Stewart L.

This is what dedication, perseverance and a true love and passion for food and one's heritage looks like when it comes to fruition. Chef Okay Inak is a chef of Turkish descent who has worked at fine dining establishments Eleven Madison Park, Per Se and Melisse. In 2024 he opened Sora Craft Kitchen near LA's Fashion District on a street rather devoid of other businesses open to the public. It's a small space, about 14 seats, but very nicely done. The seats are reinforced cardboard boxes that open to store your belongings. The tables are Ikea-like. The large open kitchen is like a stage, visible to all, with a magnificent sound system and a nice unobtrusive playlist. Sora is open Thursday-Sunday for dinner only. This restaurant is literally a one man show, clearly a labour of love. Chef Okay is the chef, host, waiter, busboy and everything in between. He handles each job with aplomb. Although I heard him speaking out loud at times, I don't know if there was another person present (perhaps a dishwasher?) or if he was talking to himself. After being shown your table, you order and pay at a kiosk. The Mediterranean menu includes some classic Turkish dishes, and chef uses traditional methods of lacto-fermentation and limestone/water preservation. Here's what I ordered: 1) Mastabe. A traditional cold meze of house-made yogurt topped with veggies, almonds, garlic and olive oil. 2) Icli kofte (kitel). a Bulgur shell filled with spiced beef over yogurt with herb chimichurri and oil. 3) root vegetable falafel with hummus, herb salad, pickles and a sweet pepper jam 4) garlic-spiced beef kebab with tomato/onion salad and lavash 5) Kirecte kabak. Pumpkin candied using a traditional limestone/water method, finished with tahini and pistachios. I think all tables get pita bread. Everything was fab; my faves would be the kitel, falafel and kirecte kabak. I had heard about and wanted to order the Corti taplamasi, a traditional soup made with lacto-fermented cabbage, but chef said he could not find appropriate cabbage. Everything came out quite quickly; the meal was complete within an hour. Note alcohol and pork are not served. I believe most beverages are canned, except the Turkish coffee of course. A delicious, from-the-heart, soulful meal.

Yuna K.

Not sure whats going on but on our second visit both me and my partner got super sick after eating the sea bass dish. I think it wasn't stored properly or spoiled because we were dying the next day. Super unfortunate because we love this place but I would avoid getting that dish.

Brandon S.

I cam on a thursday night after not being able to snag a friday reservation. The restaurant is located in a very dark street of the garment district and was hard to locate at night. Once I stepped in, it was like I was in a cozy living room. I ordered the branzino, pekmez marinated chicken, garlic spiced kebab, icli kofte, kuru palican dolmasi, rice pudding dessert, and candied pumpkin dessert. I have never eaten such delicious Mediterranean food in my life. The chicken was ridiculously flavorful and tender. The garlic spiced kebab was my favorite, where I knew I was eating meat but the taste and texture was just so aromatic. The branzino was also cooked where the fish meat was still moist and soft. The icli kofte was my second favorite dish as essentially a Mediterranean dumpling. The exterior was uniquely bouncy and thick but also a clean bite through. It would be my must try pick from Sora. The kuru palican dolmasi was an eggplant stuff with meat and tomatoey sauce, also delicious. Overall, best Mediterranean food I've ever had in LA. Not only was the food incredible but the service and vibes were immaculate. The chef is very attentive to all his customers as he is a one man show, cooking, cleaning, serving, everything is done by himself. I got to chat a bit about the food afterwards and it was a great conversation. Definitely recommending this to anyone who is curious about trying Sora. 11/10

Luther C.

Insane, absolutely delicious! Bravo! Bellissimo! Balanced, nuanced, made with an incredible attention to detail and high degree of finesse. Must try this restaurant, don't waste your time researching anything else. Ambiance is very dim and cute, perfect for a date night. Chef is also the server, so you won't get bombarded with upsells as you order at the kiosk before sitting. Chef also knows best, and can explain the flavors and ingredients in a way that truly feels special and homely. Go before they earn a Michelin star and you can't get a reservation for weeks or months. Your welcome!

Tuss R.

Yum. Got the shish kebab, octopus, eggplant dip, candied pumpkin dessert. Eggplant was delish, octopus was tender, shish kebab was tasty. But the star was the candied pumpkin dessert! Never had anything like that, sooooo yummy, the sauce w/ the pistachios? Wow. The texture of the pumpkin was so great, crispy on outside and soft on inside. Will go back just to get this again. Chef is wonderful. Place is intimate but not intimidating. Parking was easy.

