Echo Park izakaya Ototo is transforming into a Japanese 7-Eleven for one night only on October 31. For the menu, Ototo will recreate convenience store classics like the fluffy, crustless egg salad sandwiches and onigiri stuffed with mayo tuna. Guests are welcome to come in costume and early arrival is encouraged since the evening is walk-ins only.
Last year, Ototo transformed into the eponymous diner from Netflix’s Midnight Diner. The show follows diners at a restaurant in Tokyo that’s open from midnight until 7 a.m. every day. The main character, a nameless chef, cooks up Japanese comfort food for the late-night crowd.
2024 has seen a massive spike in interest in Japanese convenience store foods stemming from viral TikToks and other social media posts. The interest has been so great that 7-Eleven is even starting to bring Japanese-inspired snacks to its stateside stores.
A new coffee shop in Virgil Village
Good Friend, a new standalone coffee shop in Virgil Village, opened in early October next door to Virgil Farm Market. Owner Max Rand brings over a decade of coffee experience to the cafe, including five years with LA’s Alfred Coffee.
The cafe serves the classic lineup of espresso-based drinks, plus drip coffee and cold brew. Rand curates beans from around the world for the coffee at Good Friend and often rotates roasts. A collection of teas, including matcha, orange blossoms, and rooibos, are also available. The cafe also serves a “fun little drinks” menu with options like a peanut butter and jelly latte, a sweet matcha with brown sugar syrup, and cherry limeade.
Grab dinner before seeing a show in Hollywood
While the Pantages puts up a pretty impressive line-up every year, parking options in the area are less than ideal. Now, select restaurants in the Hollywood area are including show parking with their nightly valet. Showgoers can now leave their car at restaurants and bars like Gwen, Bar Lis, and Mother Wolf.
Kimchi-topped bagels in Koreatown
Koreatown restaurant Enchant is partnering with singer Johnny Valentine for a special pop-up called UFO Bagel. Available from October 31 to November 2, the bagel created by chef Kyung Jun Bae (who was recently a contestant on Netflix’s Culinary Class Wars) comes with cream cheese, kimchi, green onion, honey, cheddar, and corn. Pre-orders are available through Hotplate.
Where chef Jason Neroni likes to eat
Chef Jason Neroni (the Rose, Paloma) shared his favorite food picks on the Westside with Los Angeles Magazine. Neroni names Vietnamese restaurant My Lai, handroll bar KazuNori, and ice cream shop Jeni’s as his three favorites.