From bright raw bar selects to mind-blowingly delicious wood-grilled pizzas and meats, La Brea’s latest arrival is not your average dough.
Chef Skenes uses a blend of nine flours from the western seaboard in his highly secretive dough recipe; PHOTO BY BONJWING LEE
After bringing his famed San Francisco restaurant Angler to L.A. in 2019—and leaving shortly after—Michelin-starred chef Joshua Skenes is back with Leopardo. Located in the former La Brea Bakery space, the large and airy spot has quickly become one of the hottest reservations in town and for good reason. Beyond the Instagram appeal—who doesn’t love cutting just-out-of-the-oven pizza with scissors?—the restaurant’s ingredients-first approach ensures that every bite is one to remember.
The open kitchen and bar area; PHOTO BY BONJWING LEE
Large, open and airy, the space centers around an open kitchen and bar, with tables lining the restaurant’s periphery. The furniture is eclectic as is the decor—framed artworks and posters, photography of cars and sports icons, and graphic letters on the exposed brick walls. The design and soundtrack are representatives of Skenes’ interests. “I love retro,” he says. “I love the 80s—Jordan, Mike Tyson, the cars, the music, the list goes on.” And while the overall vibe is relaxed and casual, the warm and attentive service has a more fine-dining feel.
A veggie-packed Bloody Mary; PHOTO BY BONJWING LEE
Plenty of thought and care has gone into the cocktail menu, which Skenes says is “single product and good-booze focused.” His favorites are the Filthy Martini, with clarified green tomato and pickled vegetables, and the Rhubarb Like a Negroni, served over a huge ice cube in a teacup. My personal favorite, the tart, sweet and creamy Wild Strawberry Tickler, was bursting with punchy flavor, a result of an experimental seamless infusion technique Skenes and his team developed.
The menu is divided into sections, including Raw Bar, Salads, Neo-Mochito Pizza, Wood-Oven and Sweet. It changes slightly depending on ingredient availability. “We just go by what we think the guest wants, and when we find a good product we feature it,” says Skenes. The first time we dined at Leopardo, my husband and I marveled at the beautiful freshness of the garden lettuce salad. Served with fresh leaves, herbs and Meyer lemon dressing, it was memorable for its simplicity and the astoundingly fresh, flavorful ingredients. On our second visit, we devoured the expertly shucked ice-cold Morro Bay oysters with pickled seaweed granita and lemon, the beautifully textured Catalina Island halibut crudo and the melt-in-your-mouth antelope tartare with roasted marrow, served with a flavorful grilled sourdough cracker. It wasn’t on the menu when we visited, but the smoky wild boar meatballs have received rave reviews.
A creative caviar-topped treat is as visually stunning as it is delicious; PHOTO BY BONJWING LEE
The free-range tenderloin, lasagne and other dishes in the rotating Wood-Oven section of the menu are excellent, but the pizza is the undisputed star of the show. Skenes spent years developing the dough, trying roughly every high-quality flour before landing on nine varieties sourced from the West Coast. “We then tested hundreds of versions of methods and doughs to land on our current, naturally leavened wild yeast dough,” Skenes explains. “It is fermented for three days [then] cooked at a temperature that gives us both depth of flavor and natural sweetness.” Don’t skip the spicy-sweet Hello Satan, with fermented chili sauce, wildflower honey, pepperoni, garlic and herbs with a side of giardiniera.
The restaurant’s eclectic decor reflects the chef’s interests and personality; PHOTO BY BONJWING LEE
Three important words to remember: frozen, soft cream. This must-order vanilla soft serve is presented with a rum honeycomb drizzle and homemade Biscoff cookies. The textures combined with the just-sweet-enough comforting flavors are melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
Whether you’re in the mood to try something exotic or are in for a pizza, salad and ice cream kind of evening, Leopardo hits just right. Go with an open mind and you won’t be disappointed.
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