LA’s favorite chicken stand, Dino’s Famous Chicken on Pico Boulevard, recently unveiled a sleek new design refresh courtesy of Alexis Readinger of Preen Inc. While the restaurant’s footprint is the same, Preen Inc. most notably expanded the outdoor seating area, built a midcentury-style breeze block overhang to the original single-story building, and added an extra ordering window for faster service. Additionally, the indoor seating area was updated with new booths and contemporary lighting fixtures. Though the construction only took a few months, the entire planning, permitting, and building process took about a year, a representative from Preen Inc. tells Eater.

The 55-year-old restaurant is currently run by founder Demetrios Pantazis’s four daughters: Konstantina, Maria, Katerina, and Nicole. (Pantazis opened the business in 1968 and died in 2017.) While the family owns additional locations of Dino’s in Pico Rivera and Pomona, along with a ghost kitchen in Pasadena, the original one in the Latino-Byzantine Quarter is the most popular, with winding lines of eager customers patiently waiting for a serving of the famous Pollo Maniaco during peak dining hours.

Lane Barden

Lane Barden

Palmdale provisions

Journalist Katherine Spiers heads to Palmdale for West African cooking worth writing home about. On the menu at Ponia’s Palace are Ghanaian and Nigerian versions of jollof, roasted chicken gizzards, sauteed snails, kelewele for dessert, and so much more.

Tea for two, plus a teddy bear

The Langham hotel in Pasadena is serving a special afternoon tea menu just for parents and children. The annual holiday tradition, Teddy Bear Tea, is priced at $90 per adult and $80 per child 12 and under and includes a Santa visit, a puppet show, and a limited-edition Paddington teddy bear for kiddos. Visit OpenTable for reservations.

Brentwood gets an Aussie cafe

Super-popular Aussie cafe Great White is opening a new location in Brentwood in the summer of 2024. The 2,800-square-foot outlet will serve an all-day menu from chef Juan Ferreiro and natural wines curated by Andy Miller (formerly of Tabula Rasa).

Great White

Cheers to the Bird’s Nest

Santa Monica’s Birdie G’s is transforming into a festive holiday drinking destination called the Bird’s Nest starting December 1. The list of specialty cocktails by bar manager Stephanie Reading includes the Don’t Knock the Nog, featuring four types of rum, cloves, cinnamon, vanilla bean, and candy cane rim garnish. The Winter Spice & Everything Nice drink brings together cognac, a housemade coffee tincture, and a syrup made with clove, allspice, star anise, black pepper, and cinnamon.

Birdie G’s