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Bar Besito (Los Angeles, CA)

Bar Besito
1710 Silver Lake Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026
323-284-8325
www.barbesito.com
Fri 09/11/2026, 08:00p-10:50p





You may recall that I bid farewell to Zach Pollack's Alimento back in September '24. Following the shutter, I was curious what would become of the space, but I didn't have to wait too long to find out. It was soon announced that the address would be taken over by Bar Siesta, a Spanish concept from Heather Sperling (a former food editor/writer and the driving force behind Botanica down the street) and Siesta Co (a tinned seafood purveyor). The restaurant grand-opened on November 29th that year, but closed on April 19th this year after Sperling's partnership with the canned seafood slanger fell apart. After a quick refresh, the spot relaunched on April 23rd with a new menu and a new name, but the same chef.

About the Chef: Born in February 1996, Keith Phillips hails from Oxford, Michigan. While attending Oxford High School, he began working in the kitchen at the nearby Independence Village senior living community. After graduating in 2014, he stayed there for a bit, and also began taking business administration classes at Oakland Community College. However, that didn't last too long, and by August 2015, Phillips was on the line at The Huntsman Hunt Club, a private shooting preserve in Dryden. He eventually decamped in June 2017, went to Paris to train for a month at Le Cordon Bleu, returned Stateside, and moved to Chicago.

Now in the Windy City, Phillips began cooking at Roister (Alinea Group's wood-fired concept) and Gideon Sweet (under Matthias Merges). He left the latter in June 2018 and the former in June 2020, during the early days of the pandemic. By the following June however, the Chef had relocated to SoCal, landing at Farmshop in Santa Monica. However, by that November, he had already moved over to Botanica as sous chef, and in October 2022, would become sous at Rustic Canyon. In October 2023, Phillips transitioned to a post at Bub and Grandma's Restaurant in Eagle Rock, then joined the opening team at Bar Siesta in the fall of 2024.



For its transition to Bar Siesta, the old Alimento space was remodeled by the team over at After Co, with the most peculiar details probably being the raked stucco walls and curvy ceiling. The current design is basically the same as it was during the Siesta days, with some tweaks here and there. Dining room capacity should be about 30, plus another 20 or so on the patio out front, while there's additional sidewalk seating to boot.


Bar Besito's menu is divvied up into sections for snackier items to "picar," more substantial tapas, and even more substantial raciones. There's also a family-style tapas tasting menu option at $65pp, with a minimum of four people required. To drink, Beverage Director/Partner Pierluc Dallaire (Bar Restaurant, Botanica, Joe Beef) has put together a compact, young-leaning, all-Spanish wine list as well as an array of beer, cider, and vermouth. Meanwhile, corkage is $35 per bottle. Click for larger versions.


Given that I was seated a fair bit past my reservation time, a complimentary pour of Cavas Marevia 'Aqueo Brut' NV Valencia - Macabeo, Chardonnay [$15] was provided, which was a nice gesture. Think fizzy, quaffable, and refreshing, with quite a lot of apple alongside countering citrusy, bitter, nutty, mineral-driven notes.


heirloom beans, lemon zest, olive oil [$7.00]
Up first were the judiones, substantially-textured runner beans set in a base of olive oil with plenty of zesty citrus.


pan con tomate [$5.00/each]
Pa amb tomàquet came out with some surprisingly hearty, savory tomato flavors. The bread worked for contrast, though I would've liked it toastier.


jamón & manchego croqueta [$4.00/each]
Croquetas featured properly crisp-fried outsides and creamy, cheesy, comforting interiors. I could've easily popped a few more of these guys.


Tonight's tipple was actually brought by a dining companion. Hailing from the Central Coast, the 2012 Sine Qua Non Stein Grenache is a Rhône-style blend of 76% Grenache, 16% Syrah, and 8% Mourvedre, and comes to us from one of California's most vaunted producers. Unfortunately, storage conditions for the bottle were suboptimal, as evinced by the cork, so the wine didn't show as well as it could have.

• Initial Impressions: Vegetal and funky aromas commixed with dark berries and spice. On the palate, black fruit, chocolate, spice, and a hint of mint alongside quite a bit of acidity.
• After 10 Minutes: More floral, yet tarter on the nose, with traces of cacao. In the mouth: slightly softer in presentation, with bitter herbs and touches of heat making themselves known.
• After 60 Minutes: Bouquet-wise, stewed fruits were now apparent, along with more chocolate and a smidge of mineral. In terms of taste, there was quite a bit of offputting astringency, paired with red fruit as well as nuances of cedar and smoke.

confit summer squash, romesco, pine nuts & almonds [$15.00]
Squash was confit'd in olive oil until just tender enough, then paired with a trio of nutty accompaniments that certainly met the mark. There was also this "woodsy" element here that I found quite beguiling.


tortilla española, broccolini, garrotxa, aioli & chive + add smoked trout roe [$16.00 + $8.00]
Tortilla de patatas is something I pretty much always have to order if I see it on a menu, and tonight was no exception. The homey interplay between potato and egg was what I was looking for, and was made even better by the cheese and, even more crucially, the broccolini, which imparted a delightfully bitter, vegetal crunch to the dish. Nice smoky-saline pops from the trout roe, too.


rosemary patatas bravas, aioli [$16.00]
I was a fan of the papas bravas as well. Thrice-cooked potatoes showed off properly fluffy insides and crisp exteriors, and were well matched by a harmonious three-way of a piquant, permeating salsa brava, creamy allioli, and pine-y rosemary.


king trumpet mushrooms al ajillo [$18.00]
Next came what must be the juiciest king oyster mushrooms I've ever had. The setas were also agreeably soft and springy, and paired swimmingly with all the herby, buttery, garlicky goodness going on.


morcilla sausage & sherry-braised onions [$22.00]
Blood sausage arrived pleasingly textured, its heady, savory flavors joined by a marked sweet-n-spicy character. Those sweet, tangy onions weren't a bad match, either.


fideuà ~ bay scallops, Spanish pasta, sofrito & aioli [$24.00]
This paella-like noodle dish was a must-try for me. The sweet-salinity of scallops was forcefully conveyed, melding easily with the pasta, pricks of citrus, the additional depth of sofrito, and of course those creamy dollops of aïoli. I quite liked the crispy bits of fideos in there as well (does that still count as socarrat?). Note that this dish ended up being comped, as it was initially forgotten about somehow.


Here we see Bar Besito's dessert and after-dinner libation offerings. Click for larger versions.


burnt Basque cheesecake with sherry-macerated strawberries [$15.00]
Naturally, we had to try the restaurant's take on the now-ubiquitous tarta de queso vasca, which I'll say was somewhat smokier and creamier than most, with a distinct sweet-spiciness.


To pair with dessert: a pour of the Diatomists Pedro Ximénez [$16.00], which was also on the house. The sherry was about what I expected--raisin-y for sure, with nutty, oxidative qualities and a pleasant acidity.


Spanish sundae ~ olive oil ice cream, sherry almonds, orange blossom ganache [$12.00]
Finally, olive oil ice cream set the stage for that classic back-and-forth between fruit and chocolate, with the nutty crunch of those almonds thrown in for good measure.

I was bummed when Alimento closed, but I'm glad to report that Bar Besito is a worthy replacement. It's always irked me that Spanish cuisine isn't particularly well-represented here in Southern California, so I always appreciate having a new contender in the space. Phillips' cooking undoubtedly draws upon the traditions of a classic tapas bar, but he's not afraid to infuse some Californian influence into the food as well, which keeps things a bit interesting. A welcomed addition to the neighborhood--and given how packed this place was, I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who thinks so.