Tev’s & Family Kitchen, the viral Vermont Square Jamaican soul-food counter that built a loyal following one saucy plate at a time, quietly rolled out a second location in Gardena on Monday. The new outpost sits along South Figueroa Street near the 110, bringing chef Tevin Love’s oxtails, sweet-chile wings, and hefty comfort-food sides a lot closer to South Bay diners. For now, the Gardena shop is keeping things tight with a compact lunch-into-early-dinner window and a streamlined menu built to move fast.
Love’s original Vermont Square counter started as a sidewalk setup and eventually grew into a bright-red storefront that frequently sells out, a pattern regulars know all too well from the updates on ToastTab. The flagship at 1905 West 48th Street runs a rotating, day-by-day slate of specials and combo boxes that pair proteins with mac and cheese and roasted garlic mashed potatoes. Devoted fans also swear by the house-made Kool-Aid and those sticky-sweet-chile wings that helped put the shop on the map.
As reported by Eater LA, the Gardena location is set to operate Tuesday through Sunday from 1 to 8 p.m., serving staples like macaroni and cheese, jerk salmon, fried catfish, and honey-hot wings. Eater LA also notes that Love opened the Vermont Square storefront in January 2024, and the Gardena counter marks Tev’s first move beyond South L.A.
What's on the menu
Tev’s keeps the playbook focused on bold proteins, bright sauces, and a short list of dependable sides. The restaurant’s menu on ToastTab features rib-eye and short-rib platters, jerk shrimp, and combo boxes loaded up with mac and cheese and roasted garlic mashed potatoes. To wash it all down, the drinks lineup sticks to the theme with Jamaican sodas and more of that house-made Kool-Aid.
What to know before you go
Expect a straightforward counter-service setup and a real possibility of sellouts on busy nights, a problem that helped shape the new spot’s game plan. Long waits at the Vermont Square location pushed the team to lean into preorders and takeaway, according to Eater LA. With Gardena now in the mix, South Bay diners get a closer option without committing to the full trek into South L.A. Keep an eye on the restaurant’s social channels for day-to-day availability as the new location finds its rhythm.
