Lynx - Arts District

[PorkyBelly]

absolutely no misses last night from the food, drinks, pacing and service. the pizza is easily top 2 in the city (you can guess the other place) the ingredients are fantastic and the crust is incredibly light, crispy and airy.

the place was packed and pacing was perfect. the cocktails are serious, i like them better than kato. they even refrosted my friend’s cocktail mid way with a fresh chilled glass.

napoletana is fixed and not overly salty, maybe less capers?

got to try the new lucifer 3.0 (the devil? the prince of darkness?) with paper thin crispy pepperoni, prosciutto(?), and chorizo (?) with tomato sauce. the menu wasn’t updated so guessing on the toppings. my favorite lucifer but doesn’t top the satan.

sergio still on the line making pizza.

well deserved bib. @SithLord forthcoming?

re-margarita - agave distillate, meiwa kumquat curacao, page mandarin

shanghai pistachio - pistachio bourbon, jin xuan milky oolong, wild flower honey

paloma dreamsicle - grapefruit peel mezcal, strauss family cream

sparkling amaro kola

filleti - caseificio il casolare buffalo mozzarella dop, fermented red chili, firebird tomatoes, buttery olive oil, oregon sea salt, basil

mushroom - bellwether basket ricotta, mascarpone, buffalo mozzarella dop, grilled & shaved mushrooms, garlic, vache rosso parmigiano reggiano 30 month dop, pecorino romana, matru & thyme

napoletana - volcanic tomato, garlic, embered anchovy, gaeta olives, capers, almalfi coast oregano, basil, sonoma olive oil, oregon sea salt

lucifer - california tomato, salumficio guanciale, buffalo mozzarella dop, casolare scarmoza fumicata, salvatore smoked cheese, oregon sea salt, hot chili, olive oil & basil

rhubarb negroni

banana stand - barbecue banana peel stirred with banana rum

filthy martini - olive leaf gin & vodka olive oil bariole olive caper

sweet cheesus - five cheese, double cream, brillat-savarin, shropshire blue, stracciatella, habanero-truffle honey, oregon sea salt, sarawak white pepper

honey soft serve
raspberry, yuzu, soft serve

[pomodoro]

looks great

@PorkyBelly

refrosted my friend’s cocktail mid way with a fresh chilled glass

top. Not sure I’ve heard of that before. At times, some of the best hospitality I’ve had stateside was at Skenes’ establishments (e.g. when Michael Judge was captain of Saison)

@PorkyBelly

lucifer

[PorkyBelly]

@pomodoro

Not sure I’ve heard of that before

hillstones does it with their crisp martini, not sure who else in la.

[mzonelli]

Many places with great cocktail programs. I’ve had a chilled glass subbed in at Kato, Thunderbolt, vandell. But also Hermons and even found oyster

[SithLord]

Man that was a super great dinner! I can’t wait to go back!

My first two visits were during the soft opening and the ongoing oven issues But this time it totally made up for it and it was worth the wait! Its time to hit up Lynx!

My favorite was the new lucifer. I’m a sucker for pepperoni. Not greasy or dry! Very crispy and flavorful! My second favorite was the sweet cheesus because its very different.

@PorkyBelly is totally right about the crust/bread. It reminds me of walking into a bakery in Europe and eating bread straight from the oven. That smell, flavor, temperature, and softness of the bread

You can also tell that the chef, beverage director, and servers seemed very happy compared to my initial visits. I think they know that things are working well!

[sk8uno]

Includes a nod to this thread:

Los Angeles’s Best New Pizzeria Might Not Be Here in a Year

[PorkyBelly]

when did happies serve burgers?

In 2025, Skenes opened Happies Hand Made in Los Angeles’s Arts District, initially oriented around a McDonald’s cheeseburger-like burger — but miles better. Then weeks later, the restaurant pivoted to chile-dusted chicken tenders and crisp waffles.

[Moomin]

Wonder whether the WLA location will ever happen. Between that and Sei… it’d be pretty nuts for pizza on the westside.

[robert]

@PorkyBelly

when did happies serve burgers?

For the first hour and a half? Didn’t get past friends & family, or not even that far?

Happies Handmade - Arts District

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…

[hungryhungryhippos]

I enjoyed the article, at least there’s some pointed criticism. A lot of times it seems eater just writes things that sound like PR releases,

[boourns]

At the same time, since moving to Los Angeles, Skenes has created a fanbase of true believers, who chase him like a beloved fashion designer or artist.

Inquiring minds want to know if @matthewkang considers himself one of the faithful ?

[PeonyWarrior]

@boourns

Inquiring minds want to know if @matthewkang considers himself one of the faithful ?

The first five paragraphs of the article seem to make that clear. He’s even more effusive with praise than I would be. (I did not “adore” Happies Hand Made.)

[matthewkang]

Thank you! I’ve always been a fan of Skenes’s food and restaurants. I went to Leopardo and Angler more times than I could count, and Saison was fantastic. Josh and I can get into some, let’s say, slightly prickly conversations at times, but I always wish him the best. I try my best to maintain, at some level, some distance from chefs and restaurant operators so I can be more objective with my work (though I know it’s not always possible).

[PeonyWarrior]

I thought the article was very well written!

[namstermonster]

Love Lynx but I’m in the minority group that liked Leopardo’s better, particularly the first iteration of the Re-marinara.

Is he still working on the more formal concept to take over the space or has that project been scrapped too?

[PeonyWarrior]

I liked Leopardo better too. It was my favorite restaurant in LA. I loved every single thing on the menu, from the salad to the pizzas to the “cow” to the ice cream. None of the pizzas at Lynx has reached the top pizzas at Leopardo for me. I enjoyed the wine list at Leopardo, the spacious bar, and the staff. But it didn’t work out, so I understand they needed to change the model. And Lynx is great for what it is.

[matthewkang]

Appreciate that. I want to get something clear since someone wrote me a kind of nasty anonymous email accusing me of ‘stealing ideas’ from FTC. First, I participate in these forums with my real name and photo attached. There’s no secret lurking here. Second, all of the ideas and concepts around my articles are my own! If there’s anything I’m quoting or referencing, I would do that directly (and I regularly link to forum posts). While I do comb through FTC, I don’t actually read through every single post (I mean, I wish I had the time!). My opinions are based on actual meals and on-the-record conversations I have with chefs/restaurant folks. I genuinely appreciate the community here and value the discussion greatly. You are all clearly very passionate and committed to the LA dining scene, and I hope I can do a small part in recognizing that.

[PeonyWarrior]

You even linked to FTC in your article!

[fmp087]

Went back again, new cocktails on the menu. There’s a frozen coffee one, melon and raspberry. The Melon Julius was very good, I’ll have to try the ones another time. Got the mushroom pizza this time and service was on point, place was packed and people were having a good time!

Glad to see it doing well!

[hungryhungryhippos]

Ohhh frozen drink I’m in for that!