Chef Joshua Skenes opens Lynx in L.A.

Chef Joshua Skenes has opened Lynx, a pizza-and-cocktail restaurant in Los Angeles’ Arts District that pushes his fine-dining approach into a smaller, more casual format. Los Angeles Magazine profiled the restaurant on July 9, describing an intimate room where Skenes and beverage director Brandyn Tepper apply high-end precision to pizza, drinks and a short food menu. Lynx opened in March, according to LAist, and has already landed in Michelin’s California Guide before picking up a Bib Gourmand. ### Who is Joshua Skenes, and why does this opening draw attention? Joshua Skenes is best known for Saison in San Francisco and for his work centered on fire cooking and product-driven menus, according to his official biography. Michelin-starred chef is the shorthand used in recent coverage, including Los Angeles Magazine’s write-up of Lynx. Los Angeles diners may also know Skenes from Leopardo and Happies Handmade. The Infatuation said Lynx occupies the former home of Happies Handmade, while LAist described the project as a collaboration between Skenes and Tepper. (lamag.com) ### What exactly is Lynx serving in the Arts District? Lynx centers on pizza and cocktails, but the reporting around it stresses technique as much as category. Los Angeles Magazine said the restaurant brings “Michelin-level precision” to a format that might otherwise read as casual, and described a low-lit room tucked into a vine-covered brick building next to Tatsu Ramen. (joshuaskenes.com) (theinfatuation.com) Michelin’s guide says the menu is deliberately narrow and focused on pizzas with thin, crisp centers and puffed edges, with toppings that are “carefully balanced and refined.” The guide highlighted combinations including mushrooms with multiple cheeses and a meat-topped pizza finished with truffle honey. ### How quickly did Michelin notice the place? Lynx was added to Michelin’s California Guide within months of opening, according to Michelin’s listing and local coverage. (lamag.com) LAist reported that the restaurant opened in March and soon earned a guide mention, followed by a Bib Gourmand distinction. The Bib Gourmand matters because Michelin uses it for restaurants it views as offering notably good value. (guide.michelin.com) A Hoodline report last week said Lynx received the 2026 Bib Gourmand after building early attention for its cocktails and pizzas. ### What role does Brandyn Tepper play? Brandyn Tepper is Lynx’s beverage director and co-owner, according to LAist and Los Angeles Magazine. (laist.com) Both outlets describe the drinks program as central to the concept rather than an add-on to the food. Los Angeles Magazine said Tepper and Skenes built Lynx around an intentional, tightly controlled experience. (hoodline.com) That framing matches the restaurant’s own site, which describes the project as a reservation-driven room with limited weekly service. ### Where is Lynx in L.A.’s dining landscape now? The Arts District has become one of Los Angeles’s busiest restaurant neighborhoods, and Lynx arrives as another chef-driven opening in that cluster. (laist.com) Eater called it an “avant-garde” pizza bar in a June review and said the restaurant points to a more experimental future for pizza in Los Angeles. OpenTable reviews posted in recent days described strong demand for reservations and praised both the pizza and cocktail program. (lamag.com) Those reviews are anecdotal, but they show the restaurant was already drawing repeat customers by late June. Lynx is currently open Wednesday through Saturday from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., according to its website, which says reservations are released weekly and walk-ins are welcome. Michelin’s guide continues to list the restaurant in Los Angeles, and Los Angeles Magazine’s July 9 profile gives the clearest current snapshot of how Skenes is positioning the project. (la.eater.com) (thelynxla.com) (opentable.com)