While L.A. has a reputation for being an early-to-bed kind of town, there are many late-night spots (as in open after 11 p.m.) — if you know where to look for them. We've put together a comprehensive guide, by neighborhood, so that wherever you are when the hunger pangs strike, there's somewhere to head.
Why it matters: Because when you stumble out of the party, or bar, or concert, (or yes, even after the late shift), eating a convenience store hot dog just doesn't cut it.
Why now: Our last guide to L.A.'s late-night eateries stretches back to pre-pandemic times. A lot has changed since then, especially in the restaurant scene, so we figured it was time to bring everything up to date.
If you’re here, chances are you’re hungry, it’s late, and the clock is ticking. On the upside, traffic isn’t bad this time of night. On the downside, Los Angeles isn’t always known for late-night options unless you know where to go.
For those in the throes of a late-night food mission, let us guide you.
We’ve rounded up a list of (almost) all the late-night restaurants in the city. We skipped the major chains and fast food and decided anything before 11 p.m. isn’t truly late night.
During the pandemic, our city suffered significant restaurant closures. Nearly 100 restaurants from the last iteration of this list (2019) have closed. But while we’ve lost icons like Pacific Dining Car entirely, and Oki Dog now closes at 9 p.m., new spots have popped up in their absence.
One has a one-pound meatball, and another is a drive-thru pizza joint on the Sunset Strip. Koreatown still reigns supreme for late-night eats and adventures, but there’s a new upscale food court smack dab in DTLA.
Read on and bon appetit!
Koreatown, Mid-City, Pico-Union Nobody does late night eats like Koreatown. This bustling, self contained neighborhood has more 24-hour spots per square foot than anywhere else in town.
The obvious choice is Korean cuisine, whether it’s bubbling vegetarian hot pot from BCD Tofu House, street food inspired skewers in a graffitied booth at Dang Sung Sa, or K-fried chicken in a red restaurant that you’ve seen in New Girl.
But if you’re not feeling Korean food, the late night Korean spirit is awake at LOVE HOUR, a once beloved food truck with its own smashburger brick and mortar. While you’re there — don’t skip the elaborate cocktail menu or old school photo booth.
Address: 3470 W. 6th St., #6, Los Angeles, CA 90020 Closing time: Mon to Fri: 11 p.m., Sat/Sun: 1 a.m.
Bob's Big Boy in Burbank
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San Fernando Valley
Don’t call the San Fernando Valley a sleepy suburb. Where it lacks in nightlife options, it’s robust in nighttime food. There’s an array of old school diners, from David Lynch’s favorite Bob’s Big Boy to Mel’s Drive In. For juicy shawarma, try Sincerely Syria, regarded as some of the best Middle Eastern food in the city.
Craving a nostalgic and filling loaded baked potato? While enjoying a jazz performance? This unusual combination is only at The Baked Potato — a jazz club that’s been holding it down for over 50 years with more than a dozen topping combinations. Appetizers and small plates galore both high end (Bacari) and down home (Barney’s Beanery) are available late night for when choosing just one entree seems unfair.
Address: 150 S. San Fernando Blvd. #20, Burbank, CA 91502 Closing time: Mon to Fri: 12 a.m., Sat/Sun:1 a.m.
San Gabriel Valley
Any L.A. foodie knows SGV is heaven for Asian cuisine, and that doesn’t stop at 9 p.m. Grill your own KBBQ at King Charcoal BBQ or no frills fried rice at Phoenix Inn. But the diverse valley has plenty of taco options for just a few bucks each, and some of the city’s favorite pastrami in an unassuming corner stand. Take yours piping hot and freshly sliced in a sandwich or on fries at The Hat.
Address: 306 N. Garfield Ave., Monterey Park, CA 91754 Closing time: Mon to Thurs: 3 a.m., Fri/Sat: 4 a.m. Sun: 12 a.m.
