My wife and I went to Manzke within a month of it opening and, while we really enjoyed it, it wasn’t quite in our top tier of LA dining experiences, and after they increased the prices, we werent especially tempted to go back when there are so many other great restaurants in town. Still, I really appreciated what they were doing and it’s a shame to see them have to close.
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Yup, my fav in the city. LA just doesn’t have the market for a high-end cocktail bar to survive on its own merits unfortunately… Pre-Panny we were finally getting there with brilliant spots like Birds & Bees, In Sheep’s Clothing, Bibo Ergo Sum but now it’s regressed hard back to circa 2015. I’ve lost all my upscale standalone spots.
Damn. This is a big loss.
LA Chef Jonathan Whitener of Here’s Looking at You Has Died at Age 36 - Eater LA
Jimmy killing it with another at home bento. Not sure there’s a better at home option in Los Angeles right now.
Hit him up in his DMs. Or watch his stories to see when his weekly menu
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Great looking good- can you say which is what re photos?
I have a 26ish hour layover all by my lonesome in LA on Sunday with nothing to do/nothing planned. Was thinking of a wine bar near LAX for lunch or dinner. Ester’s seems like a good spot. Any other recs? I don’t want to venture super far from LAX since I’ll uber/cab, but open to any restaurants or wine bars etc.
No better place to eat on Sunday than Anajak Thai and they open at 4. It is only 10 minutes further from LAX than Esthers. And if you have a 26 hour layover you will have a lot of time to kill.
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Thanks Robert, you’ve yet to steer me wrong. Do you know, it’s the last weekend of the month, so seems to be their Omakase; am I correct to assume they don’t do a la carte then as well?
That is a good question. I have only done the Omakase once. I would highly recommend that if you can get a resy.
@CFu will know the answer to your question.
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More like 30 minutes without traffic, but no reason to go to the valley and further distance yourself from LAX. Esthers is a good choice and so is Wally’s in SM. You could do both and be closer to LAX and see some ocean at the same time. Lot’s of killer food options in SM as well.
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I did check the times on google maps. I realize with traffic all bets are off.
To me Anajak is one of the most exciting restaurants in all of the U.S. and whether it is 10 or 30 minutes I would definitely rather go there, especially if you can get a seat for the Omakase.
Lets see what resident LA expert @CFu has to say 
I’ll see what Charlie says, I’ll probably have to email them for 1 person, since it doesn’t allow me to book for 1 on Resy.
Taking the family to Los Angeles for the weekend, any recommendations for hole in the wall great food? We’re staying in West Hollywood but can drive/Uber everywhere for good food (my 9 year old is very adventurous - for example 2 years ago in Paris he devoured a bowl of duck hearts). This is a culture trip so there’ll be lots of museums and tar pits, but we want to make sure we eat well too. We do have an RSVP at Petit Trois for Friday night, but otherwise lunch Friday/Saturday/Sunday and dinner Sunday are open.
Don’t need Michelin places, hidden treasures would be wonderful.
I have heard very good things about Northern Thai Food Club which is not too far from West Hollywood. Yangbang Society, not a hole in the wall but very casual and I think your 9 year old would enjoy.
I am little surprised you would go to a French place in LA. It is not their strength : ) I have been to Petit Trois mostly when they had some crazy wine deals and it is just ok.
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Hi Michel,
Guillaume Guedj (Passage 53, Gyoza Bar, Mr T Paris) has moved to LA and opened a bistro in Hollywood. It may overlap too much with Petit Trois, but have a look. Menu 1 — Mr. T Los Angeles
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I LOVE the burger at Petit Trois, and it’s one of the few places where I can get escargot before my burger.
Definitely go to Pizzeria Sei. Bare bones restaurant with excellent pizza and very reasonable corkage. The pizza also comes out super quickly, which can be a plus when dining with kids.
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I was thinking of that as well. Best pizza in LA.
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No Omakase this month. He’s doing the LA wine and food festival that sunday so it’s just ala carte.
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I’ve heard great things about Pizzeria Sei, but it’s definitely out of my way.
Thanks for the recs, I’ve also gotten some industry advice so we’ll be checking on them. That Thai place looks amazing, and our family loves Thai (it’s one of the few bright spots in the town we live in). Petit Trois is a safety RSVP for Friday night while I look for other availabilities. My Google Map for LA is filling up nicely, thanks everyone!