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Finding the Original Hawowshi, an Egyptian home kitchen that popped up during the pandemic, felt like a bit of a treasure hunt. Eventually, I wound my way behind a Citibank parking lot and encountered Amir Edward’s home on a Reseda side street....

When most of us think of a Japanese bento box, we think of a simple, carefully prepared takeout meal with rice, protein, and veggies. But chef Niki Nakayama and her wife and sous chef, Carol Iida-Nakayama, see the potential for a lot more. “It can...

Bandito opened during the pandemic, and the staff takes the ongoing threat seriously. No mask, no tacos. And you really do not want to miss out on the mesquite-grilled pink tacos at this new open-air, Tijuana-style taqueria in a parking lot in...

The Szechuan hot chicken sandwich from Daybird, Mei Lin’s new restaurant in Silver Lake, is a thing of beautiful excess. The rust-red fried chicken protrudes from the bun and hangs aggressively over the side like a large tongue. It’s engagingly...

The name Enrique Olvera might not ring a bell for everyone. But to anyone who closely follows restaurant news beyond our own zip codes will likely perk up at the mention of Pujol, Olvera’s beautiful flagship in Mexico City. The chef is arguably...

When Yang Ming Garden vacated its long-standing address on Tustin Street in Orange and moved to Villa Park, the Chinese restaurant left a big void. But not for long. That void has now been filled by another Chinese restaurant called Royal Wok. The...

Before the pandemic, Brian Bornemann, 31, was a young chef on the rise. In 2019, he took the position of executive chef at Michael’s Santa Monica, bringing fresh ideas and new relevance to the Westside institution. But Bornemann has no plans to go...

As restaurants slowly emerge from hibernation, it’s starting to smell like burger season. Here are two new burgers worth sampling. Crush Burger at Station Craft in Dana Point (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG) The first is at...

When a restaurant closes, it leaves a lasting hole in the fabric of a community. Bäco Mercat, Bon Temps, Broken Spanish and Here’s Looking at You are just a few of the well-known pandemic casualties the city will mourn for a long time. The...

When Mario Christerna was in his twenties, his mother remarried. Initially, Christerna, a Mexican American and the chef-owner of Brooklyn Ave. Pizza Co., felt protective of his mom as he got to know his new stepfather, who is Cuban. Then he tasted...