Housed in a former church banquet hall, Hermon’s is an 89-seat restaurant named after the lesser-known Northeast Los Angeles neighborhood in which it resides. It is the latest addition to James Beard Award–nominated Last Word Hospitality’s growing portfolio of neighborhood haunts that offer city-wide appeal, like perpetually busy Found Oyster in East Hollywood and Historic Filipinotown’s Rasarumah. Chef DK Kolender (formerly of Tartine and Dudley’s Market) runs the kitchen, serving a crowd-pleasing menu full of Italian, French, and continental American touches — think: baked Alaska, steak tartare, and pasta Bolognese. There’s no bad seat in the all-booth dining room, making Hermon’s one hell of a commissary for the neighborhood’s 3,500 residents and a destination-worthy night out for the rest of us.
Hermon’s 18-seat, U-shaped bar welcomes walk-ins and those who just want a drink. The cocktails from Day By Day Hospitality’s Eric Alperin and Angus McShane include on-draft yuzu margaritas and espresso martinis, and timeless classics like martinis, mai tais, and Old Fashioneds.
Hermon’s happy-hour specials are drawing lines daily. From 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., load up on $10 martinis or yuzu margaritas with an $18 cheeseburger.