A trio of sausages from Wurstküche
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DTLA
The concert has ended, the club is winding down, you’re downtown, what’s next? In most cities, “downtown” is the epicenter of it all, but Angelenos know our city works a little differently. Nevertheless, from the Historic Core to Little Tokyo to the Arts District, there’s options.
Keep it old school with a french dip at the counter of the over-100-year-old Cole’s (They claim to have invented the sandwich!) . Or give the new Downtown a shot at Level 8, a food and beverage mecca inside the Moxy hotel with Vegas-level immersive, Instagrammable dining, including tacos and shabu shabu open late. If you want to keep it simple, in true L.A. fashion, there are plenty of casual tacos in the area, too.
Address: 800 E. 3rd St., Los Angeles, CA 90013 Closing time: Sun to Thurs: 12 a.m., Fri/Sat: 1 a.m.
Mel's Drive-in
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Photo by LaTur via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr
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Hollywood
In Hollywood, sometimes the real party is wherever you grab food after. If you’re looking to see, be seen, and keep the party going, Grandmaster Recorders, inside the same building where David Bowie and the Red Hot Chili Peppers once recorded hits, serves Italian inspired bites till 2 a.m. Bossa Nova Brazilian Cuisine attracts clubgoers and even your favorite rappers who want to soak up the tequila sodas with rich fettuccine alfredo and beans and rice plates. Vegans and meat eaters can indulge at Doomie’s Home Cookin’, an entirely plant-based diner serving comfort food favorites and elaborate house-made desserts.
Address: 5657 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028 Closing time: 12 a.m.
Roscoe's House of Chicken 'n Waffles
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Photo by Melissa Acedera via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr
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Long Beach
Taco lovers are lucky with the array of options in Long Beach open late. Tacos Super Gallito has grilled meats, fried fish, fries and aguas frescas at their truck. For dine-in, despite its name, Los Tres Cochinitos serves both meat and mariscos, plus micheladas. While many other locations around town now close too early for this list, the original Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles, which opened in 1975 in Long Beach, serves its namesake till midnight.
Address: 225 W. Anaheim St., Long Beach, CA 90813 Closing time: 11 p.m.
South Bay
If you’re craving a burger, the South Bay is your oyster — no fast food chains required. Opt for quick and casual at Louis Burgers IV or Fabulous Charbroiled Burgers. Do it up at The Kettle, a diner that uses farmer’s market ingredients. You can get classic pad thai until 2 a.m. at Subhannahong or get quirky with their fusion laab tacos. Like the rest of town, there are late-night pizza and ramen options, too.
Address: 1644 W. Carson St., Torrance, CA 90501 Closing time: 11 p.m.
South L.A.
If you’re in South L.A., we can practically guarantee you’re less than 10 minutes from a King Taco, Tacos Gavilan, or Tacos El Unico. If you want pancakes while your BFF wants a full Thanksgiving dinner plate, there’s art deco legend Norm’s diner running 24 hours too. Mom-and-pop joints like Jim’s Super Burger and Louis Burger II are reliable and greasy in the right way. If you’re feeling bougie (we won’t tell), there’s yet another Bacari in this neck of the woods.
Address: 9901 Long Beach Blvd., Lynwood, CA 90262 Closing time: 11 p.m.
The Eastside
(Silver Lake, Echo Park, Atwater Village, Los Feliz, Highland Park, Eagle Rock, Cypress Park, Lincoln Heights, Boyle Heights, East L.A.)
Mexican food reigns supreme on the Eastside, whether it’s a big plate of enchiladas and a flaming margarita at El Compadre or bubbling, counter-service carnitas from Carnitas Michoacan. For those who want to split a slice of pie and chat into the wee closing hours of the night, Fred 62 has a robust menu with unusual diner options like falafel and familiar favorites, while House of Pies keeps it classic with old school prices, too. Locals know that Red Lion Tavern, a German-style bar, is best known for its wings.
Address: 4738 York Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90042 Closing time: 11 p.m.
