Santa Clarita Gets New Oaxacan Flavors — and 500 Mezcals — Next Week

Oaxacan restaurant and mezcaleria Madre is opening a location in greater Santa Clarita on Thursday, September 21, with a grand opening scheduled for later next month. Diners can expect similar offerings as the other Madre locations, including various tlayudas, tacos, moles, and more. Along with mezcal flights pulling from a selection of 500 mezcals, there are also a range of cocktails made with Oaxacan rum, tequila, tepache, and chile liquors. Design comes from Stephanie Leese of the Studio For, with a spotlight on works from Oaxacan artists and artisans.

The new Madre will be at 27007 McBean Parkway, Valencia, CA 91355. Hours are from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, extending into midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. With existing locations in West Hollywood, Palms, and Torrance, this marks the fourth outpost for the restaurant.

Stephanie Leese/The Studio For

Stephanie Leese/The Studio For

A new dinner menu at Manna Cafe

Beverly Grove’s Manna Cafe, which opened earlier this year, begins serving a new dinner menu this week that is inspired by summer campfires. Chef Brian Hill aims to highlight American and Asian influences in dishes like kimchi and mayo grilled cheese, prime hanger steak with tom yum mushroom and green peppercorn vinaigrette, roasted figs, smoked salmon deviled eggs, watermelon salad, and macaroni and cheese with roasted corn and jalapeños.

Manna Cafe

Hot Tongue Pizza moving away from vegan offerings

After 18 months of serving only vegan options, Silver Lake pizzeria Hot Tongue Pizza is starting to offer dairy ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheeses on its menu. In a statement shared with Eater LA, owner Alex Koons said that the team had been seeing a decline in sales compounded with rising costs. He wrote: “I feel that being exclusively vegan may limit our ability to attract a larger crowd. With this in mind, we are making some changes.” The new menu will feature dairy and dairy-free pies and slices, opening up more options not only for those who prefer dairy, but also for those avoiding nuts and nut-based cheeses. This marks yet another LA spot to recently shift from offering vegan-only to vegan and non-vegan options.

Drag bingo at Mama Shelter

Mama Shelter begins a new monthly drag bingo night starting tonight, September 14, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. with Billy Francesca as host. The event is free for those who RSVP, and there are opportunities to win a range of prizes.

A to-go t-shirt from Woon

Historic Filipinotown noodle shop Woon has taken its iconic takeout stickers and turned the image into a new t-shirt design. Known for its chewy noodles, heaps of fried rice, five-spice chicken wings, and ambient Hi-Fi space, Woon also routinely puts out creative and inventive merch, like these dumpling-shaped candles.