Los Angeles' Newest Hotspot Restaurant 🔥

The buzz around SORA has been absolutely everywhere lately! I wasn’t super familiar with Turkish cuisine, but when I saw that even Chef Hayato followed them, I knew I had to rush over and try it 🤭. With 230 reviews on Google Maps and still holding a solid 【5.0】 rating, my expectations were through the roof! ✨ Since everything—cooking and serving—is handled solely by Chef Okay, you place your order yourself using a small self-service kiosk 💻. The portions are pretty small, so we ended up ordering almost the entire menu 🥗. The absolute standout was the grilled chicken—super juicy, super tender, with a slightly smoky grilled sauce… it was incredibly delicious and surprisingly amazing 🍗! We even joked that next time we might just each order a plate of the chicken and skip everything else lol 😂. A close second were the Icli Kofte and the shrimp. Icli Kofte is a very classic Turkish dish—a chewy bulgur shell filled with spiced meat, kind of like a bouncy, savory meat pie 🥟. The shrimp were grilled in a tarhana-infused butter; tarhana has a fermented flavor from yogurt, tomato, and herbs, making the dish truly tasty 🧈. For me, the cold eggplant salad was just okay, but the accompanying bread was wonderfully soft and delicious 🫓. Then there’s Mastabe—the chef explained it’s known as the first cold meze dating back to the 15th century, very symbolic. But the yogurt part was a bit too sour for my taste. Refreshing and palate-cleansing, but maybe not ideal as one of the first dishes 😢. For dessert, we chose the cheese halva, a sweet cheese-based treat served with yuzu-black sesame ice cream 🍦—light, refreshing, and a perfect way to end the meal 🍧. This super popular spot is located in the Fashion District. The outside area feels a little creepy, but there’s plenty of street parking 🅿️. If you go early, it’s totally fine 👌. The restaurant is reservation-only, so be sure to book ahead on Resy! 🪑 SORA Craft Kitchen 【1109 E 12th St, Los Angeles, CA 90021】 Have you been to SORA yet? What did you think—worth the hype? What’s your favorite dish? Share your experience below! 👇🎉 #Food #RestaurantExploring #LAEats #LADining #LAMediterranean #LAFoodScene #ExploreLA #Hotspot #TurkishCuisine #ChefSpotlight #FoodReview #MustTry