Los Angeles’ Newest Restaurant Openings, Now on Resy

While the Konbi crew continues to expand across L.A., currently with an outpost in Culver City, they’ve reimagined the original space for (mostly) preset meals for breakfast and for lunch, an eclectic menu of à la carte dishes. That means no more egg salad sandwich; instead, sit at the bar for traditional Japanese morning fare like kabocha squash braised in buckwheat tea, layered omelet, and charcoal-grilled fish. Do note: Konbi Ni takes reservations for breakfast and is walk-in focused for lunch.

This party spot from Boston sails into the Sunset Strip bringing shellfish towers, smoked fish, and its famed fried lobster with waffles and spicy maple syrup. There’s an impressive list of tinned fish, which makes a quick bite and glass of wine mandatory.

Check back often, Resys are set to drop very soon!

A Tokyo-based chain that already made a splash in New York, Tonchin fits right in with the ramen scene of L.A. The space is expansive and sleek, with a great patio for all-day slurping. The complex and layered tonkotsu broth is so good, it’s been recognized by Michelin, and serves as a perfect base for springy housemade noodles.

The name might be an homage to one of Hollywood’s greatest actors (Charlie Chaplin), but the place is all about the Brits. Inside, dark woods, rich leathers, and two large TV screens for game-viewing. Outside, an ivy-covered English garden for tossing back pints of London’s Five Points IPA or Guinness from a glass boot. Fish and chips, bangers and mash, and Pimm’s cups — they’re all here.

We love a plant-based restaurant that doesn’t slap us in the head with the merits of eating a plant-based diet. Donna Jean is just that, a place with really good seasonal comfort food that happens to be vegan. You’ll find the same pizzas, cast-iron mac ‘n’ cheese, and Nashville-style fried mushrooms from the San Diego original, plus a great L.A. brunch that the Valley needed.

Like the original in Venice and the stunning Larchmont location, this breezy all-day café serves fresh, brightly flavored California fare, including one of the best breakfast burritos in town, from a pretty-in-pink building. Stop for late breakfasts, happy hour, dinner with a bottle of natural wines and cocktails — it’s a place for all, any time of day.

It’s not just one floor for mezcal cocktails, citrusy ceviches, and a rotating list of tacos. This Los Feliz stunner has three. The massive sibling of Mírame hits all the Tulum design high notes with woven light fixtures, minimalist furniture, and a jungle’s-worth of greenery. With a retractable roof and view of the Observatory in the distance, the rooftop is the place to be.

The “Make Tacos, Not War” group heads west with its slow-roasted meats, numerous plant-based options, housemade salsas, and red velvet churros. This is Mexican food amped up with flavors as diverse as L.A. itself: tacos, bowls, and burritos filled with KBBQ (bulgogi or mushroom), banh mi fixings, and fried chicken, along with more traditional carne asada and carnitas.

It feels like you’re in Tulum but eating along the Mediterranean, with the hum of California in the background. Sit on the patio surrounded by potted plants and bougainvillea, tuck into carpaccio and pastas, fresh seasonal salads, and wood-fired langoustines. Or just sit around a fire pit, sip a few cocktails, and watch that Venice light turn to dusk.

Garden might be in the name, but this New York City import is more like an enchanted forest. Foliage and greenery set a dramatic backdrop for seasonal vegan fare, with things like black garlic pasta puttanesca and purple sweet potato toast with chermoula. Considering the owner is a founder of award-winning Death & Co., the cocktails hit.

Down an alleyway next to Horses, there’s a secret garden hideaway centered by a huge pink peppercorn tree and wood-fueled brick oven. It’s hard to pass up pizzettes — grape, pecorino and honey is neck-and-neck for first place with the “garden pie” topped with fresh salad greens — plus a full array of dishes you won’t find at the main restaurant. Except for the famed endive Caesar and cheeseburger; it would be criminally cruel to keep those separate.

