The Brief

Editor's note: We first ran this guide at the start of the season. We've updated it with a few more spots and some great specials for the World Series.

In the immortal words of Vin Scully: "It's time for Dodgers Baseball" — World Series edition.

The stadium seats will soon be packed with the SoCal sunset casting its warm golden shadow against the palm trees and bougainvilleas.

If you're lucky enough to have scored tickets (congrats), you may be looking for somewhere to eat beforehand.

Consider it the fuel you'll need to get through the traffic into the stadium and the trek to your seats.

Here are some of my favorite places to eat and drink within five miles of the ballpark. If I missed one of yours, please let me know, and I might add it to this list later on. Email me at gchabran@scpr.org or reach out via Instagram.

Pro-tip: If you’re short on time (which you will be, since time, traffic, and parking are always issues in L.A.), consider ordering ahead and having a passenger jump out to pick up the food while the driver circles the block. There's no parking cost, and you can have your private tailgate in the parking lot and still make the starting pitch.

Little Fish in Echo Park

Grab the fried fish sandwich with a side of crispy nori potatoes at Little Fish in Echo Park.

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Little Fish is located about a mile from the ballpark and is an excellent casual "order-at-the-window" establishment. It started as a pop-up specializing in seafood, and recently earned a mention in the Michelin Guide.

The most popular item is the beer-battered striped bass sandwich ($17), with a slice of American cheese, Kewpie mayonnaise, and sliced pickles on a potato bun.

The superb-tasting fish, whose breading resembles a delicate crackly Japanese tempura, interplays with the creaminess of the umami-inflected mayo, the fresh crunch of the pickles, and the softness of the bun. They also offer a tofu version ($14) for non-meat eaters.

Pair it with crispy nori potatoes seasoned with seaweed and salt and served with hearty garlic aioli for a supreme dipping experience.

Both items travel exceptionally well, making L.F. a tremendous to-go option if you need to eat on the run. Also, Little Fish's sister establishment, DADA, is in the back alley entrance behind the cafe. With a cool-looking speakeasy vibe, they serve various upscale bistro plates. It's a great place to unwind after the game.

Lowboy in Echo Park

The Dodgers Blue Cheeseburger, topped with blue cheese mornay, caramelized onions, apple, and pickled mustard seed relish

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Located on Sunset, Lowboy is a casual sit-down bar restaurant just down the street from the main stadium entrance in Echo Park. Lowboy goes hard with the neighborhood vibes, offering an extensive array of cocktails, beer, wine, and reasonably priced food.

For the World Series, they're offering a special Dodgers Blue cheeseburger ($13) made with a half-pound beef patty, blue cheese mornay sauce, caramelized onions with an apple, and pickled mustard seed relish. The cheeseburger will be available every day starting Friday until the end of the World Series last game.

Looking for drink specials? Try their Sho-time special, where you get an Asahi beer and + a shot of Toki whiskey for $10.

There's also plenty of happy hour deals, including The Triple Play Lowburger, small fries, and a draft beer for $15 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Simón in Silver Lake

The fish al pastor taco, soft shell crab and enchilada suiza tacos from Simón in Silver Lake.

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The cobalt blue truck known as Simón is parked in Sunset Triangle Plaza, with signage featuring text around its logo that reads "Mariscos Chingones, Seafood Bomb A.F." And indeed it is. It’s one of my favorite places to get mariscos in Los Angeles.

Chef Francisco Aguilar came to L.A. after stints in Oaxaca and Chiapas in southern Mexico, where he worked, studied, and developed his culinary language.

Now, armed with only a fryer, a plancha, and staple ingredients like beans, cheese, and bacon, he seeks to hypercharge the flavors of each dish. The fish al pastor, for example, is rubbed with spices, grilled, garnished with a sizable slice of lightly caramelized pineapple and a generous helping of guacamole, and then topped with crispy onions.

Also check out the soft shell crab, which comes whole and is garnished with chipotle mayo, pico piña, (their version of pico de gallo, with pineapple and pickled onion.), and the picadillo taco, which, at first glance, gives the impression of an empanada rather than a quesadilla or taco. It's made with a fried corn tortilla stuffed with a mixture of fish and shrimp, habanero cream, and proper hints of lime, cheese, and avocado.

All of the tacos hover just under $5.

Burgers Never Say Die in Silver Lake

A double cheeseburger and fries from Burgers Never Say Die in Silverlake.

