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Baldoria Bringing Craft Cocktails and Haitian Small Plates to Little Tokyo

The place hopes to open by March.

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Farley Elliott is the Senior Editor at Eater LA and the author of Los Angeles Street Food: A History From Tamaleros to Taco Trucks. He covers restaurants in every form, from breaking news to the culture, people, and history that surrounds LA's dining landscape.

Little Tokyo is on the come-up today, with news that Baldoria will be taking over the former Aburiya Toranoko space on San Pedro Street. The small plates restaurant will focus mostly on easily sharable dishes and a sturdy craft cocktail program.

Though the menu is still coming together, chef Duke Gervais — of Santa Monica’s Pizzeria Antica and, before that, Cube on La Brea — is attached to lead the kitchen in turning out a variety of Haitian and Southern-inspired plates. David King, previously of Mozza, is behind the overall venture.

The stronger focus at Baldoria may well be on the drinks program though, which will be comprised solely of on-tap or bottled cocktails. Otherwise you can stick with neat/on the rocks pours, or hit the craft beer and wine.

Whereas Toranoko was a home for easygoing sushi and izakaya favorites, Baldoria plans to be a lunch, brunch, and dinner sort of place, filled with communal hightops and offering a small front patio. Look for the Project M+-designed space to open in the first quarter of 2016.

Baldoria
243 S. San Pedro St.
Los Angeles, CA