Aftertaste LA

We Found Our Favorite New Bar in LA (#68 in North America) | Vandell Review

LA finally has an answer to NYC in the elite cocktail bar space — and it's tucked into Los Feliz on Hillhurst Ave. We're calling Vandell our new favorite bar in Los Angeles. In this episode of Aftertaste LA, we break down why this neighborhood cocktail bar is the real deal. It only took 4 short months after opening for Vandell to be named #68 on the 100 best bars in North America. It's creative, it's cocktail nerdy, and it has all the momentum to become one of the best bars in the country. Vandell feels like a relaxed neighborhood bar but the high concept cocktails, many of which take several days to prepare, take it up to another level. That might make it sound like it would be stuffy and uptight, but the best part about Vandell is that you can also get a shot and a beer and leave perfectly happy. ⁠ ⁠ They do classic cocktails extremely well (Martini, Negroni, Old Fashioned, etc,) with a few vintage options using spirits from the 70s and 80s. All their cocktails are extremely creative and incorporate market-fresh ingredients like bell pepper, smoked tomato, mango, and blood orange, to name just a few. ⁠ ⁠ But it’s not only about the drinks. Vandell’s food menu leans on some must-have staples like great fries, a solid burger and spiced bar nuts, but throws in some delicious curve balls like chicken liver toast and anchovy toast. https://punchdrink.com/articles/most-popular-best-cocktail-recipes-april-2026/ Note: Vandell is majority walk-in — limited Resys drop 1 week in advance. Get there early! Book Vandell on Resy: https://resy.com/cities/los-angeles-ca/venues/vandell Our Meal At Vandell | Los Feliz | Los Angeles | California | Opened December 2025 https://www.thevandell.com/ @vandell.losangeles 📱 Connect with us here: Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/aftertastela Threads → https://www.threads.com/@aftertastela TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@aftertastela 🍴 About Aftertaste LA: Join Chef Vlad and Nicole on their journey through the Los Angeles dining scene. Each episode focuses on a different restaurant, analyzing strengths and weaknesses from service to flavor, to creativity, and everything else Nicole and Chef Vlad are the friends you trust to give a thorough review of the many restaurants of the diverse and vast Los Angeles dining landscape. They’ll break down the hits, the misses, and the avoid-at-all-costs so you can target your experiences to what fits you best. Whether you’re a local, just visiting, or dreaming of an LA vacation, they’re your source for tasty information about the restaurant experiences that make Los Angeles special. ⭐ Our Rating System (1–4 Tastebuds): 1️⃣ Sip = Skip it 2️⃣ Sips = If you’re in the neighborhood 3️⃣ Sips = Worth a trek 4️⃣ Sips = Can’t miss #vandell #vandelllosfeliz #losfeliz #losfelizbar #losangelescocktailbar #bestbarsinla #labars #cocktailbar #losangelescocktails #50bestbars #northamericas50bestbars #lacocktails #aftertastela #larestaurants #lafoodie #cocktailreview #barreview #neighborhoodbar

Why Hermon's Is the Best Bar & Grill in Los Angeles

The restaurant has positioned itself as THE neighborhood ⁠bar & grill; a place that does the simple things right. Easy on paper, but a tough feat to actually pull off. ⁠ A classic bar & grill MUST nail specific essentials to be great. A burger, a steak, fries, a martini, comfortable seats, and a staff that knows how to make you feel like you're in your living room. It seems they have done their homework. ⁠⁠For 122 years, Hermon - a small, largely overlooked neighborhood of northeast LA-went without a single restaurant. But in this tiny hamlet, Last Word Hospitality saw something worth betting on. It took some persuading of the little enclave to get the green light, but naming it after the neighborhood sealed the deal. Chef DK Kolender and Last Word have made Hermon's one of the toughest tables in town to get. Why? The food and beverage program shines, with signatures like the Vongole Two Sheet Lasagna, Ode to Chez Cheeseburger, and Potato Fritters, which have the most appropriate amount of shaved parm we've seen on an appetizer anywhere (i.e. a LOT). ⁠⁠The restaurant itself lives in a converted church banquet hall with a large U-shaped bar at center stage and a semi-open kitchen behind it. The place feels cozy with lots of warm tones, natural wood, and classy decor. Last Word really knows how to dress up a place. ⁠⁠ Oh, and did we mention $10 martinis and yuzu margs before 6?⁠ Our Meal At Hermons | Hermon | Los Angeles | California | Opened 2025 https://www.hermonsla.com/ @hermonsla 🎧 Listen to the Podcast: Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/3ZUVt7hAf8JvrA4NvHRd7Z?si=3f3b627900fb4583 Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/aftertaste-la/id1840083535 Amazon → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b94749de-3c4c-40a2-b549-f80ac2725a58/aftertaste-la RSS Feed → https://feeds.captivate.fm/aftertaste-la/ 📱 Connect with us here: Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/aftertastela Threads → https://www.threads.com/@aftertastela TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@aftertastela 🍴 About Aftertaste LA: Join Chef Vlad and Nicole on their journey through the Los Angeles dining scene. Each episode focuses on a different restaurant, analyzing strengths and weaknesses from service to flavor, to creativity, and everything else Nicole and Chef Vlad are the friends you trust to give a thorough review of the many restaurants of the diverse and vast Los Angeles dining landscape. They’ll break down the hits, the misses, and the avoid-at-all-costs so you can target your experiences to what fits you best. Whether you’re a local, just visiting, or dreaming of an LA vacation, they’re your source for tasty information about the restaurant experiences that make Los Angeles special. ⭐ Our Rating System (1–4 Tastebuds): 1️⃣ Tastebud = Skip it 2️⃣ Tastebuds = If you’re in the neighborhood 3️⃣ Tastebuds = Worth a trek 4️⃣ Tastebuds = Can’t miss #AftertasteLA #LosAngelesFood #RestaurantReview #FoodPodcast