West Hollywood
Got a hot date, but work ran late? West Hollywood is your best bet for high end, table service dinners at European hours. Your Instagram explore page has probably familiarized you with seafood spot CATCH, but newer LAVO Ristorante has a 1 pound meatball on the menu that is just as selfie-worthy and indulgent.
If you can manage to get a last minute table, old school red sauce joint Dan Tana’s will make anyone feel like a regular with service from seasoned waiters in tuxedos. Reality TV lovers may mourn the closing of PUMP, but Vanderpump Rules affiliate Tom Tom is now open. Those not looking to break the bank can go Tokyo mode and slurp ramen at Tatsu after the bars close, eat a hot dog in an old train car at Carneys, or spend under $10 for New York City export Prince Street Pizza (be warned, they don’t serve ranch).
Canter's Deli on Fairfax
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Photo by Chris_Lott via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr
Address: 8684 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, CA 90069 Closing time: Sun to Thurs: 12 a.m., Fri/Sat: 1 a.m.
Mel's Drive-in on Sunset
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Photo by LaTur via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr.
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Westside
Whether you’re a student, a surfer, or just lucky enough to spend a night by the beach, the Westside has plenty of affordable options for a late night bite and a few sit-in restaurants that keep the doors open.
Gorge on a giant sandwich from Fat Sal’s or Johnnie’s Pastrami or ramen from Daikokuya’s west side outpost. For a full restaurant experience, grab a dimly lit booth at La Cabaña for tamales and chile rellanos or head over to sailor themed The Galley for not-too-expensive steaks. Those from the 310 will suggest a hickory burger from West LA institution The Apple Pan. The extremely experienced will remind you to leave room for banana cream pie.
Address: 1440 Lincoln Blvd., Venice, CA 90291 Closing time: Sun to Wed: 12 a.m., Thurs to Sat: 1 a.m.
Restaurants that have closed since our 2019 guide
DTLA: Comfort LA, Coronados, Lupetti Pizzeria, Mezcalero, Pacific Dining Car, Suehiro Cafe, The Little Easy, The Pantry-TomGeorge, Wangs Tavern
Hollywood: 101 Coffee Shop, El Gran Burrito, Kitchen 24, Shin Ramen, Snow White Cafe, The Sit Down, Velvet Margarita, Yogi Dog
Koreatown: Beer Belly, Chadolpoong, Golden Pig, Kang Ho, Dong Baekjeong, KyoChon, Mountain Cafe, Nan Wok House, Plato, Red Pig, Secret IZT, Shuto Izakaya, Shin Jung, Star Night, Spare Tire Kitchen & Tavern, Stone Grill BBQ, Ten Ramen, Tengoku Ramen Bar, Touhmi, Won Jo Kokerang Agurang
Long Beach: Bangkok Blvd Restaurant, Cha2O, La Frida, SongHak
San Fernando Valley: Conrads- Dos Burritos- Harry's Family Restaurant- L'Ambiance Cafe- Nostal Cafe- Rock'n Pies, Trap Fried Chicken, Jerrys Deli
San Gabriel Valley: Altadena Wine & Ale House, Happy Kitchen, NYC Seafood, Tasty Garden
South Bay: Moshi Moshi Mambo, Ryo Zan Paku
South L.A.: Aldewaniah, Diana's Las Playas, El Oaxaco Taqueria y Antojitos Oaxaqueños, Tacos El Sinaloense
The Eastside: Electric Lotus Kitchen of India, Xelas, La India Bonita
West Hollywood: 8oz. Poke, Croft Alley at the Standard, Eveleigh, Greenblatt's, ISA Japanese, Kitchen 24, Michael's Pizza, Oki Dog, One80 Pizzeria, Pearl's Rooftop, Pink Taco, Plancha Tacos, Pump, Rock House Sliders, Saint Felix, Spare Tire, Sweet Chick, The 3rd Stop, The Hudson, The Pikey, The Sunset Trocadero, Toca Madera
Westside: Gabes Bar and Grill, Go Japanese Izakaya, Habibi Cafe, Izzy's Deli, James' Beach, Không Tên, Pacific Dining Car, Pho Shop-Plancha Tacos, Tasty Wok Cuisine, Swingers
President Donald Trump arrives to speak at the House Republican members conference dinner at Trump National Doral Golf Club in Miami on Jan. 27.
