It's hard to keep up with all the restaurant and bar openings, closings, chef swaps and revamps that happen every day in this city. What's worth spending your money on and what's all just hype? We're here to help you out with that. At the end of each month, we'll give a recap of the most exciting additions to enter L.A.'s dining and drinking scene, whether it's a new ice cream shop or a creative cocktail bar. Here are a few February openings that are worth a visit.
Tsubaki (Echo Park): Moving into Kush's old space, Tsubaki opened this month with phenomenal izakaya plates and an impressive sake selection. The sleek, minimalistic restaurant is a perfect neighborhood spot, offering highly executed dishes in a comfortable environment. Try the fried chicken, the sake-marinated fois gras, the gyoza and the grilled octopus.
The Ponte (Beverly): Scott Conant has made a triumphant return to L.A. with The Ponte, an Italian restaurant in the former Terrine space. Yes, his famous spaghetti from Scarpetta is on the menu, as are pizzas, steak, roasted veggies and a killer banana budino. Be sure to have one (or three) of bartender Ryan Wainwright's cocktails—his negroni flight is a dream.
Mikkeller (Downtown): The famed Danish brewery Mikkeller has landed Downtown, replete with communal tables and a lively soundtrack comprised of rock and heavy metal. Aside from truly fantastic sausages (get the knackwurst made with veal and pork), the brewery offers world-class brews—primarily from Mikkeller, but also from local breweries like Mumford, Brouwerij West and Smog City. Try Mikkeller SD’s California Dream, or keep an eye out for regularly rotating vintages, like the Mikkeller Black 2014 imperial stout.
Miyabi Uni (Torrance): A restaurant that specializes exclusively in uni? Uh, sign us up. Isao Minami and Hisao Kasama were on the founding team of the Maruhide Uni Club, and have used their talents to open Miyabi Uni, which serves the decadent sea urchin in a myriad of ways. Uni cream pasta, uni sushi, uni miso soup, uni beef dunbari—the list goes on, and we're not mad about it.
Black Rabbit Rose (Hollywood): The Houston Brothers have done it again! Black Rabbit Rose is both a bar and a magic theater, though unlike the neighboring Magic Castle, it doesn't require connections to get in. It might require some patience, though—the space is small, comprised of just two cozy rooms. In the bar section, craft cocktails are whipped up, like the refreshing Zig Zag Woman or the sultry Dark Arts made with lemongrass vodka, lime, aloe and activated charcoal. In the theater, ticketed shows ($40 per person) run Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 and 9:30pm, and feature magicians, illusionists, burlesque dancers and other performers.
Neat. (West L.A.): A brand new cocktail lounge has opened in West L.A., focusing on mezcal, bourbon and scotch. The neighborhood bar hosts live music along with a happy hour from 5 to 8pm nightly—choose from classic cocktails like a sazerac, penicillin or daiquiri, or original cocktails like the Citizen Kane or Buxom Duck.
MatchaBar (Silver Lake): New York has been sending us all of their hits lately—Smorgasburg, Roberta's, talk of a Dominique Ansel restaurant—and in February we gained yet another East Coast favorite: MatchaBar. The café, which was founded by brothers Max and Graham Fortgang, uses matcha sourced from a family farm in Nishio, Japan, to create unique drinks like a carbonated sparkling cucumber-lime matcha and a turmeric ginger matcha latte. There are breakfast and lunch options from Amara Kitchen, as well as pastries from Gjusta.
Notable closings: Ramen Room, Simbal, Bar Moruno at Grand Central Market
Did you miss our favorite openings from January? Check out the list from last month.
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