There are mom-and-pop shops, but what about mom-and-son places? Esther and Nino Linsmayer started Food + Lab in West Hollywood back in January of 2009, and followed with a Silver Lake location (where rustic wooden tables flank the café) a couple of years later. But the big news is the addition of a full-fledged dinner menu at the Silver Lake place to complement the lunch options that have always lingered into evening. Entrées range from pungent ratatouille and vegan salads on up to carb-loaded baked pennette and creamy mac and three cheese with speck. For something a little unexpected, cevapcici naan combines a thick slice of garlicky Yugoslavian pork sausage with naan and cooling cucumber. Still hungry? Double up on the pork for dessert with Pig candy—bacon with brown sugar, served in an espresso cup. Or if you had the vegan salad, go for a strawberry lemonade.

Ratatouille
Cevapcici Naan
Mac and three cheese with speck
Mix and match charcuterie (two cheeses, two meats)
Pig Candy
view full menu here

It doesn’t matter which side of the table you choose in Silver Lake, thanks to a huge mirror on one wall that reflects posters of a Sixties era dark-haired beauty on the other side—and everything in between.

Food + Lab doesn’t have a liquor license, so if you’re headed to the Silver Lake location, you might also want to stop by the Thirsty Crow bar for drink—especially if it's whiskey or rye—before or after dinner.

Silver Lake
lunch: Mon.–Sun. 9 AM–8 PM
dinner: Mon.–Wed. 6 PM–8 PM; Thurs.–Sat. 6 PM–10 PM
dinner not available on Sunday

West Hollywood
Mon.–Fri. 8 AM–8 PM; Sat.–Sun. 8 AM–7 PM

$9 (mac and three cheese) to $15 (charcuterie platter)
no reservations