Cobras & Matadors

"If you’re doing some thrifting in the area and want solid Spanish food in a cutesy environment, Cobras & Matadors gets the job done. There’s a colorful dining room with live music on Thursdays, a big patio with string lights, and a separate bar area. Even on weekends, we’ve never had an issue walking in with a group and finding a table. Stick mostly to shareable small plates like garlic butter shrimp and cod croquettes, but be sure to get the roasted chicken for two that comes bathed in a rich, tangy jus. " - brant cox

"Considering there’s no website, reservation system, or landline (at least one that’s picked up on a regular basis), Cobras & Matadors easily wins for the most mysterious restaurant opening of the year. Or reopening, actually—the original closed in the same space in 2012. And yet, when you walk into this Spanish bistro in Beverly Grove, all you’ll be hit by is how warm and welcoming it feels. Antique tables with mismatched wooden chairs fill the dining room, and copper pots hang from the ceiling. Large groups of friends pass around plates of sweet soca cakes and buttery gambas al ajillo. Dates in the corner split succulent half-chickens. Dinners at Cobras are measured not by the hour, but by how many wine bottles are opened (it’s BYOB with a $20 flat charge). You know those quirky little neighborhood restaurants that seem to only exist in rom-coms? That's what's happening here. " - brant cox, nikko duren, sylvio martins, garrett snyder

"With both the Sun and Venus in your native sign, it’s full-blown Leo season and you don’t care who knows it. The cosmos are giving you the go-ahead to live your best, most courageous life. And they’re telling you to dine at Cobras and Matadors, a Spanish bistro in Beverly Grove that doesn’t play by the rules—because it doesn’t have any. It’s a neighborhood spot with no website or reservation system where people go to hang for as long as they want, eat buttery gambas and chickpea flour-packed socca cakes, and sip on glasses of wine. " - kat hong