Gary I.

Sora Craft Kitchen by Chef Okay (oh kah ee) is an island of fine cooking surrounded by a sea of multi-use light industrial, commercial buildings on the edge of the Fashion District. Because the neighboring establishments close around 5pm, metered street parking conveniently starts to open up just about when Sora starts to crank up. In this time of many restaurant failures due to inflation, rising rents, less people who can afford restauranting as well as more people working at home, Sora is wisely creating a system that minimizes risk by being a one man chef with one kitchen worker and using a tablet like ordering screen with price, photo of the food item, price to eliminate wait staff. Interior is austere, functional with only about 6 tables, the seats are cardboard boxes with lids that come off so you can stow hand bags, back packs, etc. Love the Studio Molin, Los Angeles based ceramic artist who has graciously supplied sophisticated ceramic warehouse for Sora. The center of attention is on the open kitchen full of bottles of potions, infusions, spices & herbs, and seeing the chef bounce around creating culinary magic. I asked Chef Okay what Sora meant in Turkish, and he said it meant Sky in Japanese since he likes the color blue, and he worked 2 1/2 years at a Japanese restaurant. So expect the Turkish food to have international influences so typical in L. A. where diverse cuisines mingle and diffuse to create new flavour combinations that may not be present in the home country yet still honors their home traditions. 1) Kuru Patlican Dolmasi: Sun dried egg plant skin looks similar to familiar grape leaf wrapped rice found in the Levant meaning the direction where the sun rises referring to the Eastern Mediterranean. The eggplant "meat" is plush & moist surrounding a complex spice mixture of long braised beef & rice. A thick, rich long cooked tomato sauce & white streak of fermented yogurt. 2) Içli Kofte (Kitel): The soft Bulgur wheat wrapping looks like soft, yielding Japanese Mochi but not as sticky enclosing spice braised ground meat. Maroon colored Isot chile butter, fermented house yogurt, fruity-sour Sumac, garlic, parsley, Chimichurri salsa, herb oil. 3) Shrimp in Tarhana Butter: Tarhana is dry rough ground grain infused with yogurt. Medium sized plump, fibrous, sea sweet shrimp in butter flavoured with a dry herb blend, Yuzu Koshō chile-Japanese citrus paste, slices of radish. Garnished with fresh Greek basil, dill & nasturtium leaf from his backyard garden. Use the accompanying hollow, warm, puffy bread that is a cousin to the Indian Chapati to sop up the butter. 4) Garlic Spiced Kebab: 28 day aged, slightly pleasantly gamey, juicy, roughly chopped beef that seems to have a vague relationship to Persian Kubideh. Perhaps echoing the Persian empire that controlled Anatolia over 1,000 years before Ottoman rule. Lightly sautéed tomato & crispy onions for vegetal relief from the rich beefiness. Lavash thin, leathery flat bread is included to make a "sandwich". 1-4a) There are only non alcoholic drinks perhaps due to Islamic influence or lack of an expensive liquor license. So opted for Spritz Italiano sparkling, aromatic citrus zest, mildly bitter sweetness. 5) Peynir Halvasi: Cheese Halva made from eggs, house cheese, Seminola wheat. Smooth, creamy yet touch grainy. Very dairy sweet, caramelized toastiness like condensed milk. Scoop of black sesame ice cream on top with scattering of crushed, roasted Pistachio (pees tah kee oh) I should have paired Turkish coffee to have a great contrast between sweet and bitter. Be ready for complex spice-herb blends, long braising, butter and oil infusions. There are earthy, infused, fermented aromatics as a unifying theme. Just as I was about to leave, Chef Okay called me over to the kitchen counter and presented me Kirecte Kavac, pumpkin slices "pickled" in limestone water that gives the generally soft pumpkin an ethereal, crystalline crispiness. Dressed with Tahini white sesame seed & peanut? puréed sauce. Scattering of pistachio. Extra sweet for those with a sweet tooth. When I approached the kitchen counter, I noticed the counter and a shelf nearby chock full of cook books. Chef Okay is always honing his cooking skills with new ideas and techniques. Love the way he flies by the seat of his pants whether thoughtfully managing his restaurant or innovating Turkish cuisine with cosmopolitan, L.A. influence. 5 stars

I've been here twice now and it really just is fantastic. You can tell the chef cooks from his heart and it translates into the food. It feels warm, special, and unique, while all of the dishes are just bursting with flavor. I am such a fan of this restaurant - some of the standout dishes for me are the Corti Taplamasi (if you like sour, I do!), Icli Kofte (Kitel), and an absolute MUST is the Shrimp in Tarhana Butter.... I'm still thinking about that dish daily. And you have to leave room for dessert - the Cheese Halva with Yuzu-Black Sesame Ice Cream is absolutely divine. If you want heartfelt, rustic, technical, and delicious food, this is the place to be!!

