One of L.A.’s favorite pop-ups launches an old-school burger shack in Eagle Rock
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- José Andrés opens one of his most popular restaurants in L.A. (along with a rooftop bar).
- Smoky Japanese chicken ramen showcases a familiar face.
- Two of L.A.’s top bakeries expand and more.
Yellow Paper Burger
With items inspired by classic L.A. burger stands and bars, Yellow Paper Burger is serving a new take on nostalgic flavors at a walk-up counter in Eagle Rock. The former pop-up from husband-and-wife team Colin Fahrner and Katie Reid Fahrner is now a bricks-and-mortar that serves smash burgers merged with what Fahrner calls “all the staples of an L.A. burger”: mounds of lettuce, ample tomatoes, chopped chiles and more — of course, all wrapped in pastel yellow paper.
Before it was a pop-up it was a novelty Instagram account that Fahrner, a burger-loving bartender, used to chronicle some of his favorite patties across the city, many of which could be found at old-school burger counters. He and his friends tried re-creating these at home, and his efforts grew into a pop-up in 2019. When his former employer, Tony’s Saloon, shut down during the pandemic, Yellow Paper Burger became his full-time job, and Reid Fahrner — a baker at Tartine and Belle’s Bagels — joined him full time in 2023.
“We were selling out at a lot of the pop-ups, and there just seemed to be this demand for it,” Fahrner said. “We were having a lot of fun with it and have been in the industry for a super long time but never owned our own place. It felt like a sort of natural progression and the next step, and another challenge to take on.”
They searched for a space for two years, eventually landing on a 700-square-foot former hot dog shop with parking and ample patio space.
At the new restaurant they serve all-beef hot dogs — an occasional pop-up menu item that’s now permanent — smothered with diced onions and pickles, chopped chiles and mustard. The old-timey bar snack of pickled eggs can also be found at the restaurant, inspired largely by Long Beach’s century-old dive bar Joe Jost’s, a favorite of Fahrner’s. Reid Fahrner bakes two or three dozen hand pies each day, which almost always sell out and feature hand-chopped apples laced with cardamom and brown sugar.
They hope to offer new items, such as chili dogs, and host events and specials, like industry nights. Plus, they plan to serve beer and wine in the future. Yellow Paper Burger is now open Wednesday to Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.
1740 Colorado Blvd., Los Angeles, instagram.com/yellowpaperburger
Zaytinya and Butterfly
One of the longest-running and most acclaimed restaurants from José Andrés recently made its West Coast debut in Culver City, showcasing the celebrity chef’s spins on iconic Lebanese, Greek and Turkish cuisine. Zaytinya first opened in Washington, D.C., in 2002 and quickly garnered praise for its rainbow of mezze and large-format plates, such as whole branzino and lamb shoulder. The Los Angeles restaurant sits at the base of the Shay hotel with a bar and lounge area, a partially open kitchen in the dining room and a patio, all where guests can sample their way through hearth-roasted meats, vegetables, dips, cocktails inspired by Istanbul and more.
José Andrés spends much of his time contemplating the unifying nature of food, both in and out of the world’s most dangerous conflict and disaster zones.
Perched atop it all is Butterfly, a new rooftop cocktail bar and taqueria from Andrés, which loosely lifts its menu inspiration from another of the chef’s popular D.C. restaurants, Oyamel. The poolside restaurant and bar serves breakfast and an all-day menu of dishes such as tequila-laced queso fundido with chorizo, carnitas tacos, ceviches and salads alongside an ample agave menu and house cocktails, including one of Oyamel’s signatures: the salt air margarita, which comes topped with a salted foam. Zaytinya is open Monday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., while Butterfly is open daily from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
8801 Washington Blvd., Culver City, (310) 356-0200, zaytinya.com and butterflytacos.com
Yama Sushi Marketplace Koreatown
One of L.A.’s favorite sushi makers is now open in Koreatown with grab-and-go rolls, chirashi bowls, a small seafood market, imported Japanese home goods, pantry staples like ponzu and furikake, and packaged foods such as chips, cookies and locally made Fugetsu-Do mochi. San Gabriel’s Yama Sushi Marketplace — lauded for its quality, affordable maki, nigiri and other sushi specialties since 1984 — is perhaps best known for founder Kenzo Yamada’s extra-large California rolls made with painstaking attention to detail. The market is now owned by the Kohno family and partner Alex Soto (all former owners of What Floats Ur Boat and Sushi With Attitude), and their Koreatown store marks the first expansion since 2022, when Yama opened a location in West L.A.