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Mark Schiefelbein
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AP
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Topline:
The Trump administration is seeking to challenge state laws regulating the artificial intelligence industry, according to an executive order the president signed Thursday.
What does the order do? The order directs the Justice Department to set up an "AI Litigation Task Force" to sue states over their AI-related laws and also directs the the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission to work with the DOJ to follow the White House's AI action plan to circumvent "onerous" state and local regulations.
What about the opposition? The executive order is almost certain to be challenged in court and tech policy researchers say the Trump administration cannot restrict state regulation in this way without Congress passing a law.
Read on ... for more about the administration's battle with states and conservative lawmakers over AI technology.
The Trump administration is seeking to challenge state laws regulating the artificial intelligence industry, according to an executive order the president signed Thursday.
The order directs the Justice Department to set up an "AI Litigation Task Force" to sue states over their AI-related laws and also directs the the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission to work with the DOJ to follow the White House's AI action plan to circumvent "onerous" state and local regulations.
The order also directs Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to study whether the department can withhold federal rural broadband funding from states with unfavorable AI laws.
"We have to be unified," said President Donald Trump. "China is unified because they have one vote, that's President Xi. He says do it, and that's the end of that."
Trump's AI advisor, venture capitalist David Sacks, said the administration will not push back on all state laws.
"Kid safety, we're going to protect," Sacks said. "We're not pushing back on that, but we're going to push back on the most onerous examples of state regulations"
The executive order is almost certain to be challenged in court and tech policy researchers say the Trump administration cannot restrict state regulation in this way without Congress passing a law. The order also directs Sacks to work with Congress to help draft legislation.
Trump's executive order drew criticism from some of his supporters, including organizations that are part of a bipartisan effort to pass laws protecting children from AI harms.
"This is a huge lost opportunity by the Trump administration to lead the Republican Party into a broadly consultative process," said Michael Toscano, director of the Family First Technology Initiative at the Institute for Family Studies, a conservative think tank. "It doesn't make sense for a populist movement to cut out the people on the most critical issue of our day. But nonetheless, that is what they are vigorously trying to do."
"Even if everything is overturned in the executive order, the chilling effect on states' willingness to protect their residents is going to be huge because they're all now going to fear getting attacked directly by the Trump administration," said Adam Billen, vice president of Encode, a nonprofit focused on child safety and threats posed by AI. "That is the point of all of this — it is to create massive legal uncertainty and gray areas and give the companies the chance to do whatever they want."
Sacks can recommend some state laws, such as around child safety, to not be challenged if Congress does come up with a national policy for AI.
The Trump administration has pushed for less regulation of the AI industry, citing competitive pressure with China. But Trump has also recently allowed chipmaker Nvidia to sell its second-most advanced AI chips to China. Depending on the quantity, said Michael Sobolik, a senior fellow at Hudson Institute who studies U.S.-China competition, the export could end up "diluting what is our most significant advantage in the AI race."
Trump and some of his allies have attempted multiple times this year to halt state-level AI regulation. Earlier this month, GOP lawmakers tried and failed to insert AI preemption into the annual defense spending bill.An earlier version of the executive order signed Thursday leaked last month, sparked a round of opposition from across the political spectrum.In July, the Senate dropped an AI moratorium from the reconciliation bill it was debating.
While Democrats broadly support more AI regulation, the issue has divided Republicans. A faction of the party, including the president, welcome the support of tech billionaires, though others continue to view them with distrust.
Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, an industry ally, introduced the failed AI moratorium during the reconciliation bill debate and stood next to Trump at a signing ceremony for the order on Thursday. After the effort to slip a similar measure in the defense spending bill failed last week, Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri posted on X, "This is a terrible provision and should remain OUT."
Many Republican governors are also opposed to the move. Earlier in the day, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox posted on X that he preferred an alternative executive order that did not include barring state laws. "States must help protect children and families while America accelerates its leadership in AI," he wrote.
"An executive order doesn't/can't preempt state legislative action," posted Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on X Monday in response to Trump's Truth Social post announcing the upcoming order, "Congress could, theoretically, preempt states through legislation." DeSantis has recently proposed a series of AI-related measures.
John Bergmayer, the legal director of the nonprofit advocacy group Public Knowledge, agreed. "They're trying to find a way to bypass Congress with these various theories in the executive order. Legally, I don't think they work very well."
In a post on X on Tuesday, Sacks suggested that the federal government can override state AI laws because it has the power to regulate interstate commerce.
Bergmayer disagreed, "States are, in fact, allowed to regulate interstate commerce. They do it all the time. And the Supreme Court just recently said it was fine."
Bergmayer cited a 2023 Supreme Court decision where the court supported California's power to regulate its pork industry even though the regulations affected farmers in other states.
Makenna Sievertson
covers the daily drumbeat of Southern California — events, processes and nuances making it a unique place to call home.
Published December 11, 2025 5:16 PM
Community members were invited to pay their respects, including a man who sprinkled a few drops of whiskey over the communal grave.
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Makenna Sievertson
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LAist
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Topline:
Hundreds of people gathered at a cemetery in Boyle Heights Thursday to honor more than 2,300 Angelenos whose bodies have not been claimed by loved ones.
Why it matters: Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn said that the unclaimed Angelenos may be strangers to those observing the ceremony, but they were our neighbors too.
Why now: Officials say it was the highest number of people laid to rest during the annual Ceremony of the Unclaimed Dead over the past 45 years.
The backstory: All of them died in 2022, about two years into the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read on ... to learn more about the annual ceremony honoring Angelenos.
Hundreds of people gathered at a cemetery in Boyle Heights Thursday to honor more than 2,300 Angelenos whose bodies have not been claimed by loved ones.
Officials say it was the highest number of people laid to rest during the annual Ceremony of the Unclaimed Dead over the past 45 years.
The remains were those of adults and children, some of whom had experienced homelessness, and who were immigrants far from home. Several of the people had struggled with physical and mental illnesses.
All of them died in 2022, about two years into the COVID-19 pandemic. The bodies were cremated and placed in a communal grave ahead of the ceremony, which has been a county tradition since 1896.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn said the unclaimed Angelenos may be strangers to those observing the ceremony, but they were our neighbors, too.
“They may have walked the same streets we did, waited at the same bus stops, enjoyed the same warm sunny days, even ones in mid-December like today,” Hahn said during the ceremony. “Like all of us, they hoped, they hurt, they dreamed — and too many endured more suffering and loneliness than anyone should.”
Inside the ceremony
Local faith leaders presided over the roughly hour-long event, sharing prayers and blessings to reflect the cultural and religious diversity of the region.
They included a Native American sage ceremony, as well as Buddhist, Islamic, Jewish and Christian prayers in five languages.
About 250 community members came to pay their respects, including Naha Armady of East Hollywood, who told LAist the experience was moving and emotional, especially after losing a family member and a pet earlier this year.
“It felt like it was totally meant to be for me to be able to come and hold space for these souls,” Armady said. “It's just an opportunity to have time and space and kind of honor the dead, and also maybe get a little bit of closure.”
Members of the community, along with county officials and faith leaders, placed white roses and bouquets of flowers they brought from home on the communal grave. One man sprinkled a few drops of whiskey over the petals from a black coffee cup.
Local faith leaders presided over the roughly hour-long event, including Jerry Arvayo, who performed a Native American sage ceremony.