Chef Ray Garcia Brought Broken Spanish Back to LA — Here's What We Thought

When the pandemic caused the original Broken Spanish to close, Los Angeles lost an absolutely outstanding restaurant. https://brokenspanishcomedor.com Broken Spanish Comedor continues the ‘authentically inauthentic’ philosophy of Chef Ray with a more approachable price point and clear nod to Mexico’s comedores: small, typically mom-and-pop restaurants and stalls serving home style cuisine. Chef Ray Garcia, a born and raised Angeleno, has triumphantly resurrected an evolved version of the original in the former A-Frame space in Culver City. The bar program is heavily tequila and mezcal based, with some premium Mexican wines available by the glass. With a brand new patio space and daily happy hour, Broken Spanish Comedor is a cozy, welcome return of an LA favorite. Broken Spanish Comedor | Culver City | Los Angeles | California | Opened October 2025 🎧 Listen to the Podcast: Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/3ZUVt7hAf8JvrA4NvHRd7Z?si=3f3b627900fb4583 Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/aftertaste-la/id1840083535 Amazon → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b94749de-3c4c-40a2-b549-f80ac2725a58/aftertaste-la RSS Feed → https://feeds.captivate.fm/aftertaste-la/ 📱 Connect with us here: Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/aftertastela Threads → https://www.threads.com/@aftertastela TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@aftertastela 🍴 About Aftertaste LA: Join Chef Vlad and Nicole on their journey through the Los Angeles dining scene. Each episode focuses on a different restaurant, analyzing strengths and weaknesses from service to flavor, to creativity, and everything else Nicole and Chef Vlad are the friends you trust to give a thorough review of the many restaurants of the diverse and vast Los Angeles dining landscape. They’ll break down the hits, the misses, and the avoid-at-all-costs so you can target your experiences to what fits you best. Whether you’re a local, just visiting, or dreaming of an LA vacation, they’re your source for tasty information about the restaurant experiences that make Los Angeles special. ⭐ Our Rating System (1–4 Tastebuds): 1️⃣ Tastebud = Skip it 2️⃣ Tastebuds = If you’re in the neighborhood 3️⃣ Tastebuds = Worth a trek 4️⃣ Tastebuds = Can’t miss #BrokenSpanish #BrokenSpanishComedor #ChefRayGarcia #CulverCity #CulverCityRestaurants #MexicanFood #ModernMexican #LAFoodie #LAFoodScene #LADining #LosAngelesRestaurants #RestaurantReview #AftertasteLA #LARestaurants #MexicanRestaurant #CulverCityFood #LAEats #SoCalFood

Jilli Is Koreatown's Perfect Pit Stop — Makgeolli, Bar Snacks & Good Vibes | Aftertaste LA

