Step onto Highland Park’s York Boulevard on any given day, and it’s busy. The stretch of bars, restaurants, pop-ups, and cafes mostly found between Avenue 50 and Avenue 53 are a hotspot in the neighborhood, but back towards Avenue 49 and Eagle Rock Boulevard, the area can still feel a little sleepy. Now that’s set to change, thanks to the owners of Skaf’s and Glendale’s Rockbird , who recently signed a lease on the corner of York and Armandale.

Occidental College just completed construction on its brand new Oxy Arts this summer, and announced that Skaf’s owners along with Blaze Pizza’s co-founder, Brad Kent, secured spaces in the new building. Skaf’s Instagram says the Highland Park location is “official,” while Kent will develop an all-day restaurant with wood-fired bagels in the morning and pizzas later in the day.

Skaf’s opened its first location in North Hollywood in 1999, and another in Glendale in 2007. The family maintains a strong foothold in kebab-heavy Southern California, and owners Chris and Daniel Skaf now also own Rockbird. The brothers opened the Glendale restaurant in 2017, where they showcase fire-grilled Cornish hens. In addition to Blaze Pizza, Kent is also owner of Olio Pizzeria & Cafe in Grand Central Market. The new restaurant will remain independent from those businesses, according to The Eastsider.

New developments keep expanding to this stretch of York. Popular vegan eatery Hinterhof and Kumquat Coffee joined York’s quiet span slightly less than a year ago. And further down on York’s busier section, Silver Lake’s Magpies Softserve secured a spot and opens in February 2020.

Skaf’s On York. 4757 York Boulevard, Highland Park, CA