Haolun L.

There's a reason Sora is one of the 101 best restaurants in LA. I honestly don't think I had anything quite like Sora last year. There's been a lot of buzz about Chef Okay. Beyond being a true one‑man show and having worked at top Michelin‑starred restaurants, the most important thing is that he's making arguably the best Mediterranean food in town. 10/10 shrimp, beef kebab, chicken kebab, falafel, candied pumpkin, and rice pudding. Please, just try everything on the menu. Every dish is carefully orchestrated, from the presentation to the flavor. The shrimp is sweet and delicate, so the seasoning stays sweet and subtle too. The bed of seasoned oil is the perfect canvas to bring out its richness. The fluffy pita bread, still warm from the fire help me delightfully wipe up every last drop of flavor. The beef and chicken kebabs are also the best vessels for the flavor of the fire. Both are rich and succulent, seasoned with unmistakably Mediterranean flavors, cumin, garlic, and more. It's impossible to resist wrapping them in bread with yogurt sauce and finishing them in a heartbeat. At the same time, I love them so much that I don't quite know what to do: I want to gobble them up because they're that good, but I'm also so curious about what's coming next. Then there's the falafel. Good thing I saved a little self‑control from the kebabs, because I honestly didn't know falafel could be this delicious. They arrive stacked neatly on top of one another, each one earthy and refreshing; undeniably exotic, yet paired with a comforting, creamy, subtly sweet sauce. These falafel are magic. And then there's the punchy pickle on the side, which seems to say, "Hello, time for another one." I'm definitely ordering both desserts again. Completely different in texture, but equally delicious. There's sweetness from sugar, milk, and pumpkin; different nuances of sweetness weave together and mingle on the palate. Sora sits in an interesting neighborhood. It's easy to find parking, and I can't wait to step into this small, unassuming space. Inside, I find a lot of comfort and peace. I get to watch happiness being made right in front of me. Everything feels so smooth and effortless that, before I even realize it, the night has slipped away. I leave reluctantly, and already excited to come back.

Diana R.

What a unique dining experience! Watching a master perform his craft right in front of me... greeting me warmly (despite being in the middle of executing multiple dishes) as I walked through the curtained entrance and personally setting my table, clearing my plates and hand delivering every dish - all done with extreme precision and organization. Sora is a beautifully intimate space filled with stunning ceramics, fresh dried herbs and house pickled vegetables. To many, what Chef Okay does at Sora may seem effortless because let's be honest ... he makes it seem that way but to those who notice, who understand even a fragment of what must go into every detail, every flavor, texture, visual, composition .. Not to mention the behind the scenes challenges - we can appreciate this special place even more. Everything I ate was exceptional but I've never had anything quite like these 3 dishes: Levrek Marin (Branzino crudo)- The visuals were gorgeous! The shell was crisp and delicate and the crudo was insanely bright and fresh. The Icli Kofte (Kitel)- fantastic as well and deserves the recognition it's already received. Chef suggested I try the Riz au Lait (Rice Pudding) and honestly I usually avoid rice pudding since I had it as a kid and didn't exactly love it ... but wow! This is no classic rice pudding. He put some sort of magical crispy, caramelized salty, nutty miso pecan topping on it and I still think about it weeks later! I could go on and on but I'll wrap it up. Thank you Chef Okay for such a memorable night.

Axel E.