Much like the West L.A. counterpart, management for the new outpost told The Times that the company hopes to offer Yama’s “MasterClass” cooking courses here, where guests can learn about sake, rice, how to roll maki and more. Sake and beer sales are also forthcoming, as is a wider selection of hot prepared foods such as croquettes and miso black cod. Yama Sushi Marketplace is open in Koreatown daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
3178 Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 795-0003, yamasushimarketplace.com
Kiez Küche & Beer Garden
Steins of beer, sausage platters, flammkuchen flatbreads and other iconic German fare can now be found in Highland Park at Kiez Küche & Beer Garden, a new project from the teams behind other local beer gardens Wirtshaus and Rasselbock. Kiez occupies an indoor 65-seat dining room and bulb-lighted patio previously occupied by Hinterhof, which ran as a German restaurant and beer garden until 2021 but was entirely vegan and vegetarian.
Kiez offers a range of plant-based items, such as multiple vegan sausages and schnitzel, but also a full menu of traditional meat sausages (including wild boar, cheddarwurst and k?sekrainer), beef goulash, bacon-topped sp?tzle, an array of pork, chicken and veal schnitzel, and more. Look for a dozen rotating German and Belgian beers on draft and even more bottled varieties, plus beer flights, wines and nonalcoholic options like imported German sodas. Kiez Küche & Beer Garden is open Monday to Thursday from 4 to 10 p.m., and Friday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
4939 York Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 274-4250, kiezla.com
Tori-soba Sumiya
A chicken-focused ramen-ya with locations in Tokyo and Ibaraki, Japan, has opened in L.A.’s Sawtelle neighborhood, serving creamy soup bases topped with smoky, binchotan-singed chicken and more. And though Tori-soba Sumiya’s first U.S. restaurant took over the former Yakitoriya space, fans of the neighborhood’s popular yakitori shop should be pleased: Chef Toshimitsu Sakamaki ran Yakitoriya for nearly three decades until closing it last year, but Sakamaki can still be found behind the grill.
He and the rest of the Tori-soba Sumiya team simmer the chicken-based ramen broth for six to seven hours, make noodles fresh in-house and fry and char chicken for rice bowls and a handful of ramen varieties, best viewed from the bar overlooking the glass-walled kitchen. Tori-soba Sumiya is open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., and 5 to 9:30 p.m., with last orders taken at 2:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.
11301 W. Olympic Blvd., Suite #101, Los Angeles, instagram.com/torisobasumiya
Lodge Bread Beverly Hills
A local bakery chain with Middle Eastern specialties, rows upon rows of fresh loaves of bread and a pastry case stacked with croissants, berry scones, halva chocolate buns and pumpkin spice cakes recently expanded to Beverly Hills with a new cafe. The latest location of Or Amsalam and Arthur Sherman’s Lodge Bread offers an all-day menu of toasts topped with ricotta, avocado, smoked salmon and beyond, plus sandwiches, Jerusalem bagels, salads, a full espresso program, and a retail section for signature items such as tubs of fresh hummus, tuna salad and dough starter. A Pasadena location of Lodge Bread is slated to open in late 2025. Lodge Bread is in Beverly Hills and open daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
295 S. Robertson Blvd., Beverly Hills, (424) 302-0225, lodgebread.com
Mama Lu’s Dumpling House Arcadia
With nearly 20 years of service, xiao long bao specialist Mama Lu’s Dumpling House is expanding beyond Monterey Park, Pasadena, Chinatown, Tustin and City of Industry with a new location in Arcadia. The newest Mama Lu’s serves the local chain’s wide variety of Chinese and Taiwanese classics. Look for juicy pork dumplings and a range of other handmade dumplings, plus barbecued-meat combo platters, Taiwanese beef rolls, stir-fried noodles, soups, satay, steamed chicken and more in the former home of Monarch, complete with a banquet-style dining room. Mama Lu‘s Dumpling House is open in Arcadia daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
1212 S. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia, CA, (626) 348-8029, mamalutogo.com
Friends & Family Silver Lake
An East Hollywood bakery and cafe celebrated for its use of heirloom grains and seasonal produce recently expanded to Silver Lake. Friends & Family, one of the best bakeries in L.A., is now open in the former Silverlake Coffee space with pastry chef and baker Roxana Jullapat and chef Daniel Mattern offering a slightly more pared-down menu than their original location. Without a full kitchen, the Silver Lake outpost focuses on pastries, coffee, ready-made sandwiches and salads such as harissa-roasted carrots with feta on freshly baked bread, chicken-and-arugula salad with chopped dates, a deli case full of specialties likes eggplant dip, tuna salad and hummus, and glass cabinets stocked with citrus cornmeal muffins, Sonora-wheat croissants, quiches, spiced tea cakes and beyond. Friends & Family is open daily in Silver Lake from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
2388 Glendale Blvd., Unit B, Los Angeles, (323) 284-8815, friendsandfamilyla.com
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