The Biggest Los Angeles Restaurant Openings in May 2025
When Badash Bakes opened its doors on April 29, sweets enthusiasts started lining up at her new storefront on Colorado Boulevard, just east of Marengo Avenue, right away. Waits might run 60 minutes or more for owner and pastry chef Ashley Cunningham's traditional and beautiful ceremonial grade-matcha cinnamon rolls, coffee, matcha lattes, red velvet cake, banana bread loaf, blueberry muffins, brownies, and banana pudding. She also refreshes the display case with fresh cookies all day long, with s'mores, toffee chocolate chip, matcha, and a slightly salty and sweet cornbread disc. Staff frequently bring freshly baked goods to the display case, but most still sell out. That's mostly due to Cunningham's massive TikTok following and her ample experience at LA restaurants. Badash Bakes started in an industrial kitchen before opening in Pasadena. Though open since late April, Badash Bakes' grand opening is on May 31. Baby Bistro - Chinatown
Baby Bistro started as a sold-out string of rotating pop-up dinners by chef Miles Thompson (Allumette, Michael's) and partner Andy Schwartz, and now has a permanent home in Chinatown as of May 8. It's a charming 100-year-old Victorian bungalow that seats 35 in the same Alpine Courtyard complex as Perilla and Baker's Bench. The duo's new restaurant is where Thompson brings a new menu showcasing farmers market ingredients at their peak, accompanied by Schwartz's wine selections. Though the set-up seems somewhat close to a tasting menu format, Thompson insists it is not. Always check the menu to see what Thompson procured and prepared, like the turnip tofu dish that uses Gardena's artisan Meiji Tofu, and bread baked in a hotel pan with Walla Walla onions, butter, and onion seeds; deglazed with mirin; and finished with a light soy sauce. AC Barbecue - Century City
Two of Los Angeles's most prominent Black comedians and actors — Anthony Anderson ( Blackish ) and Cedric the Entertainer (real name Cedric Antonio Kyles; The Neighborhood, Barber Shop ) — opened a food court restaurant called AC Barbeque on May 7 inside the Westfield Century City. The restaurant's smoked meats incorporate flavors and styles from their upbringings in Compton and St. Louis. AC Barbecue occupies a prime slot toward the front of the mall's rooftop food court deck. The restaurant is inspired by Anderson and Kyles' A&E show, King of BBQ. The pair brought on pitmaster Burt Bakman (Slab Barbecue, Trudy's Underground Barbecue) to develop a menu of St. Louis ribs, smoked chicken, chopped brisket, chicken wings, and pulled pork. Baekjeong - Koreatown
After closing at Chapman Market in January 2024, renowned Korean barbecue chain Baekjeong returned to Los Angeles with a new flagship location in Koreatown, which opened on May 7. Open for more than a decade before its closure and relocation, Baekjeong became wildly popular for its lively dining atmosphere and high-quality meals like thinly sliced brisket and boneless short ribs. The new expansive location, situated on Eighth Street, is a return to form for the restaurant, offering beef and pork combinations for grilling, alongside doenjang jjigae, gyeran-jjim (steamed egg), and kimchi pancakes. At the new location, Baekjeong's senior director of culinary operations, chef Samuel Kim, introduced a dry-aging program, alongside lunch bowls and sets. Baekjeong doesn't accept reservations, so be prepared for waits on busy nights. Miznon - Downtown
On May 10, legendary Israeli chef Eyal Shani opened the first West Coast location for Miznon, an international Middle Eastern street food chain where the specialty is pita sandwiches. Miznon (which translates to 'canteen' or 'cafeteria' in Hebrew) debuted in the former Sari Sari Store, and diners can try the folded cheeseburger a la smash burger pita filled with dill pickles and a savory sauce. The menu also features pita packed with roasted cauliflower and tahini, and the steak and egg pita with sour cream, tomato, Lebanese cucumber, salsa, and green onions. As with Miznon's other locations, Shani will create a signature pita that reflects regional flavors after he visits Los Angeles later this year. The Tel Aviv-based restaurant made its U.S. debut in New York's Chelsea Market in 2018 and has since expanded to Singapore, London, Paris, and Las Vegas. Cento Raw Bar - West Adams
