Neal Fraser’s New Fritzi Fires up Downtown Arts District

Fiona Chandra

Chef Neal Fraser has a diverse restaurant portfolio – from the uber casual hot dog joint Fritzi Dog in the 3rd Street Farmers Market, to the fine dining restaurant Redbird in Downtown L.A. Now, he has a new spot that’s an amalgamation of the two. Fritzi’s modern space seats up to 60 guests and the wood and industrial metal elements fit in nicely with the restaurant’s Arts District neighbors.

The giant wood-fired rotisserie in the center of the restaurant is the star of the menu. The rotisserie chicken is served with your choice of vegetable of the day, sauce (green harissa, romesco or yuzu aioli) and potato (fries, tots or potato waffle). Most patrons agree that the crispy potato waffle is the way to go. The mashed potato is pressed in a waffle maker and can be topped with cheese. With a choice of beef, turkey or bacon-beef blend, the burger that’s topped with fontina fondue, Calabrese relish, and Thousand Island is arguably one of the best in the area. Of course, his Fritzi dogs are also available here during lunch hours. For those seeking a lighter bite to eat there’s forbidden rice and quinoa salad with blue cheese or charred brussels sprout to whet the appetite, and steak frites or Santa Barbara white fish for the main course.

Looking for late night grub in downtown? Thanks to Fritzi’s proximity to Arts District Brewing Co., there’s a walk-up window in the brewery’s beer hall where beer drinkers can order from a limited Fritzi menu after 4 p.m. to midnight on weekdays and from noon to 2 a.m. on weekends. At the restaurant, you can get craft cocktails (including a nitro Mai Tai), Arts District Brewing Co.’s seasonal beers along with a compact but diverse list of wines by the glass that span California to Greece. Try the Redbird red rye IPA, which the brewery concocted for Chef Fraser. Not too many places offer house-made anything, let alone sodas, lemonade, and cold brew coffee, but Fritzi’s does. Dessert is a selection of ice cream that comes from another of Neal Fraser’s eateries, ICDC.

Fritzi is open daily for lunch and dinner, 11:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.