L.A. may not have the late-night dining scene of New York City, but it’s still possible to find a great bite to eat after hours. Just ask the hardworking, talented chefs behind some of L.A.’s best new restaurants, who kindly shared their favorite places to go after they get off their evening shifts or their rare days off. In honor of Time Out’s month-long celebration of all things nightlife, I reached out to five different hospitality industry veterans to find out where they like to go off the clock.
Alan Sanz of Daisy Margarita Bar (Sherman Oaks) / Mírate (Los Feliz)
“After the shift, I really like to go to the Normandie Club (Koreatown) for a drink. [Daisy/Mírate bar director Max Reis and I] go to a place called Johnny's Bar in Highland Park, close to Max's house. We go together there often. Sometimes, we go to Jones (Hollywood) for pizza and their martinis. We like their pizza (chuckles). Sometimes we take the caviar from Daisy and put it on top of our pizzas with our martinis.”
Michael Leonard of Beethoven Market (Mar Vista)
(Editor’s note: Leonard started off this conversation by saying he usually just goes straight home.)
“If I am really hungry, I do have my spots here on the Westside that are open somewhat late. Probably, my go-to is In-N-Out. Extremely reliable, consistent and open until what, 2am? [Editor’s note: It closes at 1am]. My favorite one is the one on Venice [Boulevard] in Palms.
I've hit Not No Bar (Venice) a few times for their pizza. I've hit that German bar [Wurstküche (Venice)] on Lincoln, if I get out of here before 11. They have a great rattlesnake and rabbit brat.
We're also surrounded by these great street vendors. Tacos are big part of my life. There's a great one near my house on Centinela and Venice. Sometimes there's an actual truck there called Mar Vista Tacos. There's another one on Lincoln [in front of the Whole Foods]. When I was [wrorking] at Felix, I would go there all the time. Now I hit the one in front of Mitsuwa [Mar Vista]. It's decent, and I can see it from my apartment. That's usually what I'm getting after work if I have the strength.”
Miles Thompson of Baby Bistro (Chinatown)
“There are a couple of places [I like]. The classic L.A. place to go is Dan Sung Sa (Koreatown). I do love Ruen Pair (Thai Town). It’s not open as late as it used to be. It used to be open until 3am and it was kind of a dream. But now it's only open until 11, which is still fine. I don't make it out that often after work. But I've lived in L.A. almost 15 years and I've been [to Ruen Pair] over 150 times.
I do love the Prince in Koreatown. Koreatown is kind of the spot to go. It is the most late-night friendly part of Los Angeles, I would say. I love a lot of places in Koreatown, but I haven't gone out since Baby Bistro opened. One of the places I do love to grab a drink is called Bar Henry (Echo Park). That's another good spot to grab a drink. They have a pretzel you can get there.
I live in East Los Angeles, so I'm kind of in taco stall heaven, honestly. I'll be driving along Cesar Chavez and it’ll be populated by eight to ten little stalls from Tijuana-style to cheesy birria.”
Adam Leonti of Alba LA (West Hollywood)
(Editor’s note/context: Leonti moved to L.A. from New York about a year ago.)
“I like to go to Jones on my days off. I usually have a Manhattan and I'll get the New York strip. It's actually quite good. I don't go out like I used to, but as far as like time off and stuff, the Kibbitz Room at Canter's (Beverly Grove) is pretty cool. I like Capri Club (Eagle Rock) and I go to Lala's Argentine [Grill] off of Melrose. I usually get a double order of sweetbreads, grilled, and drink half a bottle of Malbec and feel pretty good. But the driving really does your head in. I've never even considered having a drink and going anywhere.”
Adrian Forte of Lucia (Beverly Grove)
“In terms of late-night spots, I'm a very meat-and-potatoes kind of guy. I love Chris N Eddy's (Hollywood). Crispy edged patties, melted cheese. They're open until 2am Friday to Sunday (Editor’s note: and 1am the rest of the week). That's kind of the go-to spot for me. My number two would be Tatsu Ramen (Melrose). The broth is flavorful. It's on the way home. Easy, convenient and always gonna be delicious.”
Giles Clark of Cafe 2001 (Arts District)
“Sometimes, I’ll go to Capri Club (Eagle Rock) and Walt’s [Bar (Eagle Rock)] just down the road to finish off the evening for a Hamm’s beer and a hot dog.
If I want to eat [a late-night meal] that means Koreatown, normally because that’s the food that gives me the most energy. Lots of meat and fresh vegetables, fermented vegetables. Byul [Gobchang] and Songhak (Editor’s note: Songhak is now permanently closed) for intestine barbecue. Then I’ll finish the evening at the Prince or the HMS Bounty.
If I decided to head out to the San Gabriel Valley, I'll go to Jay Dee (Alhambra). It’s an all-American bar. There aren’t many places in L.A. that feel like a neighborhood bar. It reminds me of nice old pubs in the UK. The way people use it feels like the same way people use pubs in the UK.”