The Best L.A. Restaurants Debuting in April
While we’ve enjoyed a mostly sunny spring with little rain, Los Angeles has been showered with a plethora of new restaurants. As we settle into April, let’s revisit some of March’s most exciting culinary happenings.
Fast-casual Mexican concept Loqui expanded with a new location on La Brea, while Juliet in Culver City launched a new daytime concept called Petite Juliet, focused on coffee, pastries, light lunch and apéro offerings. Duke’s Malibu reopened to much praise following its 14-month closure following the Palisades Fire. Brand new debuts in Silver Lake included Afro-Caribbean Amiguita and Milanese-style Bar Di Bello, while nearby Echo Park welcomed the return of sports bar The Holloway. West Hollywood also got a new Vienna-born Italian restaurant, Viva La Mamma, specializing in Neapolitan pizzas and pastas.
This month, a bar by Mumford & Sons’ Ben Lovett is making itself at home in DTLA, and Westlake’s popular food hall-like eatery Neighborly is setting up shop in Brentwood. The Jinya brand is also expanding with a more upscale flagship location in West Hollywood, and a prominent Santa Barbara Spanish spot is getting a sister concept in Culver City. From Chinatown to Porter Ranch, these are L.A.’s most anticipated restaurant openings of April.
L.A.’s Most Noteworthy Restaurant Openings: April 2026
Mitsi
- 1737 Naud Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Chinatown will welcome its swankiest new spot for bites and tipples on April 17. While Mitsi’s identity was developed as a bar concept, this elegant watering hole, owned by Mumford & Sons’ Ben Lovett, also serves a solid selection of sushi. The 50/50 martini with gin, dry vermouth, tomato and cilantro is a must for savory sippers, and classic cocktails like the Negroni are anything but traditional. Mitsi’s rendition features a palo santo-smoked gin, prickly pear amaro and umeshu. Pair these drinks with halibut sashimi, bluefin tuna sashimi and a couple of temaki hand rolls.
Jinya West Hollywood
- 826 N La Cienega Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069
Founder Tomo Takahashi is expanding his brand with a flagship dining concept in the heart of West Hollywood. Like most of its sister concepts, Jinya will offer a variety of Japanese bites and sushi, but the focus will be on a more elevated experience rooted in live-fire cooking. Tender cuts and an array of grilled seafood will take center stage, ready to be enhanced by a premium bottle of sake or one of Jinya’s signature cocktails. Doors are set to open on La Cienega Boulevard on April 17.
Picala
- 3321 S La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90016
In mid-April, the owners behind Santa Barbara’s renowned Spanish restaurant Loquita are opening a sister concept on the outskirts of Culver City. Picala will fuse the comforting flavors of Spain with farm-fresh California produce, yielding balanced yet dynamic dishes curated by chef Luis Sierra. The upcoming space is quite large, featuring a main dining room with 135 seats and an outdoor patio with another 45 seats. Though the full menu has yet to be released, expected items include a handful of traditional tapas along with more signature highlights like Bilbao sausages with caramelized onions and sherry and a suckling pig topped with a bright orange blossom chimichurri.
Neighborly Brentwood
- 11754 San Vicente Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90049
Westlake Village’s Neighborly expanded to its newest location in Brentwood on April 11. Rather than a traditional sit-down dining service, the multi-restaurant kitchen and marketplace offers a diverse culinary experience showcasing a variety of cuisines. If you’re in the mood for pizza, head to the counter at Palermo Pizza Club and grab a 48-hour fermented, Sicilian-style crust pie. Other options include Mini Kabob, which specializes in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean fare, salads and sandwiches at What’s Gaby cooking and New American bites at Mixtape.
Salina
- 20005 Rinaldi St, Suite 120, Porter Ranch, CA 91326
On April 2, the owners behind the Arts District’s Michelin-starred Camphor quietly opened Salina, an Italian-Mediterranean restaurant in Porter Ranch. Tall ceilings with exposed, white beams add an industrial component to the otherwise elegant space, which features white marble tables, leather banquettes and a vintage photo booth where you can commemorate your visit. Menu highlights range from spicy calamari with grilled Sichuan peppers to pastas like ricotta ravioli with sage and wood-fired pizzas.