{"id":367567,"date":"2026-06-19T20:30:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T20:30:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/367567\/"},"modified":"2026-06-19T20:30:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T20:30:14","slug":"world-cup-watch-parties-where-the-food-is-as-exciting-as-the-matches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/367567\/","title":{"rendered":"World Cup watch parties where the food is as exciting as the matches"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There\u2019s no shortage of World Cup viewing parties<\/a> in Los Angeles, especially when it comes to those with great food and drink.<\/p>\n

Across L.A. there are restaurants and bars adding big-screen TVs to their dining rooms for the first time, and plenty of sports bars<\/a> that always offer something delicious. This week we stopped by three viewing parties where the food is just as much an attraction as the matches, where you can cheer for your team while eating live-fire grilled meats by one of L.A.\u2019s favorite pop-ups, pizza in one of the city\u2019s most historic (and previously closed) restaurants, and empanadas and imported Argentinian beer at what feels like a block party in South L.A.<\/p>\n

Estrano Verano x Skyduster Beer \"A <\/p>\n

Former Poltergeist chef Diego Argoti is bringing a pub-like version of his pop-up, Estrano, to Skyduster Beer with a menu that includes furikake- and chili crisp-topped hot dogs, masa-dredged Thai fried chicken sandwiches, and double cheeseburgers.<\/p>\n

(Stephanie Breijo \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Ever since genre-bending restaurant Poltergeist closed, it could be hard to find chef Diego Argoti \u2014 until now. His esoteric sidewalk pasta pop-up, Estrano<\/a>, happens sporadically. But thanks to a partnership with L.A. brewery Skyduster Beer, Argoti and his renegade kitchen crew can be caught cooking every game day in the Fashion District with a residency called Estrano Verano attached to Skyduster\u2019s new 17,000-square-foot brewery.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the hardest thing I\u2019ve ever had to cook in my entire life,\u201d Argoti said.<\/p>\n

Cooking for 35 guests at Poltergeist felt much simpler and more predictable \u2014 even though his menu had been more complex. Now, he\u2019ll serve between 300 and 400 guests on a busy game day, churning out creative spins on classic pub items during the week, and an ambitious live-fire menu on weekends. <\/p>\n

There are thick short rib burgers topped with hoisin-tinged caramelized onions and malt-vinegar aioli; a rotation of hot dogs; a Caesar salad coated in tart lime leaf dressing; and a Thai-inspired fried chicken sandwich fried in a masa dredge to complement Skyduster\u2019s current lineup, which includes a pickle beer, a super-dry lager and an Italian pilsner, among others. <\/p>\n

On weekends look for more composed dishes such as grilled short rib, aguachile-inspired stone fruit and tomatoes, bone-in pork chops and Moroccan-style chicken.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat a time, the World Cup,\u201d said Skyduster co-owner Johnny Marler. \u201cIt\u2019s the world\u2019s sport fully played together, and you\u2019ve got an Ecuadorian [Argoti] and a Canadian [Marler] working together representing Los Angeles as a beer garden, and all these walks of life.\u201d<\/p>\n

They commissioned a custom Santa Maria-style grill and found a small food truck to serve as their kitchen.<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

Share via Close extra sharing options <\/p>\n

Marler and Argoti would occasionally find themselves working at the same events. Halfway through one of them, with 90 guests seated on a patio, the gas went out. Marler assumed the event would be canceled, but Argoti ripped the old grill out from the kitchen and moved it outside.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe show didn\u2019t just go on, the show got better now that everyone was out there surrounded by the fire,\u201d Marler said. \u201cI was like, \u2018Nothing\u2019s gonna stop this man.\u2019 Then I was like, \u2018We really need to work together.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond Estrano Verano\u2019s run at Skyduster during the World Cup, Argoti\u2019s pub-like dishes will continue there, as well as in the Skyduster taproom being built in Silver Lake. Follow Skyduster on Instagram<\/a> for game-day schedules.<\/p>\n

1124 San Julian St., Los Angeles, skyduster.com<\/a> <\/p>\n

\"Pizza <\/p>\n

Clifton\u2019s is back and hosting World Cup viewing parties that include a new pizza program and soccer-themed cocktails.<\/p>\n

(Stephanie Breijo \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Clifton\u2019s returns<\/p>\n

The kitchen at one of the city\u2019s most historic, colorful and recently shuttered restaurants is up and running again, using the former Clifton\u2019s cafeteria space to fire an array of soccer-inspired pizzas and collaborations with local chefs throughout the World Cup. <\/p>\n

This 1935-founded Clifton\u2019s, originally one of eight locations, famously fed Angelenos during the Great Depression and became a flagship location for Clifford Clinton\u2019s whimsical decor, which still exists today. In April its former owner, Andrew Meieran, told The Times<\/a> he would permanently close Clifton\u2019s because of rising operations costs, a decaying downtown and repeated vandalism. But now, it\u2019s back.<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

