Baby Bistro
Bistro · Chinatown ·
Seasonal farmers market ingredients with curated wine pairings
Seasonal farmers market ingredients with curated wine pairings
"I’m excited that Baby Bistro is now doing something similar with its front patio, extending that snacks-and-drinks focus to the space." - Eater Staff
"In a Craftsman home on the edge of Chinatown, this intimate 35-seat spot from chef Miles Thompson and partner Andy Schwartz (opened May 8, 2025) channels their sold-out pop-up momentum—fueled by Thompson’s unique seasonal dishes and Schwartz’s wine selections—into a compact, peak-season menu that rewards trusting the team and ordering it all. The must-order is the onion bread: a pillowy, savory, skillfully prepared loaf that recalls focaccia without being it, topped with sheep’s milk cheese and pickled cauliflower; everything is soft and tender with a satisfying interplay of creaminess and brine, and it’s best when it hits the table first to take the hunger edge off and prime you for more." - Eater Staff
"I think Baby Bistro captures the best of backyard cooking in a tiny, homey restaurant tucked between Chinatown and Echo Park: a full-service evolution of the Normandie Club pop-up with a limited, approachable six-entree, two-side menu driven by seasonal farmers market ingredients. I recommend sharing everything — a seasonal standout is the playfully textural spaghetti squash with dates, passion fruit, and a sweet brown butter powder — and it’s an ideal cozy date-night spot for eastsiders." - Astrid Kayembe
"Tucked away in a Craftsman bungalow in Chinatown, this unassuming wine bar rewards a go-with-the-flow attitude with an intentionally tiny menu — typically just six dishes and two specials — that changes frequently to highlight seasonal ingredients, making it feel more like a DIY tasting menu than a random collection of bar snacks. The move: Order one of everything if you’re dining with one person, two of everything if you’re a four-top. The thick sourdough with liptauer cheese and caramelized onions is a staple starter; its toppings can vary slightly, and in recent weeks paper-thin slices of buttery zucchini crowned it. The entree-worthy pork belly seems here to stay; glistening and fatty, it was recently accompanied by juicy figs and served on a streak of creamy pistachio labneh. The only dessert, a cucumber-custard-topped pine nut shortbread, might sound strange, but it’s shockingly pleasant and memorable — like an elevated Dunkaroo. Imagine stepping into a friend-of-a-friend’s cottage for an intimate dinner party with soft lighting and cozy corners; wine flows, stress melts away, and service is casual but attentive. The laid-back, hidden-away atmosphere is transportive and unhurried and, because this is Los Angeles, also draws the VIP crowd. Because the menu is so small, dine somewhere else if your group has many allergies or dining restrictions — though on a recent visit, the staff was very accommodating to my date’s lactose intolerance; transparency around ingredients and stronger menu descriptors could help." - Hilary Pollack
"At LA’s hottest neo-bistro, couples discuss regenerative coffee farming over low-intervention wines likened to “finding a flower you tucked away in an old journal.” It’s an Echo Park porch party where someone named Whisper will describe a Loire Valley Cabernet Franc as “paying homage to your elders while kicking the ball around with the youth.” Everything on their list is written in lowercase letters, which is definitely one way to teach Gen-Z how to order wine. “In order for the medicine to work, sometimes you need to withstand a little prickle” L’absurde Genie des Fleurs ‘Delta’ Chardonnay from Languedoc, France" - carlo mantuano
