First Andy Kadin brought his love of dough to Angelenos via his wildly popular bakery, Bub and Grandma’s. Then came the always-packed restaurant in Glassell Park. Now there’s Bub and Grandma’s Pizza: Kadin’s ode to the East Coast pizzas of his childhood, made with his own seasonal flair, and it’s drawing lines down the block in Highland Park.
There are garlic knots, chopped salads piled with local produce, wings, cannoli and meatballs in marinara, but the star is the pizza. Guests can watch the 18-inch pies being made via a window into the kitchen, and order at a walk-up window at the former Town Pizza space.
“You might say it’s New York, New Jersey, Connecticut — Tri-State area — style pizza, because there’s some elements of all of those mixed in there,” said the New Jersey native.
Kadin tapped Jeff Whittaker (formerly of Bar Monette, Hippo, Frankies 457 Spuntino) to head his pizzeria’s kitchen, where they developed a sturdy, tangy sourdough base for the daily rotation of slices and whole pies that include pork-and-beef Bolognese, classic pepperoni and eggplant parm.
The opening is a full-circle moment for Kadin, who borrowed Town Pizza’s ovens the first time he needed to bake beyond his own kitchen roughly a decade ago. To make the space his own, he gutted and rebuilt the kitchen, installed taller double-deck electric ovens and removed the walk-in area for slices. Guests can walk up to an order window, choosing from the menu or the cases of slices on display in the window, then pick up their food from another window at the corner of the building.
Scant sidewalk tables offer seating, but in spring of 2026, Kadin plans to open the dining room of Bub and Grandma’s Pizza, which will sell a larger menu of red-sauce classics, plus beer and wine. And, Kadin said, look for a photo booth: One of the most iconic aspects of the former Town Pizza, and one that he knew he had to offer at Bub and Grandma’s Pizza.
Bub and Grandma’s Pizza is open Monday to Thursday from 4 to 9 p.m., and Friday to Sunday from 11 a.m to 11 p.m. Expanded hours will launch in the coming weeks.
5101 York Blvd., Los Angeles, bubspizza.com
Kali rebrands
Gone is the tasting menu, and gone are the white walls with the blue decor. In a bid to weather a tumultuous time in the industry, Michelin-starred restaurant Kali recently pivoted away from fine dining and rebranded as a concept dear to owners Kevin Meehan and Drew Langley: a dimly lit steakhouse, and also somewhat of a Dodgers bar.
“Being a Michelin-starred chef is a great honor,” Meehan said, “but when Hollywood goes on strike and there’s a pandemic and no one’s spending money, the first thing to go is the old Michelin restaurants.”
When it came time to renew their restaurant’s lease this year — and around the time they shuttered their seafood-focused restaurant Kōast — Meehan and Langley reimagined Kali as darker and sultrier, and the kind of place they’d like to eat multiple times a week. Done up with red booths but keeping a few of its soigné touches, Kali now serves jumbo shrimp with a cocktail sauce that took eight variations to perfect; martinis with classic and atypical garnish options; wedge salads piled with fresh herbs; steaks and large-format meats for the table; a range of sauces and sides; and spins on old-school entrees such as rock cod au poivre and a lemon pepper chicken Milanese.
The bar, too, is new. The menu features a new burger and a menu of haute bar snacks — most priced around $12 — including Ohtani-inspired Wagyu-dog pigs in a blanket topped with a house-made furikake blend. Dodger games are projected onto the walls in the bar area, which can be cordoned off from the dining room on game days.
“I want to be the best steakhouse in Hollywood,” Meehan said, “and I want to be a Dodger date night for people that want to go to a restaurant and have an A-plus burger with a glass of exceptional wine.” Kali is open Monday to Friday from 6 to 10 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 5 to 10 p.m.
5722 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, (323) 871-4160, kalirestaurant.com
Pino’s Sandwiches
A fan-favorite Italian sandwich shop from Florence can now be found in L.A. serving freshly baked focaccia that’s stacked with local produce, imported prosciutto, smoked cheese, truffle and more. Generations of fans have flocked to Salumeria Verdi since its 1960s debut, and the deli-leaning restaurant — which is now called Pino’s Sandwiches — is now open in Los Feliz.
Owner Pino Palmiero took over the business in 1991, and his wife, Antonella, eventually joined the operation. Now their daughter, Martina, helps oversee their marketing and online operations. The family restaurant began with nine or 10 sandwiches, but as tastes changed through the decades, the menu expanded and the Palmieros added new varieties to cater to vegetarians, the gluten-free and those with other dietary restrictions. Some come filled with Tuscan salami, others with stracciatella and roast eggplant. The signature, the Best, includes roast beef, hot sauce, smoked cheese, spinach and roast vegetables.
Their schiacciata — a focaccia variant whose name means “to press” — takes roughly eight hours to make and involves extra-virgin olive oil and a dough starter brought from the Florence restaurant.
“The customers are my job now,” Palmiero said. “I try 100% to give it what they want … I think the secret of my business is that I make the sandwich with love. When the people come in my shop, I want them to arrive in a warm place.”
He’s created an extension of that warm place with a yellow-hued restaurant in Los Feliz, an outpost he said was 20 years in the making.
After years of encouragement from U.S. fans and working with American exchange students, Palmiero decided to take the leap, and partnered with investor and manager Kevork Nalbandian to launch the first U.S. location. The restaurant, which features a counter that overlooks stacks of fresh bread, meat slicing and a deli case full of spreads and toppings, seats roughly 35.
“I like the city, and I love the American people,” he said of the expansion. “This is, for me, the close to the circle of my dream.” Pino’s Sandwiches is open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
1761 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, (323) 284-8208, pinossandwichesla.com
Tacos Villa Corona Eagle Rock
Last month, Atwater Village’s Tacos Villa Corona expanded to another northeast neighborhood, bringing their stalwart tacos and some of the best breakfast burritos in L.A. to Eagle Rock.
The late founder, Maria “Nena” Arechiga, opened her walk-up window in 1993 in homage to her parents and specifically to her mother, whose homemade meals often involved fresh flour tortillas, eggs and potatoes. In 2012, the restaurant featured prominently in an episode of Anthony Bourdain’s show “The Layover,” and its tacos, burritos and quesadillas served beneath a little red awning continue to receive local and national attention.
Arechiga’s son, Felix David Flores, and his wife, Lizette Reza, are continuing the legacy with the same menu at a new walk-up stand in Eagle Rock, which also features a patio with seating. The customizable menu of nopales, beans, eggs, potatoes and grilled meats can be served in a handful of formats and combinations, including breakfast nachos. Tacos Villa Corona is open daily from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.