Montecito’s new hotspot and late-night Latin snacks in L.A.’s Chinatown
Words by DAVID NASH and S. IRENE VIRBILA
Chilaquiles in L.A.’s Chinatown
Tucked under the A line train tracks in Chinatown, Mexico City–inspired CAFÉ TONDO dispenses freshly made cafe de olla scented with piloncillo sugar and cinnamon starting at 8 a.m. A charming wooden pastry case displays festive conchas and moist pan de elote made with fresh corn, and spirals of the coveted cardamom buns from Clark Street Bakery. Stroll through the series of small indoor-outdoor rooms for your spot to enjoy chilaquiles topped with two fried eggs or masa-laced hot cakes. At 5 p.m., the evening menu kicks in, offering marinated olives, skewers of gildas, fries with the house aioli. But also empanadas and tortas of carnitas, mushrooms or milanesa, which you can order on its own with salsa verde as a main plate. The other main is skirt steak frites with chimichurri. The café is a collaboration among first-time restaurateur and Mouthwash Studios cofounder Abraham Campillo, Mike Kang of Locale Partners, and chef Luis Luna. Think of it as a home away from home where regulars drop in for a coffee and a concha, and come back at dusk for a vermouth or a bite, relaxing in the vibe of this unique space. 1135 N. Alameda St., L.A.; cafetondo.com. S.I.V.
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Art on a Plate in Palm Springs
Palm Springs Art Museum just lucked into a new restaurant, a savvy diner called LIV’S from chef Gabriel Woo, who helms the kitchen of Bar Cecil, still the most hard-to-get table in town. It’s open for breakfast, albeit at 10 a.m., serving proper Monte Cristos, French omelettes laced with herbs and flowers, a very French croque madame, and even a cheese blintz. For lunch in the shade of the concrete and cantilevered E. Stewart Williams–designed architectural marvel, order a colossal shrimp cocktail or give the chickpea fritter panini with heirloom tomato a chance. Everything here has an intriguing twist from Woo, a desert local whose first job was washing dishes at the Tamarisk Country Club. The lobster roll is dressed up in cabbage and tarragon on a New England roll, and the shrimp and lobster Louie is tucked into the salad category along with a chopped Cobb. Dessert? Add a coda of a pecan sandie — a work of art. 101 N. Museum Dr., Palm Springs, 760-422-9567; livspalmsprings.com. S.I.V.
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Santa Barbara Adds a Win-Dow
That line growing outside the new Santa Barbara Win-Dow at 9 a.m. doesn’t necessarily mean everyone’s ordering one of their famous smashburgers for breakfast — although, of course, you could. A good many might be hankering for a grilled bologna breakfast sandwich (talk about old school), a hefty steak and egg breakfast burrito, or a cheeseburger crowned with a fried egg. The Venice-based mini chain (just six locations, all in SoCal) is known for its price quality grilled cheeseburger at $4.35 and crunchy fried chicken sandwich on a bun. The kitchen crew knows how to work a flattop, giving that burger a crispy edge, and serving it with onions, American cheese, pickles, and Win-Dow’s secret sauce. Enjoy your breakfast or lunch (and on weekends, supper) under blue skies and brushed aluminum umbrellas. The whole place is outdoors. Open Mon.–Fri., 11 a.m.– 9 p.m., Sat.–Sun., 9 a.m.–9 p.m. 701 Chapala St., Santa Barbara, 805-880-2775; thewin-dow.la/santa-barbara. S.I.V.
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Chef Mei Lin Is in the Club
Mei Lin is making another grand entrance at 88 CLUB in Beverly Hills, a swanky Chinese bistro where she’s using a deft modern touch with the comfort dishes she once ate and cooked at her family’s restaurant. Start with the jade marble lazy Susan twirling a chrysanthemum and peanut salad, sesame prawn toast, or a bowl of plump prawn and bamboo shoot wontons in a master chicken stock. Lin’s childhood favorite appears as Nam Yu roasted chicken perfumed with ginger scallion oil. Sommelier Diana Lee has constructed a food-friendly, mostly French list, and mixologist Kevin Nguyen deals in Asian flavors and turns house-made infusions into sophisticated cocktails. Order the gimlet dosed with pear brandy, shiso leaf, and bitter melon and drink to the prosperity and good fortune symbolized by the number 8. 9737 S. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310-968-9955; 88clubbh.com. S.I.V.