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Many often cite Burgers Never Say Die as the gold standard of smash burgers in Los Angeles. Owner Shawn Nee was a cameraman when he started a side hustle slinging burgers in the courtyard of his East Hollywood apartment complex.

Slowly developing a cult-like status in the burger world, he opened his Silver Lake location while continuing to meticulously refine his concept.

When you head over to the window and order the Regular ($11), you'll see that Nee has achieved nothing short of alchemy. He's somehow channeled what a McDonald's hamburger tasted like when we were younger. The perfectly cooked burger patty with its smooth and lacey edges, and the mixture of ketchup, mustard, pickles, and tiny bits of white onion stirs up waves of nostalgia. The burger has no business being this good, but it is, and we are all better for it.

Avocado egg and cheese, pork bulgogi roll and bacon egg and cheese sandwiches from Bodega Park

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Bodega Park in Silver Lake

It's an all-day breakfast menu at Bodega Park, which specializes in breakfast sandwiches seen through the lens of a Korean American chef who grew up in Los Angeles and trained on the East Coast.

About two miles from the ballpark, it’s an excellent choice for ordering sandwiches. My go-to is the pork bulgogi roll ($13), featuring a house-made marinade, a few slices of raw white onion and mayo on a modern rustic-style bun, somewhere between a ciabatta and a French roll with a crusty outside and a moist, fluffy inside.

Add a few splatters of the accompanying smokey-sweet hot sauce; the results are fantastic. But you also can't go wrong with the bacon, egg, and cheese ($11), executed perfectly with a superbly cooked piece of thick-cut bacon, a simple slice of American cheese, and an over-medium-fried egg.

Bánh Mì Mỹ Dung Sandwich Shop in Chinatown

The special and Vietnamese cold cut sandwiches from Bánh Mì Mỹ Dung Sandwich Shop.

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A banh mi sandwich is one of life's many pleasures, with its crusty bread, fresh garnishes made of sweet-tasting carrots and daikon radish, and a protein combo of your liking.

A good banh mi can be found in areas such as the San Gabriel Valley or Westminster in Orange County, known as Little Saigon, but finding them in other parts of Los Angeles can be more challenging.

One under-the-radar gem is the Bánh Mì Mỹ Dung Sandwich Shop, located in a tiny storefront on Ord Street between Broadway and Spring, about 1.5 miles from the stadium.

A warning — it doesn't exactly scream neighborhood sandwich destination on arrival. You're greeted by fresh produce stacked outside the entrance, including hanging bunches of bananas, and you'll feel like you’ve entered a corner store.

But take a quick stroll to the back, and you'll find a menu board with about eight sandwiches for around $5 to $8. The ultra-fresh ingredients, paired with the salty-savory cuts of meat, create a highly satisfying experience.

Mariscos Jalisco in Boyle Heights and DTLA

The Tacos de Camaron and Oysters Peinados from the beloved Mariscos Jalisco food truck.

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If you've ever discussed where to find the best tacos in L.A, the Mariscos Jalisco food truck will have invariably been mentioned. Founder Raul Ortega's M.J. menu is minimal, consisting of tacos and ceviche. However, the care given to each item shines through, especially in dishes such as the tacos de camarón.

This is not a classic Ensenada-style shrimp taco; it is something completely different, a corn tortilla containing finely minced shrimp, vegetables, and other secret ingredients that Ortega refuses to divulge.

The tacos, which come in two to an order ($5), are then deep-fried and topped with a light red salsa de mariscos and a sliver of avocado. The result is taco magic.

Pioneer Chicken in Boyle Heights

A two-piece chicken combo from Pioneer Chicken in Boyle Heights.

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A piece of Los Angeles history stands on the corner of Soto Street and Whittier Boulevard, about five miles from the stadium via surface streets. It's one of the last two locations in L.A. owned by the fried chicken fast-food chain Pioneer Chicken. (The other location is in Bell Gardens.)

At one point, Pioneer Chicken boasted 270 locations and was known for television commercials featuring O.J. Simpson. It's fried chicken nostalgia for Angelenos looking to relive the heyday of the '70s and '80s. It's hard to beat the two-piece dinner with two sides (choices include mashed potatoes and gravy, spicy rice, or crunchy coleslaw) and a fluffy biscuit ($11).

Homage Brewing in Chinatown

Homage Brewery in Chinatown is game day ready with plenty of specials for the World Series.

