Los Angeles is no stranger to restaurant openings, whether splashy openings in iconic buildings helmed by big-name chefs, a humble neighborhood spot, or a pop-up leaping into a permanent space. Consider this monthly rundown a go-to guide for the newest and boldest debuts across the Southland.
Mala popcorn chicken from Blue Magpie. Charlene Yang
Blue Magpie, Arcadia’s modern restaurant named after the Taiwan’s national bird, opened June 11. It’s a collaborative effort between chef Leo Lo and local entrepreneur Kevin Tang, who watched the fine dining Taiwanese restaurants in the area diminish over the years. Blue Magpie’s weekend brunch menu draws from Taiwanese street food, but leans upscale while reworking traditional Taiwanese dishes with a contemporary twist. The Napa casserole, torched tableside, layers sakura shrimp, dried scallops, and kurobuta pork under bubbling cheese. Blocks away from the Santa Anita Park racetrack, the modern 3,500-square-foot restaurant features chandeliers with nods to the Formosan blue magpie bird throughout the design, with two private dining rooms.
Force of Nature founder, Leena Culhane. Ashley Randall Photography
Only The Wild Ones and Forces of Nature — Venice
Two restaurant veterans opened Venice’s newest hotspots inside a charming converted bungalow in late June. Heather Tierney (Butcher’s Daughter) opened the doors for her new restaurant and vinyl listening bar, Only the Wild Ones, on the ground floor next door to Abbott Kinney’s shuttered spot, Atla. She brought over the chef and culinary team from Butcher’s Daughter, Richard Rea, to produce a smart lineup of plant-based dishes to accompany the wine, cocktails, and vinyl played on a hi-fi system.
On the second floor is Crudo e Nudo partner Leena Culhane’s upstairs speakeasy, Force of Nature. The bar, which doubles as a space for workshops and special events, serves a menu of wine, cocktails, and zero proof options.
Most of the dishes from Local Kitchens in Studio City. Wonho Frank Lee
Local Kitchens — Studio City
Local Kitchens, a Studio City food hall bringing some of the Internet’s favorite chefs under one roof, opened on July 2. It’s the first of its kind in Southern California and offers quite a lineup with burgers by Alvin Cailan (of Chinatown’s Amboy), Vietnamese dishes by Tuệ Nguyen, Mexican fare by cookbook author Rick Martinez, fried chicken by Proposition Chicken, and eastern Mediterranean dishes by Einat Admony. With more than a dozen locations in Northern California and a brief stint in Orange County a few years back, the mini food hall offers the convenience of multiple menus in one venue.
Malibu beachfront restaurant Gladstones partially reopened July 4 for the first time since the January Palisades Fire. Only the outdoor deck reopened on July 4, while the interior remains closed for renovations due to fire damage, and is slated to reopened in early 2026. Gladstone’s outdoor deck has an updated look courtesy of architect Stephen Francis Jones and features a new mural from artist Jonas Never. The menu at Gladstones remains the same with favorites like fish tacos, ceviche, lobster rolls, and cocktails.
Katsuya Uechi in Century City. Katsuya
Okinawa-born chef Katsuya Uechi opened the first Katsuya in Studio City in 1997, joining the long history of California Japanese restaurants that serve the San Fernando Valley. His latest Katsuya is a lounge restaurant that opened on July 25 in Century City’s former Rock Sugar with a wide menu of sushi, sashimi, hot appetizers like rock shrimp tempura, and larger mains like miso black cod. Uechi expanded to Brentwood with SBE in 2006, eventually growing to six other locations around the world, including Toronto, Miami, and the Bahamas. Katsuya also opened in Hollywood and L.A. Live (it also operated an outlet in Glendale, but it has since closed). Uechi runs a more independent collection of Japanese restaurants that include the Izakaya by Katsu-ya and Kiwami, but the Century City restaurant will fall under the SBE partnership that leans more into the sleek, high-design Nobu-esque category.
Muelle 8. Matthew Kang
Muelle 8 has reopened in East Los Angeles with a smaller, tighter menu served from a food trailer. The current owner of the Muelle 8 brand in the U.S., Jay Orozco, brought back chef Luis Cortez, the chef who oversaw the opening in Downey in 2023. The menu draws from the most popular hits from the barra fría (raw bar) and barra caliente (hot bar) that were served at the restaurant, including camarones zarandeados and a surf-and-turf taco of grilled cabrería and shrimp with Anaheim chile and melted cheese. The Downey restaurant originally debuted in February 2023, garnering lots of initial praise, including a nod from the Los Angeles Times, for its regional Mexican seafood from Culiacán.
Outside Tesla Diner in Hollywood. Matthew Kang
Tesla Diner — Hollywood
Elon Musk’s retro-futuristic electric vehicle charging station restaurant opened on July 21 in a former Shakey’s on the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and Orange Drive. Hundreds of people lined up to try the company’s first attempt at a casual restaurant, despite Musk’s polarizing reputation and gesture at Trump’s inauguration that has been widely likened to a Nazi salute. Bill Chait, a longtime LA restaurateur (Tesse, Tartine, Republique), was brought on to help open the Tesla diner, while chef Eric Greenspan, previously of the Foundry and Greenspan’s Grilled Cheese, leads the kitchen. The diner’s casual menu showcases burgers, biscuits and gravy, breakfast tacos, and more.
Cafe Tondo in Chinatown. Sean Davidson
On July 25, the Mexico City-influenced Cafe Tondo opened in the former Oriel under the A Line train tracks in Chinatown. The cafe and bar serves everything from early morning coffee and conchas to afternoon spritzes and salsa after dark. Tondo, which refers to a circular relief or painting in Spanish, comes from a collaboration between first-time restaurateur and Mouthwash Studio co-founder Abraham Campillo; Mouthwash Studio partners Mackenzie Freemire, Alex Tan, and Ben Mingo; Mike Kang of Locale Partners; and chef Valeria Velásquez. The daytime menu, starting August 1, comprises conchas, chilaquiles, coffee, and more, while evening brings Milanesa, steak frites, and wine.
Assorted dishes at Men & Beasts restaurants in Echo Park. Tim Sullens Photography
Brian Baik’s elegant cocktail outlet Bar 109 debuted on July 29. The bar resides in the front portion of his forthcoming tasting menu restaurant, Corridor 109, which has been in development for years. The first iteration of Corridor 109 was a pop-up at Kobawoo, which served a collection of Japanese and Korean seafood courses inspired by his New York City experience. Bartender Kayla Garcia oversees the drinks, while Jon Tran is function the general manager. Garcia was most recently at Kumiko, which just won the 2025 James Beard Award for Outstanding Bar and is currently number 10 in the North America 50 Best Bars. At Bar 109, Garcia serves updated versions of classic cocktails alongside creative bar bites.