Sora is an amazing spot in the fashion district of DTLA. Yes the location is in an unconventional industrial area, but that makes for super easy & free parking right in front at night! As soon as you walk in, the ambience seems like you have walked into a very vibey lo-fi video, with great music playing at a perfect volume from the vintage speakers as Chef Okay crafts his dishes in the open kitchen. Ordering is at a kiosk, so be patient if someone is ahead of you deciding what to order, you will be directed to your seat once you order. If you are hesitating on ordering anything, just rest assured any choice you make will be delicious. We were eating too quickly to get photos of all, but some of all the delicious items we enjoyed were: - Shrimp in Tarhana Butter (amazing to sop up the butter with the lavash). - Dry Aged Tenderloin Kebab (most delectable steak we have had in a long time! With a delicious yogurt) - Icli Kofte - warm and delicious with amazing accompaniments After all this, we were delighted by the rice pudding. It was the best we have ever had and a perfect ending to a well crafted meal. Sora is a great restaurant that we hope to be back to soon! They also have a very thoughtful curation of bottled & canned non-alcoholic teas, soda, digestifs & mocktails. One note is that you really must have a reservation, it is a small space and we did see one group get turned away that tried to walk in.

Emi H.

Sora is an absolute hidden gem in DTLA! I tried Turkish food for the first time here and it blew my mind! The menu is small, but Chef Okay packs so much flavor into every dish. I was impressed that he not only cooks, but he also runs the rest of the restaurant by himself as the server. All we needed to do was order from the kiosk at the front and sit down. These were my favorite dishes: Shrimp in Tarhana Butter ($24) The portion of shrimp was generous and they were cooked in the most incredible sauce. The tarhana butter sauce was so tasty and reminded me of curry, but better! Pekmez-marinated Chicken ($21) The chicken was cooked well and the marinade really infused into the chicken and was full of flavor. Garlic-spiced Kebab ($24) The beef kebab was super tender and well seasoned. Overall, every dish was delicious in their own unique way and I would love to come back to try the desserts next time! This place is small and seats less than 20 people so reservation is a must. There is street parking and it wasn't too busy on a weekday.

Christine S.

Turkish food is one of my favorite cuisines, but it's insanely difficult to find a restaurant in LA that properly captures the diverse influences of the country. Eating at SORA took me back to my time spent in rural Anatolia eating honest, good meals (but with the fine execution of a glitzy Istanbul hot spot!) I was bowled over by the complex flavors the chef created in dishes that looked simple and straightforward, like the tenderloin shish kebab- served with the best lavash bread and smoky pepper and yogurt sauces; or his refreshing Gavurdagi salad--a fragrant, tangy mixture of herbs, tomato, cucumber, and onion dressed in pomegranate molasses and a sunflower seed puree. My favorite dish is the candied pumpkin dessert: kabak tatlısı, so simple yet each bite leaves me happy and inspired. And all for a very decent price.

Jonathan D.

A small part of me was tempted to gatekeep because I don't want it to become impossible to get a reservation, but how could I do that to the world? In any case, Sora Craft Kitchen had been vaguely on the radar of me and my food buddy for a few months, but then it showed up on the LA Times list and Esquire's best new restaurants list for 2025, at which point we decided we could wait no longer. We lucked into a relatively last-minute dinner reservation, and off we went. It's in the Fashion District, which at night is pretty deserted. We parked right out front (free meters by that time) and in we went. Inside, it's a cozy little restaurant with a kiosk for ordering, maybe a half-dozen tables--you sit on backless "boxes" of sorts--and Chef is on the other side of the room in an open kitchen doing everything (well, there was a guy washing dishes and bussing tables, but otherwise, Chef is a one-man band). We were a few minutes early, so we waited a few minutes and then Chef set up an additional table in the "bar" area--like our own little alcove. He told us that was where he put his friends. (I'm completely good with that--I need more friends who are all-star chefs.) And then came the food. We ordered a pair of apps, a pair of mains and a dessert. Chef brought things out as they were ready, which was fine by us. We started with Mastabe, which was market veggies with yogurt, served with pita. So much flavor, but shortly thereafter it was joined by the first of the mains, a beef kebab, which was a flavor bomb and served with lavash. A perfect bite was taking some of the kebab and putting it inside the lavash with the onion and tomato salad. I have to admit that I had a little yogurt left over from the Mastabe, and I tried a bit of that in there too. Wow. Next to arrive was the Icli Kofte, which is basically a dumpling. Well, it's more like THE dumpling--as in one of the best dumplings you've ever eaten and the reason why you're here (not that everything else isn't fantastic). It was subsequently joined by a delicious grilled chicken (kebab-like vibes) served with lavash. All of our savory dishes were perfectly seasoned. We finished (perfectly) with peynir halvasi, a cheese halva dessert married with housemade ice cream and pistachio. Somehow, despite the raves we'd been hearing, we didn't realize it would be THIS good. But it is. Also, portions feel "just right," and we left satisfied and not broke. So...this is five stars, but only because I can't give more.