It’s Dodgers game day! Where to eat nearby
A ROUNDUP OF THE BEST SPOTS TO GET FOOD OR DRINKS, WHETHER YOU’RE PRE-GAMING OR CELEBRATING A WIN
THERE ARE A few telltale signs that summer is approaching in Los Angeles. The lavender treetops of blooming jacaranda trees. The crowded peaks at our local parks as Angelenos resume their late-evening hikes. The annual activity of getting friends and family together for at least one game at Dodger Stadium.
Attending Dodgers games doesn’t require that you actually follow the team’s standings or even have an interest in Major League Baseball (though I’m told it helps). Our home team’s winning nature means you can show up in the second or third inning and most likely be met with a favorable score and happy fans, just in time to join the wave and cheer another hitter home.
This is especially true since the Dodgers nabbed star Japanese player Shohei Ohtani from the Anaheim Angels at the end of the 2023 season. Nicknamed “Shotime” for his high pitching and batting averages, the designated hitter played for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters for four years and has been compared to an early-career Babe Ruth. L.A. Dodgers fans, including local restaurants and bars, have welcomed Ohtani with 150foot-tall murals, themed merchandise and special menu items.
Pre- or post-gaming is part of our seasonal Dodgers tradition and there are plenty of places to choose from across Echo Park, Silver Lake, Chinatown and Lincoln Heights, some just a halfmile walk from the stadium. Use this list as a starting point for some of the most exciting food and drink options nearby, including artisanal sake from Ohtani’s home prefecture, sustainable oysters, local cider and Tijuana-style tacos.
ALL DAY BABY
This cherry-red corner diner from Lien Ta and late chef Jonathan Whitener is your best pregame option for early Dodgers games. They’re ready to wake you up with fresh pastries, boozy caffeinated milkshakes, a pillowy biscuit sandwich and smoked maple French toast with country ham. If you’re getting a slower start, the yuzu lemonade with espresso, vanilla and lemon is refreshing and invigorating. All Day Baby is about two miles from Dodger Stadium.
3200 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 741-0082, alldaybaby la.com
ANGEL’S TIJUANA TACOS
For a quick, street-side bite before or after a Dodgers game, try Angel’s Tijuana Tacos, which pops up along Sunset Boulevard under a tent with a few tables, a plancha for cooking tortillas on the spot and a flaming al pastor spit. The recommended order for Angel’s depends entirely on whether you have plans after you eat. If you’re planning to hike the half-mile to Dodger Stadium, maybe limit yourself to a couple tacos or quesotacos — the stand is open until at least midnight, so you can always return for more after the game. If the taqueria is your final stop of the night, go big with a cheesegriddled burrito or a massive baked potato that’s loaded with your choice of meat, cheese and sauces, with tortillas served on the side.
1185 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, instagram.com/angelstijuana tacos
BENNY BOY BREWING
Hidden beneath the 5 Freeway in Lincoln Heights is this spacious, dog-friendly brewery and cider house from husband and wife Ben Farber and Chelsey Rosetter, who make their beers and ciders with Old World techniques using modern machinery. Beer and cider flights are available, or you can mix your favorite beer and cider for a concoction called a Snakebite. There’s always an interesting wine or two on the menu; my current favorite is a sparkling applegrape made from McIntosh apples and chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes. Local food vendors selling barbecue, birria tacos or hot chicken pop up almost daily in the string-lighted backyard that’s filled with umbrellas and fire pits. Live Dodgers games play on a bigscreen TV in the brewery and Benny Boy also hosts karaoke and drawing parties. Parking can be a challenge.
1821 Daly St., Los Angeles, bennyboybrewing.com
BUTTON MASH
There are many reasons to visit this Echo Park arcade bar. If you’re hungry, Diego Argoti’s Poltergeist boasts one of the most chaotic and satisfying menus in the city, with plates that blend globetrotting takes on familiar dishes, like a Caesar salad that comes with a towering parsley-dusted rice cracker in place of croutons — you can pile frisee tossed with lemongrass and smoked anchovies on large pieces of the puffed rice like a tostada, or break the cracker into smaller bites so that it eats like a regular salad. Argoti regularly adds new dishes to the menu, such as a crispy duck leg confit that comes perched on a chewy, mochi-verde bubble waffle with a tangerine salad and a garlicky hibiscus toum dipping sauce.
Another reason to visit are the old-school arcade games and pinball machines, with classics like “The Simpsons,” “Galaga” and “Mortal Kombat.” If you don’t want to make a reservation to eat, you can always order food at the bar, where Argoti offers a burger with shoestring fries smashed against a cheese-covered beef patty and Korean-fried cauliflower. A generous selection of draft, canned and bottled beer is available, as well as wines by the glass or bottle. There are no TVs in the bar, but it’s a convenient, half-mile walk from Dodger Stadium.