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Cento’s Raw Talent
Next door to the popular Cento Pasta Bar is the new CENTO RAW BAR — and boy, is it a looker. Designer Brandon Miradi puts his mark on every element: the snail motif on stools and silverware, slinky tiered seafood towers in wavy green acrylic, brightly colored plates, quirky cocktail glasses. Chef Avner Levi has gone full tilt into the menu. Instead of the usual caviar service, he’s got caviar sliders with crème fraîche, lots of lemon, and chives. Tuna crudo comes in a tomato gazpacho. Seafood towers crowned with tiny uni tacos are heaped with oysters, shrimp cocktail, lobster claws, and snow crab claws. The lobster melt is like a tuna melt, but with lobster and Muenster cheese. Genius. 4921 W. Adams Blvd., L.A., 323-998-0404; @centorawbar. S.I.V.
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Caribbean Dreams on Fairfax
Jamaican-Canadian chef Adrian Forte was working as a private chef in Turks & Caicos when Sam Jordan (formerly of Olivetta and Issima) sought him out for LUCIA, a new high-end Afro-Caribbean restaurant in L.A. Forte grew up in Jamaica, went to culinary school in Toronto, and was a semifinalist on Top Chef Canada. “I’m most excited about introducing Angelenos to proper Caribbean food,” he says. Coconut fried chicken (the dish you’ll want on a first visit) gets a fermented chile aioli. Cooked down with cinnamon and clove, oxtail pepper pot comes with whipped butter beans. Of course, there’s also a jerk steak. And for dessert, you can’t go wrong with the sweet potato sticky pudding with rum ginger caramel or the dramatic baked Alaska. The swanky bar turns out tropical-themed cocktails (okra martini?) and has bottle service too. 551 N. Fairfax Avenue, L.A.; luciala.com. S.I.V.
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A Peak Perfect Eatery
The famously chic, laid-back town of Montecito has a new restaurant to celebrate: LITTLE MOUNTAIN. Call it a neighborhood sophisticate, cozy in all the right ways, with lots of warm wood and leather banquettes. The center of the action is an open kitchen and a wood-burning grill where chef Diego Moya turns out a beautifully calibrated menu. No surprise: He has cooked all over the world, including at Astrid y Gastón in Lima, Nahm in Bangkok, Le Comptoir and L’Arpège in Paris, and Casa Mono in New York. The first menu lists local sea urchin with winter citrus, grilled pork with coal-roasted apples, and wild salmon with pistachio and embered greens. The cozy-cool interior comes courtesy of Venice Beach’s Andrew Cosbie. 516 San Ysidro Rd., Montecito; littlemountainsb.com. S.I.V.
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Persian Plates Downtown
From a family kebab recipe, Tehran native Kian Samyani has grown BERENJAK, the cozy London spot he opened in 2018 into a restaurant group with outposts in Emirates, Dubai, Brooklyn, and now DTLA, all with the same menu and warm, hospitable vibe. In L.A., Berenjak moves into the private club Soho Warehouse, but the Persian restaurant is open to the public. You’ll want to head there for wood-fired sesame seeded flatbread, hummus made with black chickpeas and sunflower tahini, and velvety eggplant dishes. Juicy kebabs grilled over coal include a classic minced lamb shoulder seasoned with onions and black pepper, boneless chicken marinated in saffron and lemon, and barbecued prawns dosed with glorious Kashmiri chile. Come cooler weather, angle for a slow-simmered stew, maybe lamb and kidney beans, or eggplant and split yellow peas, both seasoned with dried lime and herbs. An Earl Grey martini with a hint of orange blossom is perfect. 1010 S. Santa Fe Ave., L.A.; berenjak.com. S.I.V.
Portions of this story originally appeared in the Fall 2025, Men’s Fall 2025 issues, and Winter 2025/2026 issues of C Magazine.
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