# Best New Restaurant Openings — July / August *From Olvera’s Baja fever dream on Abbot Kinney to Nancy Silverton’s Palisades comeback.* ## 1. The Hit of the Season — San Damian _Eat_ Enrique Olvera (Pujol, Damián) and chef Chuy Cervantes turned the old Atla Venice into a pure marisquería — Kumamotos with turnip salsa, Dungeness tostada de cangrejo, kanpachi al pastor. Eater calls it the hit restaurant of the season. Resy up, Wed–Sun. Source: https://la.eater.com/dining-report/304476/san-damian-review ## 2. The Cult Pizza, All Grown Up — Pizzeria Sei — Palms _Eat_ The Tokyo-meets-Naples shop that hit #2 in 50 Top Pizza USA graduates to a real dining room — fried montanara, Roman-style scrocchiarella, a Sichuan lamb pie. Reservations run hot at pizzeriasei.com; the bar sometimes takes walk-ins. Source: https://www.theinfatuation.com/los-angeles/reviews/pizzeria-sei-palms ## 3. Arts District, Finally Spiced Right — Brick Lane _Eat_ The first Indian fine-dining that actually belongs in the warehouse district. Chili-cheese kulcha masquerading as a Neapolitan pizza, a giant tandoori prawn folded in naan, mushroom biryani shattered tableside. Resy, Wed–Sun evenings. Source: https://www.theinfatuation.com/los-angeles/reviews/brick-lane ## 4. Pastrami, Hypebeast Edition — Mish Delicatessen _Eat_ Eric Greenspan ran the whole Jewish deli canon through a hypebeast filter: hand-carved pastrami, wood-fired Montreal bagels, creative babka in an air-hangar hall. Walk-ins only, daily 8am–5pm — your serious Saturday-before-noon situation. Validated parking off the alley at La Brea & 2nd. Source: https://www.theinfatuation.com/los-angeles/reviews/mish ## 5. Live-Fire Spanish in West Adams — Picala _Eat_ Santa Barbara’s Acme group (The Lark) lands in the Cumulus District with chef Luis Sierra cooking pan con tomate, tortilla Española, and a chorizo-dotted paella over live fire. All-Spanish wine list; the gin tonics are a religion. OpenTable. Source: https://la.eater.com/maps/best-new-restaurants-los-angeles-heatmap ## 6. Maximalist Italian Chaos — Bad Roman — Beverly Hills _Eat_ NYC’s garlic-chandeliered, boar-statued Italian-American spectacle took over the old Palm Steakhouse. Roni cups with ranch, over-the-top pasta, green velvet everything. TimeOut says the food is great and the chaos is real — an entertaining place to spend money. OpenTable; valet. Source: https://www.timeout.com/los-angeles/news/nycs-bad-roman-arrives-in-l-a-with-its-ethos-intactand-its-service-in-tatters-062426 ## 7. Hand Rolls With Room to Breathe — Sora Temaki Bar — Brentwood _Eat_ The Farmers Market hand-roll institution gets a proper Westside room — 36-seat wraparound bar, sunny patio, made-to-order temaki straight to your seat. The best low-key weeknight move in the 90049. Daily 11:30am–10pm. Source: https://www.sorarestaurant.com ## 8. Frisbee-Sized Cutlets on Melrose — Daybird — Melrose _Eat_ The Sichuan-spiced fried chicken favorite relocated from Silver Lake into what looks like a cocktail bar that accidentally sells frisbee-sized cutlets — gold rooster lamps included. Same beloved tenders and sandos, now with optional $60 caviar tartar sauce. Counter service, Wed–Sun 12–8pm. Source: https://www.theinfatuation.com/los-angeles/reviews/daybird-melrose ## 9. Coming Soon: Pijja Palace’s Moody Sibling — Schezwan Club _Soon_ Avish Naran goes Indo-Chinese next door to Pijja Palace — Manchurian chicken, Singapore noodles, spice-built cocktails under neon. Not open yet as of this writing; expect Pijja-grade crowds the moment it is. Watch The Infatuation and IG for the date. Source: https://www.theinfatuation.com/los-angeles/guides/la-summer-restaurant-openings-2026 ## 10. Coming Mid-July: Persian, Elevated — Rumi’s Kitchen — Century City _Soon_ Atlanta’s upscale Persian favorite makes its West Coast debut at Westfield Century City — saffron kabobs, fried eggplant, a big patio over Santa Monica Blvd, and actual room for groups. Check the opening date before booking; Resy + rumiskitchen.com. Source: https://www.rumiskitchen.com ## 11. Coming in August: The Silverton Statement — Spacca Tutto — Palisades Village _Soon_ Nancy Silverton anchors the rebuilt Palisades Village with an Italian-American steakhouse — nearly 250 wine labels, AvroKO room, chi SPACCA muscle. The most culturally loaded opening of the summer: the Palisades coming back, hard. Follow @nancysilverton for reservation news. Source: https://lamag.com/food/a-new-italian-steakhouse-from-nancy-silverton-is-coming-to-pacific-palisades/ ## 12. Keep Discovering: The Live Heatmap — Eater LA _Vibes_ Eater’s continuously updated map of LA’s best new openings — for when you’ve eaten through this list and need the next one. Source: https://la.eater.com/maps/best-new-restaurants-los-angeles-heatmap ## 13. Show us your table — Instagram _Vibes_ First bites from every opening on this list — tag @curationsla and we’ll reshare the good ones. Source: https://www.instagram.com/curationsla/ --- Curated by Sofia · Published 2026-07-14 Source: https://www.curationsla.com/guides/best-new-restaurant-openings-july-august-2026 Cite as: CurationsLA, "Best New Restaurant Openings — July / August", https://www.curationsla.com/guides/best-new-restaurant-openings-july-august-2026 (published 2026-07-14). License: CC-BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Structured manifest: https://www.curationsla.com/guides/best-new-restaurant-openings-july-august-2026/manifest.json