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The hidden taproom tucked away off a small street in an industrial section of Chinatown does double duty by offering an excellent selection of eclectic beers and great grub.

For the World Series, Homage is going all out with its food and drink specials, including $5 game-day pints during every game, pitchers of its German-style pilsner, and West Coast IPA ($24-$32).

To munch on, including lemon pepper wings and garlic parm fries, plus their Dodger stadium-inspired menu featuring a hot dog ($7) with sausage from Glendale's own Continental Gourmet Sausage, nachos ($7), and a carne asada nacho ($11). There will also be a few game day giveaways, including a 2020 official World Series baseball for Game 1, plus a couple of rare bobbleheads.

Homage is also open late on the weekends, so if you are inclined, you can take advantage of the cadre of DJs to dance the night away after the game.

Highland Park Brewery in Chinatown

Highland Park Brewing in Chinatown offers food and drinks for your pre-game needs, with specials during the big game.

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Highland Park Brewery, the bastion of Eastside craft brewery culture, is just around the corner of Homage. The large taproom overlooks Los Angeles State Historic Park, near the A Line Chinatown Metro Stop, just one stop from Union Station, where you can catch the Dodger Express.

They've built their name on a wide selection of deliciously hopped craft brews and plenty of natural wine. If you are hungry before the game, take advantage of burgers, dogs, wings, loaded fries, and their stellar fish sandwich.

For their WS specials, the brewery will offer $5 pints and $20 pitchers of their aptly named Baseball Lager, which they'll start serving at noon on Friday.

For food specials, they're offering their version of garlic fries, fries topped with chili flakes and parmesan cheese. (We dare you to try both here and at Homage; remember to bring some breath mints). Also, if you are heading to the game, grab one of their Dodger-themed baseball caps ($35) to show off your hometown pride.

Pro tip: HPB is known to fill up quickly before the game, so it's best to get there early. Parking can also be scarce, so plan to take a ride share or go Metro.

LaSorted's Pizza in Silver Lake

Slices of pizza from La Sorted's Pizza in Silver Lake.

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With your choice of sit-down or counter service, La Sorted's Pizza is the place to celebrate all things Dodgers, especially since it’s named after the famed Dodgers coach.

There's always a large selection of slices, and it can be hard to choose, so I usually grab one of everything and assemble a sort of "greatest hits" equivalent to an entire pizza.

My favorite includes the Upside Down Mamba ($5 a slice, $20 for a whole pie), their signature cheese slice, flipped upside down with the cheese melted directly onto the crust and then topped with a thick layer of tomato sauce.

In celebration of the World Series, both LaSorted’s locations will serve slices of their Triple Dog Dare for $7, featuring a yellow mustard béchamel, mozzarella, and provolone topped with Jody Maronis hot dogs and bacon and finished with cornichon and fried onions. So, if you’ve ever wondered what a hot dog tastes like on a pizza, now is your chance.

If you want to catch the game at the new Chinatown location, make a reservation through LaSorted’s website. The minimum per person is $50, so come hungry! The Silver Lake location will be open for take or dine-in; no reservations are required.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced several significant rule changes for the 99th Oscars, including AI protections for actors and writers as well as expanded eligibility for international films.

In a statement to NPR, the Academy on Saturday said the changes are in response to listening to the global filmmaking community and addressing barriers to entry in its eligibility process.

The Academy added that its rules and eligibility standards have always evolved alongside technologies such as sound, color, and CGI, and that AI is no different. Awards rules and guidelines are reviewed and refined each year.

A blow for Tilly Norwood 

Among the most noteworthy changes, the Academy now explicitly states that only roles, "demonstrably performed by humans with their consent" are eligible for Acting awards. In other words, AI creations like the much-hyped Tilly Norwood cannot hope to win a Best Actress Oscar anytime soon.

Particle6, the production company behind Norwood, did not immediately respond to NPR's request for comment on Saturday about its creations' ban from consideration. In March, Norwood commented, "Can't wait to go to the Oscars!" in an Instagram post announcing its newly released music video.

The Academy also requires screenplays to be "human-authored" and said it reserved the right to investigate the use of generative AI in any submission.

Meanwhile, qualifying flesh-and-blood human actors can now be nominated for multiple performances in the same category if those performances get enough votes to land in the top five. So, someone like Anne Hathaway, who has five major movies scheduled for release in 2026, could now theoretically sweep the nominations – though that outcome seems extremely unlikely.

