Friday, Aug. 2, marks International Beer Day, and Wahoo’s will offer guests 21+ a refreshing way to celebrate with beer for only 99 cents. Available Monday through Thursday after 5 p.m., at participating locations throughout August (plus International Beer Day), enjoy a draft of Pacifico or Modelo for 99 cents with the purchase of one food item. The offer is limited to one per person per transaction.

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Tuna Katsu Sando (Courtesy Dudley Market)

A one-night exclusive collaboration between Dudley Market, Venice’s popular natural wine bar featuring sustainably fished seafood, and YESS, Chef Junya Yamasaki’s newly reopened progressive Japanese restaurant in the Arts District, will take place on Tuesday, July 23. 

After the success of their previous pop-up with the Lobster Katsu Sandwich, Chef Junya will create a variety of dishes using all parts of bluefin tuna for one night only at Dudley Market in Venice. The tuna will be caught by Connor Mitchell. Menu highlights include smoked tuna head tacos, shiso salsa verde, a shochu martini made with pure tomato water, tuna bone marrow, and a tuna katsu cheeseburger with chopped tuna katsu with Welsh Rarebit sauce and nuka pickle. The dishes will be offered a la carte to guests starting at 5 p.m. to close. 

Hey, Sunshine Kitchen, the plant-based fast-casual restaurant known for its organic menu, is celebrating its first anniversary in the heart of Culver City. Since sisters Heather Golden Ray and Jenny Engel opened its doors in 2023, Hey, Sunshine Kitchen has served more than 120,000 bowls, salads and sandwiches. The restaurant offers a diverse plant-based menu with a philosophy centered around creating meals that are good for the body and the planet, using non-GMO and organic ingredients whenever possible. To mark the anniversary, Hey, Sunshine Kitchen is hosting a celebration on Saturday, Aug. 10,  from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., with these perks:

  • Special Anniversary Offer: Get 15% off your food order when you RSVP and show your event registration. To register for the event click here.
  • Complimentary Drinks: Beat the heat with free, refreshing beverages from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. 
  • Stickers and Swag for Kids: Fun gifts for the little ones, ensuring smiles all around, available while supplies last
  • Branded Tote Bag Giveaway: Be one of the lucky guests to take home an exclusive Hey, Sunshine Kitchen tote bag, available while supplies last.
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BeachLife Grotto ( JP Cordero, BeachLife Media)

BeachLife Festival co-founders Allen Sanford and Rob Lissner have opened the BeachLife Grotto and BeachLife General Store, a new seaside seafood dining and retail destination situated in a beachy location along Catalina Avenue in Redondo Beach’s Riviera Village.   Sharing the second story of the restaurant is the general store,   a boutique retail experience curated by fashion stylist and writer Tanya Monaghan. The store offers a wide range of private label BeachLife and California Surf Club merchandise, along with leisurewear, music-inspired merchandise, and market goods. The store’s products have ties to music and surf culture, as well as high-end food elements like spices and olive oils. The store features art by local artists and one-off signed products by BeachLife artists, including The Lumineers, Courtney Barnett, and Donavon Frankenreiter.

July is National Ice Cream Month and Urban Dessert Lab’s latest launch is deconstructed waffle cone cereal.  Inspired by their signature ice cream creations, it’s a modern spin on cereal that allows you to choose your flavor trio mix, each individually packaged and offered in one box.  The sleek handheld design allows for easy on-the-go snacking anytime.  Flavors include original, cinnamon, chocolate, coffee, strawberry, and matcha.   UDL’s cereal is 100% plant-based, gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free, and egg-free. 

Update:   The Relish Food Event has been postponed to a later date.

What’s Popping Up is a weekly column in the L.A. Weekly that explores all that’s new in food and drink.

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Courtesy Urban Dessert Lab