The Biggest Los Angeles Restaurant Openings in November 2024

This month’s list of notable debuts includes a stylish Tokyo-inspired cocktail bar, a stunning restaurant and lounge in South LA, and more

Mona Holmes is a reporter for Eater Los Angeles and a regular contributor to KCRW radio. She has covered restaurants, dining, and food culture since 2016. In 2022, the James Beard Foundation nominated her for a Jonathan Gold Local Voice Award.

Los Angeles is no stranger to restaurant openings, whether a splashy opening in iconic buildings helmed by big-name chefs, a humble neighborhood spot, or a pop-up leaping into a permanent space. Consider this monthly rundown a go-to guide for the newest and boldest debuts across Southland. For more under-the-radar restaurant openings, check out this companion list.

Helms Bakery, Culver City

Starting November off with a bang was Helms Bakery, chef Sang Yoon’s dream project that came to life on November 1. Yoon’s longtime career at Michael’s, Lukshon, and Father’s Office prepared him to reignite Culver City’s former wholesale baking operation that closed in 1969 with a 14,000-square-foot bakery and cafe. It took 12 years to complete the massive undertaking, which includes plenty of baked goods (croissants, doughnuts, cakes, pies, and cookies), extensive and eclectic grab-and-go items, a hot lunch bar, and a central retail area. The outdoor patio is partially covered and typically full.

Cross section of a cherry pie with a red filling at Helms Bakery. — Helms cherry pie.

Evil Cooks Corazón Abierto – El Sereno

Chefs Alex and Elvia García opened Evil Cooks Corazón Abierto in El Sereno on November 13 after spending five years preparing octopus al pastor and bacon cheeseburger tacos from their home and at Smorgasburg. Find creative modern Mexican food prepared with death metal flair at the new restaurant, which has five counter seats and an outdoor patio for 25 diners. The menu includes tacos, tortas, mulitas, burritos, and carne en su jugo noodles—a mashup of the Guadalajara dish and Japanese ramen.

Fried croquettes topped with thinly shaved truffles at Evil Cooks. — Evil Cooks.

Tokyo Noir, Long Beach

The Japanese-style cocktail bar Tokyo Noir opened behind Long Beach’s El Barrio Cantina on November 13. The joint project between restaurateur Jesse Duron (El Barrio Cantina) and acclaimed bartender and certified ice master Kevin Lee (Puzzle Bar and the Wolves), Tokyo Noir is modeled after Tokyo-style listening bars and decked out in dark wood, red lanterns, and a backlit liquor cabinet. Lee’s rotating menu includes three different highballs made with whisky, mezcal, and scotch, plus cocktails like the Kaiju with Japanese rum, Midori, creme anglaise, and yuzu.

Amber hued cocktail in a thin glass at Tokyo Noir in Long Beach. — Tokyo Noir.

Zira Uzbek Kitchen, West Hollywood

Zira Uzbek Kitchen, the new restaurant dedicated to Central Asia’s foodways and cultures, opened on November 15 in Fairfax. Owner Azim Rahmatov immigrated from Uzbekistan to Los Angeles in 2001, earned a degree in hospitality management from Cal Poly Pomona, and worked his way up from dishwasher to manager at the now-closed Restaurant Uzbekistan. The full-service restaurant spans 2,500 square feet and seats up to 60, surrounded by colorful fabrics, pillows, and service pieces that Rahmatov sourced from Uzbekistan. Azim’s brother chef Azam Rahmatov prepares regional specialties like grilled lamb shashlik, oxtail stew with chickpeas and fresh herbs, and red wine-braised lamb shanks with a creamy mushroom sauce.

Nilufar Mirzaeva behind a hot wok at Zira Uzbek Kitchen. — Zira Uzbek Kitchen.

Panda Inn, Pasadena

Panda Restaurant Group closed the legendary Panda Inn in 2023 to refresh its interior and menu for the first time in 20 years. The Pasadena restaurant reopened on November 14 with a completely reimagined interior complete with a sushi bar and private dining area and a slate of revamped dishes. Specialties are found throughout the menu with dishes like shrimp and lobster wontons, beef in an orange peel sauce, chargrilled beef short ribs, honey walnut shrimp, lobster crispy noodles, and raw bar hamachi tacos. It’s been a long road for the restaurant as owner Andrew Cherng’s father, chef Ming-Tsai Cherng, opened the original Panda Inn in 1973.

A dimly lit wood-paneled Chinese restaurant interior for Panda Inn in Pasadena with a classic engraving on the wall. — Panda Inn Pasadena.

Calabama, Hollywood

Fans of Cara Haltiwanger’s East Hollywood fire escape sandwich operation, Calabama, were thrilled when she opened a permanent space on November 15 in a tiny, free-standing building on the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and McCadden. Haltiwanger is preparing her signature breakfast sandwiches layered with bacon, egg, cheese, grilled onions, and avocado, along with other staples from her Alabama childhood, including sweet tea, delicate biscuits, and pimento cheese.

A Calabama’s signature breakfast sandwich on the griddle layered with bacon, egg, cheese, and grilled onions. — Calabama.

Pie Room, Beverly Hills

Chef Curtis Stone permanently converted his former Beverly Hills fine dining restaurant, Maude, into the Pie Room on November 19. The rebooted Pie Room sells croissants, pan au apricot, muffins, cookies, and bread loaves baked at a separate 6,000-square-foot commissary. By evening, the Pie Room becomes a wine bar serving charcuterie by Gwen, cheeses, and shareable bistro-inspired dishes like loup de mer. Maude and Spago vet Serkan Çetinarslan oversees the kitchen, while pastry chef Mitzi Reyes (formerly of Dominique Ansel, Somni) manages the baked goods with bread baker Luis Flores.

A white chef stands behind a pastry counter of Pie Room by Curtis Stone with white tiling in the background. — Pie Room.

Somerville: View Park/Windsor Hills

The owners of Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen had a busy 2024. Not only did Yonnie Hagos and Ajay Relan open Downtown’s Lost Rooftop Cocktail + Taco Bar, but they debuted their first full-service Los Angeles restaurant, Somerville, in the same View Park-Windsor Hills retail complex as their original cafe on November 22. Chef Geter Atienza (formerly of Bouchon Bakery New York, Broken Spanish) prepares Parker house rolls, charcuterie, crudo, oysters, braised lamb shank, a Black Angus burger, and wagyu strip loin with classic steak sauce options. The menu shies away from standard soul food, but some dishes—like the macaroni and cheese and the fried chicken and caviar sliders—hint at the cuisine. Rounding out Somerville are jazz lounge vibes, modern and classic cocktails, a grand piano, and a curated wine list.

The performance area and lounge at Somerville in South Los Angeles. — Somerville.

Rasarumah, a Historic Filipino town

Former Pearl River Deli chef Johnny Lee opened Rasarumah, a Chinese Malaysian restaurant in Historic Filipinotown, with Last Word Hospitality’s Holly Fox and Adam Weisblatt on November 22. Rasarumah’s menu explores the Chinese diaspora in Southeast Asia, tracking Lee’s travels through Singapore and Malaysia. On the menu is juicy fried chicken with nasi lemak (Malay coconut rice), two types of noodles, including a char kway teow, and chicken and pork jowl satay inspired by Hainanese immigrants. Veteran sommelier and Last Word beverage director Evelyn Goreshnik (formerly of Michael’s, Dudley Market) compiled an accessible list of wines, shochu, sake, and beer. The interior was inspired by Penang’s 1970s-era cafes.