RESTAURANTS • First Word
The Skinny: A bright, breezy Virgil Village perch for seasonal California izakaya fare from chef Jared Dowling (also of Santa Monica’s Edgemar), Doto serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner in a playful showcase of culinary versatility. It opened in April.
The Vibe: Doto is a thriving multi-hyphenate. Mornings are reserved for more coffee, laptop, and “starting the day off right” vibes. But as the smaller hand on the clock slowly inches north, it’s all about sitting down, relaxing, and seeing where a meal there takes you. Your setting? An interior with darker booths and accents, lighter wood tables, and a European-styled bar showcasing vinyl, coffee, and wine. Or (and more likely) it’s the almost all-encompassing spacious patio, nestled on an incline just off the busy-but-interesting N Hoover St.
The Food: LA’s now well-established affair with Japanese-inflected California cuisine isn’t abating, and Doto’s making sure of that. You could cover every inch of your table space with hand rolls, crudos, and seasonal vegetables. And then there’s the “Coal & Smoke” and “Doto Classics” section of the menu, where you’ll find scallop skewers with yuzu kosho, chilled sesame noodles, and large format dishes like a smoked chashu or a lamb mezze. The Comte burger demands your full attention: two grass-fed beef patties layered with melted cheese and caramelized onions — a welcome riff on French onion soup, and a two-handed situation. Breakfast is for everything between coffee, pastries, bacon (or mushroom) burritos with avocado shiso salsa, and a Spanish-style tortilla. Lunch is arctic char bento boxes, fish tacos, sandwiches, and various greens.
The Drink: Cold, crisp, and effervescent. A thoughtful selection of beers, wines, and sakes make up the majority of the menu, along with aperitivos like a low-ABV negroni riff with sweet vermouth, black tea, and a vanilla finish, and a kir royale, featuring Santa Monica farmers market cherries, yuzu, and Prosecco.
FOUND Pro: Reservations are available, but walk-ins seem to be encouraged, and always welcome.
The Verdict: An all-day gem of a space in the sun to be enjoyed again and again. –James Royce
→ Doto (Virgil Village) • 654 N Hoover St • Tue-Sat 9a-10p, Sun 8a-8p • Reserve.