NATIVE SON LA
CELEBRATE WITH FINE FARE & CURATED BEERS

Fans of comfort food as well as bold and eclectic beers will want to get up close and personal with Native Son LA, the latest location in a line of Native Son hotspots to dine and drink currently found in Orange County and Inland Empire.

The Downtown LA location is housed in the former home of the Modern Times “Dankness Dojo” where guests can now feast on fine fare, curated beers, as well as wine-based cocktails and spritzes. Unfortunately, the DTLA location, for now, doesn’t have a full bar but don’t let that spoil your visit.

“I think what most excites me about Native Son opening in Downtown LA is just the opportunity to make a name for ourselves, not just as a casual dining location, but also our entering into the Los Angeles craft beer scene,” says Brandon Goodwin, General Manager of Native Son Bar DTLA. “We have an intelligent, eclectic group of individuals who are hungry to make an impact on our community, and we hope to make that impact felt in our own beautiful, Native Son way.”

During our recent visit for dinner, we started with an order of the house-made potato chips served with BBQ, Ranch, and Pig Sauce. Be forewarned, this is a huge order of delicious chips. All the servings at Native Son are very generous as we found out with our very first dish of the night. These can be considered a meal all on their own.

The Native Fries—Cajun fries with your choice of Pig Sauce and grilled onions, Smoky BBQ and grilled onions, or Buffalo Sauce and jalapeños—were too much as a second appetizer so we upgraded our side of fries to Native Fries.  A most excellent decision!

Speaking of burgers, we loved the Downtown Double with double patty, pig sauce, grilled onions, American cheese, lettuce and tomato. All the burgers come with a side of fries, which we upgraded to Native Fries, or a side salad. This is as fine a burger as you’ll find in Downtown LA.

The BBQ Son burger with double patty, grilled onions, onion rings, drenched in house-made barbecue sauce is a play on the beloved Carl’s Jr Double Western Bacon Cheeseburger—just without the bacon, which can easily be remedied. So instead of going with two burgers for dinner, we opted for the Nativeville Chicken Sandwich. Served on a brioche bun with grilled chicken breast tossed in Buffalo sauce, pig sauce with lettuce and tomato, this is a fine chicken sandwich.

While I’m not the biggest beer fan, the Native Son LA food just pairs perfectly with an ice-cold ale. And trust these guys to guide you to the best pairing available. In our case, we loved the brewery’s El Dojo Mexican Lager and even an onsite brewed IPA (and I hate IPAs!).

If you save room for dessert, the Oreo Cheesecake, and the beignet bites are decadent and just lovely.

And don’t forget about weekend brunch. Menu options include French Toast, breakfast burrito, and omelette. And, drum roll please, bottomless mimosa for $22. Good time will follow for sure. FYI, brunch is served from 10:30am to 3pm.

Daily Happy Hour is offered from 4-6pm and includes $5 pints, $6 specialty pints, $15 pitchers, bite and burger specials, as well as $9 spritzes.

With a sports bar vibe in the back of the space, you can eat well, enjoy a pint or two and watch the big game, or you can just chill in the front room and relax, unwind and indulge in cool comfort food.

Native Son LA is located at 832 South Olive Street. Open daily from 2:30pm to close. Weekend Brunch starts serving at 11am. Call 213-270-1599.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Native Son Bar DTLA

Story By: Jose Martinez