Where to Eat and Drink in Inglewood with 1010 Wine and Events’ Leslie Jones
Respectfully, there’s nowhere in the city doing it quite like 1010 Wine. An oasis for wine lovers in the Black community, Inglewood’s first and only wine bar is a sophisticated, polished space made to cater to wine aficionados and rookies alike. It has also, in the four years since opening, amassed an astonishingly deep collection of wines from Black and Brown producers, plus vast stocks of women- and LGBTQ+-owned brands, too.
1010’s story begins with its co-owners, sisters Leslie and LeAnn “Le” Jones. As lifelong Inglewood residents, they were fed up with the city’s lack of nearby nightlife. They began to toy with an idea: what if they brought the nightlife to them?
They got to work designing the wine bar of their dreams. Despite previously working in very different fields (Leslie was a high-end wedding planner, Le a lawyer), the two were pleasantly surprised to find that they made a good business team. Fast forward three years, and this proudly Black-owned establishment has officially made it to the big leagues. Their collection of Black-owned wines has grown so prolific it’s been declared the largest in California (making up roughly 90% of their bottles). Locals come in to pop bottles of the good stuff, and 1010 Wine has also become a celebrity hot spot thanks to high-profile events with Nas, Dwyane, Issa Rae, and Terrell Owens, to name just a a few.
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Less than one percent of U.S. wineries are Black-owned, making Leslie and Le’s dedication to celebrating them nothing short of radical. But Leslie remains humble about 1010’s impact. “We didn’t seek out to be the first [Black-owned wine bar in Inglewood], but it just worked out that way. It’s definitely something we’re proud of,” she says. “And we’ve inspired other people to say, ‘Maybe I can do the same thing.’ That’s really cool.”
Sunday Gravy
When Leslie and her sister were younger, this sunny spot on Centinela Ave. was known as Jino’s Pizza & Deli. “I remember going there a couple times as a kid,” Jones recounts, fondly. Now, it’s called Sunday Gravy, a good-ol’ red sauce Italian joint helmed by Sol and Ghazi Bashirian, siblings who took over the family business when their father, Ahmad, retired after 42 years of running Jino’s. Following a name change and an overhaul of the previous menu, Sunday Gravy opened in 2019 and quickly became the neighborhood’s go-to spot for Italian classics.All photos by Sierra Prescott
You’ll want the beef-pork meatballs smothered in red sauce, or an order of gnocchi e pepe, a dumpling-shaped homage to the traditional Roman pepper and cheese dish. However, as a pescatarian, Jones sticks with Sunday Gravy’s oyster mushroom lasagna, her favorite. “It’s so cheesy,” she says, dreamily.
All photos by Sierra Prescott
Stuff I Eat
“Stuff I Eat is probably my favorite place on this list. The chef-owner, Babette Davis, has been vegan for 30 years,” and stays in fantastic shape, says Jones with a laugh, shaking her head. “You look at her and are like, ‘Wait, how old are you?’” [Ed. note: According to Davis’s Instagram, 73!]
The entirely plant-based menu is packed with vegan soul food staples, including organic yams and BBQ jackfruit, but Jones is fully committed to Stuff I Eat’s enchilada pie. “It’s literally an enchilada, but instead of being rolled, it’s a pie, a casserole, which is really flavorful,” she says. “They serve it with a salad and this mustard vinaigrette they make in-house that’s so good.”
Two Hommés
Los Angeles natives and lifelong friends Yaw Marcus Yaw Johnson (a.k.a. Chef Mando) and Abdoulaye Balde (a.k.a. Chef AB) started Two Hommés as a roaming pop-up, before settling into the brick-and-mortar space across the street from 1010 Wine. “I think it’s a play on ‘two homies,’” says Jones, reflecting on the vaguely French name. “I say Two Home-ays. But everyone says it differently.”
