Tasty Burgs, Friendly Service, and Already a Restaurant of the Year Nod for LocoL

LocoL has been open for just over a week now, but with so much attention from national media and locals alike, Roy Choi and Daniel Patterson's healthy fast food concept in Watts is ready for the Good News/Bad News treatment. Overall, the restaurant's reception has been overwhelmingly positive, with everyone from Yelpers to Food & Wine editors getting down with LocoL's burgs, foldies, and seamless service:

Forget about the rest of the year, Food & Wine's restaurant editor calls LocoL the best new restaurant of 2016

"It's only the third week in January, but I already know what the year's Best New Restaurant is: Locol Watts, in Los Angeles." [F&W]

Dang, that healthy burger is pretty good!

"The umami-rich burger patty was engineered with similar ingenuities (see: meat garum). The bright and colorful sauces, a highlight for anyone who's eaten at Kogi or Chego, are balanced and deeply flavorful. Even the burger buns, designed by Tartine baker Chad Robertson, have the subtle yeasty tang of properly risen bread." [LAW]

"Tried the burger, loved it, juicy patty, thin, light airy bun, that tastes like a pro baker conceived it, the antithesis of processed." [Yelp]

Sure the cheeseburgers are good, but go for the other items, too

One of the other best things I got to sample was beef and onion gravy with a steaming hot flatbread for dipping (both $1 on the Yotchays menu, which also includes spicy corn chips, messy greens, and rice). "A woman from Watts first made the beef dip for us," says Choi, "and it became the Watts Special and we partied." [F&W]

"The fried chicken patty is moist and juicy, formed from minced bits of chicken and cut with a small amount of grain, then crowned with a wonderfully acidic slaw." [LAW]

"There were $6 messy chili bowls—better than anything you've had in a diner—popping with spice and soul, a fantastic meal when paired with a $1 order of rice or greens." [Observer]

Plus an early word from Jonathan Gold: "I stab my fork into a bowl of salad and am stunned by the vivid tarragon flavor of the dressing." [LAT]

LA's own Taco Expert Bill Esparza gives the foldies his seal of approval

"Foldies are inspired by a style of fast food taco, but they remind me of tacos de canasta that are pan-fried instead of steamed. Or Belizean panades, where in both cases the filling soaks through, flavoring the tortilla. [...] I've been enjoying tacos from chef Roy Choi since 2008, but these foldies might just be my favorite yet. And they couldn't be more local." [LAM]

Service is spot on

"The service was very quick for having 30 plus people in line and everyone there was friendly. All in all, a true beacon of hope for an underserved community." [Yelp]

"Service was super fast and friendly even during a busy lunch hour (only waited one minute in line at the cashier), and the greeter at the front door was a nice touch.  Also cool to see Roy Choi working with his employees, even picking up trash off the floor - props!" [Yelp]

Don't skip dessert

"And then there are the $4 soft-serve sundaes, which I heard are made with a base from elite Straus Family Creamery; no matter what, the airy, creamy chocolate one I had was outrageous, covered with dark chocolate sauce, plus mini marshmallows and graham cracker bits." [F&W]