"If an actor has an extremely prolific year, might we even see someone swallow up three of the five nominations?," wrote Deadline's awards columnist and chief film critic Pete Hammond about the changes. "Probably won't happen, but it's now possible."

Under previous rules, an actor could only receive one nomination per category. If they had two high-ranking performances in Best Actor, for example, only the one with the most votes would move forward.

International films prioritizes filmmakers over countries

While international films can still be the official selection of their countries, now they can qualify by winning the top prize at a major international festival such as the Palme d'Or at Cannes, the Golden Lion at Venice, or the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.

Historically, countries "owned" the nomination, and only one film per country was allowed. The new rules allow multiple films from the same country to compete if they are critically acclaimed, and it shifts the honor from a geopolitical entity to the filmmakers themselves.

Largely positive response

The changes have prompted a largely positive reaction from the film community on social media, such as on the popular The Shade Room entertainment and celebrity-focused Instagram feed, where commenters widely praised the "human-only" move to protect creative jobs.

The Academy's Awards Committee oversees the rules in tandem with branch executive committees, the International Feature Film Executive Committee and the Scientific and Technical Awards Executive Committee.

The rules are scheduled to go into effect next year, covering films released in 2026.

Copyright 2026 NPR

Los Angeles changes fast, and oftentimes that means some of the architectural relics of our shared past get swept up and paved over in all the "progress." (RIP Garden of Allah.)

But there are still places where you can find ruins that tell a tale, like a long-forgotten speakeasy reputedly for old Hollywood near La Crescenta.

The ruins are still there 

On a recent afternoon, author and local historian Mike Lawler led me just beyond the boundary of Crescenta Valley Park. Joggers like me might have seen an old, towering stone arch shrouded by bushes there — and wondered what lies beyond.

Turns out there was once a place called the Verdugo Lodge back there and Lawler has spent years excavating its history.

A car speeds away from the lodge onto New York Avenue. The stone archway that still stands can be seen in the background.

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“It was a very high-end speakeasy for a time,” Lawler, who also helps run the Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley, said. “An amazing thing. And all the ruins are still here, just like this arch.”

Lawler said we don’t know exactly when the lodge was built, but we do have some of the picture starting in the late 1920s. The place was set up kind of like a timeshare where people bought 10 x 10 foot ‘tent lots’ that gave them access to on-site amenities. There was a golf course, stables, trout stream, a swimming pool — and a lodge with gambling and alcohol.

“The Crescenta Valley in the teens and '20s was a hotbed of moonshine, prostitution, all that stuff," Lawler said. "It was a quiet little community. But in all these canyons up here, stuff was going on. Illegal stuff!”

We don’t have a full guest list, but Lawler said it’s likely at least a few Hollywood types had gone up to the lodge to circumvent Prohibition era laws.

In some ways, it was kind of like the original glamping. Lawler said patrons probably weren’t doing much sleeping, though.

“They might have been unconscious!” he said with a chuckle.

Lawler led me to a road that swooped around a meadow. We passed by a massive swimming pool nestled into the hillside.

Once known as the “Crystal Pool,” it’s now empty and fenced off, with pitch black locker rooms below.

The exterior of the locker rooms for the old Crystal Pool.

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We continued our journey up the hill and eventually arrived at a cascading stone stairway.

And at the top, the big show: overgrown with orange monkey flowers and goliath agaves lies the foundation of the old Verdugo Lodge, with lofty stone fireplaces the only guardians keeping the surrounding oak trees at bay.

Lawler takes out a floorplan that one of the former owners drew up for him.

“This is what it was laid out like on the inside. So a dancehall, and band stand on that side... And then upstairs was the gambling,” Lawler said.

Lawler had in hand a copy of a Los Angeles Times article from 1933 he found. The headline reads: “Revelers Flee in Lodge Raid.”

“The police that raided it were here at 3 o'clock in the morning. And there were still 500 people here. And they said it was the classiest joint they had ever raided... Anyway, people were diving out of windows and everything,” Lawler explained.

In a ruin like this, covered with moss and overgrowth, the imagination can run wild, too.

The archway that still stands outside of what's now known as Mountain Oaks.

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Lawler pointed out a questionable door jam below the old dancefloor that’s been cemented over.

“That is a door. So what is behind there? So there’s a room in there that got walled in for some reason,” he said.

