Nightshade

923 E 3rd St #109, Los Angeles, CA 90013, United States
+1 213-626-8888
$$$ Restaurant , Cocktail bar
(140 Reviews)

Nightshade is a restaurant and cocktail bar tucked into the lively arts district of downtown Los Angeles, serving a refined menu where bold Asian flavors meet inventive culinary twists. Situated on E 3rd Street, it draws a crowd looking for a dining experience that balances creativity with comfort, making it a solid choice for evenings when you want a bit more depth than your typical night out.

The space has a modern, intimate vibe that feels carefully curated but not overdone — it’s the sort of spot where you can settle in for a relaxed dinner that still feels special. The menu leans into Asian-inspired ingredients and combinations, with dishes that invite sharing and exploration. Staples like Hokkaido scallops and shrimp toast stand out for their balance of fresh, bright flavors and satisfying textures. For something with a bit more punch, the Nashville-style hot quail and mapo tofu lasagna mix familiar tastes with unexpected twists, appealing especially to diners who appreciate bold and layered flavors.

Nightshade’s cocktail list complements the menu with a creative edge — expect drinks that highlight interesting flavor pairings like passion fruit, sherry, and Asian-inspired ingredients such as Calpico and tamarind. The atmosphere suits those who appreciate a place where the drinks are crafted with as much care as the food, adding an artisanal touch to the overall experience.

Locals tend to return for specific dishes that have made quick reputations, like their oysters with passion fruit emulsion or the short ribs, which carry a richness that surprises without overwhelming. The restaurant also offers a good range of desserts featuring light ingredients like coconut mousse or blood orange ice, providing a refreshing close to the meal.

Nightshade works best for evenings spent with friends or small groups who want to share plates and sip adventurous cocktails in a lively, yet unpretentious setting. It’s a spot that benefits from a later arrival when the space fills up and the energy buzzes just right — not too loud, but enough to underline the presence of a well-curated night scene. Conveniently located near some quieter stretches of the neighborhood, it attracts residents who live nearby as much as visitors chasing a thoughtful take on Asian-inspired contemporary dining.

What they serve
Serves alcohol
Serves beer
Serves cocktails
Serves coffee
Serves comfort food
Serves small plates
Serves spirits
Serves vegetarian dishes
Serves wine
Best for
Serves dinner
Serves dessert
Has seating
Accessibility
Has wheelchair-accessible car park
Has wheelchair-accessible entrance
Has wheelchair-accessible seating
Has wheelchair-accessible toilet
140 Reviews
Gin Chen

06 Jan 2026

One of my favorite places to go eat in LA when I want to treat myself. It’s a beautiful space and a stellar menu. These modern dishes are well thought out with Asian flavors that bring out the nostalgia from my Asian upbringing. Ppl go for the scallops and the shrimp toast which were all good but I really vibed with the kanpachi and the coconut mousse dessert. Also like to call out the tampons in the restroom for customer use. Clearly, small touches like this let’s you know this is a woman run establishment. Book the reservation and go have yourself a good time.

Babs Sheng

15 Dec 2025

Definitely one of my favorite new restaurants, it’s definitely a plus because I live about 500 ft away! Haha. This is the second time I’m here and hands down... THE SZECHUAN QUAIL! So damn good. Even if you don’t order anything else just order this dish. SZECHUAN QUAIL DO IT. DO IT. Oysters were great, the sauce was amazing and I really enjoyed the scallops! Very different! Parking tip: yellow loading zone is free after 6pm and free all day Sunday. If you don’t want to do valet. Weekends get really busy in this neighborhood so do think about giving yourself some cushion time to get to your reservation. Margins are huge here but it’s definitely a place to come try out :)

David Quan

02 Dec 2025

An amazing experience. Super creative and hearty dishes with big, bold flavors. Highlights include the scallop starter, shrimp toast, and the short rib. That last one was an absolute showstopper and not to be passed up. I've frankly never had a piece of beef with such a succulent bite and richness in flavor. Service was fantastic as well. Would recommend to anyone wanting to try something completely new and fresh

Hari Narayan

10 Nov 2025

Often when you go to a new age restaurant, the new is often a mix of things, in the name of new age 'whatever' cuisine and more often than not it just does not work together. When it does, you get the Hokkaido Scallops, which goes off in your mouth with explosive citrus flavors nicely balanced that it doesn't overpower but complement the scallops nicely. If you think that's the best you can get at a "new age" restaurant, you would be wrong, and for me that moment was when I had the first bite of the Shrimp toast. Only one word to describe it...."Home"! In one meal two dishes had me weak kneed and struggling for words when Ben who was waiting on me asked how it was. Nightshade's team still does not let up, the pastry chef blows away what's left of you with the coconut mousse, which is a treat to the eye but an even better treat for what makes us feel good! Easily one of the best pastry chef I have ever encountered! The oysters were interesting but the other 3 were such knockouts and that's what I'll be going back for again! The cocktail was stunningly refreshing as well. What a treat today was !