Here, you’ll find eclectic West African fare made with locally sourced ingredients, like root beer braised short ribs, crudos laced with passionfruit, and Ghanian jollof rice, heaped onto a platter alongside plantains and “bomb azz black beans.”
Jones opts for garlic noodles, which come tossed in a glossy teriyaki sauce, then adds lemon garlic salmon on top. “They’re phenomenal. The salmon is cooked to perfection,” she raves. “And to be honest, I haven’t really ordered anything else from here… because I don’t need to. If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” An added bonus: Two Hommés is one of relatively few restaurants in Inglewood open on Mondays.
Fiesta Martin
With four locations throughout Inglewood, Fiesta Martin (and its upscale counterpart, Martin’s Cocina y Cantina) is a certified city classic. “I love it because it’s family-owned,” Jones says. “Each of the siblings runs their own operation, but it’s very clear that it’s one family business. We’ve been going there for years.” As Jones describes it, running into familiar faces at Fiesta Martin is par for the course. “Everybody goes here for Taco Tuesdays. No matter which location I’m at, I’ll see someone I know,” she says. Her go-to order? The tacos de papa. “It’s a fried shell with potatoes and cheese, and it’s amazing. Or, if I’m feeling fancy, I’ll head to Martin’s and get the sushi. Oh, and a margarita.”
Fiesta Martin is the brainchild of Esaul and Gloria Martin, a couple who moved to Inglewood from Mexico in the early 1970s, before getting married and starting a family with five extraordinarily entrepreneurial children. “I saw [the siblings] at the restaurant one day and introduced myself, like ‘Hey, we’re the new kids on the block. We just opened 1010 Wine!’” Jones recalls. Turns out, they’d already heard of it. “We sat down, had some drinks, and got to know each other better,” she says.
Sip & Sonder
Sip & Sonder, the first specialty coffee shop in Inglewood, was created by Amanda-Jane Thomas and Shanita Nicholas, friends and former law firm co-workers. In the seven years since their beloved cafe first opened, Sip & Sonder has blossomed into quite the empire, recently welcoming two new outposts — one in Downtown Los Angeles and the other in Downtown Disney. Oh, and they also roast their own coffee. “I love going to Sip & Sonder. I know both of the owners personally,” Jones says. “[Amanda-Jane and Shanita] were both attorneys in their previous careers, so they understand not having a ton of background in the hospitality industry.”
As fellow business owners in Inglewood and kindred spirits, it’s not uncommon for Jones and her sister to cross paths with Thomas and Nicholas. “We’re really close. Opportunities might come to us that don’t necessarily work out, and vice versa,” she says. “We definitely like passing things along or bouncing ideas off one another. It’s a good partnership to have,” Jones says. And while Sip & Sonder will always hold a special place in Leslie’s heart, it’s also just her favorite local coffee shop. “I love the lavender latte,” she says. “I’ll go there once a week and grab one of those. I just like holding a cup of coffee. It’s very comforting.”
Rusty Pot Cafe
American breakfast staples made with a delicious Southern twist: it’s no wonder why Rusty Pot Cafe is such a beloved Inglewood institution. “At one point, we were going there every single Saturday morning,” says Jones. “The food is really good, the portions are great, and they’re consistent,” she continues. “That’s what I’m always looking for. I want to taste the same thing every single time.” Similarly, Jones’s order never wavers: it’s always the lemon-garlic shrimp and grits, with lemon-infused gravy and savory Cheddar-laced grits, and a side of Rusty Pot potatoes. But beyond the food itself, Jones says she enjoys Rusty Pot Cafe’s cozy atmosphere most of all. “You come in and feel like you’re at home,” she says. “It’s not strange to talk to the person at the table next to you, or across from you. It’s definitely a go-to spot for us, me and my sisters.”