1391 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, (213) 250-9903, buttonmash la.com
HOMAGE BREWING
This spacious brewhouse is located in Chinatown near L.A. State Historic Park, serving as a hoppy oasis in the warehousecrowded district. The minimalist interior is spacious with a dance floor, tables and Art Deco lighting, while the string-lighted covered patio features a plantlined partition. The taproom hosts regular DJ nights and maker’s markets, with a rotating food special each week. Bites to pair with your beer or wine are limited but worthwhile, such as a pillowy focaccia sandwich with oyster mushrooms, avocado and red cabbage slaw and masa-battered fish tacos or chicken wings. The beer list focuses on
lagers, ales and saisons, with a handful of natural wines available by the glass or bottle.
In case you feel like brewery hopping before or after the game, Highland Park Brewery is on the same block. Homage is a five- to 10-minute drive from Dodger Stadium, but be mindful that traffic can pile up on game days.
1219 N. Main St., Los Angeles, homagebrewing.com
LOWBOY
For cocktails and loaded bar bites, there’s Lowboy, a westernthemed bar off Sunset Boulevard that’s next door to buzzy Italian American restaurant Donna’s. The moody haunt blends low- and highbrow with decor that includes a colorcoded bookcase and Jell-O shots on the drink menu. But don’t take that to mean the cocktail program isn’t carefully considered. The bar just launched a new drink menu on Dodgers opening day, including Rosalia’s Garden with gin, blood orange, absinthe and aromatic herbs, and a take on the espresso martini with coconut oil- and cacaowashed vodka, amaro, Mr. Black coffee liqueur, coffee concentrate and honey. The food menu is fairly straightforward with smashburgers (including a vegan option), tenders, wings and a Caesar salad. The gator fries are an elevated take on animal-style fries from In-N-Out, with griddled onions, American cheese, house-made pickles and “2,000” Island dressing. The bar is just under a mile from Dodger Stadium.
1540 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, (213) 266-8161, lowboybar.com
OTOTO
Cheers to Shohei “Shotime” Ohtani, the Dodgers’ wunderkind pitcher and hitter who played professional baseball in Japan before signing with the Angels after the 2017 season. Ohtani joined the Dodgers after last season, a move that’s predicted to land the team another World Series victory. At Ototo’s stylish sake bar, you can pre- or post-game with the Shotime Teishoku set, available from 5 to 7 p.m. whenever there’s a home game. The $35 meal includes your choice of veggie, fish or chicken, with seasonal veggies and sides. Wash it down with a glass or carafe of sake — Ototo’s expansive list represents the best you’ll find in L.A., including an option from Ohtani’s home prefecture of Iwate.
1360 Allison Ave., Los Angeles, (213) 784-7930, ototo.la
SHINS PIZZA
This neighborhood slice shop in Cypress Park sits next to Portuguese-inspired Barra Santos, in case you want to pair seasonally driven New York-style pizza, appetizers and Italian ice with vinho verde or port wine. In addition to the usual Margherita, pepperoni and meatlovers pies, Shins tops its pizzas with ricotta and pistachioflecked mortadella and rotating flavors such as herby meatballs with Pecorino-Romano. All pizzas are offered by the slice or whole (with a gluten-free option available), so it’s convenient whether you’re with a small or big group. Shins is a 10- to 15minute drive from Dodger Stadium, depending on traffic.
1215½ Cypress Ave., Los Angeles, shinspizza.com
THE LONELY OYSTER
Find this maritime-themed seafood den on Echo Park Avenue across the street from Lassen’s grocery store. It’s a great place to come with a group before or after a game, with a covered patio deck and a lowceilinged interior that feels like stepping onto a vintage cruise ship. Study the menu board that lists the day’s oyster offerings sourced from small, sustainable farms, and decide if you want them raw or grilled, with accouterments that include Calabrian chile oil and charred onion-miso sauce. Open for lunch, brunch and dinner, the menu features a handful of ceviches and crudos, crab cakes, hand rolls, seafood towers and large-format plates such as garlicky steamed mussels with handmade spaghetti, a trio of lobster sliders and steak frites. The restaurant’s kitchen stays open until midnight Sunday through Wednesday and until 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday, with an abbreviated menu that includes a lobster grilled cheese sandwich, Old Bay-seasoned fries and oyster shooters in bloody Mary mix. The beverage menu spans martinis, wines by the glass and bottle and cocktails like the Stargazer with cinnamon- and jalapeño-infused tequila, mezcal, spiced rum, lime and pineapple juice and agave. The Lonely Oyster is less than a mile from Dodger Stadium.
1320 Echo Park Ave., Los Angeles, (213) 221-7615, lonelyoyster .com
THE RUBY FRUIT
With bubble-gum-pink accents and the Indigo Girls playing on repeat in the bathroom, this lesbian and queer wine bar is always a fun time, game day or not. Events include everything from all-day happy hour on Mondays to country western-themed dance nights, karaoke and sipand-sketch parties. Dishes come and go from the menu regularly, so don’t miss out on specials such as carne asada fries with queso fresco, avocado salsa verde and guava barbecue sauce. Natural-leaning wines are available by the glass or bottle, as well as ciders, beers and low-ABV spritzes. The Ruby Fruit is a little farther down Sunset in Silver Lake, so it’ll take about 10 minutes driving to get to Dodger Stadium.
3510 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 522-6323, therubyfruit.com