Shiok! and its Asian street food-inspired menu sets up shop in Torrance

Openings

Shiok treatment

Shiok! will open Saturday in Torrance. The Asian street food-inspired menu includes grilled lemongrass steak banh mi with bourbon chicken pâté, vermicelli noodle salad and hot chicken bao.

2595 Airport Drive, Torrance, (424) 360-1333, shiokeats.com

Not like other birria

Xonxitas Vegan Mexican Kitchen is popping up on Sunday in Watts. The stand will serve meat- and dairy-free Mexican dishes including jackfruit birria and carnitas, enchiladas suizas with calabaza guisado, chilaquiles with vegan cheese and mole poblano with king oyster mushrooms.

9313 Beach St., Los Angeles, instagram.com/xonxitas

Food

17 places you probably have to try to understand birria in L.A.

In 2019, Los Angeles’ bowls runneth over with birria, the Mexican confederation of recipes involving meat rubbed, roasted or slowly stewed in an alloy of chilies, herbs and spices.

Salchifries and sopes in Thousand Oaks

Antojitos Bistro is open in Thousand Oaks. The truck serves tacos, tortas, sopes, gringas, birria and hot dog-topped salchifries, with meats including asada, chicken, pastor, birria and chorizo.

instagram.com/antojitos_bistro

The thunder years

Thunderbolt L.A. is now open next door to Park’s Finest in Echo Park. Cocktails include La Frutera, with tequila, mango, tamarind, cucumber and lime, while a Southern U.S. and Filipino-influenced menu includes pickled shrimp with grits, buttermilk biscuits and 18-hour brisket.

1263 W. Temple St., Los Angeles, thunderboltla.com

Food

Four Filipino desserts for coconut lovers

These four Filipino dessert recipes use coconut in forms from curd to halo-halo to bibingka pie to bichu bichu. They’re the ideal end to a Filipino meal.

Sister act

Uovo and KazuNori have both opened new locations at the same Beverly Grove address. The sushi handroll bar and Italian-made pasta restaurant share owners.

6245 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 642-6386, uovo.la; 6245 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 642-6457, handrollbar.com

Single-malt and tzatziki gelato in 90210

Fatamorgana Gelato has a new store in Beverly Hills. The Roman chain offers a large number of daily flavors, with choices such as single-malt Scotch and chocolate, virgin mojito, hibiscus, Black Forest cake and tzatziki. The first L.A. store opened in 2017 in Studio City.

162 S. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, fmgelato.com

Sidecar hits the South Bay

Sidecar Doughnuts & Coffee has a new location in Torrance. The Orange County-originated shop makes fresh doughnuts every hour, with flavors such as Saigon cinnamon crumb and butter and salt, and savory creations such as a malasada-style doughnut filled with poached egg, country ham and basil hollandaise sauce.

2549-B Pacific Coast Hwy., Torrance, (424) 263-5091, sidecardoughnuts.com/torrance

Fast Mex at FIGat7th

Ocho Mexican Grill is now open at Taste Food Hall at FIGat7th downtown. The fast-casual Mexican menu includes grilled mahi mahi burritos, bowls with carnitas or tiger prawns, and grilled steak tacos.

735 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, (213) 788-4788, eatocho.com

French Japanese

Azay is open in downtown from chef Akira Hirose, formerly of Maison Akira. The cafe’s menu features separate French and Japanese sections, including traditional Japanese breakfast, daily bento boxes and shrimp chawanmushi, as well as salade aux lardons, croque-monsieur and boeuf Bourguignon.

226 E. 1st St., Los Angeles

Hot zone

Twozone Chicken, an import from Korea, is open in Koreatown. Fried chicken is sold in an assortment of styles, with options such as whole soy garlic chicken, boneless honey butter chicken, bulgogi chicken and wings with various dipping sauces.

450 S. Western Ave., Los Angeles, (213) 378-0100, facebook.com/twozonechicken.la

Bombz away

Belly Bombz has a new food truck open in Long Beach, serving its Wingfest-winning Korean fried chicken in sandwich, rice bowl and wing form.

Ocean Boulevard between Pine and Magnolia avenues, (562) 787- 4537, instagram.com/bellybombzlongbeach

Southside Strut

Strut Bar & Club is open in Costa Mesa. The all-inclusive queer bar and club includes two spaces: a casual tavern open daily for cocktails and snacks, and a nightclub open on weekends for dancing, DJs and performances.

719 W. 19th St., Costa Mesa, (949) 536-4389, strutoc.com

Island time

Faka’s Island Grill is now open at 4th Street Market in Santa Ana. The South Pacific menu includes furikake waffle fries with beef and melted cheese, steak and garlic shrimp plates, and tonkatsu and pork belly sandwiches on King’s Hawaiian rolls.

201 E. 4th St., Santa Ana, (626) 346-7444, fakasislandgrill.com

Closings

Salvadoran restaurant Atlacatl said it might close next year in East Hollywood due to the sale of its property by the landlord.

Safir, which replaced the Persian mainstay Javan, is closed after a year in Sawtelle.

Café D’Etoile is closed after 36 years in West Hollywood. A Facebook post says it is “no longer financially viable to remain open.”