Vin Folk
1501 Hermosa Ave
Hermosa Beach, CA 90254
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There’s a new way to experience Vin Folk in Hermosa Beach. The neighborhood bistro has introduced a 10-course tasting menu that lets diners get up close to the stories, cultures, and ingredients behind the restaurant.
Located on Hermosa Avenue, Vin Folk has built a following for its creative, globally influenced cooking and wine-focused approach. Now, the restaurant’s indoor dining room is centered around a set tasting menu designed by chef-owners Kevin De Los Santos and Katya Shastova.
A Tasting Menu With a Personal Story
The new menu is more than a lineup of courses. According to Vin Folk, the tasting experience was created to share the chefs’ lives through food and explore the way their cultures and memories intertwine.
That idea comes through in a menu that moves between different culinary influences while keeping seasonal ingredients at the center. Vin Folk also works with local farmers and highlights the people behind the ingredients, making the tasting menu feel connected to the South Bay and the community around it.
For locals who have followed Vin Folk since it opened, the new format offers a chance to experience the restaurant through a more focused lens.
What’s on the Vin Folk Tasting Menu
The 10-course menu begins with Pan de Cristal, followed by Whipped Bacalao made with salted cod and Old Bay seasoning. From there, the courses continue with a mix of seafood, vegetables, pasta, and meat.
The Squid Al Ajillo comes with sauce gribiche and peanut, while a Spinach Artichoke Croquette pairs artichoke béchamel with mojo verde. Seafood makes another appearance with Kanpachi Crudo, served with ikra, tomato, caper and lemon.
A Wedge Salad adds iceberg lettuce, Manchego, plum and sherry before the menu moves into its heartier courses. Black Cod En Papillote is served with sauce Americaine and turnip, followed by Causa Cavatelli with corn miso, aji amarillo and squash blossom.
The savory portion wraps up with NY Strip, accompanied by market salad and salsa carretillero. Dessert is Orange Chocolate Tiramisu, bringing together orange marmalade, dark chocolate and sabayon.
The result is a menu that moves through a lot of different flavors without losing the thread of Vin Folk’s personal, ingredient-driven approach.
Pair It With a Wine From the List
Wine is still a major part of the Vin Folk experience. The restaurant’s wine program focuses primarily on small independent producers, with an emphasis on low-intervention and biodynamic practices. The team also encourages guests to explore different varietals rather than sticking to the usual dinner-party favorites.
For something beyond wine, Vin Folk also offers a small selection of seasonal, low-ABV cocktails. Current options include the Hojita, made with fennel pollen shochu and hoja santa, a Lower Negroni with cacao vermouth and fino sherry, and the 9 to 5, which combines rosso vermouth, aperitif, bubbles, lemon and olive.
Prefer a More Casual Dinner?
The tasting menu is the focus of the indoor dining room, but Vin Folk is keeping its outdoor Veranda as another option. The patio features a separate seasonal a la carte menu, giving diners a more relaxed way to enjoy the restaurant while taking advantage of the coastal air.
It’s a nice distinction for South Bay diners: head inside for the full tasting experience or settle onto the Veranda for a more flexible bistro-style dinner.
Plan Your Visit to Vin Folk
Vin Folk is currently open Tuesday through Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m., with the restaurant closed Sunday and Monday. Reservations are recommended for the tasting menu, especially given the restaurant’s intimate dining room.
For a dinner that feels a little more like an experience than a typical night out, the new Vin Folk tasting menu brings together the South Bay, the chefs’ personal histories, and a rotating collection of seasonal ingredients, all in one 10-course meal.