Fully booked? Here’s how to get in.

Where fashion and design meets a contemporary boho-chic vibe, the gorgeous WeHo outpost of the growing and glowing empire celebrates all things plant-based, from the green hues to the actual greenhouse that centers the room. Favorites include juices and elixirs to açaí bowls, plus brick-oven pizzas and the must-try prickly pear and potato gnocchi.

The sleek space and Italian-leaning menu make a fine addition to Pasadena’s South Lake District. Choose your adventure: burrata and beets, wood-oven pizzas, ricotta and squash tortellini, or a pork chop that easily feeds two. You can’t go wrong.

With so many lemon trees among the greenery plus an urban-agrarian vibe, this rooftop Hollywood restaurant is aptly named. Marcel Vigneron utilizes local ingredients for dishes like lemon pasta and hamachi carpaccio pizza, and the robust non-alcoholic drink menu is worth checking out on its own.

This wine spot with its compact bar and scattered sidewalk tables feels like something you’d stumble across on a random block in Paris, the kind of place with a great wine list with reasonably priced glasses and food that reaches beyond expectations. Get the charcuterie — the mortadella, bresaola, and chicken liver terrine are all made in house — and the Caesar salad-dressed beef tartare served on a slab of Bub & Grandma’s bread, and you’ll forget you’re in Virgil Village for just a minute.

The heavy-hitter team behind high-profile Culver City steakhouse Dear John’s — Hans and Patti Röckenwagner (Röckenwagner Café, Röckenwagner Bakery Group) and Josiah Citrin (Citrin, Mélisse) — turns their talents toward seafood, you pay attention. And this Marina del Rey waterfront establishment delivers in every way, thanks to a menu inspired by seafood institutions of the 60s, tableside theatrics, and a stunning room.

Here’s everything you need to know before you go.

Encanto is like a throwback with its wood paneling, low-slung booths, walls covered in cool art, and a ceramic divider between the dining room and wine room that resembles drippy candles you’d find in your big brother’s room circa 1970. But the menu, with its riffs on classic Mexican dishes, is full-on contemporary. Stop for a bite — the ceviche with cucumber-chamomile water or pork cheek tacos for sure — and a cocktail, especially the La Esquina, a whiskey number with a mole rim.

Go for the cupping, stay for the curry-spiced chickpeas. Everything about this Craftsman-turned-wellness center feels very Abbot Kinney, from the smooth lines of the indoor treatment and relaxation spaces to the breezy outdoor-only lounge. Japanese in focus with a touch of Butcher’s Daughter next door (the latter’s founder served as creative director here) means small bites like jackfruit inari sushi and edamame tofu dip are a must before or after a service. Or go for a bite and a glass of natural wine whenever — the izakaya is open to all.

Deciding between kampachi nigiri with ponzu, tuna with jalapeño and garlic aioli, or striped bass with garlic crunch isn’t easy, so get them all. Or just go with one of the omakase options, which features an array of seasonal dry-aged fish, much of it caught in local waters. The outdoor patio, complete with garden walls and just enough neon to make it cool, is the place to be.

The long-quiet former Winsome space in Echo Park is jumping these days with a Farm Cup Coffee-run café. The all-day breakfast is a must, but do keep your eyes peeled for dinner, where chef Jania Ferrera will combine bright, bold flavors from Mexico and Indonesia through a fine dining lens.

It’s not unusual to see a mash-up of flavors like eggplant and paneer lasagna, baby back vindaloo, and Indian-spiced nachos on the menu these days. But that’s just a taste of what you’ll find at this Long Beach sleeper hit. Helmed by Michelin-starred chef Manjunath Mural, Cali Chilli encapsulates the SoCal culinary scene with exciting flavors in a colorful spot hidden behind nondescript walls. You can’t go wrong with butter chicken encased in golden puff pastry, and any of the kulcha (or North Indian flatbreads similar to naan), especially with Spanish chorizo or truffles.