West Adam’s Best New Places to Eat
In April 2021, I did a neighborhood video highlighting what was driving everyone to West Adams. I chalked it up to the housing stock’s historic charm, its convenient location, and that it was in a sweet spot with recent investment and with future growth still to come. (See video Why is everyone talking about West Adams?)
As in many places, the growth of a neighborhood or city I feel can often best be seen by the restaurants that are opening. This is a sign the people are there and desire dynamic dining experiences. In the past two years since my video, in addition to many new apartment buildings, retail and commercial spaces, there have been some great restaurant openings in West Adams. (The area I define as the wide rectangle below the 10 FWY running between Culver City and USC.) I wanted to share those with you, what makes them great, and some of my favorite dishes.
Vicky’s All Day
Opened this year by the same chef/operator of Mizlala (two doors down) Danny Elmaleh. Elmaleh has brought the same commitment to putting out consistently amazing dishes. As the name suggests, this casual eatery with vintage decor is open all day for breakfast, lunch and dinner--and brunch in between. Cafe curtain rods over the banquets, black and white checkered floors and diner style countertop seating looking across to the opened kitchen make for a cozy and comfortable place for any time of the day.
An easy table pleaser is the shared Hummus platter that comes out with a giant flat pita called Laffa and Mediterranean dips like artichoke, tzatziki, and olives. The Rigatoni in a Calabrian chili vodka sauce is an excellent comfort dish. The pizzas make for another great table share. Reminiscent of the tempura broccoli from Mizlala, is the crispy mushroom side. It’s prepared with capers and creamy aioli.
If you're into natural wines, they offer bottles at retail pricing to enjoy with your meal, and don't sting when you get the bill. With a good amount of sidewalk tables now set up, Vicky’s is located in the most bustling section along Adams Boulevard, and makes for good little people-watching spot.
See menu and details here: https://www.vickysallday.com/
Tartine Bakery
Across on the north side of the street and heading east towards La Brea, you can’t help but be caught by the tempting scents of freshly baked goods. Established 20 years ago, this San Francisco based artisan bakery/cafe has a large space below a newly built mixed use apartment complex. Tartine does their large scale baking here for their LA based cafes. A corner storefront is for to-go coffees, sandwiches and decadent pastries that can also be enjoyed on their family style outdoor tables.
When I recently popped in they were cutting what looked like an insanely rich chocolate cake. There is a panini press, so if seeking a real lunch, they offer warmed up sandwiches that include turkey and grilled cheese. Also, and where their name comes from (French meaning toasts) there are avocado and smoked salmon tartines. You can take home whole or half loafs of fresh-baked bread, including multi grain porridge or whole wheat sesame options. The scone selection is insane, with a bacon & chive one that caught my eye.
See menu and details here: https://tartinebakery.com/
MIAN
Heading further east, is another one of my go-to’s the Sichuan Chinese noodle house serving up steaming bowls of soups and noodles. Mian, which translates to noodle, opened on Adams Boulevard within the past two years and came with a built-in following from their initial store in San Gabriel. Started by James Beard Award nominated chef Tony Xu, as a more casual offshoot of his Jonathan Gold revered Chengu Taste restaurant. I quickly became a regular here. The soup options include The Golden Chicken Noodle, made golden by the pumpkin infusion. The Numb Beef noodles, is aptly named so as the foods from Chengdu use the mighty Sichuan peppercorn that literally numbs your mouth. I opt for the simpler Clear Broth Zajiang noodles which showcase the delicious and slightly firm noodles in flavourful yet simple chicken broth. I also love wok fried rice, dumplings with chili oil, and another mouth-numbing dish of steamed broccoli, made so by the anise spice and served chilled.
Not only does MIAN offer exciting and tasty food but their West Adams store is built out in a super cool modern industrial style. Dim pendant lighting, grey concrete and pops of red blended with solid wood block tables & chairs makes for a modern atmosphere.
See menu and details here: https://miantaste.com/
Cento
The final stop in my West Adams food tour, and also recently opened, is to the Italian restaurant known as Cento. Until chef Avner Levi identified Adams as the spot, and after cooking at some of LA’s top restaurants, he was a vagabond only doing pop ups and not having a brick & mortar. Aside from the sort of chef’s kitchen countertop seating, the dining area is mostly in the front courtyard sheltered from the street by a wall of cypress trees and covered by string lights. The patio floor is made of sandy decomposed granite and a mature olive tree in the center makes for a romantic Tuscan-like setting.
From the entirely opened kitchen the chefs put out some of the best pasta dishes in all of LA:
Beet spaghetti with brown butter and Ricotta. Squid ink noodles with prawns. And a Bolognese topped with 28 month aged parm.
If wanting protein, there is duck confit and a New Zealand rack of lamb. And for starters there are lovely sounding salads that include an endive caesar with bottarga, and a heirloom radicchio with medjool dates. As you may gather, this is by far the most polished dining that West Adams has, and it is thriving with reservations being booked for a few weeks out.
See menu and details here: https://www.cento.group/
So, next time you are deciding where to go out to eat, consider exploring a new neighborhood and checking out some of these great new spots in West Adams. There is an air of excitement being that it all feels so new and fresh. Don’t wait too long on these selections, for there are already some big announcements being made of more to come!