The May Hit List: Guelaguetza, Hanchic, U Street Pizza, Morihiro, and More

The Lopez family restaurant is firing on all cylinders with its expanded outdoor patio in Koreatown, a colorful corridor filled with picnic tables, sunshine-shading umbrellas, and, as always, lots of mole and mezcal. There are plenty of takeout options still available as well, including paloma and pozole kits, and family-style feasts.

Dining status: Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner; patio seating only. Go here for takeout and delivery options.

For years, fans have followed sushi master Mori Onodera around town, from his own Michelin-starred Mori Sushi to his residency at Inn Ann at Japan House. At the height of the pandemic, he quietly opened Morihiro in Atwater Village, but only for takeout bento boxes and omakase meals.

Now Onodera is finally welcoming guests to his sushi bar. Expect the same attention to detail he’s always given his menus: dishes made with sublimely polished rice, housemade silky tofu, perfectly selected fish, and seasonal locally grown ingredients. All are served on plates and in bowls he made himself, and go astoundingly well with the curated sake list.

Dining status: Open for limited in-person dining for dinner (lunch only on Friday); make reservations by calling 323-522-3993. Find more info here.

With newly appointed chef de cuisine Martin Draluck behind the stoves, the Baldwin Hills restaurant has an updated menu to go along with more indoor and outdoor seating. Having previously worked at Hatchet Hall, he’s well-versed in Southern cooking and sourcing from more local, family-owned producers and farms. He and chef-owner John Cleveland have introduced things like smoked oysters with watermelon mignonette, and espresso-rubbed hanger steak with celery-root puree to the dinner menu, but you’ll still find excellent fried catfish, shrimp and grits, vegan crab cakes, and Hurricanes.

Dining status: Outdoor seating and limited indoor tables.

Famed Italian chef Massimo Bottura’s restaurant opened on the top floor of the Beverly Hills Gucci store mere weeks before the first wave of pandemic shutdowns. That was unfortunate timing — few had the chance to try things like tortellini with Parmigiano-Reggiano cream, or the cotechino burger. Now chef de cuisine Mattia Agazzi has updated the menu to include L.A.-only dishes like an fancy take on uni carbonara.  Which is to say, Gucci Osteria is back and ready.

Dining status: Terrace and some indoor seating available for lunch and dinner; reservations are strongly recommended (they go quickly).

The sibling restaurant of Union Pasadena is bringing creative pies (and more) to Old Town. Chef Chris Keyser has given his New York-style pies a West Coast twist with fermented sourdough crust, locally grown ingredients for toppings, and the use of cheddar from Modesto (!) instead of Parmesan. There are plenty of salads and sides (pro tip: arancini), plus soft serve and zeppole for dessert. 

Dining status: Reservations for dinner are recommended. Pickup is also available; order here.

Westsiders can finally get their griddle cakes with cinnamon-sugar butter — or myriad other ways, including gluten-free — plus housemade sausage patties, and bottled cold brew without having to trek too far east. Chris Phelps opened a second location of his popular WeHo daytime joint along Montana Avenue — with another Santa Monica location to come in the future. 

Dining status: Pickup only for now; once permitted, there will be indoor and outdoor seating. Get all the info here.

The boho-chic steakhouse comes from the same group behind Superba, and the awesome burger window that shares the parking lot. The menu features everything from a Flannery 30-day dry-aged porterhouse cooked over an almond wood fire to grilled lobster, plus salads and those amazing stuffed hash browns. The bar is perfect for both drop-in cocktails (remember those?) or post-dinner nightcaps.

Dining status: Outdoor seating only, reservations available; pickup and delivery are still available. Find more info here.

The Sherman Oaks wine bar known for its library of vintage wines — this is the place to find your birth-year bottle — is slowly coming back online with limited seating, a smaller than usual small-plates menu, and a still-strong selection of wines by the glass and bottle. As time goes on, everything will ramp up. But for now, keep it light and breezy, with things like a gem salad with sugar-snap peas, goat cheese, green garlic, and mint; and a glass of Jacky Blot’s bone-dry Taille aux Loups chenin from Montlouis. Follow Instagram to see what special picks will be open when you get there.

Dining status: Outdoor patio seating and limited indoor seating available (even at the bar).

You’ll find something for everyone at this massive Downtown spot. We’re talking the gamut from khachapuri to penne chicken alfredo, teriyaki salmon to slow-cooked baby back ribs, mac and cheese to cheesecake. Its name speaks for itself. There’s even Dom Pérignon and unlimited oysters for two — a baller meal with a price tag to match.

But hey, having a bit of everything, plus a retail wine shop, kept the the brothers Gomiashvili afloat during the pandemic, and seeing light on the other side. And by “light” we mean bottomless mimosa brunches with DJs, which have also returned.

Dining status: Limited indoor dining; find info on delivery and pickup here.

Opening during a pandemic is never easy, but this tiny outfit in a Koreatown strip mall has made waves with its big flavors and fun fusion mashups. Think mandu with doenjang Bolognese, kimchi tagliatelle, and bulgogi risotto. And don’t wait — word is spreading fast.

Dining status: Parking lot patio seating is available; find pickup and delivery info here.

With a business model  based on ethical and equitable employment, utilizing locally grown and sourced ingredients, it’s no wonder Colossus is expanding. First selling at LBC and South Bay-area farmers markets and then into a small San Pedro storefront, baker Kristen Colazas Rodriguez and husband Nicholas Rodriguez have doubled their capacity at a new Belmont Shores bakery. That means more opportunities to get things like the fabulous seeded loaf and kouign amann, but also breakfast sandwiches, quiche, and more.

Dining status: Pickups only; find more info here.