Humberto Leon Celebrates the Opening of His Latest L.A. Restaurant, Arroz & Fun

By Rachel Marlowe

Since leaving New York and returning to his hometown of Los Angeles, designer-turned-restaurateur Humberto Leon has been on a roll. Following on from Chifa, the Chinese-Peruvian restaurant in Eagle Rock which has earned two consecutive Michelin Bib Gourmands since opening in 2020; and Monarch, which opened earlier this year in Arcadia serving up authentic Hong Kong cuisine; Leon chose his birthday to open his third restaurant in as many years called Arroz & Fun. "The name is basically a play on rice and noodles," says Leon.

While best known in fashion circles as the co-founder of Opening Ceremony and the former co-creative director at Kenzo, food also runs in Leon's family. His parents Wendy and Ricardo José opened their first restaurant (also named Chifa, a term used to describe Cantonese-Peruvian cuisine) in Lima in 1975, and all three Los Angeles locations are a family affair: the CEO is Humberto's sister, Ricardina Leon, her husband John Liu is the chef, while, Wendy, or "Popo" as her children call her, is the muse behind it all. As with Chifa and Monarch, Arroz & Fun, which offers creative interpretations of traditional Latin and Asian dishes in cafe concept, is overseen by Liu, but at this location the reins have been handed over to his son Jarod Wang and his girlfriend Gardi Rosales. "This is the third generation of chefs!" says Leon.

To celebrate his birthday this week, Leon invited a group of friends and family to feast al fresco on the new restaurant's patio. As guests got down with the party's DJ, they were treated to tangy tamarind spritzes and a smorgasbord of the menu's star item: burgers housed in a classic Chinese bolo bao, a.k.a. pineapple bun–a fluffy, milk bread-based bun topped with a crackly, crunchy cookie topping, "Obviously, the burger is quintessential American food but we decided to make these multicultural versions and create something that feels authentic to us," says Leon of the signature sandwiches, which include the Bolo Pollo with Korean style fried chicken thigh, kewpie mayo, and kimchi; the Bolo Burger with a french onion and hatch chili seasoned patty and sharp cheddar cheese; the Bolo Shroom with roasted mushrooms and queso duro sauce; and the Bolo Fish with fried cod patty and house-made tartar sauce. "It has a little bit of a sweetness to it, but then it's cut through with the savoriness of what's inside," says Leon. Also on the menu: a comforting Japanese kabocha squash congee, and shrimp fried egg rolls served French fry style with house-made sweet and sour sauce.

Open from 9 a.m., the restaurant will serve a selection of unique coffee drinks, all made with Rosales's El Salvadorian Cipota Coffee brand. "The coffee is amazing," says Leon. "Gardi roasts all her own beans and these drinks are incredible combinations of Salvadorian and Asian coffee drinks like the Tamarindo Lychee made with espresso, lychee puree and tamarind carbonated with Perlini." The cafe is also partnering with Lavender and Truffles, an artisanal plant-based ice cream that focuses on natural, clean ingredients with Asian-inspired flavors, for their dessert menu. Meanwhile upstairs, in a private dining room slash event space with a charming Juliet balcony offering views of the San Gabriel Mountains, Leon is planning a series of pop-ups. "The other restaurants have a very design point of view but I purposely left this space blank so I could play with it," he says. Next month he's hosting a pop-up shop with cult New York vintage clothing store James Veloria, followed by a photo exhibition with Spike Jonze.

Located in Lincoln Heights, just east of Downtown Los Angeles, the venture also represents a homecoming of sorts for the family. "We lived just down the street from here when we first came to America and my mom was pregnant with me, so there's a lot of friends a lot of family that still lives in the neighborhood," says Leon. And as a proud Popo and her brood hopped between tables, taking selfies with friends and making sure the bolo burgers kept coming, it certainly felt that way.