Saw this on my walk, opening next to Tatsu Ramen. Only open Fri-Sun for now, if I get a chance to check it out I will go this weekend. The interesting part is the instagram has a josh skenes hashtag…
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Also found this blurb on The Los Angeles Restaurants We Loved This Month — Resy | Right This Way
Sometimes, it feels like the only Arts District options…
… are full-tilt meals or a food truck. But the brand-new Happies Handmade, a Hewitt Street smash burger joint, balances the scales, with a warm wood interior and chill booths, a fast-casual style of service (you order at the counter), and crazy-good smash burgers with beef tallow spread.
Grab your tray full of crispy fries — these are substantial, hand-cut slices that stand up to the sauce, and are served up casually in a paper carton. Get soft-serve sundaes heaped with passion fruit sauce (the seeds are such a satisfying crunch), or drizzled with rich caramel and peanuts. Fried chicken tenders, a wild fish sandwich, and breakfast are on the way, but this is absolutely worth checking out during their soft opening if you’re a smash burger aficionado with a soft spot for sundaes.
— Dakota Kim, Los Angeles Writer, Resy Editorial
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Welcome to FTC.
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thanks! long time reader, first time poster
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welcome, wow nice find. this is definitely a josh skenes joint.
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Interesting the article says starting with burgers and expanding to chicken and the site/insta are the opposite.
I’m sure it’s all part of a skenes master plan psyop that everyone will convince me of!
What do we think liquid waffle is?
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yeah I noticed that, also through some more sleuthing I found this LA weekly article that has this blurb. https://www.laweekly.com/lennys-deli-returns-and-happies-handmade-lands-in-the-arts-district-heres-whats-popping-up/
Update: Happies has been removed due to a change in concept
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Skenes said he was planning to do pizza, burgers, and chicken.
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NYBD was my favorite bagel spot in SM since I was a kid. I REALLY hope they don’t change the bagel recipe.
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Got eyes on the press release, and their Instagram seems pretty clear it’s chicken first:
Happies Hand Made is a chicken joint with smoky, spicy fried chicken tenders from Chef Joshua Skenes. The menu includes tallow fries, real milk soft serve, and a wide array of beverages including teas, cold brew, housemade sodas with seasonal fruits, along with boozy frozen drinks and cocktails.
Happies will be open with limited hours, and will be dine-in only (for now). Expanded hours, take-out and delivery forthcoming.
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This seems like a casual neighborhood spot.
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everything was very good. i don’t like tenders but these were flavorful, crispy/crunchy and juicy. reminded of a less spicy chongqing chicken. waffle was great like leopardo’s, fries were nicely seasoned, drinks good and creative, soft serve excellent.
service is fast casual, order at kiosk, pick up and bus yourself. no options for tips which was nice. good soundtrack.
@butteredwaffles @Sgee @Clayfu @562 review forthcoming?
kumquat cream top
liquid waffle, tenders, tallow fries
sweet and sour, bbq, ranch
honeycomb
wild strawberry
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Wow, looks good! Combo prices on the website look > the price of the constituent dishes + a soda? Unless there’s a size difference? 
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Thank you, however don’t see something called “liquid waffle”?
I am suspicious of something with this name outside of a County Fair setting.
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a la carte price for fries, waffle, tenders and drink is 33.
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Welcome to FTC!!!
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Ah! The site doesn’t say it comes with fries. I had the same observation - it made it seem like the combo was more money.
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not sure what the “liquid” is referring to, probably some skenes wizardry. nevertheless it was excellent.
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Maybe from the same taxonomy as neo-mochito.
this was a surprise, sounds great. nice look in, @PorkyBelly . menu looks nicely edited and loking forward to its development.
sodas, nice! makes me think back to Saison 2.0’s welcoming sodas like pineapple sage
excellent
at Leopardo, what was called “liquid?”
“liquid” bread in Skenes world makes me think of Saison’s famous sea urchin “liquid toast,” which had grilled bread with its bottom dipped in grain reduction that was like a “soy sauce” / tamari, brown butter, etc. and at times topped with river vegetable powder. it really was about temperature and texture contrast.
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