Koreatown is a special place in LA. It’s sprawling, full of culture, feels so different from other parts of the city, and so much more enveloping than Koreatowns in other cities. And in the heart of Koreatown and the heart of LA lies a little restaurant and cocktail bar that captures the essence of not just the ever evolving neighborhood, but of the patchwork city itself and translates it to a creative menu of sharable bites in a loungey and cozy setting. Here’s Looking At You, aka HLAY, opened in 2016 and has been a trendy destination for social foodies ever since.

It’s easy to see how HLAY is a hit. The interiors ooze “cool” with perfectly haphazard decor thrown together in a way that just feels effortlessly cultured. The cocktail bar and intimate dining space (it’s small, for LA standards) make you feel like you’re in a cool kid dinner club. Their menu is filled with food and drinks that take inspiration from cuisines and cultures that emulate the diversity of the city it calls home and in such an alluringly modern way. Think brisket tartare with miso or frog’s legs with salsa negra for dinner. Okonomiyaki or Jerusalem bagel with smoked salmon roe for brunch. And the tiki-ish cocktail menu changes throughout the year so you’ll always be sipping on something in-season. The vibe is fun, energetic, innovative and so quintessentially LA in a way that non-Angelenos (aka the ones who think we brunch in WeHo) would never understand. And that’s why we love it.