Clifton\u2019s added festive touches to its taxidermy for the World Cup.<\/p>\n

(Stephanie Breijo \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Robhana Group \u2014 which also owns the historic Tom Bergins Irish Pub, the Edison and the Variety Arts Theater \u2014 bought Clifton\u2019s in April and is hoping to revive the venue with a bang. It has opened the first two floors of the maze-like space, adding large-screen TVs and projector screens for game days. The matches are also being projected onto some of the walls, and festive touches have been added to the taxidermy. <\/p>\n

The company tapped restaurateur Raj Nallapothola and L.A. Pizza Alliance organizer David Turkell to help create the food and beverage menus, with Mother Wolf and Bestia alum George Silyan heading a new sourdough Neapolitan-leaning pizza program.<\/p>\n

The onsite commissary kitchen churns out 69-hour-fermented dough, and it\u2019s baked in the cafeteria\u2019s decades-old pizza oven and turned into themed pies such as the Pel\u00e9roni with pepperoni, ricotta and mozzarella; the Red Card, made with guanciale and spicy red Calabrian chiles; and team-inspired options like the Morocco\u2019s Modern Life, topped with merguez, mint and labneh.<\/p>\n

Silyan\u2019s also expanding the menu with pastas, smash burgers and collaborations with local chefs. For Thursday\u2019s Mexico vs. South Korea match, former L.A. Times 101 List restaurant Soban joined the team for a collab pizza topped with bulgogi and daikon radish. A new World Cup cocktail menu is also in play, with themed tipples like the mezcal- and turmeric-tinged Sweeper and the bourbon, vermouth and ume liqueur Number Ten.<\/p>\n

\"Guests <\/p>\n

Fans get ready for a game at Clifton\u2019s on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

(Stephanie Breijo \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

\u201cI was always told about the Clifton\u2019s Cafeteria back in the day and how meaningful it was for my family as they emigrated here to Los Angeles,\u201d Turkell said. \u201cBeing able to help reopen this space is an honor, and I\u2019m just so excited to be a part of this. \u2026 We really want this to be for the people who are throwing down for the city the most, because that\u2019s the type of energy we need to really open this place up successfully.\u201d<\/p>\n

A new Instagram account, @CliftonsLA,<\/a> is now live and posting updates about watch parties and daily food menus.<\/p>\n

648 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, cliftonsdtla.com<\/a> <\/p>\n

\"Fuegos <\/p>\n

Fuegos LA staff prepare choripan at the Argentina vs. Algeria World Cup watch party.<\/p>\n

(Stephanie Breijo \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Fuegos LA<\/p>\n

Guests spill from the parking lot-turned-patio and onto the sidewalk, and on the live-fire grill chorpian links sizzle away. Once finished, they slide into buns and are topped with shoestring potato crisps and condiments like mustard, chimichurri and criolla sauce. <\/p>\n

Nearby, an outdoor pizza oven bakes order after order of fugazza, a thick Argentine pizza. Inside, paper trays of empanadas fly out of the kitchen. It\u2019s another game day at South L.A. Argentinian restaurant and wine bar Fuegos LA, and it\u2019s an especially fitting place to catch an Argentina match.<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

Guests arrived as many as four hours early for Fuegos LA\u2019s Argentina vs. Algeria World Cup watch party on Tuesday. <\/p>\n

(Stephanie Breijo \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Between the outdoor patio \u2014 complete with long tables and a large TV \u2014 and the dining room, which boasts its own tables, chairs and TV, the restaurant from Argentina expats Federico Laboureau and Maximilian Pizzi is newly set up for the World Cup. Fans mumble, \u201cpermiso, permiso\u201d as they walk through the crowded dining room and patio, bottles of imported Quilmes and filled-to-the-brim glasses of malbec clutched in their hands. The energy is frenetic, especially when Argentina plays.<\/p>\n

Pizzi said that some guests arrived four hours early on Tuesday, in order to stake out tables nearest to the screens for Argentina\u2019s first match. The crowd outside looked like undulating waves of blue and white stripes: Nearly everyone wore an Argentina jersey, wrapped themselves in the flag or painted it on their face. For the less die-hard fans, Pizzi and Laboureau provide printed lyrics to Argentinian f\u00fatbol cheers.<\/p>\n

Ricardo Yernazian cheered on the team from the patio. He and his wife moved to Los Angeles from Buenos Aires in 2000; since then, they never returned, and enjoy dining in L.A.\u2019s Argentinian restaurants for a taste and a reminder. Tuesday marked their first time at Fuegos LA, which they learned about from an Argentinian friend. Yernazian said he\u2019ll probably return to Fuegos LA for viewing parties, possibly with his three children, though he\u2019ll be watching many from home.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut this one,\u201d he said, \u201cI didn\u2019t want to miss.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fuegos:<\/a> 3957 S. Western Ave., Los Angeles, (323) 403-2133<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

Fuegos LA\u2019s signature empanadas served during the Argentina vs. Algeria World Cup watch party . <\/p>\n

(Stephanie Breijo \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n