4 Restaurants to Try This Weekend in Los Angeles: August 1

Eater

a day ago

Every Friday, our editors compile a trusty list of recommendations to answer the most pressing of questions: 'Where should I eat?' Here now are four places to check out this weekend in Los Angeles. And if you need some ideas on where to drink, here's our list of the hottest places to get cocktails in town.
For dinner and cocktails at a museum: Trellis Bar & Lounge at the Getty
For dinner and cocktails at a museum: Trellis Bar & Lounge at the Getty. Rebecca Roland
The restaurant at the Getty has long been one of the better museum dining options, but it didn't feel like it took full advantage of its settings. The dining room and patio, overlooking the rolling hillsides, are both stunning, but there was just so much untapped potential with the Getty's stone-laden plazas. It seems like the Getty may have been thinking a similar thing, because the latest addition to the museum is an outdoor restaurant and bar right at the top of the colorful entrance steps. Trellis Bar & Lounge serves an easygoing menu of dishes like Thai mango summer rolls, taquitos, and a mezze platter, alongside wine, beer, and cocktails. The no-reservations set up makes it easy to just wander in and settle in for quick drinks between exhibitions, or a full meal at the end of a day. 1200 Getty Center Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90049. — Rebecca Roland, deputy editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest
For a quick and affordable lunch: The Kimbap in Koreatown
For a quick and affordable lunch: The Kimbap in Koreatown. Rebecca Roland
As much as I envy those who can luxuriate over a mid-day chopped salad and glass of wine, lunch, for the most part, is a meal of utility for me. If my refrigerator is running low on leftovers, I'm often looking for something easy and affordable (and can be eaten at my desk). One of my go-to options is gimbap (also spelled as kimbap), preferably with tuna. I've picked up rolls from all across LA, but one of my recent favorites is from the Kimbap in Koreatown. For less than $15, the Kimbap gives you two hearty rolls that can barely be contained by the takeout container. Other filling options include Spam, beef, spicy pork, kimchi, and more. 400 S Western Avenue #102, Los Angeles, CA 90020. — Rebecca Roland, deputy editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest
For a luxe Chinese meal in Beverly Hills without paparazzi: 88 Club
For a luxe Chinese meal in Beverly Hills without paparazzi: 88 Club. Matthew Kang
Mei Lin's sophomore effort in Los Angeles (we'll consider her casual restaurant Daybird more of a 1.5) comes in the form of 88 Club, a striking, moody affair with just a few dozen seats and an almost secret side lounge for cocktails. The entire look and feel are incredibly lovely, well-detailed, and luxurious, like a high-end restaurant hidden away in a Singapore or Bangkok hotel that only the well-heeled know about. Thankfully Lin's restaurant, a partnership with restaurateur Francis Miranda, is easy to access right from Little Santa Monica in Beverly Hills. The service is polite and helpful without being too much. In fact, 'not too much' could be the theme here. All the dishes are balanced and refined to a near razor's edge, meant to delight without pizzazz. Lin herself said the menu was 'no thrills' and 'what you see is what you get,' and I'm perfectly fine with that in an age when we've moved beyond rainbow bagels and Instagram bullshit. Starters are modest and refreshing, like a dressed chrysanthemum salad or mung bean jelly noodles. Singaporean fried noodles don't carry the heady spices of something in a hawker center, but doused with Lin's chile oil they're hard to stop eating. The shrimp toast, gorgeous and hefty in the hand, is a must-order. I pined for more of the tangy sweet and sauce sour beneath the fried sea bream, fresh herbs balancing the fish. Across the board, portions and flavors are modest but reveal layers of pleasant complexity, like the blackened edges of char siu iberico pork. I'll even swoon over the desserts, like the mango sago topped with sweet dollops that resemeble Dippin' Dots ice cream. The pro-tip here is to go with four people to reduce the costs and maximize dishes to order; we paid about $100 before drinks, tax, and tip, but the price could easily balloon to $200 a person with lots of cocktails. I'm excited to return to 88 Club and try the rest of the dishes, like the kung pao scallop, but for now, I'll happily marinate in my first visit knowing that Mei Lin, arguably one of the most talented chefs in Los Angeles right now, is back with a full service restaurant. 9737 S. Santa Monica Boulevard, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. — Matthew Kang, lead editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest
For a choice selection of wines and grooves played on LA's best sound system: Zizou in Lincoln Heights
For a choice selection of wines and grooves played on LA's best sound system: Zizou in Lincoln Heights. Peter Quinn
Since Zizou owners Maati Zoutina and Boris Macquin opened their Lincoln Heights wine bar and restaurant in 2024, it's become an LA hotspot. Head there on a random weekday to hear Chaka Khan, Afrobeat, French hip hop, or Bob Marley. It's fairly common for notable DJs to show up and show out on the restaurant's killer sound system, customized by Macquin, who was formerly a sound engineer. Though plenty hang out on lush patio, others might just create their own personal dance floor while enjoying Zizou's sights, sounds, and French or North African family recipes like the chicken tagine or Moroccan salad. Any member of the staff can make a wine recommendation, but if unsure, just ask for a glass of Champagne. Zoutina or Macquin will smile, depart, and return with something effervescent, celebratory, and delicious. Always check Zizou's Instagram to see what kind of programming is on the calendar. 2425 Daly Street, Lincoln Heights, CA, 90031. — Mona Holmes, editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest
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