LaSorted’s pizzeria in Chinatown serves owner Tommy Brockert’s “hybrid sourdough†pies along with hot dogs and mortadella sandwiches, with Dodgers collector items and memorabilia adorning the walls.
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Where to eat and drink near Dodger Stadium before or after a game
- An Echo Park izakaya with artisanal sake from Shohei Ohtani’s home prefecture, an Olvera Street classic for crispy taquitos and a Chinatown pizzeria with Dodgers memorabilia adorning the walls.
- After beating the Padres, the Dodgers return to L.A. for a home playoff game against the New York Mets on Sunday, Oct. 13.
As other major league baseball teams hang up their bats for the season, the Dodgers and their L.A. fans are preparing for “Shotime,†not just the nickname of designated hitter Shohei Ohtani but the team’s chance to end this postseason run with a championship title.
After a close call with the San Diego Padres, the Dodgers are advancing to play against the New York Mets, with the first match at Dodger Stadium this Sunday. Whether or not you’re able to secure tickets, expect the Eastside neighborhoods outside of Chavez Ravine to be full of activity (and traffic) as fans take to their favorite haunts to cheer on the boys in blue.
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 half-mile 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, hybrid-sourdough pizzas served in a shrine of Dodger memorabilia, local cider and Tijuana-style tacos.
Showing Places
(Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles)
All Day Baby
Silver Lake Eclectic $$
This cherry-red corner diner from Lien Ta and late chef Jonathan Whitener is your best pre-game option for early Dodgers games. They’re ready to wake you up with fresh pastries, boozy caffeinated milkshakes, a pillowy biscuit sandwich and smoked maple French toast with country ham. If you’re getting a slower start, the yuzu lemonade with espresso, vanilla and lemon is refreshing and invigorating. All Day Baby is about two miles from Dodger Stadium.
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(Danielle Dorsey / Los Angeles Times)
Angel's Tijuana Tacos
Echo Park Mexican $
For a quick, street-side bite before or after a Dodgers game, try Angel’s Tijuana Tacos, which pops up along Sunset Boulevard under a tent with a few tables, a plancha for cooking tortillas on the spot and a flaming al pastor spit. The recommended order for Angel’s depends entirely on whether you have plans after you eat. If you’re planning to hike the half-mile to Dodger Stadium, maybe limit yourself to a couple tacos or quesotacos — the stand is open until at least midnight, so you can always return for more after the game. If the taqueria is your final stop of the night, go big with a cheese-griddled burrito or a massive baked potato that’s loaded with your choice of meat, cheese and sauces, with tortillas served on the side.
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(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Benny Boy Brewing
Lincoln Heights Brewery $$
Hidden below 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 apple-grape with McIntosh apples and Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes. Local food vendors pop up almost daily in the string-lit backyard with umbrellas and fire pits, ranging from barbecue to birria tacos to hot chicken. Live Dodgers games are played on a bigscreen TV in the brewery and Benny Boy also hosts karaoke and drawing parties. Parking can be a challenge.
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(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Cielito Lindo
Downtown L.A. Mexican $
The Olvera Street taqueria founded by Aurora Guerrero in 1934, who named her business after an 1880s-era song favored by mariachis, is known for one enduring specialty: beef taquitos, pan-fried in batches until the rolled tortillas seize into crispness. They come doused in mild tomatillo-based avocado sauce; the pleasure is in scarfing down the taquitos while they retain their crunch, even as the salsa begins to seep in and soften them. Guerrero’s granddaughter Diana Robertson carries on the family legacy with her sisters Mariana Robertson and Susanna MacManus.
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(Gabriella Angotti-Jones / Los Angeles Times)
Eastside Italian Market Deli
Chinatown Deli $
It’s best to know exactly what you want before getting in line here. You don’t want to piss off the guy behind you who has been coming to this 94-year-old deli for the last 90 years. The Combination cold cuts and cheese is the textbook Italian sub. The cross-section is a neat pyramid of mortadella, salami, capicola and a thick wedge of provolone cheese. The guys behind the counter have a heavy hand when it comes to the mustard. If you want to add pepperoncinis or banana peppers, there is a serve-yourself area by the drinking fountain. No frills. No extras. Just good, honest sandwiches.
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(Silvia Razgova / For The Times)
Guisados
Echo Park Mexican $
The L.A.-based chain from father and son Armando De La Torre Sr. and Armando De La Torre Jr. specializes in home-style braises that work their way into tacos made with fresh masa, including a mole poblano option that represents one of our favorite tacos in L.A. The Echo Park location is an easy half-mile walk from Dodger Stadium, and it’s open daily from morning until night, so you can swing by early to pregame with a breakfast burrito and horchata cold brew or celebrate after a win with a spread of tacos. Heading west down Sunset in Silver Lake, the De La Torres also run Playita, a mariscos-focused stand where you’ll find ceviches, aguachiles, beer-battered fish tacos and crispy taquitos filled with shrimp or potatoes.
