OyBar

This Neon-Lit Neighborhood Bar in Studio City Gets Everything Right | Eater LA

"A low-lit, neon-tinged Valley bar-bistro run by Jeff Strauss, this walk-ins-only spot took over the shuttered 50-year-old Oyster House Saloon in 2022 and now runs on rotating menus shaped by Strauss’s moods, inspiration, and farmers’ market finds, with seating at the bar or on the intimate rear patio (slowly reopening as the “Vey” to handle overflow). Inventive cocktails lead with the Ford’s Gin and French vermouth Freezer Martini—icy-cold and refreshing—and a dry Ford’s Gin Martini with a serrano pickled onion; it’s also impossible to get a subpar glass of wine, and the knowledgeable staff will steer you well. The food swings from a smoked trout tostada with chaat masala and chiles to a Jewish tribute to poutine dubbed the “Joutine” (crispy potatoes, wagyu brisket, gravy, cheese curd, sumac), plus a wagyu pastrami quesadilla with shredded Comte and Jack, sauerkraut, and a lacy-edged jalapeño Gruyère crust; a pickle bento box taps Strauss’s fermentation fixation. The thick, beefy Oy burger—toma cheese, hoisin ketchup, Persian cucumber, Dijon, cilantro—feels like the opposite of a smash burger in the best way, and other rotating hits include yakitori chicken liver with hot honey, egg yolk, and chives; matzoh ball ramen; fish chowder; bass en papillote with Szechuan oil; and a crowd-pleasing steak frites with a shiro dashi pan sauce. Expect groups of casually dressed friends in joyful conversation with music at an even level; it gets downright busy, but patience pays off with a table or bar seat eventually." - Mona Holmes