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Makenna Sievertson
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Paying respects
Officials say the ceremony is designed to make sure every person in L.A. County, regardless of their means, is remembered with respect, dignity and compassion.
Justin Szlasa, a commissioner for the regional Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, told LAist the ceremony is an opportunity to honor fellow Angelenos who may have been overlooked or lonely in life.
“These are people who are not connected to the community in a way that I wish they would be,” Szlasa said. “And I think it's really wrapped up in the work that we do related to trying to solve the homelessness problem here in Los Angeles.”
A video of this year’s Ceremony of the Unclaimed Dead is available here.
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Jordan Rynning
holds local government accountable, covering city halls, law enforcement and other powerful institutions.
Published December 11, 2025 4:23 PM
LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell, with Capt. James Hwang, left, performs the uniform inspection during graduation at the Los Angeles Police Academy in May. Mayor Karen Bass says she wants to hire more officers but funding is unclear.
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Myung J. Chun
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Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
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Topline:
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass asked the City Council to increase LAPD’s budget by $4.4 million to hire 410 more officers before June. Some City Council members say they don’t see how the city can afford it.
Why the mayor wants more officers: In a letter to the City Council, Mayor Bass said she wants to ensure Angelenos are safe in coming years, including during major events like the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Olympic Games. Bass said without more officers, the city will pay more in overtime costs.
Tension with City Council: Multiple City Council members, including Budget and Finance Chair Katy Yaroslavsky and Personnel and Hiring Chair Tim McOsker, have pushed back against the proposal. They say that the budget already has been negotiated for 240 new officers and there has been no additional funding identified to hire more.
Read on … for more on the mayor’s attempt to increase LAPD staffing.
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass has asked the City Council to increase the Los Angeles Police Department’s budget by $4.4 million to hire 410 more officers before July.
In a letter to council members yesterday, Bass wrote that the city needs to have enough officers to keep Angelenos safe in coming years, including during major events like the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Olympic Games.
LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell made a similar argument at a Budget and Finance Commission meeting Tuesday, where he said that despite the city’s budget problems, he worries about whether L.A. will be prepared for the Olympics in 2028 under currently approved staffing.
Several City Council members have already been pushing back against the proposal, arguing that the budget for those positions was negotiated and signed by Bass in June.
“The council and the mayor signed a budget that included 240 new hires,” Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky said at the Budget and Finance Commission meeting on Tuesday. “The department chose to hire that full 240 in the first six months of this year.”
“Our job is to keep the city safe. We also have a responsibility to keep it solvent,” Yaroslavsky told LAist in an emailed statement. “I want to grow the police department, but I have yet to see a proposal that identifies an ongoing funding source to pay for more officers.”
LAPD Officers line up in preparation to form a skirmish line in front of protesters near the federal detention facility in downtown L.A. on June 7, 2025.
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Jordan Rynning
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LAPD hiring goals twice as high as current budget
Mayor Bass initially proposed a budget back in April recommending funding to support 480 new LAPD officers.
The final budget was a compromise reached by the City Council that approved hiring 240 new recruits in the midst of a budget crisis and attempts to reduce layoffs across the city. According to a press release on June 7, the day after she signed the final budget, Bass announced a plan to find additional funding within 90 days to bring the total LAPD hires to 480.
The funding never materialized and no additional positions have yet been approved.
LAPD has already hit its hiring cap of 240 new officers, according to a letter from the city personnel department.
The city’s most recent financial status report filed on Dec. 5 by City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo says if LAPD continues hiring at its current pace, the department would add 410 new sworn officers and exceed the plan previously budgeted.
The report shows that costs of the additional 410 officers would be expected to exceed $4.4 million through June, then about $23.7 million in the next fiscal year.
Chief McDonnell spoke to council members at the Budget and Finance Committee about the pace of hiring, and said that the department did what it was “told to do.”
“Our understanding was . . . that we would be able to hire an additional 240 if we hired 240 in the first six months,” McDonnell said, “we did that.”