Champ City
A quick disclosure regarding Champ City: “It’s my sister’s bar,” Jones says. Owned by the eldest of the three sisters, Lia Dias, Champ City is a “total sports bar” and is situated within walking distance from Intuit Dome and SoFi Stadium. It’s a fantastic place to celebrate your favorite sports team, whether that’s the Dodgers, Rams, Clippers, or Sparks. Pre-game here before heading over to the stadium, or catch all of the action live from the comfort of a bar stool. “Sometimes, that’s even better than going to the game, because you don’t have to pay $100 for parking,” Jones laughs.
Since opening in 2020, Champ City has brought on Jermelle Henderson and Calvin Johnson, superstar chefs and founding members of L.A.’s famed Foodminati, as part owners as well. “It’s one of those places where you walk in and everybody knows who you are,” says Jones. “If I’m working late and not able to eat, I’ll pop over to Champ City at 11 p.m. and grab a few tacos.” You’ll want to order game-ready snacks here, like the aforementioned tacos, or the salty-spicy wings, slathered in either BBQ, buffalo, honey garlic, or Thai chile curry sauce.
Sweet Red Peach
The first rule of Sweet Red Peach? Hit the group chat. “You don’t go to Sweet Red Peach and not tell everyone that you’re going,” says Jones, with a smile. She proceeds to rattle off her family and friend’s Sweet Red Peach orders from memory, without so much of a pause between names. For dad: carrot cake. Her stepmother prefers the circus animal cupcakes, while her niece opts for the blueberry lemon cupcakes. “They’re tart, but not super tart. It gets you right there,” she assures. Peach cobbler for her sister, if they have it. For a friend in New York who flies in often, chocolate chip cookies. “Their chocolate chip cookies are chewy and moist, they’re literally the best,” she says. (They’re also, she warns, limited to an order of four per person.) Finally, for her, a simple yet elegant cream cheese cupcake, or the 7-Up cake, as a backup.Within the past year, 1010 Wine’s food menu has also received a glow-up. Thanks to the help of chef Mo Marvel, who previously worked at Rossoblu and Superfine Playa, 1010 now serves an eclectic array of Afro-Latin dishes — think grilled prawns that pair perfectly with a bit of Intercept chardonnay and an Indigené pinot noir rosé that seems tailor-made for enjoying with the peri peri chicken.
And we can’t discuss Inglewood without talking about the new Inglewood — you know, the one that’s being built as we speak. Over the past decade, a new breed of superstructures has spread throughout the city: colossal sporting arenas that bear the names of today’s tech giants. There’s SoFi Stadium, the 70,000-seat super-mega-complex that’s home to two separate NFL teams. The Intuit Dome, a.k.a. “Clippers Stadium,” recently (finally) opened to the public. Then, there’s the slew of international big-ticket events heading this way over the next decade: the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the 2028 Olympic Games, and Super Bowl LXI in 2027, among others. Los Angeles sports are officially back, and they’ve returned home to Inglewood.
I want people to know about the heartbeat of Inglewood, the city, and its people.— Leslie Jones
“Inglewood has a magnifying glass on it right now, and we’re all excited about that. There are a lot of really cool businesses that have been here for a long time. I want people to know about the heartbeat of Inglewood, the city, and its people,” says Leslie, carefully. “But I also think that it’s important to respect and honor the residents and businesses that have always been here,” she says.
But at the end of the day, Leslie loves Inglewood with all her heart. It doesn’t take much to realize just how much her and Le adore being from the City of Champions. “My parents planted their roots in this city. They got married in Inglewood. They had their first apartment here. We were all born in Inglewood hospitals. My mom passed away when I was 23, so it makes my dad proud that we’ve really embraced Inglewood and have given back to a city that has given so much to us,” Jones says.
And really, there’s no better person than Leslie, owner of 1010 Wine and certified local celebrity (seriously, she knows everyone), to lead you on an eating tour of Inglewood. Welcome to Jones’s Inglewood: all of her favorite places to eat, drink, and celebrate in the City of Champions, right this way.
Kat Hong is a food writer living in Los Angeles. Follow her on Instagram or check out her very professional website. While you’re at it, follow Resy, too.