Cento Raw Bar, a restaurant by the team behind neighboring Cento Pasta Bar, opened on May 12, serving seafood towers, crudos, and caviar sandwiches in an otherworldly space that resembles a sun-washed sea cave. The restaurant comes from chef Avner Levi, director of operations Adrien D'Attellis, and creative director Brandon Miradi; Avner's first restaurant, Cento Pasta Bar, opened in December 2021 after a long-running tenure as a pop-up at Downtown's Mignon Wine Bar. At Cento Raw Bar, Avner serves a seafood-oriented menu that's meant to pair with wine and cocktails. Raw shellfish like oysters, uni, Peruvian scallops, and crab legs are served on a custom-made modular glass tower designed by Miradi, alongside hamachi crudo, cold squid ink noodles, and '90s club-inspired cocktails. Bar Benjamin - Hollywood
Melrose hotspot the Benjamin has taken over the upstairs space of its Melrose venue, which used to house disco-infused cocktail bar the Moon Room, and transformed it into Bar Benjamin. Opened on May 13, the new bar comes from a continued partnership between the Benjamin founders Ben Shenassafar, Kate Burr, and Jared Meisler, with cocktails by Jason Lee (n/soto, Baroo) and Chad Austin (the Mulholland, Bootlegger Tiki). The bar is inspired by Shenassafar's travels through cities like Mexico City, Tokyo, London, Chicago, Paris, and New York, and the unique cocktail bars each destination offered. Bar Benjamin serves a menu of inventive and classic cocktails like a miso-infused Manhattan, the tom kha flavored Tommy Boy, and a fesenjoon-inspired brandy and tequila cocktail. Bar bites are available to pair, like beef tartare, strawberries and cream, and deviled eggs. Hasi Bread - Del Rey
On May 13, one of Los Angeles's most viral new bakeries, Hasi Bread, opened a retail shop and cafe in the Del Rey/Mar Vista area on the corner of Centinela and Washington Boulevard inside the former Hot Cakes Bakes. It's the first permanent standalone location for the farmers market favorite that sells its popular yellow-and-blue sourdough bread, along with pastries and coffee. Founded by baker Matias Barang in 2018, the signature pea butterfly flower and turmeric-tinted loaves have been a staple at Erewhon and farmers markets in Brentwood, Westwood, and North Hollywood. Mixtape - Westlake Village
Musician, producer, and DJ Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson opened a burger spot with a twist in Westlake Village food hall, Neighborly, called Mixtape on May 19. Though Mixtape might appear as an old-school burger joint with soft serve called 'Saturdaes,' they prepare double-stacked patties and chicken tenders without beef, gluten, or seed oils. All the burgers are made with chicken or vegetarian patties and served on gluten-free buns. The Classics Chicken Sandwich comes with gluten-free crispy chicken, mayo, and dill pickles on a toasted and buttered sesame seed brioche bun. For burgers, the OGB Royale offers a choice between a single or double chicken patty, with American cheese, dill pickles, grilled onions, and lettuce. There are gluten-free chicken tenders and a plant-based burger made with shitake mushrooms. Lucia - Fairfax
Upscale Afro-Caribbean restaurant Lucia opened on a busy stretch of Fairfax on May 28, from owner Sam Jordan. Jordan tapped Jamaica-born Adrian Forte to be Lucia's executive chef; before joining the restaurant, Forte previously competed on Top Chef Canada ; worked as a private chef for Virgil Abloh, Drake, and Alicia Keys; and authored Afro-Caribbean cookbook Yawd . Lucia features dishes from across the Caribbean and African diaspora, filtered through Jordan's travels, Los Angeles's dining culture, and Forte's experience. A Jamaican patty comes stuffed with spiced wagyu beef, tucked between flaky layers of yellow pastry, while fish is swapped for lychee in a vegan ceviche with a light sorrel sauce and rice paper cracker. The menu also spans dishes like fried saltfish and fig croquettes, Trini Mac Pie, loaded rice and peas, and fried chicken. Bar Avoja - Hollywood
