Highland Park’s new sourdough pizzeria Wildcrust is opening on Saturday, October 19. The pandemic-era pop-up-turned-permanent restaurant comes from chef Miles Okabayashi and his business partners, brother Sam and sister-in-law Jean Okabayashi.

The Los Angeles native chef worked at République before moving to New York from 2013 to 2020 to gain experience at Michelin-starred Torishin and Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Perry Street. Okabayashi returned to Los Angeles in 2020 and delivered prepared food for friends and family during the height of the pandemic. He also built a wood-fired pizza oven in his mother’s Mar Vista backyard. “I brought my sourdough starter on the plane [from New York] in a little pint container,” he says. Okabayashi obsessed over the science of sourdough, developing a 48-hour fermentation process. He occasionally popped up at places like Melody Wine Bar and Square One in Echo Park to serve pizzas to the public.

Joining Okabayashi in the kitchen at Wildcrust is Moonlark Dinette alum Daniel Hur. The duo are preparing margherita and marinara pizzas for traditionalists, while the braised lamb tzatziki pizza layered with tomatoes, shallots, fior di latte mozzarella, feta, mint, and Calabrian chile is aimed at more adventurous palates. The rich mushroom pizza with raclette, garlic vinaigrette, and fior di latte is ideal for vegetarians.

Adjacent to Wildcrust’s pizza oven is a wood-fired grill to prep duck croquettes with a duck jus, which takes three days to prepare. The bone-in pork chop is encrusted with fennel seeds, coriander, Aleppo pepper, cumin, and crushed red chile flakes, while the Christmas lima beans are hearty with a marjoram dressing. Meatballs are roasted, then thrown on the grill, before doused with a tomato chipotle and Parmesan sauce. The gem lettuce Caesar salad is built for two.

The Okabayashis recruited Manzke and Bicyclette alum and sommelier Enoch Ahn to serve as the general manager. In addition to beer and sake, Ahn curated a wine list featuring Italian, German, Portuguese, and a minerally French Chenin blanc from the Loire Valley.

While Wildcrust’s compact corner space appears small at first glance, it seats 28 diners across two patios and 40 more in the long dining room with booths, high-tops, and communal tables. Interior designer Jared Frank dreamed up the dining room’s industrial walls with sage green touches, red accents, custom tiles and banquettes, modern sconces, and hanging lights that conjure a midcentury feel. Lunch service will launch in the coming months.

Starting October 19, Wildcrust is open Tuesday through Sunday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. at 4705 York Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90042. Secure a table via Resy.