Hermon’s
Hermon, Los Angeles
📍 5800 Monterey Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90042
🍽 New American · California
📅 Visited: May 2026
🍴 Forks Given: 🍴🍴🍴🍴☆ (4.20 / 5.0)
Hermon’s is a new LA restaurant with the ambition, execution, and soul of a place that intends to last. It comes from an emerging hospitality group that has a ton of momentum. The food shines, not because it’s so extravagant, but because of its simplicity. Plus, the martinis are a must.
Overview
Hermon’s sits in the Hermon neighborhood of Northeast Los Angeles, just past Highland Park and before South Pasadena. It occupies a building that was formerly a church banquet hall, the kind of community space that has hosted town meetings and neighborhood gatherings for years. The Last Word Hospitality team pitched the restaurant concept at one of those town halls before the landlord would even consider leasing to them.
It opened in December 2025, which makes it less than six months old. Even at this early age, it is already getting serious attention, including a spot-on review from the LA Times. The group behind it also runs Found Oyster, Barra Santos, and Rasarumah, so there is a track record of quality here.
Part of what makes Hermon’s interesting is its identity as the first restaurant in the Hermon neighborhood. This is not a trendy spot that set up shop to ride an existing buzz. It is a place that is meant to bring the buzz to the neighborhood and I hope it succeeds in that regard.
First Impressions
The interior is beautiful. That is the first thing that hits you when you walk in, and it sets the tone for the whole evening. The space has a warmth to it that is rare for a new restaurant that has not yet earned its character through years of happy customers getting messy at the tables. The bar is the centerpiece of the restaurant and is just amazing.
Service was down to earth and genuinely good. Nothing about it felt rehearsed or performative. The staff was present and attentive without hovering. In a city where restaurant hospitality can sometimes lean snooty, this felt like people who actually wanted you there.
What We Ordered
Garlic Butter Bread
Bread can be a giveaway for whether a kitchen is cutting corners, and this was a hard no on that front. Amazing bread loaded with garlic and butter. It was the kind of thing that moves from appetizer to main event.
Loaded Potato Fritters
The hidden gem of the meal. Thinly sliced potatoes drenched in butter and drowning in cheese. There is a YouTube video floating around about how they make these things… it’s ridiculous how much time (and butter) goes into this. But, it certainly shows.
Various Salads
Tasty across the board, no complaints here. We have tried the Chopped Chicories Salad and a special snap peas salad. Both were solid.
Ode to Chez Cheeseburger
In a town where a smash burger reigns supreme, this was a great example of what a true “restaurant” burger should be. The meat to bun ratio was right, cooked medium rare with good saltiness. The horseradish sauce provided a sharp, flavorful counterpoint that I did not expect and, importantly, didn’t overpower the ensemble. We paired it with the fires because… fries. They were also very tasty, with just the right amount of crispiness and salt.
Two Sheet Vongole Pasta
This was a new one for me, but certainly a pleasant one! It’s got two sheets of lasagna pasta with a creamy sauce, cheese, and clams. While I think many people will fall in love with their simple burger and martinis, this one is a must have.
Baked Alaska
This was just ok. Not great, not terrible. It looked awesome, so perhaps I am just not a Baked Alaska person. If you are, try it. If not, skip and go for the Skillet Cookie.
Skillet Cookie
To. Die. For. If there is one dessert I would single out as a reason to return, this is it. This is traditional as it gets and in a way that just works. The cookie is one of the best you’ll find. Do not skip it.
Forks Given Score Breakdown
| Category | Score (1–5) | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Food Quality | 5.0 | 40% |
| Value | 4.0 | 20% |
| Service & Experience | 4.5 | 15% |
| Ambiance & Environment | 4.0 | 10% |
| Execution vs Intent | 4.5 | 10% |
| Return Factor | 4.0 | 5% |
Final Forks Given Score: 4.20 / 5.0
The Quirks
- Hard to get a reservation, which is to be expected for a new spot getting this much praise
- 18 bar seats available nightly for walk-ins, first come first served from 5 to 10pm
- Everything is excellent.
The Verdict
Hermon’s is one of the better restaurants in LA right now, and it is only a few months old. That should give you a sense of how far it has already come. Last Word Hospitality has built a solid reputation with its other restaurants, and this place is every bit as good as the rest of the roster.
The food was uniformly great. The potato fritters were the most memorable dish of the night, the burger had exactly the right structure, and the vongole pasta turned out to be a revelation. The cookie alone is worth the trip, though I suspect you will come back for all of it.
The martini program is also exceptional. The Vesper was honestly one of the best I have had at any restaurant in the city.
Highly recommend. This is a neighborhood restaurant that genuinely feels like a neighborhood restaurant, even while operating at a level that could (and will?) put it on the map across the whole city.
Bonus Tip 🍸
If you do not have a reservation, show up early and grab a seat at the bar. There are 18 comfy seats and they are first come, first served every night from 5 to 10pm. Order a Vesper Martini (or classic) and a burger and fries and you are ahead of the game. But, be prepared to wait in line.
