New On Resy: Los Angeles’ Newest Restaurant Openings

Sure, Skywalker is housed in the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art and so named for one of his most famous characters, but the food is closer to home than one might expect from somewhere far, far away. Here, the focus is placed on local ingredients and California-style cuisine with (sorry) out-of-this-world results.

It’s hard to beat the showstopping nature of Hotel Lucille, housed in a historic restored church and rectory. Their on-site restaurant Sous Sous makes a winning effort, though, with a seafood-focused Southern-inspired menu and a design worthy of the architectural marvel it calls home.

Jon & Vinny’s is a heck of an homage to the red-sauce joints where owners Jon and Vinny grew up eating. It’s an essential and beloved L.A. gem, and the Calabasas location boasts wide-open windows and of course, that spicy fusilli.

Chef Daniel Patterson’s critically acclaimed Jacaranda serves a multi-course tasting menu with a loving focus on technique and beauty. The inside is just as luxe, with sweeping orange banquettes and lighting that makes models of us all.

It’s an all-day café and community hub that celebrates the endless summer and bounty of Californian cuisine, set inside the sprawling Colorado Center.

The name practically writes your love story for you. Where’d you two meet? Oh, I met her at Met Her at a Bar. Adorable. Keep the sweet vibes going with a specialty latte and Belgian waffle to share.

When in Rome, as they say: At Forman’s, lean into the vibes with a glass of something neat or on the rocks and an order of something smoky and saucy for the table. The space has a down-home quality that makes it tough not to love.

It’ll only take one bite of Panxa Cocina’s fry bread tacos or tamale pie to understand why they’ve been a Belmont Heights institution for more than a decade.

The Sun Rose Hotel’s rooftop bar Oleander serves up thoughtful cocktails and views from their floor-to-ceiling windows that are second to none.

It could get heated at Beverly Grove’s Rivalry, where the games are always on one of their many TVs (24, to be exact). The gastropub-esque bar food is a good mix of classic and inventive, if you can tear your eyes away from the score long enough to order.

This spot is quintessential Cali, with a menu of all-vegan fare and a focus on wellness. Plus, they have a tendency to play host to stars in search of a low-key meal.

Here’s a plan: Snag a table on Tiato’s garden patio. Next, order a few of their Vietnamese-inspired dishes for the table. You’re welcome.

Because this breezy all-day cafe brings brightly flavored California fare — salads, sandwiches, pasta, pizza, and more — plus cocktails, and a low-intervention wine list to the scene. And you know there’s always an impeccable avocado toast — this is an Aussie-owned joint, after all.

Gracias Madre serves up a menu of Mexican dishes made from scratch and in traditional fashion — everything just happens to also be vegan. Don’t forget to grab a margarita, too. Thanks, mom!

Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant combining Chinese and French cooking traditions is a verifiable L.A. institution, serving up family-style dishes in their Santa Monica location for more than four decades.

If you drew a picture of an Italian restaurant that’s been open for more than 30 years, Frankie’s is essentially what would be the result. Many of the dishes are named after regulars (Abel’s Chicken Parmigiana, for one), and once you try them, you’ll see why so many people keep coming back.

At Pier 24 they lean in heavily to the nautical theme that their harborside location on Catalina Island suggests. The best seats in the house are hard to pin down, between the towering wooden booths and the railside waterfront stools, but order a milkshake no matter where you land.

It’s the sibling to the always-packed Beverly Boulevard trattoria of the same name, with the same excellent cut-your-own pizzas and handmade pastas you know and love.

We’d recommend trying to snag a seat on the patio at Avalon, where you’ll be able to feel the sea breeze in your hair as you wait for your ice-cold martini to arrive. The menu is filled with elevated classics with (of course) a focus on seafood, given the setting on Catalina Island.

Though it’s named for the last name of chef David Slay, that doesn’t make it any less fitting. Slay Steak and Fish House, well, slays at pretty much everything they put on your table, which should include something from the equally aptly named Slay Vineyard.

At Roji, they place special focus on making sure everything you order comes out looking like art, whether it’s sashimi gently arranged to look like a rose or garnish-adorned towers of chef-selected nigiri.

Chef David Slay does it again at this homage to the bistros of Paris, where much of what lands on your table is sourced from the Slay family estate and vineyard. The decor is whimsical enough to deserve a second look: Make sure to pay close attention to the paintings and wallpaper.

Alley is classic and low-lit like a steakhouse from a movie, so order accordingly. That means bone marrow, shrimp cocktail, and the biggest steak you can stomach.

It’s the coastal counterpart to Pujol chef Enrique Olvera’s Damian, where ceviches and aguachiles from the Pacific coast take center stage. Don’t forget something from beverage director Sebastian Tollius’s drink list of agave spirits and Mexican wines.

Savage Seas leans into the old Hollywood feel of the classic tiki bar (it’s housed at the Fonda Theatre, after all) with outlandish cocktails and memorabilia galore.