New restaurants are blossoming up all around Los Angeles.
As the new season invites longer days and warmer weather, it also welcomes a whole plethora of delicious new eats for LA foodies. From traditional Spanish eateries to high-quality sushi meals, LA diners can expect a variety of fresh cuisines and unique tastes to enjoy across the city.
Read along for the Daily Bruin’s curated list of spring restaurant recommendations.
Picala (April 28)
West Adams, Los Angeles’ latest restaurant is a reminder that food tastes better in company.
Located in the Cumulus District by Culver City, Picala will open its doors April 28. Drawing from the Spanish tradition of food as a communal activity, the establishment will feature a bar, patio and dining room – perfect for both quick, casual gatherings and special occasions. Picala’s menu is described as inspired by Spanish cuisine and shaped by California and will include wood-fired dishes crafted with seasonal ingredients. True to the restaurant’s nature, the word “Picala” is a rural Spanish idiom that translates to “meeting of paths.”
Executive chef Luis Sierra delivered a first taste of Picala earlier in the year at another Acme Hospitality restaurant, Loquita. Sierra trained at the French Culinary Institute in New York but began his journey with food as an archaeology student, taking an interest in the ways food and its preparation gathered people together. As a 19-year-old, the chef visited Málaga, Spain, where the customary preserved foods, such as cured meats, impacted his culinary style – a reflection of the eatery’s simple, traditional cooking.
With a theme of togetherness from its space to its menu, Picala is ready to sweep LA off its feet with a Spanish flavor so uniquely Californian.
– Ana Camila Burquez
Jacaranda (early May)
Angelenos excited about food can anticipate another fine dining establishment arriving in the near future.
The modern California restaurant Jacaranda is set to open in early May in Hancock Park. The new eatery is the work of fine dining chef and food writer Daniel Patterson and his wife, Sarah Lewitinn. Since last year, the couple has operated a pop-up version of the restaurant out of their home in Hancock Park, called Jaca Social Club.
The concept for Jacaranda has been a long time coming, and an earlier plan for the restaurant promised a collaboration with Keith Corbin, who has since left the project. Patterson’s experience suggests he is up to the task, especially considering his background working for the Michelin-starred Coi in San Francisco before relocating to Los Angeles. Judging by some of the food on the Jaca Social Club tasting menu, diners can expect dishes such as popcorn grits, frozen tomato-watermelon gazpacho and short rib grilled over charcoal with wheat berries and shallot marrow.
The $250 price point won’t be accessible to all, but Patterson’s cookery promises a rewarding experience for those who can get a reservation.
– Reid Sperisen
The Brothers Sushi (May)
Every Westside sushi lover and their brother are in luck this spring.
The Michelin Guide-selected Japanese joint The Brothers Sushi is opening its fourth location this May in Beverly Hills. Known by many for its signature dry-aged fish and bento boxes, The Brothers Sushi opened its first location in Woodland Hills in 2018 and has since been recognized as one of the best sushi restaurants in Los Angeles by Eater LA and has been highlighted by the LA Times and LA Magazine. Its menu offers seasonal omakase and a la carte options, engineered by the Ora King Salmon ambassador and veteran chef Mark Okuda.
The upscale sushi spot has been praised for its elevated contemporary decor and relaxed romantic atmosphere, which the restaurant itself describes as warm and inviting. The produce used is locally grown, and the premium vinegared rice blend is perfected by experienced chefs. But the star of the show is the fresh fish – seasonal from Japan and dry-aged in special refrigerators to deepen flavor and create a tender buttery texture.
With top-quality hamachi serrano from Japan and sweet Hokkaido scallops among its offerings, the new outpost further situates The Brothers Sushi within LA’s robust sushi sphere.
– Emily Berkowitz
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