Zero Fox, a new all-day family-owned restaurant, has landed on the border of Eagle Rock and Highland Park in a former auto shop. The restaurant initially opened in mid-September with limited hours to introduce itself to the neighborhood, before hosting
a grand opening on September 26. Opened by siblings Robby Herrera Jr., Ingrid Herrera, and Cindy Lemuz, who grew up three blocks away, Zero Fox offers a sleek room with multiple television screens to catch games; daily brunch that serves classic breakfasts and chilaquiles; burgers, tacos, and wings for dinner; and bright cocktails from a longtime Los Angeles bartender.
Co-owner Robby Herrera Jr. tells Eater that his father, Robby Herrera Sr., bought the space in 2017 to open a restaurant with his family; now, Herrera Jr. and his siblings have a chance to fulfill his father’s lifelong dream. Robby Herrera Sr. worked at a family restaurant in Mexico before immigrating to the United States and operating a Northeast Los Angeles plumbing business for 25 years. “My parents are the main ones with the idea and funding,” says Herrera Jr. “My sisters and I are in charge because our parents are getting older.”
Zero Fox opens at 8 a.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. on weekends, serving a menu of breakfast burritos, smoked salmon toast, huevos rancheros, omelets, hot honey chicken and waffles, and berry French toast from chefs Chalo Martinez (Whittier’s Uptown Azabu and Downey’s Lock & Key Social Drinkery) and Oaxacan-born David Paulino. Dinner brings four types of burgers as well as sandwiches to the menu, including a traditional cheeseburger and a crispy chicken sandwich on a brioche bun. Fried crowned with carne asada or chicken are also available in the evenings, along with sandwiches, roasted Brussels sprouts, and deep-fried calamari.
Cesar Flores, founder of Elite Bartenders and a former Border Grill bartender, developed the cocktail menu. Zero Fox serves nine rotating beers on tap, along with mimosas and the tequila-forward Te Quiero Mucho with espresso, Kahlua, cinnamon syrup, vanilla cream, and Mexican chocolate. Coffee drinks and aguas frescas are also available all day. The daytime menu ranges from $13 to $24, and nothing is over $20 for dinner, while cocktails remain under $15.
As one of the Southland’s most gentrified neighborhoods, Eagle Rock and the adjacent Highland Park have changed significantly over the last decade. Groups like Los Angeles Tenants Union’s Northeast L.A. chapter have fought to keep longtime area businesses open and residents in their homes, but the area continues to change rapidly as real estate prices and cost of living rise. For the Herrera family, Zero Fox feels an opportunity to give back to Highland Park with reasonable prices, a welcoming dining room that seats 78, and a 20-seat rear patio that they hope will be full of locals. “This is a place for the neighborhood to come in and enjoy a casual time, some good food, and watch games,” says Herrera Jr. “There aren’t too many of those places here. We’re seeing more and more people from out of state, investors coming in and just taking over commercial properties. I’m really proud that we’re from the neighborhood and have our own little neighborhood spot.”
Zero Fox is open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays, and opens at 7 a.m. on weekends at 4607 York Boulevard, Eagle Rock, CA, 90041.