Bar Avoja, a new Roman-inspired cocktail lounge from acclaimed chef Evan Funke and Giancarlo Pagani, the managing partner of Mother Wolf Group, opens in the short-lived former Mars cocktail bar space, tucked behind Mother Wolf, on May 30. At the bar, Funke serves a menu influenced by handheld Roman street food, alongside folded and thin-crust pizza and cocktails. Frittatina di carbonara is filled with spaghetti swirled with guanciale, black pepper, and egg, while the puffy, folded Portafoglio is topped with oxtail meatballs and braised greens. Cocktails, wine, and mocktails are available to pair with Funke's cooking at the reservations-only lounge. La Ola - Beverly Hills
Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills debuted its new rooftop restaurant, La Ola, on May 30. The coastal Mexican restaurant features a menu from executive chef Jesus Medina, comprised of dishes like shrimp aguachile, carne asada platos, and tuna tostada. During the daytime, La Ola serves a more laid-back menu of tacos and paletas, while the evening brings short rib carne asada, octopus chicharron, and a tlacoyo topped with asiento and rib-eye carpaccio. Cocktails, available all day, include margaritas, a clarified strawberry daiquiri, spiked horchata, and a slushy welcome shot. Marathon Burger - Venice
After receiving a warm reception for its Melrose shop in March, Samiel 'Blacc Sam' Asghedom (the brother of the late entrepreneur and rapper Nipsey Hussle) will debut Marathon Burger's second LA location on Saturday, May 31, in Venice Beach. His team will sling crispy-edged smash burgers on the Venice Beach Boardwalk next to the pickup basketball courts and Muscle Beach in a space once occupied by another LA burger favorite — the Window.
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Still, Theo's self-mythology suggests a latent sadness, perhaps stemming from a suspicion that he might live out his adult life as a regular person, rather than the educated professional his parents expect him to become. But for as often as the show points out the teen's foibles, Warner never lets viewers dismiss Theo outright. For a while, he animates his character's puppyish demeanor with perfectly timed voice cracks and awkward body language. Yet the actor slowly recalibrates as both he and Theo age, shifting the fumbling swagger toward a more mature kind of self-assurance. Some of the show's most rewarding scenes arrive when Theo, as an older teen, earns his father's respect by showing up as his full self. On two separate occasions, Theo and his best friend, who goes by the nickname 'Cockroach' (Carl Anthony Payne II), write a rap for a class assignment. Both iterations include catchy lyrics that demonstrate an understanding of the material; teens like Theo and Cockroach can do great work, the show suggests, when they have room to be creative. It feels fitting, then, that Theo's emotional turning point comes from a diagnosis that upends his parents' skepticism about him. After he enrolls in college, Theo learns that he's dyslexic, which reframes his academic challenges, flighty aspirations, and self-doubts. (Charting a clear path forward is hard when you believe that you aren't smart enough to advance.) The revelation frees Theo from the 'failure' narrative that the adults in his life have pinned on him; he begins performing better academically as a result. More important, he invests his downtime in a meaningful, altruistic pursuit. As a volunteer at the local community center, Theo lights up while mentoring tweens who have struggles similar to his own, and not just because he's good at it. Working with a younger generation gives Theo a platform to draw upon his life experiences and learn as he goes, affirming his newfound sense of accomplishment. When one of his advisers tells him he's doing well but isn't 'there' yet, Theo agrees—a moment Warner underscores by smiling to himself as he murmurs, 'But I'm growing.' The pleasure Warner brings to the exchange reflects just how much his character has transformed from an aimless teen afraid to fail into an adult who recognizes that trial and error are part of life. The Cosby Show closes with the whole family gathering. Although Cliff reflects on the long, hard road his son faced to get here, Theo's real triumph is different, and more significant. He's no longer feigning confidence or struggling to understand why the things that come easily to others are so difficult for him. He won't become a doctor or a lawyer. After years of effort, he's defined what personal success means to him. A sense of direction is what his parents have wanted for him all along. And now he's found it for himself.
