OiNKSTER Hollywood on Vine Opens Today

Touted as “slow fast food”, Andre Guerrero’s OINKSTER had a soft opening on Saturday April 19th, purveying its line of comfort food sandwiches and craft beers to a young Hollywood crowd eager to see the original Eagle Rock store re-worked on Vine Street, just a couple blocks north of Melrose.

“We dry smoke all our meats right here,” chef/owner Guerrero told the Buzz as a happy crowd loaded up on pastrami sandwiches, onion rings and potato salad around him. “We farm out the curing process, then dry smoke the meats here for a good 18 hours – it’s a three day process in all. We do about 1500 lbs of pastrami a week, and 1200 pounds of pork.” Guerrero notes they also serve up a great hamburger and a sandwich with buttermilk fried chicken and buffalo sauce. Sandwiches range in price from $7 – 11 and make all sauces and side dishes from scratch.

Guerrero opened the original OINKSTER in Eagle Rock eight years ago, and has dreamed of a shop here in the Hollywood area for some four years, looking for the right location. The build-out of the new store at 776 N. Vine took almost two years and $1 million as they had to redo all the plumbing, sewer and electrical and revamped the space – sandblasting wood, exposing brick and adding LED lighting.

The new incarnation of the former dark glass Sushi Hiroba restaurant is bright and airy, with touches of “picnic” presented with the red and white gingham flooring in spots, and picnic table seating. Sadly, everything is served in disposable goods so that excellent craft beer is in a plastic cup. They try to keep waste to a minimum, but sandwiches are served in paper in a basket, keeping to the fast food formula.

Oinkster’s seating for 120 includes a “dog patio” and an outdoor patio along Vine that’s undercover and integrated with the interior.  Take out service is easy for those on the go – you can order ahead via phone or online and parking in the good-sized lot should be a breeze. No doubt busy parents of children at Larchmont Charter School,  just steps away, will be making many trips to Oinkster on the way home.