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4 Restaurants to Try This Weekend in Los Angeles: May 30
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 Oaxacan food and margaritas: Sabores Oaxaqueños
Eighth Street mainstay Sabores Oaxaqueños continues to be one of Los Angeles's best destinations for Oaxacan specialties like tlayudas, mole, and alambres, but beyond the food, it's also really fun. Plenty of restaurants can turn out consistent dishes, but Sabores Oaxaqueños also understands the vibe that its customers are looking for. The colorful interior is lively even when not entirely full, as frozen margaritas and tortas emerge from the kitchen and land on floral-tablecloth-topped tables. The restaurant is open literally all day, from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., which makes it easy to swing by for a breakfast of huevos rancheros or a late dinner. And while the Koreatown location has the same parking issues as any other restaurant in the neighborhood, Sabores Oaxaqueños also operates a second location at the edge of Hollywood. 3337 1/2 W. Eighth Street, Los Angeles, CA 90005 . — Rebecca Roland, editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest For a relaxing pre-theater snack in Downtown LA: Abernethy's
Chef Adolfo Perez of Cilantro Mexican Grill spent a career learning various cuisines and dishes from the Cheesecake Factory before striking out on his own restaurant, a gas station establishment with some of the San Fernando Valley's best burritos. Perez began a residency at Downtown LA restaurant Abernethy's in late April, serving crowd-pleasing Mexican American dishes like surf-and-turf fajitas, barbacoa taquitos topped with ancho chile ranch, and achiote-marinated roast chicken. Abernethy's occupies prime pre-theater dining real estate at Downtown's Music Center, and Perez's food works as a delightful snack prior to the area's high-quality shows. The tables on the patio are especially desirable, with views of City Hall down the hill and the iconic John Ferraro/LADWP building surrounded by a faux lake. It's on late afternoons like this, when the breezes turn from chilly to pleasantly warm, that summer has finally arrived in Los Angeles. 220 N. Hope Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012. — Matthew Kang, lead editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest For a breakfast sandwich that beats them all: Calabama
Los Angeles fell in love with Cara Haltiwanger's inventive pop-up in 2020, where she dropped breakfast sandwiches from a fire escape with a bright red bucket. Calabama was one of those local sensations that brought some joy for everyone in lockdown at a time when social distancing was at an all-time high. Haltiwanger made her pop-up permanent in late 2024, where she opened the same concept (without the bucket drop) in Hollywood, serving breakfast sandwiches layered with bacon, egg, cheese, grilled onions, and avocado. She still makes that spicy-sweet sandwich dipping sauce, along with other staples from her Alabama childhood, including sweet tea, buttermilk biscuits, and a Southern staple: pimento cheese. The cheery stand is located on Santa Monica Boulevard, slightly east of Highland. Calabama is impossible to miss; look for a compact, free-standing white building near the sidewalk with an egg-yolk-colored awning. They even serve coffee and dog biscuits. 6751 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90038 — Mona Holmes, editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest For an unimpeachable Japanese-style omelet: RVR
Go to RVR in Venice on a weekend morning when you feel particularly patient. All good things are ultimately worth the wait, including (or especially) its tamagoyaki omelet, an ovular spiral of luminous golden eggs that is sliced and crowned with shaved Comté, chives, and cracked black pepper. The omelet is so well-constructed that more than one passerby stopped while I was eating it — in front of the window for a peak Abbot Kinney view — to admire its form. The right and only move is to get the refreshing red gem lettuce salad (spotted with crisp Brussels sprouts and doused in an aged black vinaigrette) to alternate bites. If you're into something sweeter, however, the mochi beignets and black sesame pancakes seemed to be popular on other tables. Not-too-sweet teas over ice or the pour-over coffee complete the picture. 1305 Abbot Kinney Boulevard, Venice, CA 90291. — Nicole Adlman, cities manager
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