L.A. Times Food Bowl Opening Night 2026

The L.A. Times Food Bowl kicks off on Friday, October 23, 2026, with an opening night at The Barker Hanger in Santa Monica. It is one of the bigger LA food festivals of the fall, and the first evening doubles as a reveal party for the Times' annual 101 Best Restaurants in L.A. guide.

When: Friday, October 23, 2026, 7 PM to 10 PM Where: The Barker Hanger, 3021 Airport Ave Ste 203, Santa Monica Info: Official Food Bowl page

What to expect

The headline moment is the live countdown of the 101 Best Restaurants list. Instead of reading the ranking the next morning, you hear it unfold in the room, surrounded by the kitchens that earned a spot on it. The organizers describe the festival as an all-inclusive food and drink event, so the plan is to graze from table to table rather than queue for individual plates.

Dozens of restaurants are on the lineup, and more were still to be announced when the listing went up. Names shared so far include Alta Adams, Baroo, Bistro Na's, Budonoki, Darling, Dunsmoor, Funke, Hamasaku, Holbox, Jitlada, Kato, Kogi, Maydan, Mini Kabob, Sqirl, Sunday Gravy and Villa's Tacos. That is a wide spread of LA cooking, from Korean-Mexican street food to Thai, Armenian kebabs and soul food, which is the real draw of a night like this.

The festival runs two days. Opening night is the one tied to the restaurant reveal, and the program also promises live demonstrations from culinary talent, with Anthony Anderson, Cedric the Entertainer and Roy Choi named among the participants.

Planning your night

The hangar sits by the Santa Monica Airport, so give yourself extra time for parking and the drive on a Friday evening. A rideshare is the easier call if you plan to drink. Pricing was not published on the listing we used, so check the official ticket page before you go and confirm what your ticket covers.

If you are building a list of things to do in Los Angeles this month, this is a strong anchor for it. It also slots neatly into a run of LA events this weekend if you want to pair a Friday tasting with a Saturday of your own restaurant crawling. Browse more picks in our food and drink events and see what else is going on in Los Angeles.

Why it matters

A "best of" list is only useful if you actually eat at the places on it. A night where dozens of those kitchens are pouring and plating in one room is a fast way to find your next regular spot. Come hungry, go in with a loose plan, and write down the names you did not know.