LA Has Better Mall Food Than Basically Anywhere Else

Welcome to the Monkey Bar

Looks like Monkey Bar (no, not the 90’s celebrity wonderland drinking den) is alive and well in Santa Anita. Another of the booming concepts to come to the popular Westfield Santa Anita, this casual spot for meat and whiskey is still in the soft-opening phase, but should be good to go for anyone really needing a stiff drink while at the mall. Expect 20 craft beers, Japanese whiskey, and everything from ribs to pork belly.

The arrival of Monkey Bar means even more great stuff for that mall, which is teeming with life thanks in no small party to chef Johnny Lee, he of Hainan chicken fame. It’s a smart play that more and more chefs are taking on: Tackle the suburbs, where great meals might be harder to come by in all that sprawl. Add in the mall-ish nature of spacious Southern California, and you’ve got a recipe for great food right where people find it most convenient.

Creamistry expands to Alhambra

Ice cream keeps churning in Los Angeles, with Irvine-based Creamistry jumping into Alhambra next. The shop is slated to open in January of 2017 at the intersection of S. Fremont Avenue and Mission Road, bringing nitrogen-fueled ice cream to the San Gabriel Valley masses.

Walter el Nagar is somewhere unexpected

Remember Walter el Nagar? The Italian chef behind Barbershop Ristorante, an ongoing pop-up that took place in all sorts of funky LA spaces, is now in Singapore of all places, and he seems to have landed himself another drop-in spot all his own. Check out the rad little space below.

Tinfoil gives back

The month-old Tinfoil Liquor & Grocery is set to give back in a big way on Friday, teaming up with local organization Povertees to offer a canned food drive from their Highland Park location. Proceeds will go towards the Downtown Women’s Shelter, with anyone dropping off a can of food earning themselves a free bite to eat.

Crudo comes to South Coast Plaza

Orange County is getting a crudo specialist named, well, Crudo. The South Coast Plaza-adjacent option is scheduled to arrive in time for summer, taking over the former Pinot Provence and adding even more mall-area eats to greater Southern California, says the OC Register.

Kismet wants you

Feel like working for a pair of the coolest chefs in the city? You might want to check out this Craigslist ad straight from Kismet, which seeks to immediately hire up for a variety of positions. Get in now while the gettin’s good.

Horse’s Mouth offers a chef’s tasting

Have you stopped into Horse’s Mouth yet? The Koreatown option near Beer Belly is having a ton of fun in the kitchen, including this sub-$40 four course tasting menu that includes dumplings, a delicious Thai mussels curry, and a glass of wine or Tiger beer.