“Sool jib” translates literally to “drinking establishment,” and that is exactly what Jilli is. The vibe here is drinks come first, but incredible food is a close second. ⁠ ⁠ The team behind Chimmelier — the Korean fried chicken spot that blew up in Ktown — took over the former Kinn space and turned it into one of the most fun places to eat and drink in the neighborhood. The dining area at Jilli is a small, purple-twilit room, with 2000s hiphop pounding on the speakers, the perfect environment for everyone at the bar to have a great night. ⁠ ⁠ The food is mostly small plates designed to share while you drink. The Rigatoni alla Kimchi Vodka is the dish everyone talks about (kimchi and guanciale in a vodka sauce over rigatoni), and believe us, it’s hyped for a reason. On the drinks side, they're pouring natural wines alongside soju cocktails and locally brewed makgeolli —Korean rice wine — including labels you won't find anywhere else in Ktown.⁠ Our Meal At Jilli | Koreatown | Los Angeles | California | Opened 2024 @jilli.la 🎧 Listen to the Podcast: Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/3ZUVt7hAf8JvrA4NvHRd7Z?si=3f3b627900fb4583 Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/aftertaste-la/id1840083535 Amazon → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b94749de-3c4c-40a2-b549-f80ac2725a58/aftertaste-la RSS Feed → https://feeds.captivate.fm/aftertaste-la/ 📱 Connect with us here: Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/aftertastela Threads → https://www.threads.com/@aftertastela TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@aftertastela 🍴 About Aftertaste LA: Join Chef Vlad and Nicole on their journey through the Los Angeles dining scene. Each episode focuses on a different restaurant, analyzing strengths and weaknesses from service to flavor, to creativity, and everything else Nicole and Chef Vlad are the friends you trust to give a thorough review of the many restaurants of the diverse and vast Los Angeles dining landscape. They’ll break down the hits, the misses, and the avoid-at-all-costs so you can target your experiences to what fits you best. Whether you’re a local, just visiting, or dreaming of an LA vacation, they’re your source for tasty information about the restaurant experiences that make Los Angeles special. ⭐ Our Rating System (1–4 Tastebuds): 1️⃣ Tastebud = Skip it 2️⃣ Tastebuds = If you’re in the neighborhood 3️⃣ Tastebuds = Worth a trek 4️⃣ Tastebuds = Can’t miss #AftertasteLA #LosAngelesFood #RestaurantReview #FoodPodcast

Ep. 020 | CENTO | West Adams

Avner Levi, a Bestia alum, started Cento as a pasta pop-up inside a downtown LA bar. Now he's got a permanent home in West Adams — and two very different restaurants to show for it.⁠⁠ Cento Pasta Bar is the concept that put him on the map: a modern and sleek room built around handmade pasta and a chef's counter where you can watch every bowl come together. The food is Italian at its core, but Levi isn't precious about it — global influences creep in at the edges in ways that feel natural rather than forced. Remind us to always put chili crisp on carbonara going forward.⁠⁠\ Cento Raw Bar, which opened in 2025, is right next door and is one of the most visually arresting dining rooms in the city, and it knows it. It masterfully transports diners into a fantasy seacave grotto, with bleached coral walls and whimsical pops of color. The raw bar deals in oysters, uni, seafood towers, and crudos with a few large format items like whole branzino and squid ink pasta rounding out the menu. ⁠ West Adams | Los Angeles | California Opened 2019 (pasta bar) Opened 2025 (raw bar) https://www.cento.group/ @centorawbar @centopastabar 🎧 Listen to the Podcast: Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/3ZUVt7hAf8JvrA4NvHRd7Z?si=3f3b627900fb4583 Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/aftertaste-la/id1840083535 Amazon → https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b94749de-3c4c-40a2-b549-f80ac2725a58/aftertaste-la RSS Feed → https://feeds.captivate.fm/aftertaste-la/ 📱 Connect with us here: Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/aftertastela Threads → https://www.threads.com/@aftertastela TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@aftertastela 🍴 About Aftertaste LA: Join Chef Vlad and Nicole on their journey through the Los Angeles dining scene. Each episode focuses on a different restaurant, analyzing strengths and weaknesses from service to flavor, to creativity, and everything else Nicole and Chef Vlad are the friends you trust to give a thorough review of the many restaurants of the diverse and vast Los Angeles dining landscape. They’ll break down the hits, the misses, and the avoid-at-all-costs so you can target your experiences to what fits you best. Whether you’re a local, just visiting, or dreaming of an LA vacation, they’re your source for tasty information about the restaurant experiences that make Los Angeles special. ⭐ Our Rating System (1–4 Tastebuds): 1️⃣ Tastebud = Skip it 2️⃣ Tastebuds = If you’re in the neighborhood 3️⃣ Tastebuds = Worth a trek 4️⃣ Tastebuds = Can’t miss #AftertasteLA #LosAngelesFood #RestaurantReview #FoodPodcast