Notable Newcomers
Beefleaf
A local foodie favorite, all of the plant items on the menu at this hip new Silver Lake hot spot are actually made entirely of meat, from the fresh and crisp celery sticks derived from pig tendons, to the earthy lamb intestine lettuce, all the way to a luscious fruit salad formed from cuts of beef liver, chicken thigh, and venison.
USS Super Crepe
Repurposed from a decommissioned aircraft carrier, this 1,115-foot-long floating bistro seats 6,000 and offers a variety of sweet and savory crepes cooked to order atop the eatery’s nuclear-powered griddle.
Lobster & Lace
A leader in the emerging trend of so-called gastromen’s clubs, Lobster & Lace offers sustainable seafood masterpieces alongside the hottest, nastiest lap dances in town.
Molloy’s
How a Nebraska Triple-A baseball bar ended up in North Hollywood is anyone’s guess, but this memorabilia-strewn pub—boasting everything from a bat signed by Dwayne Bosey to a seat saved before Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium was demolished—is the headquarters for Omaha Storm Chasers fans every Wednesday afternoon during the regular season.
Meatball Machine
The concept at this recently opened modern Italian eatery is refreshingly simple: just insert your coins, hold out your hand, and prepare to receive a piping-hot meatball.
Il Blokporg
Dominic Bortolini had long been one of LA’s most respected masters of old-world Italian fare when he was abducted by an unidentified craft in 2011, and now, after eight years held captive in the Triangulum galaxy, Bortolini is back with an Italian-Gargulcepian fusion restaurant specializing in plasma-stuffed raviolis and his famed Sprat-ink linguine—an immaculate dish packed with both flavor and organisms that may take over your brain.
The Burger Mule
With a basket of 40 burgers strapped to its back, this mule that’s left to wander across Los Angeles each day offers up extraordinarily juicy cheeseburgers for both the lunch rush and the late-night club scene.
Cabbage Whore
This trendy Eastside spot always has a line out the door for its Instagrammable sauerkrauts and slaws. Don’t forget to use their hashtag #StuffMeWithLeaves when posing with one of their Ravage Me Raw cabbage bowls.
Going Once
Every menu item at this lively New American venue—from small plates, to entrees, to craft cocktails—must be bid on by customers at auction, including a side of miso roasted brussels sprouts that recently sold for a record $139 million.
Haystack
The first and only restaurant in LA with an entirely thatched roof, this West Hollywood hot spot is the latest brainchild of chef Cory Kloufer, who is attempting to bounce back from the tragic fire that claimed his previous flambé-your-own-meal restaurant, Flashpoint, which was built on the same lot as his first signature establishment, 50’ Pole Tavern, which sadly burned to the ground during a lightning storm in 2014.