Albert Lee

19 Oct 2025

Kusshi oysters were amazing. Clean flavor complimented by passionfruit, and bursts of garlic when downing the leche de tigre. One of my fav courses of the night. Beef tartare and chicharron are well worth it. With a dash of sesame oil and Korean gochukaru red pepper, the flavors mesh together well and the plate disappeared quite quickly. Def try the squid ink tagliatelle with cuttlefish. It was very good and the freshly made pasta was delightful. The Bolognese and Korean gochujang or red bean paste compliment one another to produce a flavorful sauce with the cuttlefish. One item not on the menu was a shrimp and ravioli dish, with a broth made from boiled lobster head and other items. It was delicious. If they are serving it and you like seafood, you absolutely must try it. The ravioli pasta was freshly made and tasted exquisite. The last item we tried was the pork schnitzel. The pork cutlet (similar to katsu) left a bit to be desired. I felt like it lacked some spice and was a bit bland. Perhaps it was intentional to let the gwaimei (meaning strange flavor or ugly beauty, something oxymoronic) dressing blossom and take the stage with its vinaigrette-like sweet but sour flavor accompanied by oh-so-delicious green jade tomatoes. I feel like the tomatoes and gwaimei dressing could have been a vegetable dish on it's own. Nonetheless, if you're with a big group though, it's a good dish to order as it is filling for the price. Last but not least, we finished off with the coconut mousse and was not disappointed. The coconut lime granita provided the perfect citrus kick for the smooth, sweet mousse interior, with a delicious pineapple center. Nata de coco (aka coconut gel from your typical boba shop) adorns the dish rounding off the delectable dessert. For drinks we had no. 7 which was fantastic and would cater to anyone with a palette for an old fashioned. No. 923 is sweet but not obnoxious, with an exquisite milk-flavor that's achieved by straining the milk out of the liquid allowing it retain a rich flavor. A must try if you prefer something on the sweeter side. Overall, an amazing dining experience! Service was impeccable. Kudos to Chef Mei and a fantastic menu. The decor is beautiful too. I will be back to try the rib-eye, scallops, Dungeness crab, quail egg, and guava dessert!

Ambar B Capoor

17 Oct 2025

I love open kitchen restaurant spaces, especially when you can sit at the bar and watch them make the food. The ambience, space and service are to notch. Drinks : Both the old fashioned and the 109 were made perfectly. 100 marks for drinks and presentation. Food : Bit of a hit and miss here. The best dishes we had were the congee and the guava pudding. Both of those were fantabulous. The congee had just the right amount of sour, salt and a touch of tang to it, while the porridge itself was perfectly prepared. The guava pudding was very interestingly presented and was a delight in every bite. The kanpachi was a beautiful presentation again and when blended into the sauce was very flavorful. The shrimp toast was passable and the hot chicken on Japanese bread was a complete miss. There are much better versions of this dish, it lacked any distinctly Asian flavor. Ben, our server was a delight, sharp wit and extremely attentive. The only bummer for me was when I walked up to Chef Lin at the end of the night to say thank you she wasn't the least bit interested in interacting and waved us off. I'm sure running a top notch kitchen is stressful so I'll put it down to that, but I was disappointed. I'd definitely go here if I wanted to make a special evening of it, worth a visit. Valet was $12 at time of writing. If the review helped you please click on the

Jen ErS

22 Sep 2025

We tried it all and it was all so good. Our faves were the carrots, the onion, oysters, sun chokes, lasagne, shrimp toast, coconut mouse, and mango cream. But honestly it was all delicious!

Natalia Ng

21 Sep 2025

Very impressed with Nightshade! We ordered almost everything on the menu - highlights included the lasagna and beef tartare. The tom yum onion is a must try! Chef gave what would be ordinary dishes a neat twist in flavour and presentation. Guava ice cream at the end sealed the deal!

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