The department cannot continue hiring without the additional positions requested by Bass.
Show me the money
At Tuesday’s Budget and Finance meeting, Councilmember Tim McOsker asked Szabo whether any funds had ever been identified to fill those positions.
“There has not been a formal report issued to this body identifying funds for additional hiring above what is in the budget,” Szabo replied.
“Is there any proposal — any sort of competent, grown up, adult proposal — for how we pay for this?” McOsker, who also chairs the Personnel and Hiring Committee, asked in a follow up question to Szabo.
“Not that I'm aware of,” Szabo replied. He said his office would be happy to identify reductions to fund additional hiring, but had not been instructed to do so.
That means the proposed hires would need to come from the city’s reserve funds, which Szabo’s office cautioned against.
“The impact of this overspending in 2025-26 and 2026-27 cannot be overlooked,” his office’s financial status report states, “as it represents a departure from the approved plan with likely repercussions to the City’s Reserve Fund.”
The reserve fund currently sits at 5.06 percent of the total general fund budget, according to the report, but overspending — primarily driven by LAPD and liability payments — could bring the reserve fund below emergency levels of 5 percent.
“We should never, as a practice, assume the use of the reserve fund for hiring police officers,” Szabo told the Budget and Finance Committee. “The reserve fund is there for unexpected circumstances.”
In an emailed statement provided to LAist, McOsker said he agrees with the mayor that public safety is the highest priority.
“I agreed with the Mayor six months ago when she originally proposed this saying she would work with Council Leadership to find the money to fund more officers.” McOsker said, “But six months later, this remains a proposal with no funding identification.”
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Bass told Larry Mantle on AirTalk that the city is looking at “every account possible” to find money for more officers, and that not approving more hiring will also have a financial cost.
“ Either we hire new officers or we continue to spend millions and millions of dollars in overtime,” she said.
Listen to the interview
Listen
15:18
LA Mayor Karen Bass calls for allocating more money to police department hiring
Gab Chabrán
covers what's happening in food and culture for LAist.
Published December 11, 2025 3:57 PM
Hermon’s neon marquee inviting locals in for good eats and drinks
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Gab Chabrán
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LAist
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Topline:
Hermon's, opened in early December in a former church banquet hall, brings the first sit-down restaurant to the 122-year-old Northeast L.A. neighborhood. Owned by Last Word Hospitality, chef/partner DK Kolender's New American bar and grill already has drawn overwhelming community support, with neighbors returning multiple times in the first week.
Why now: For years, the community had only had takeout options for dining, watching while surrounding areas like Highland Park transformed through L.A,'s dining boom. After five years of pursuing the space, Last Word Hospitality convinced a reluctant landlord and won over the Hermon Neighborhood Council by emphasizing architectural restoration and naming the restaurant after the community itself.
Why it's important: The story illustrates the team's intentional approach to developing "in-between" neighborhoods rather than adding to already-saturated dining corridors. It also demonstrates how a restaurant group can successfully integrate into a community through thoughtful engagement, like affordable happy hour pricing ($6-8) designed specifically for local residents.
Read on ... for more details on the new venture and its menu.
Hermon just got its first sit-down restaurant.
If you've never heard of the Northeast Los Angeles neighborhood tucked between Highland Park and El Sereno, you're not alone. Unless you live there or regularly navigate the Arroyo Seco, Hermon tends to fly under the radar.
While its hip neighbors have seen wave after wave of restaurant openings, this 3,500-resident community has remained untouched. Until now.
Opened Dec. 3, Hermon's sits on the main stretch of Monterey Road, the latest venture from Last Word Hospitality — the restaurant group behind Found Oyster, Barra Santos, Queen's Raw Bar & Grill and Rasarumah. Founded in 2014 by Holly Fox and Adam Weisblatt, the group partners with chefs and hospitality professionals, helping them become restaurant owners.
