San Diego’s own Parakeet Cafe is heading north in a big way. The casual restaurant from Carol Roizen and Jonathan Goldwasser leans into so-called healthy eating with a California perspective, meaning avocado toast, brown rice lunch bowls with roasted vegetables, and heartier dishes like shakshuka, chilaquiles, and a grilled chicken sandwich with caramelized onions. The Beverly Hills location opens today, September 5, at 206 S. Beverly Drive, fresh off the heels of a separate new location that opened last week in Newport Beach. Brentwood is next for the growing company, which now spans more than a dozen outlets after opening in La Jolla in 2017.

Talking to big culinary figures

Speaking of dumplings, the Orange County Register (paywalled) dove deep with Cali Dumpling owners Allan and Candace Tea to find out how the company turned dining at home during the pandemic into a big retail business.

Meanwhile, OpenTable spent time chatting with Ori Menashe about the long-term success of Bestia in the Arts District. The restaurant remains one of the toughest tables to get in town, OpenTable says, while Menashe swears that the best seats in the house can be found at the pizza counter.

More pizza for Burbank

Lucifer’s Pizza has landed its fifth location around the city, this one in Burbank. The spicy favorite lands at 3116 W. Magnolia Boulevard in the Magnolia Park area, with an opening slated for tomorrow, Wednesday, September 6. Expect daily hours from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., selling regular pizzas, build-your-own-pizza options, salads, and sides. There are options for spicy pizzas too, of course.

Jakob Layman

A Parisian party in Downtown

Le Petit Paris in Downtown is celebrating its eighth anniversary on September 15 with a large-scale all-white party, light show, and live music. Tickets run $150 for the event and are for those 21 and older only, but with that price comes lots of luxury like smoked lobster, duck, and caviar supplements.

A newcomer in Highland Park

Signage is up for Roll Call Sushi, the Koreatown Japanese restaurant that also sports a Miracle Mile location, to open up in Highland Park. The new space takes over for the closed former Tam’s on Figueroa, right next door to Mason’s Dumpling Shop.

An updated look in Century City

New renderings have been released for the coming Casa Dani and Katsuya openings at the Westfield Century City mall. The highly anticipated projects, with the former coming from one of Spain’s biggest restaurant names, span a total of 17,000 square feet and should open in early 2024.

Rockwell Group