in completing the project, but now Paco Moran’s daytime menu is ready. Za Za Zá offers shrimp rolls with serrano aioli, tostilocos with Colima-style ceviche, swordfish al pastor seared tacos, loaded fries with shrimp and lobster, and the calamari-chorizo torta. Loreto’s ABC license allows Za Za Zá to serve boozy slushies, canned cocktails, beer, and wine in addition to desserts like soft serve and churros.

Dahlia, Downtown

On May 17, longtime business partners chef Suzanne Goin and restaurateur Caroline Styne — also of A.O.C. fame — opened the 18-seat cocktail lounge Dahlia inside the Proper Hotel. It’ll be the third space inside the DTLA hotel, along with Caldo Verde and Cara Cara. Their latest introduction is a venue where classic cocktails are prepared using rare and small-batch liquors, like an Old Fashioned made of barrel-strength Japanese whisky and house-smoked cherries. A stylish, roving cocktail cart makes lounging easy with tableside service. If hungry, order tartines topped with jamón Ibérico, crisp salt cod fritters with saffron aioli, tinned mussels, and grilled prawns that are ideal for sharing. For dessert, order the blood orange and pineapple baked Alaska, along with cheesecake bites with berries.

Planta, Marina del Rey

LA’s plant-based landscape expanded on May 25 with newcomer Planta Cocina. The Canadian chain — which has locations throughout the US — opened a Planta Cocina at the Boardwalk Marina del Rey shopping center. There’s also a Brentwood location of Planta coming in July with a slightly different plant-based menu, as all locations have unique offerings. In the Marina, diners will notice the pan-Latin flavors and dishes with croquetas, tostadas, tacos, queso fundido, and more. They’ve also got sushi, pasta dishes, salads, and other vegetable plates.

Rose Garden Tea Room, San Marino

It took nearly $11.2 million and three years to restore and renovate the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Garden’s historic Rose Garden Tea Room. It opened on May 24 and now seats 164, four times more than its previous capacity. The timing is ideal as the wet winter and spring brought massive blooms to extensive gardens. Chef Jeff Thurston and pastry chef Luis Perez from Bon Appétit Management Co. updated the afternoon tea menu with dishes that range from $65 to $75. Take a sip of black tea or sparkling wine while eating lobster salad with shaved black truffles, or gluten-free pastries.

Hart House, Hollywood

Actor Kevin Hart opened his plant-based restaurant Hart House Hollywood on one of LA’s busiest fast-food stretches. Hart House’s flagship drive-thru location is on the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Highland Avenue, directly across the street from Chick-fil-A and less than a block away from In-N-Out. The Hart House team converted a shuttered McDonald’s into a modern fast-food den with white and green colors, a drive-thru, a 24-seat dining room, and a 16-seat patio. Hart House Hollywood’s menu serves plant-based chicken sandwiches, nuggets, and burgers.