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(Homage Brewing)
Homage Brewing
Chinatown Brewery American $$
This spacious brewhouse is located in Chinatown near L.A. State Historic Park, serving as a hoppy oasis in the warehouse-crowded district. The minimalist interior is spacious with a dance floor, tables and Art Deco lighting, while the string-lit covered patio features a plant-lined partition. The taproom hosts regular DJ nights and maker’s markets, with a rotating food special each week. Bites to pair with your beer or wine are limited but worthwhile, such as a pillowy focaccia sandwich with oyster mushrooms, avocado and red cabbage slaw and masa-battered fish tacos or chicken wings. The beer list focuses on lagers, ales and saisons, with a handful of natural wines available by the glass or bottle. In case you’re feeling like brewery hopping before or after the game, Highland Park Brewery is on the same block. Homage is a five- to 10-minute drive from Dodger Stadium, but be mindful that traffic can pile up on game days.
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(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
LaSorted's
Chinatown Pizza Bar Bites $$
One of L.A.’s best pizzerias just expanded to a new, sit-down location in Chinatown that’s blocks from Dodger Stadium, where diners can be immersed in team memorabilia that owner and third-generation fan Tommy Brockert has been collecting throughout his life. On the menu are hybrid-sourdough pies, focaccia sandwiches, salads, wings and hot dogs, with a wine list curated by John Cerasulo of Anajak Thai. Brockert plans to do collaborations with neighboring businesses in the future.
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(Kailyn Brown / Los Angeles Times)
Lowboy
Echo Park Bar/Nightclub American $$
For cocktails and loaded bar bites, there’s Lowboy, a western-themed bar off Sunset Boulevard that’s next door to buzzy Italian American restaurant Donna’s. The moody haunt blends low- and highbrow with decor that includes a color-coded bookcase and Jell-O shots on the drink menu. But don’t take that to mean the cocktail program isn’t carefully considered. The bar just launched a new drink menu on Dodgers opening day, including Rosalia’s Garden with gin, blood orange, absinthe and aromatic herbs, and a take on the espresso martini with coconut oil- and cacao-washed vodka, amaro, Mr. Black coffee liqueur, coffee concentrate and honey. The food menu is fairly straightforward with smashburgers (including a vegan option), tenders, wings and a Caesar salad. The gator fries are an elevated take on animal-style fries from In-N-Out, with griddled onions, American cheese, house-made pickles and “2,000†Island dressing. The bar is just under a mile from Dodger Stadium.
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(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
OtotoÂ
Echo Park Japanese Restaurant $$
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.
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(Laurie Ochoa / Los Angeles Times)
Philippe the Original
Chinatown Sandwich Shop American cuisine
Phillipe the Original is famous for its beef dip sandwiches. Over the years, however, I’ve come to favor the beef dips at Cole’s, which, in addition to serving some of the city’s finest cocktails, uses excellent meat and a beautiful roll for its sandwich. It’s also a competitor for the title of inventor of the French dip. I’ve read persuasive accounts for each side of the debate, but the important thing is that we have two great L.A. restaurants, both founded in 1908, still serving history on a plate. For me, that comes in the form of Philippe’s hand-carved leg of lamb dip smeared with blue cheese and ready to take just enough hot mustard to wake up my sinuses. With it, I like an IPA on tap — Philippe’s is not just a daytime place — plus pickle spears and, of course, a hot-pink pickled egg.
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(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Shins Pizza
Cypress Park Pizza $$
This neighborhood slice shop in Cypress Park sits next to Portuguese-inspired Barra Santos, in case you want to pair seasonally driven New York-style pizza, appetizers and Italian ice with vinho verde or port wine. In addition to the usual Margherita, pepperoni and meat-lovers pies, Shins tops its pizzas with ricotta and pistachio-flecked mortadella and rotating flavors such as herby meatballs with Pecorino-Romano. All pizzas are offered by the slice or whole (with a gluten-free option available), so it’s convenient whether you’re with a small or big group. Shins is a 10- to 15-minute drive from Dodger Stadium, depending on traffic.
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(Jenn Harris / Los Angeles Times)
The Lonely Oyster
Echo Park Seafood $$
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 low-ceilinged 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.
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(Brittany Brooks / For The Times)
The Ruby Fruit
Silver Lake Wine Bars $$
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 sip-and-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.
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Eat your way across L.A.
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Updates:
8:10 a.m. Oct. 12, 2024: This guide was originally published in April 2024. It has been updated with new entries, including Philippe the Original, Eastside Italian Market Deli, Cielito Lindo, Guisados and La Sorted’s.
