Silver Lake’s Next Gem Could Be This Hong Kong Street Food Specialist

Don’t look now, Silver Lake: a newcomer called Needle is taking over the former We Have Noodles space on Sunset. It should be a relatively fast turnaround, too, meaning the restaurant will likely be up and running by the end of the year.

Whereas We Have Noodle chef Darren Sayphraraj focused on a variety of pan-Asian noodle dishes from ramen to khao soi and beyond, incoming chef Ryan Wong will focus on the flavors of Hong Kong. That means a variety of small plate options, all with a Cantonese street food bent. Wong tells Eater that some dishes will remain as classics, and others will be “re-imagined,” and Wong will be spinning up a few entirely new dishes himself.

Wong has spent years cooking around Los Angeles at places like Otium and Trois Mec, and ran an early pop-up called Needle Noodle Shop pop-ups back in 2016. This is his first standalone restaurant, and the small space will work a pared-down decor with nods to Hong Kong. As for hours once open, expect Needle to run Tuesday through Saturday starting at 5 p.m. for dinner, and running until 10 p.m. (or 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday).

Needle. 3827 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA.

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