4 Restaurants to Try This Weekend in Los Angeles: July 11
For some of Los Angeles's best vegan ice cream: Awan
For some of Los Angeles's best vegan ice cream: Awan. Nicole Adlman
Vegan ice cream doesn't always get a good rap, but Awan, a coconut-based ice cream specialist, seems to have cracked the code. The Indonesian coconut cream that serves as a vehicle to its flavors delivers the rounded fattiness you want from ice cream while offering more nuance to scoops like Balinese Vanilla Bean (whose base comes from Indonesian coconut water and coconut cream), Gaviota Strawberry, Gula Jawa Salted Caramel (dusted with unrefined Indonesian palm sugar), Nekohama Hojicha, and Graza Banana Lemon Curd (yes, that Graza). That it is served from a vibey green storefront somewhere between a mermaid's grotto and Grecian cave only heightens the experience (similar to the effect of dining in the cavelike Cento Raw Bar in West Adams). Don't miss the Chocolate Oreo, made with Valrhona chocolate; kluwek, an Indonesian mangrove seed for a malted flavor; and packed with gluten-free Oreo cookies — what might be one of the only gluten-free cookies-and-cream-style flavors you can find in Los Angeles. With locations now in Venice, Larchmont, and West Hollywood, your next Awan visit can't be too far away. 540 Rose Avenue, Venice, 90291 CA. — Nicole Adlman, cities manager
For vegan Mexican cooking: El Cocinero in Van Nuys
For vegan Mexican cooking: El Cocinero. Mona Holmes
At first glance, the lack of meat at El Cocinero may not even be noticeable. The menu reads like that of any other taqueria, with tacos al pastor, birria, nachos, and the like. But Alex Vargas has figured out how to run a taqueria that can compete with some of the best in town, without any animal products at all. Vargas finds hearty substitutes for carnitas, chicharron, asada, and more that not only mimic taste, but also offer a satisfying texture that is so rare in some vegan cooking. For something easy to share with a group, try the super nachos, topped with cashew-based 'cheese,' refried beans, cashew crema, and a meat of choice. 6265 Sepulveda Boulevard Unit 12, Van Nuys, CA 91411. — Rebecca Roland, editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest
For excellent pan dulce from one of LA's oldest bakeries: Delicias Bakery & Some in Highland Park
For excellent pan dulce from one of LA's oldest bakeries: Delicias Bakery & Some in Highland Park. Mona Holmes
Long before Figueroa Street in Highland Park became its current buzzy neighborhood, blue-collar Latino families made this Northeast LA corner a cozy place to live. Though gentrification has significantly changed the landscape over the decades, beloved spots are still in business, including Delicias Bakery & Some. The bakery operates on Figueroa near 55th Avenue, where staff serve pan dulce alongside sandwiches, breakfasts, coffee drinks, and whatever locals are craving. Delicias has been preparing cinnamon and piloncillo-laced puerquitos, breakfast burritos, and traditional conchas since 1990, along with guayaba turnovers, and an iced pinole (roasted ground corn) latte. A handful of plant-based conchas are also available. The team even collaborates with other businesses, such as preparing challah for the neighboring sandwich shop, Jeff's Table, using tangzhong. Even though it might be tempting to grab a pastry or coffee at one of the newer (and excellent) businesses, it's always best to go to Delicias, where it's been a delicious community hub for decades. 5567 N. Figueroa Street, Highland Park, CA. — Mona Holmes, editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest
For a trippy and profoundly British brunch situation in the Arts District: Cafe 2001
Matthew Kang
Downtown's always been more receptive to the more off-the-wall dining experience, and Cafe 2001 delivers a different kind of daily brunch in the Arts District. Giles Clark has an incredible culinary pedigree (Den Tokyo, St. John London) and came stateside with his mentor Junya Yamasaki, who helms Yess next door. Clark's daytime extravaganza takes over a unique industrial space sporting a wraparound mezzanine, skylights, and brick walls that I've called Brutalist and Victorian at the same time (the grandma-style furniture recalls more of the latter). The food feels modern British, Jamie Oliver but with a niceness that recalls Fergus Henderson (St. John's longtime chef), so it comes as no surprise that the country terrine is spectacular, studded with pistachios and cracked black pepper, wrapped so tightly that it makes a slice of chopped pork lovely thing to behold. A cocktail-sized chilled borscht is a delightful summer soup, while the huckleberry jam and yogurt underneath smoked salmon on the crispy potato hash simply works despite the contrasts of sweet, creamy, and salty. The pork katsu sando loses the crispy exterior but gains a juiciness that the convenience store sandwich normally doesn't have. Merguez sausage and crispy twig-like fries come with dense aioli and harissa, a nod to a Marseilles street food wherein those ingredients come wrapped in a gut-busting sandwich. Thankfully, Clark skips the bread and just allows the finger-ready bites to sit on a plate. On Thursday, the place was buzzing with every table full, and one imagines the energy continues through the weekend. It took me a while to comprehend Cafe 2001, but it's clearly the kind of place that defies immediate understanding — something that I rather enjoy in an age when so many restaurants are predictable and blasé. 2001 E. Seventh Street North Entrance, Los Angeles, CA 90021. — Matthew Kang, lead editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest
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