{"id":125570,"date":"2026-01-08T20:10:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T20:10:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/125570\/"},"modified":"2026-01-08T20:10:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T20:10:10","slug":"9-standout-casual-spots-in-los-angeles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/125570\/","title":{"rendered":"9 Standout Casual Spots\u00a0in Los Angeles"},"content":{"rendered":"

Komal, Fiorelli Pizza, Jade Rabbit and more elevate day-to-day dining in Los Angeles<\/p>\n

These beloved newcomers<\/a> prove that stellar food\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0have to come at a steep price.<\/p>\n

BadAsh\u00a0Bakes\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"BadAsh\"BadAshCredit: Courtesy BadAsh Bakes<\/p>\n

L.A. native Ashley Cunningham, a classically trained chef and self-taught baker, serves TikTok-popular cinnamon rolls, matcha-flavored pastries, cookies, cakes, breads and other sweets alongside inventive coffee and tea drinks at her buzzy new bakery and caf\u00e9.\u00a0247 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena,\u00a0badashbakes.com<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fiorelli Pizza\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Fiorelli\"FiorelliCredit: Andrea D\u2019agosto<\/p>\n

After starting out as a pop-up in Venice\u2019s Cook\u2019s Garden, the popular pizza concept created by Michael Fiorelli and Liz Gutierrez found a permanent home. While\u00a0largely a\u00a0takeout operation, 15 guests can enjoy Neapolitan-meets-New York-style pies and other Italian bites.\u00a08236 W. 3rd St., Beverly Grove,\u00a0fiorellipizza.com<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jade Rabbit\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Jade\"JadeCredit: Courtesy Jade Rabbit<\/p>\n

Following the closure of Cassia, James Beard-nominated chef Bryant Ng pivoted into the fast-casual space with wife-partner Kim Luu-Ng. Jade Rabbit serves Chinese American plates that range from classics like beef and broccoli to orange mango chicken.\u00a02301 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica,\u00a0eatjaderabbit.com<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Calabama\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Calabama\"\"Calabama\"CalabamaCredit: Courtesy Calabama<\/p>\n

Scroll to continue reading<\/p>\n

Cara Haltiwanger\u2019s Southern-style breakfast sandwiches rose to popularity during her pandemic pop-ups, and\u00a0she\u2019s\u00a0now serving them \u2014 along with buttermilk biscuits and hot sauces \u2014 Thursday to Monday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at her first brick and mortar location.\u00a06751 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood,\u00a0calabama.la<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Firstborn\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Firstborn\"\"Firstborn\"Credit: Ron De Angelis<\/p>\n

The first American-born member of his Chinese immigrant family, chef-owner Anthony Wang (Michael Voltaggio\u2019s Ink, Jordan Kahn\u2019s Destroyer) opened this to honor his journey. Items like egg custard reflect the food he grew up eating, his visits to China and his French\u00a0training.\u00a0978 N. Broadway, Chinatown,\u00a0firstborn.la<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Komal\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Komal\"\"Komal\"Credit: Wonho Frank Lee<\/p>\n

At this\u00a0molino\u00a0and taqueria inside the Mercado La Paloma, chef F\u00e1tima Ju\u00e1rez draws from her childhood in Mexico City in street food items that\u00a0showcase\u00a0some 22 varieties of Mexican corn. She reinvents classics like tacos, quesadillas,\u00a0tlacoyos\u00a0and mole.\u00a03655 S. Grand Ave., Historic South-Central,\u00a0komal.toast.site<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Din\u00a0Tai\u00a0Fung\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Chocolate\"ChocolateCredit: Courtesy Din Tai Fung<\/p>\n

The Michelin-recognized brand\u2019s sprawling new 10,000-square-foot home at Santa Monica Place focuses more on aesthetics \u2014 and serves up signature soup dumplings (Xiao Long Bao) prepared in an open kitchen within the inviting indoor-outdoor outpost.\u00a0395 Santa Monica Place, Level 3, Santa Monica,\u00a0dtf.com<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Genghis\u00a0Cohen\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Genghis\"GenghisCredit: Lucky Tennyson<\/p>\n

The New York-style Chinese institution jumped down Fairfax into a temporary new space with the same fish tank and cozy red booths, plus neon flourishes. Alongside menu staples are novel dishes like shrimp and chive dumplings and bar-only\u00a0Szechuan\u00a0sliders.\u00a0448 N. Fairfax Ave., Fairfax District,\u00a0genghiscohen.com<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Maydan\u00a0Market\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Maydan\"MaydanCredit: Ashley Randall<\/p>\n

This 10,000-square-foot venue evokes Korean night markets and Middle Eastern souks. A one-stop shop for kitchen needs, a quick bite or a lavish meal, the market houses founder Rose Previte\u2019s two D.C.-born restaurant concepts as well as five vendors.\u00a04301 W. Jefferson Blvd., West Adams,\u00a0maydanmarket.com<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Komal, Fiorelli Pizza, Jade Rabbit and more elevate day-to-day dining in Los Angeles These beloved newcomers prove that…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":125571,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[64184,578,20405,61656,48,52,51,47,50,49],"class_list":{"0":"post-125570","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles","8":"tag-best-new-restaurants","9":"tag-dining","10":"tag-genghis-cohen","11":"tag-january-2026","12":"tag-la","13":"tag-la-headlines","14":"tag-la-news","15":"tag-los-angeles","16":"tag-los-angeles-headlines","17":"tag-los-angeles-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125570","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=125570"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125570\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/125571"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=125570"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=125570"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=125570"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}