Doubling as a bar and restaurant, the menu showcases a refined work ethic that spotlights ingredients as they are

Tucked into L.A.’s most colorful corner, an innovatively precise pizza and cocktail bar is hidden away on Hewitt Street. Michelin-starred chef Joshua Skenes and beverage director Brandyn Tepper bring a very intentional taste to the Arts District with Lynx. 

Offering an intimate, low-lit experience dressed in warm reds and yellows, the cocktail bar carves out a visually calm atmosphere in its industrial surroundings — inside and out. A bit hidden, a brick building coated in vines doubles as the storefront for Lynx and its neighboring business, Tatsu Ramen.  

Sharing the space of the building while being independent of each other, the two businesses are joined only through a speaker system radiating a playlist designed to fit both eateries. The atmosphere of Lynx combines that of an active bar while attempting to be a calming sit-down restaurant, which creates a unique space for both employees and guests. 

“I think what feels different at Lynx is that the process is much more visible,” Tepper wrote in an email interview. “In most restaurants, all the equipment and experimentation happen behind closed doors. At Lynx, because of the space, the centrifuge, the rotary evaporator, and everything else are right there in front of the guests.” 

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However, Tepper’s philosophy is unshaken by this. For years, the beverage director has focused on creating drinks that feel “effortless” to enjoy through the underestimated quality that simplicity can promise — especially in the culinary arts.

This concept is echoed through the drink and food menus, with Skenes and Tepper both aiming for intention in every taste. 

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“The pizza is built backwards — from the bite itself. It’s engineered toward a very specific textural sensation: a thin, shattering exterior that crackles like an eggshell, giving way to a very open, airy and tender interior at the point of fermentation where the dough reaches maximum aromatic complexity,” the pair wrote. 

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After opening mid-April, the restaurant has seen its fair share of the only promise a major city like L.A. can make, unpredictability. Lynx has reportedly had resourcing issues leading to a drought in a main attraction, going without serving pizza for weeks at a time. Beyond the very specific hiccup, the dining ecosystem Lynx finds itself in is a generally competitive one at the very least, but arguably the most lucrative available at best, much like the rest of star-littered city. 

“Its not just the Arts District — it’s Los Angeles in general. People have an incredible number of dining options every night. You have to earn repeat visits. Great food or great cocktails might get someone in once, but consistency is what gets them back,” Skenes and Tepper wrote. 

The culinary pair have had a lengthy working relationship, with Tepper joining Skenes as bar director at previous restaurants: three-Michelin-starred Saison, and Angler’s San Francisco and L.A. locations. The pair are joined once again through Lynx, channeling a speciality for intention with every taste. 

The duo’s ideal goal with Lynx is “Consistency in execution of food, beverage and service of course, longevity.” 

Chef Skenes could be considered a rising cornerstone of California dining, having been awarded three Michelin stars just a few years into his career. He has been considered in conversations surrounding the best of American chefs according to the San Francisco Chronicle, with critical acclaim from GQ, Esquire and the James Beard Foundation. 

However, his track record in L.A. portrays struggle in the city of angels.

Skenes has had his name attached to three restaurants that closed relatively shortly after opening between 2019 to 2025. However, every restaurant the chef plays a role in has repeatedly become a local treasure through undeniable talent in the kitchen, which the Michelin Guide credits in Lynx as well.

Lynx now sits in the space his last endeavor, Happies Hand Made, was housed in, ushering in a new energy, menu and dining experience. Lynx masterfully combines a visually appealing atmosphere with a clearly thought-out menu, featuring the magic of spotlighting ingredients over losing taste to marvel of reckless innovation.  

“At this point I’m just making places and products that I enjoy. I love pizza. I love a good bar,” Skenes wrote to Los Angeles Magazine.