LA's 12 Best New Restaurants Of 2022 - Los Angeles - The Infatuation

"Part of what makes Pijja Palace special is that you can't compare it to anything else in LA. In fact, just describing this Silver Lake spot will undoubtedly raise some eyebrows. Yes, it's an Indian-Italian fusion sports bar, but it looks nothing like the image that probably popped into your head: the mid-century modern decor is slick, the early 2000s R&B playlist is bumping, and the wildly delicious sports bar-ish food plays into the nostalgia factor without giving flashbacks to a Buffalo Wild Wings with sticky floors. Every dish has a subtle or not-so-subtle Desi spin to it, from the dosa onion rings to creamy pasta shells with nihari lamb to the ultra-thin pizzas slathered in green chili chutney that wouldn't look out of place at Chuck E. Cheese. It's pure, unadulterated, slightly chaotic fun—we don't question how it all fits together, it just does. Reservations are released seven days in advance at midnight and they’re infamously gone within seconds. If you’re not the type to chase a reservation, just borrow our move and show up at 5pm when they open. You’ll almost certainly walk right in. Unless there’s a Dodger or Lakers or Rams game, in which case, circle back a different night." - brant cox, nikko duren, sylvio martins, garrett snyder