When I planned an outing with my wife to attend an LA King Game, I was still determining where we would eat. Having been to the Crypto.com Arena, I wasn’t interested in eating hot dogs, wings, or deli sandwiches. I searched for nearby places and found Fixins Soul Kitchen in L.A. LIVE.
The entertainment company AEG Worldwide transformed the downtown space to create L.A. LIVE, a sports and entertainment district featuring the L.A. Convention Center, Microsoft Theater, Crypto.com Arena, an ESPN broadcast center, and numerous restaurants to support this entertainment haven.
I learned that ex-NBA All-Star and former mayor of Sacramento, Kevin Johnson, owns Fixins Soul Kitchen. He originally opened in North Oak Park in Sacramento and late 2021 in L.A. LIVE. He wanted his customers to experience “Black Excellence through their delicious cuisine, impeccable service, and spotless restaurant.”
After glancing at the menu, many things appealed to me: Oxtails in sweet garlic brown gravy, Deep Fried Deviled Eggs topped with bacon and hot sauce and Smothered Chicken in Roux Brown Gravy. I was surprised to find all-day breakfast items such as Chicken and Waffles, and Biscuits and Gravy on their regular menu.
It’s best to begin with a starter such as their Fried Green Tomatoes, Catfish Nuggets, or Pimento Cheese Dip. The fried green tomatoes are dusted with cornmeal and served with chipotle mayo. Prices on their starters range from $12 – $14.
A comprehensive beverage menu has the South well represented with the mandatory sweet tea, fruit juices, and, if you want to feel like a kid, even an assortment of Kool-Aid drinks. The adult libations feature local craft beer from Oak Park and Chavez Ravine and spirit flights to sample premium tequila, whisky, vodka, rum, and cognac.
Cornmeal gives their fried catfish a crispy, satisfying crust; the insides are incredibly moist and flakey. The chicken tenders ($17) also reflect a crunchy exterior and are moist inside. I was most impressed with their “fixins” as each doesn’t play a back seat to their mains. An example is the candied yams with cinnamon; they tasted almost like a cobbler.
I was most pleased with the Fried Catfish and Fritters with two sides ($22). The crispy cornmeal crust creates the perfect exterior, and the fish was perfectly cooked, so it simply flaked away with my fork. I enjoyed the smoke-flavored collards and the okra with smoked bacon; it was heaven on a plate.
The craft cocktails are first-rate. An example is the Hurricane ($16) with Bumbu rum, passion fruit puree, OJ, grenadine, and lime juice topped with full-bodied Myers’s dark rum.
If you enjoy quality soul food, I highly recommend Fixins Soul Kitchen. However, being in L.A. LIVE, parking is an issue, and if you aren’t attending an event nearby, you would be hard-pressed to battle the parking to get here.
Fixins Soul Kitchen, 800 W. Olympic Blvd Suite A150, LA 90015; fixinssoulkitchen.com