What we do know is that, sometime after the raid, the tawdry Verdugo Lodge and the surrounding land were purchased and then renamed Mountain Oaks by the Kadletzes — an entrepreneurial family who had run everything from a Turkish bath to a mini golf course. Over the next few decades, the family would rent the place out to local groups for recreational retreats.

The future of Mountain Oaks 

After they sold it in the ‘60s, Lawler said Mountain Oaks faced a “nightmare” of development threats. Over the years, some of the subdivided "tent lots" had been combined and sold off, Lawler said. A dozen private homes now stand on these pieces of land, next to the ruins of the Verdugo Lodge.

A map showing the Mountain Oaks public property acquired by The Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA).

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Last year, with help from the City of Glendale, a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grant among other funding sources, the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA) put up $6.1 million to acquire 33-acres of the land — not including the private lots where the homes stand — so the public can continue to roam the meadow and ruins.

Paul Edelman, MRCA's director of natural resources and planning, said his group will continue to manage the land, doing things like brush clearance, trash pickup and sign maintenance. And he said there are no current plans to remove the ruins or make any major changes to the property.

“If somebody comes up with a grand idea where they can find some funding for us to do something to enhance it, we’re always open to it,” Edelman said.

The purchase was good news for local preservationist Joanna Linkchorst.

“I grew up directly up the hill. But I always saw the sign that said ‘private property’ and didn’t really think about it until several years ago when I finally asked Mike. And he said, ‘Oh yeah, we got a resort speakeasy down the street,’” Linkchorst said standing among the oaks and overgrowth.

Linkchorst, who founded the group Friends of Rockhaven to preserve another nearby historic site, said it’s been amazing to see all of the decaying structures that were still hiding out at Mountain Oaks.

“There’s almost like these little ghosts in your head as you imagine what it was like when there was a beautiful wood floor and there was a second floor that people came jumping out of,” Linkchorst said.

Now, let’s check in to the Overlook Hotel.

That’s the fictional place Stanley Kubrick brought to life in his 1980 film The Shining, loosely based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name.

A local architect who hails from South Pasadena meticulously crafted a 3D model of the iconic space so Shining fans everywhere never have to check out.

‘I just couldn’t stop’ 

At his day job, architect Anthony Chieh mainly works on residential and boutique commercial spaces. But over the course of five months, he spent his nights meticulously recreating a virtual replica of the Overlook Hotel from the film that first scared him when he was 12.

Of course he started with the deeply haunted Room 237. That’s where Jack Torrance, played by Jack Nicholson, has a terrifying encounter with a ghostly woman.

Chieh's 3D rendering of Room 237

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“But once I started, I just couldn’t stop,” Chieh told LAist.

“I ended up modeling the Colorado Lounge, and then after that I was thinking maybe I should make the lobby and then arriving to the Gold Room, and then Grady’s bathroom.”

“It’s like a rabbit hole,” he said.

Users who download Chieh’s free 3D model can fly through all of those spaces, immersed in atmospheric sounds and music from the film.

“It’s interesting to dive into these kind of fictional environments and try to make sense of it,” Chieh said. “And the hope is people will get a different perspective once they’re in there.”

Kubrick’s take on the Overlook was famously inspired by real hotels like the Timberline Lodge in Oregon and the Ahwahnee in Yosemite. But the interiors you see in the film were created on sound stages in England.

“Real architecture, physical buildings, are built for people to live. And for movies, these are more meant to express the emotional aspect of things. It’s a psychological construct,” Chieh said.

In a recently published video essay on YouTube, Chieh dives deep into those psychological constructs and how, as he puts it, “Kubrick designed the Overlook Hotel not as a backdrop, but as the film's true villain.”

How spaces scare 

Chieh said during the monthslong process he was reminded of the power of architecture and design in the real world too – whether it’s an uncomfortably repetitive carpet design or a claustrophobic hallway.

“A physical construct can affect your emotion,” Chieh said.

“You can use it in a way to make people feel comfortable and you can also use it in a way to create fear.”

Chieh's 3D rendering of the Torrance's apartment in 'The Shining'

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What’s next for this architect moonlighting as a 3D modeler?

Chieh says he’s thinking about giving the spaceship from “2001: A Space Odyssey" the virtual treatment next. Or maybe turning to a local non-fictional space, like the Stahl House.

That is, of course, if he can ever escape the Overlook.