Fine Dining Chef Josh Skenes Opens a Spicy Fried Chicken Restaurant in Arts District
One of the world's most acclaimed chefs is getting into the fried chicken business. Joshua Skenes, the founding chef of Saison and Angler in San Francisco (and part of Angler LA at opening), is opening a fast-casual restaurant on June 6 called Happies Hand Made in the Arts District in the space adjacent to Tatsu Ramen. Skenes, who opened Leopardo in mid-2024 and temporarily closed it in early 2025 to work on Happies, is serving thick, spicy, Sichuan-inflected fried chicken tenders with fruit and tea drinks; heavily seasoned beef tallow fries; soft serve topped with passionfruit and strawberry; and frozen cocktails. The tenders will be served atop crispy waffles, milk bread slices, or a pile of dressed salad greens.
The surprise debut comes after months of speculation about the fate of Leopardo, Skenes' Italian American pizza and seafood restaurant that opened in 2024 along La Brea Avenue. Leopardo had garnered some local and national recognition for its pizza and was included in the California Michelin Guide. The restaurant quietly closed in early 2025 and has yet to set a reopening date, but promises a renovated interior design. Prior to Leopardo, Skenes founded Saison, which reached three Michelin stars (it's currently at two after his departure), and Angler, which still has a single Michelin star. Angler in Los Angeles operated at the Beverly Center from 2019 to 2023. His only previous foray into casual dining was with Fat Noodle, a venture with Umami Burger founder Adam Fleischman that never fully opened.
In the meantime, Skenes' Happies Hand Made restaurant opens its doors today at noon with limited hours of operation from Friday to Sunday. The fried chicken tenders are possibly the biggest in the city, encrusted with a crispy Southern-style exterior and dressed with a mildly spicy Sichuan-style chile sauce. A gentle smokiness comes through with each bite, which distinguishes these tenders from other versions around town. Craggly fries are coated in black pepper and heavy seasoning, resembling Chinese and Korean snacks, and they're fried in beef tallow for good measure. Skenes has always excelled in soft serve ice cream, with compelling renditions at Angler and Leopardo. Here, soft serve swirls are topped with strawberry sauce, passionfruit, or whole honeycomb. Prices are fairly reasonable, with fried tender combos at $26 for two tenders, a choice of crispy 'liquid' waffle, milk bread, or salad, and a housemade soda. Fries are $5, and soft serve is $8.
To round out the menu, Skenes has a huge array of beverages, like fruit sodas; lemon mint, honey oolong, and hojicha tea, cold brew coffee with a whole doughnut on top; boozy slushies flavored with coconut or kyoho grape; and a few other fruity cocktails. The wood-lined space conjures a retro diner, with a slatted divider barely separating the rest of the high-ceiling industrial space from the next-door Tatsu Ramen. Still, a few wall counter stools and plush booth seating make for decent on-premise dining. The restaurant is currently dine-in only, with take-out and delivery forthcoming.
Happies Hand Made is open Friday to Sunday, 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. and is located at 427 S. Hewitt Street, Los Angeles, CA, 90013.
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