Every Friday, our editors compile a trusty list of recommendations to answer the most pressing of questions: “Where should I eat?“ Here 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 never-boring sandwiches, salads, and natural wine: Henrietta in Echo Park
It’s not every day I leave my West Los Angeles nest for a random lunch adventure on the other side of town but the recent long weekend gave me the freedom and energy I needed. I knew I wanted to try Henrietta in Echo Park, which has won high praise from my colleagues since it opened in November. The deal was sealed when I found out it could offer its lunchtime sandwiches on gluten-free Vesti focaccia, so I could partake easily. Knowing I probably would not be able to come back as soon as I would like, I ordered not one, but two sandwiches; a heaping green salad topped with a snowcap of Ubriaco Rosso cheese; Parmesan-eclipsed double-fried potatoes; and a side of slivered broccolini. The mushroom dip tasted as hearty as it sounded, but I loved the simplicity of Henrietta’s turkey porchetta sandwich dressed with ample aioli, butter lettuce, and slivered pepperoncini. Bring a book and let the muted daylight spilling through the front windows decide the length of your meal. If you don’t have a book to read, hop over to A Good Used Book in the same Glendale Boulevard complex before or after lunch. 343 Glendale Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90026. — Nicole Fellah, Eater editorial manager
For backyard barbecue skewers: Dollar Hits in Historic Filipinotown
It officially feels like summer to me when I finally bust out my yakitori grill that’s been laying dormant in my garage and have friends and family over to gather around the binchotan-filled grates and grill stuff on sticks. I often make my own versions of moo ping or yakitori and skewer asparagus and mushrooms, but if I’m having a particularly large gathering, I enlist the help of Filipino grilling legend Dollar Hits. Dollar Hits has a variety of skewers to choose from — fried quail eggs, fish tofu, and chicken skin among them — at around $2 per stick. Load up a tray and pick out your favorites. You can either bring them home to grill, like me, or post up outside where the restaurant already has two charcoal grills blazing. 2432 W. Temple Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026. — Kat Thompson, audience editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest
For a Euro summer without leaving Los Angeles: Capri Club in Eagle Rock
I feel like nearly everyone I know is once again about to embark on a hot Euro summer, or at least that’s how it feels anytime I open Instagram. For something a little closer to home, head to Capri Club instead, an aperitivo bar in Eagle Rock where frozen Negronis flow freely. Weekend nights at Capri Club can be untenable, but those who know head over for Monday lasagna or midday on a Sunday, when the doors open at 2 p.m. The best seat in the bar is the booth in the front that opens to the sidewalk, though there are really no wrong choices, whether you end up people-watching in the bistro-style seating outside or settling into the dimmer back corner. With the right weather, a few rounds of martinis, and a cheese plate, you can almost pretend that you, too, will be living la dolce vita this summer. 4604 N. Eagle Rock Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90041. — Rebecca Roland, deputy editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest
For classic deli sandwiches and a vast lineup of sodas: Galco’s in Highland Park
Los Angeles’s most epic store is Galco’s Old World Grocery, a Highland Park wonder that’s been in operation for more than 100 years. Team members will happily recite Galco’s origin story, which initially started in 1897 in Downtown as an Italian grocery store before moving to Highland Park in 1955. Admire the cheerful mural that spans the exterior before heading inside to find rows upon rows of independent soda makers along with some familiar ones. They even have a soda creation station to make your own soda from syrups and carbonated water. Galco’s eventually ventured into beer and wine, which are placed next to the rear deli counter that slings an Italian, hot pastrami dip, or turkey sandwich on a French roll. Toward the cash register are old-school candies, where Bit-O-Honey, Pop Rocks, and candy cigarettes are on full display. 5702 York Boulevard, Highland Park, CA 90042 — Mona Holmes, editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest
