On any given afternoon in Brentwood, the rhythm of the neighborhood is easy to spot. Parents move between school pick-ups and sports practices, friends meet along San Vicente for a quick lunch and families begin the familiar daily question: what’s for dinner? It’s a pace that demands both quality and convenience—and increasingly, a place that can offer both. That idea sits at the heart of Neighborly, the new culinary hub that debuted this April in the former Planta space on San Vicente Boulevard.
Imagine a multi-kitchen concept housed inside a convivial restaurant setting—with comfortable booths, contemporary décor and attentive service—where guests can relax and enjoy a meal while sampling dishes from several chefs at once. At Neighborly Brentwood, diners can mix and match menus from a lineup that includes Gaby Dalkin of What’s Gaby Cooking, Glendale’s beloved Mini Kabob from Armen Martirosyan, Mixtape from Grammy- and Academy Award–winning musician Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Palermo Pizza Club from Brooklyn pizzaiola Frank Pinello. Together, the concepts bring a diverse range of culinary voices under one welcoming roof. It’s an idea that works equally well for groups, solo diners looking to explore different cuisines in a single sitting or families with famously finicky eaters.
Behind the concept is Northern California native Mario Del Pero, CEO and co-founder of Neighborly and a partner at DFG Ventures in El Segundo. Raised in Northern California, where his father owned a meat company, Del Pero developed an early appreciation for food and hospitality. A fast-casual dining pioneer and proud USC alum, Del Pero helped redefine the category as co-founder of Mendocino Farms with his wife, Ellen Chen, and has launched numerous restaurant ventures across Southern California. Through DOM Food Group, a venture studio that incubates, invests in and operates food businesses, he also spearheaded Goop Kitchen, the wildly popular virtual dining arm of Gwyneth Paltrow’s lifestyle brand.
In many ways, Neighborly represents the evolution of the “ghost kitchen” model—bringing that operational efficiency back into a more personal, service-oriented dining experience. “We're reimagining what the everyday meal experience can be by partnering with amazing culinary talents and focusing keenly on quality, service, variety and ease," says Del Pero. "At Neighborly, we offer chef-crafted menus and ready-to-go home meal solutions conveniently all under one roof. It's about providing options and flexibility, so you have the power to customize family mealtime based on the ever-changing needs of daily life.”
After the successful debut of the concept in Westlake Village in 2024, Del Pero saw Brentwood as a natural next step. “Neighborly was designed for Brentwood—one of my favorite neighborhoods in Los Angeles,” he says. “The concentration of residents who are time-constrained, value-driven and quality-obsessed is exceptional. People here want great food and variety without the formality of a full-service restaurant, and that’s exactly the space we set out to create.”
With so many talented fast-casual concepts in Los Angeles, choosing the right partners was an important part of shaping the lineup. According to Del Pero, this started with genuine admiration. “We’re real fans of our partners, of what they create and who they are,” he says. “They’re exceptional at their craft and even better as people, and that matters to us.” From there, the concept was built around the guest experience. “We want to deliver variety, quality and real flexibility, so every visit feels easy and considered,” he says. “The mix is intentional—pizza, kebabs, roasted salmon bowls, gluten-free chicken tenders and more, all curated to work together.”
Guests can mix and match dishes across several menus designed to satisfy a wide range of tastes. The opening lineup includes Gaby Dalkin, creator of What’s Gaby Cooking and a two-time New York Times bestselling cookbook author. At Neighborly, her popular Gaby’s Caesar Avocado Wrap and Chinese Chicken Crunch Salad bring her signature California-inspired flavors to the menu, and her catering offerings are also available through the restaurant.
The venture also introduces Mini Kabob, the cult-favorite Mediterranean grill and kebab wraps from Glendale led by chef Armen Martirosyan, who saw the partnership as an opportunity to share his family’s 40-year culinary legacy with a wider audience. “What drew us here was a true alignment in values,” Martirosyan says. “It’s not just about growth—it’s about being surrounded by people who genuinely care about quality, hospitality and moving the culinary space forward. This is the right place to continue our story.”
Also in the mix is Mixtape, the playful comfort-food concept from Questlove. The menu offers a modern take on the classic burger joint, featuring gluten-free, seed oil-free crispy chicken sandwiches or tenders, the OGB Royale Cheeseburger and coconut soft-serve “Saturdaes” made without refined sugar.
And adding a touch of East Coast flavor is Palermo Pizza Club, a new concept from Frank Pinello, the pizzaiola behind Brooklyn’s acclaimed Best Pizza restaurant and host of Gozney TV’s Pizza with Frank and VICE’s The Pizza Show. His Sicilian-style pies are made with 48-hour fermented dough, a nod to his Southern Italian roots. Pastas like Pesto Alla Francesco—rigatoni tossed with almond basil pesto, green peas, roasted tomatoes, potatoes and garlic butter croutons—bring family recipes into the forefront. “The West Coast pizza energy is undeniable right now,” says Pinello. “It’s a little more playful and unconventional. With Palermo Pizza Club, I get to contribute to what's happening in Los Angeles and have the brand as my test lab. You'll see me experiment with pizzas here and drop things that push beyond what's traditional. It's a dream realized, and I couldn't be more excited to bring it to Brentwood.”
For Del Pero, the variety ultimately reflects the spirit of the neighborhood itself. “What truly sets Brentwood apart is its sense of community—from the farmers market to the walkable streets of San Vicente and the surrounding neighborhoods, to the strength of its schools,” he says. “There’s a unique charm here that makes it one of the most special pockets of Los Angeles—and Neighborly was created to be a natural extension of that.”
Complementing the restaurant is the Neighborly Marketplace, stocked with a curated selection of gourmet goods and chef-prepared meals designed to make everyday life easier. Shoppers can pick up everything from Gaby’s salads and herbed chicken to La Morra pizza and Burritos Las Palmas, along with pantry favorites ranging from Hot Girl Pickles to Senior Mango dried fruit with chili. There is also merchandise, such as baseball hats displaying the various neighborhoods within Brentwood itself—think Brentwood Park, Brentwood Glen, Mandeville and more.
For Brentwood residents juggling school pickups, sports practices and busy workdays, the concept feels almost tailor-made—a place where great food, flexibility and community come together in one easy stop. After all, what could be more neighborly than that?
Neighborly Brentwood
11754 San Vicente Blvd.
424-289-4124
beneighborly.com
“We want to deliver variety, quality and real flexibility, so every visit feels easy and considered.”