The neighborhood of Hermon was founded in 1903 by a Free Methodist Church group and named after the biblical Mount Hermon. Annexed into Los Angeles in 1912, Hermon has grown quietly as a primarily residential area. But it remains one of Northeast LA's last underserved neighborhoods, with limited amenities and stores. Anyone interested in dining out was restricted to takeout spots at the Fresco Community Market shopping center.
From banquet hall to bar seats
The 89-seat restaurant occupies a former banquet hall that belonged to the Free Methodist Church, with Art Deco bones in a decidedly Craftsman neighborhood. The all-booth dining room features a U-shaped bar, handmade California tilework, hickory floors and vintage artwork spanning centuries.
Fox spent five years pursuing the building, drawn to its corner location and architectural details. The landlord initially resisted, citing risk, but came around after detailed presentations and tours of Barra Santos and Queen's. The next stop was the Hermon Neighborhood Council. Fox's team pitched in the space itself, emphasizing architectural restoration. The clincher? The name.
"The first thing she said to me was, 'The smartest thing you've done is name it Hermon,'" Fox recalled of the council president's reaction. "'You saw a community and you said, "Let's build a reflection of who they are."'"
Inside Hermon’s: a softly lit, wood-lined dining room that nods to classic L.A. dining rooms while feeling firmly rooted in the Hermon community.
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Courtesy Hermon's
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Community goal
Gentrification concerns — common at Last Word's other openings — never surfaced. Instead, Fox said the community seemed eager to be recognized.
Nicole Mihalka, president of the Hermon Neighborhood Council, said the name itself was significant for the small community.
"Not a lot of people know what Hermon is, but now if there's this great restaurant that's a destination with Hermon in the name, they're going to have to find out," she said.
The opening fulfills a long-standing community goal. In 2018, when the Hermon Neighborhood Council asked residents what they wanted to see more of in the neighborhood, the answer was clear: walkable retail and amenities, including restaurants and cafes.
The story illustrates Last Word Hospitality's intentional approach to developing "in-between" neighborhoods rather than adding to already-saturated dining corridors.
Opening with a happy hour was non-negotiable for Fox — a signal from day one that Hermon's is built for locals. Running daily until 6 p.m., there are $10 martinis and food specials priced between $6-8 that include garlic bread, marinated olives and loaded potato fritters. Fox said happy hour sales already match the next two hours combined, proving the pricing strategy is working for neighborhood regulars.
The menu
Chef/partner DK Kolender, whose résumé includes Tartine and Dudley's Market, leads the kitchen with a New American bar and grill menu, offering polished crowd-pleasers with an edge.
Kolender is most excited about the two-sheet lasagna vongole ($36) — clams, cream, guanciale, parmesan and breadcrumbs layered between fresh pasta made daily. The dish evolved from a clam toast he made at Dudley's Market, after weeks of developing a verde lasagna that never quite landed.
A closer look at the Ode to Chez burger — char, melt and a little sauce drip for good measure.
(
Jim Sullivan
/
Courtesy Hermon's
)
Hermon’s two-sheet lasagna vongole, layering clams, cream, guanciale, parmesan and breadcrumbs into a rich, flat-sheet presentation.
(
Courtesy Hermon's
)
The Ode to Chez cheeseburger ($24) — originally created for a Malibu project lost in the Palisades fires — features soubise fondue studded with green peppercorns, bordelaise onions, Dijon and a sesame milk bun developed with Kolender's former team at Tartine. Skip the $6 fries and opt instead for the loaded potato fritters ($16), topped with cream cheese, bacon and parmesan. It's the kind of indulgence that doesn't leave you weighed down.
Hermon’s loaded potato fritter: golden, layered potatoes crowned with a snowfall of grated cheese.
(
Jim Sullivan
/
Courtesy Hermon's
)
Since the opening, Kolender says the response has been overwhelming.
"We've had people who live down the street here two, three times already," he said. "We know them by name."
For Fox, it's unprecedented.
"I have never opened a restaurant with this much support," she said. "It's an unbelievable feeling."
