After more than a decade with the José Andrés Group — first joining Minibar’s opening team in Washington D.C., and later as the Bazaar’s chef de cuisine and the group’s corporate research and development chef — Joshua Whigham set out on his own in 2025 to open Los Feliz’s charming Casa Leo. Tucked under Messhall Kitchen at the top of Hillhurst Avenue, the restaurant retains bits of Whigham’s past, weaving Spanish sensibilities through the menu alongside California ingredients. Casa Leo isn’t trying to reinvent Spanish cooking — instead, it fills a crucial slot as a reliable neighborhood restaurant for puffy-crusted cocas, ruby-red tuna crudo swimming in olive oil, and Spanish wine in a dining room that would look at home on the Iberian Peninsula.
A bottle of Vichy Catalan sparkling mineral water, which tastes like a saline Mediterranean breeze, makes an ideal pairing. Or explore the Spanish wines on the menu, including bottles from the Canary Islands, Galicia, and Catalonia.
Whigham recommends Sawtelle Sake, a local distillery that uses grains from Lopes Family as an unexpected yet outstanding match for Helen’s Cheesecake. The floral notes play against the cream cheese for a digestif-style sipper that feels uniquely Los Angeles.
Dining and Cooking