The Los Angeles food scene has changed its rhythms.

Scroll Instagram on any given day and you’ll see it: a line curling around the block for bagels, Einspanner matchas and laminated pastries. By evening, the energy turns to happy hours, earlier dinners and shorter nights.

Few things capture the moment better than the response to Max & Helen’s, the elevated diner in Larchmont opened in November by Phil Rosenthal and Nancy Silverton. Guests routinely wait up to eight hours for its viral $17 waffle and $9.50 hot chocolate.

Silverton credits both Rosenthal’s visibility and a broader cultural longing for familiarity for the restaurant’s popularity.

“Phil Rosenthal has a huge following right now,” said Silverton, the longtime L.A. restaurateur behind Osteria Mozza and Pizzeria Mozza, among others. She recently debuted Italian-Korean pasta bar Lapaba on Feb. 3 with McKenna Lelah and Matthew Kim. “He walks down the street and everybody jumps on him. So that does not hurt, right?”

The concept itself came from Rosenthal. A television writer, producer and host, he was best known as the creator of “Everybody Loves Raymond” before becoming a global food ambassador of sorts through Netflix’s travel and dining series “Somebody Feed Phil.” The show’s multiseason success has made Rosenthal a familiar face among food lovers, and while he’s backed L.A. restaurants over the years, Max & Helen’s marks his first as owner, named after his parents.

“He really wanted to open a diner,” Silverton went on. “He felt that it was a segment of the restaurant world that was diminishing. It was an important part of his growing up.”

Silverton sees today’s appetite for nostalgia and earlier dining as part of a broader global shift, accelerated by the pandemic and reinforced by changes in how people work and socialize. Lunch service, once a staple, has diminished as remote work reshaped daily routines, while dinner has steadily crept earlier.

“Our whole daily lives have changed, timing, the types of food we want to eat, the kind of environment we want to be in,” she said. “People don’t want to eat after 9.”

“We used to open at 6, now we open at 5, and sometimes the restaurant is full at 5 o’clock,” said Edoardo “Edo” Baldi, who operates E. Baldi and Il Ristorante di Giorgio Baldi (opened by his father, the late Giorgio Baldi in 1990), and is preparing to unveil Baldi, a Tuscan steakhouse at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills. “They tend to eat earlier.”

Baldi connects the move toward earlier nights to lifestyle priorities, particularly among younger diners.

“It’s also a health-conscious decision,” he said, pointing to growing awareness around digestion and overall wellness. Eating earlier aligns with better sleep and more intentional routines. “We’re in an environment where health comes before anything else now, and you see that with the new generations, where they really focus on health, healthy food and genuine food.”

For operators, the shifts, coupled with the city’s rising cost of living, have required a recalibration of how restaurants invite people in. It extends beyond menus and hours to the physical spaces themselves, said Holly Fox, cofounder of Last Word Hospitality.

Across her group’s restaurants — including hot spots Found Oyster, Queen St., Barra Santos, and the recently opened Hermon’s, which draws long lines for its $10 martini happy hour — Fox has been rethinking design details that shape how guests feel once they arrive.

“We’re looking at things like upholstered seating, the right type of lighting. How do we make people feel as welcome and comfortable as possible?” Fox said. “We’re even talking about replacing all the bar stools so they have backs.”

The choices are directly tied to what diners are responding to right now, she said. “It’s nostalgia, big time. Really, that’s been all we’re focusing on now, because it’s what people want. We’re trying to play the hits super well, maybe with little twists. It feels old school. It feels traditional.”

For Fox, the lines themselves aren’t just about hype, they’re about participation. Throughout L.A., they’ve become especially visible at breakfast counters and during limited food collaborations, like Jon & Vinny’s serving Nike-sole waffles for its anniversary. The wait tends to form around cafés, bakeries and restaurants that are deeply intentional about sourcing, craft and presentation.

“Why are people waiting, you know, an hour for a danish or whatever it is? I think it’s because it’s an affordable luxury,” Fox said. “You’re still spending under $50, and the line becomes part of the experience. It’s almost like these lines are social spaces. You feel like you’re part of something.”

Here, a look at notable restaurant openings in February.

Lielle
9575 West Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90035

Opened in early February in Beverlywood, Swedish-born chef Marcus Jernmark unveils a 42-seat U.S. debut, named after his daughter. With a Michelin three-star pedigree (Frantzén, Zén), Jernmark brings a relaxed “California bistronomy” approach to the restaurant’s concise four-course menu. The subterranean, wine-cellar–like space pairs European refinement with California ease, spotlighting seasonal produce through dishes like abalone BBQ and aged California squab.

Baldi
9850 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Opening mid-February inside the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, chef Edoardo “Edo” Baldi debuts a Tuscan steakhouse centered on heritage and precision. The menu features 14 cuts of steak, including domestic prime, American wagyu and select Japanese wagyu, grilled over olive wood. The space seats approximately 180 guests across indoor dining, outdoor seating and bar areas.

Lapaba
558 S Western Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90020

A 37-seat Italian–Korean pasta bar opened on Feb. 3, led by husband-and-wife team McKenna Lelah and Matthew Kim, who first met working under partner Nancy Silverton at Osteria Mozza. Kim’s background includes Next (Alinea) and Pasjoli, while Lelah’s spans Dialogue and her produce-driven company HandPicked. The evolving menu draws on Italian, French, California and Korean influences, balancing tradition with inventive technique and local sourcing.