The Lonely Oyster Team Opens a Scandinavian Cafe Inside the Echo Park Lake Boathouse

The team behind Lonely Oyster will open a pair of new businesses in Echo Park this Fourth of July. Lonely Oyster chef Dom Crisp and owner Don Andes launch the Winner Winner fried chicken food truck in front of Andes’ bar Little Joy Cocktails and will also open Scandinavian-inflected Piknik at the Echo Park boathouse — the same building that houses the famous swan boats.

The Echo Park boathouse was renovated in 2018 and has had three different food vendors venture in and out of the space in recent years. For Piknik, chef de cuisine Maia Domingues put together morning pastries like madeleines, cookies, a gouda-based pão de quiejo, yogurt with granola, and a layered chocolate hazelnut cake. To drink in the mornings, there are pressed juices and a full coffee bar that uses Be Bright beans. Pastries are available from 8 a.m. until sold out, while the savory menu runs from 11 a.m. onward.

For lunch, Piknik will serve seasonal salads, open-faced sandwiches on Danish rye topped with chopped herring and apple with dill, a potato chip-encrusted wagyu schnitzel, and shaved sirloin with salted butter, horseradish aioli, pickled onions, tomato, and herbs. Smoothies, elixirs, and non-alcoholic cocktails are also available, while natural wines will be served beginning in the fall. Piknik also packages customizable picnic baskets to enjoy around the park.

Meanwhile, in front of Little Joy, Winner Winner will be parked serving fried chicken from 12 p.m. to 2 a.m., Thursday through Sunday, managed by David Moreno, a former employee at Echo Park’s longtime French restaurant Taix. Its name a play on the old phrase “winner winner chicken dinner,” Little Joy is designed so orders can be taken away or enjoyed inside the restaurant.

Winner Winner’s combination box includes a fried drumstick, thigh, biscuit, and sesame-miso salad. The Winner sando is layered with a boneless chicken thigh, melted cheese, and spicy slaw on a honey butter biscuit. A pounded flat curry katsu meal is breaded and served with furikake rice, cucumber, and pickled radish. Surprisingly, the spiciest sauce is made with ranch dressing. Those looking for nostalgia can opt for loaded tater tots piled high with cheese, caramelized scallions, sauce, and chile crisp.

Similar to the appeal of Quarter Sheets and Little Fish, Dodger fans may appreciate these new spots as casual pre-game options. “The boat house and Echo Park are special to me,” says Crisp. “This was the first neighborhood I lived in, and my wife and I would walk down to the lake at least two or three times a week. It’s really cool to return to this area and make it shine again.”

Starting July 4, Piknik is open from 8 a.m. until 11 p.m. at 751 Echo Park Avenue, Echo Park, CA, 90026 with food available until sold out. Winner Winner will be at 1301 Portia Street, Echo Park, CA, 90026 Thursday to Sunday from noon until the last call at 2 a.m.

Cookies, a mushroom Danish sandwich, and Gouda balls.

Piknik.