10 Festive New Venues for Holiday Parties in Los Angeles

Georgie, the new American restaurant from chef Geoffrey Zakarian, fully opened in the Montage Beverly Hills in July; dinner service began in June. There are five distinct private dining spaces. The smallest private room, Clementine, holds 12 for seated events; the largest space, Beverly Terrace, holds 40 seated or 60 standing. A full buyout accommodates 350 for receptions. The Garden Bar, which is also located in The Montage and created by Zakarian, can be booked for semiprivate and private events for as many as 300. Both Georgie and the Garden Bar can be combined for a total buyout of 600.

Sherry Yard’s new culinary project, the Tuck Room Tavern, opened in June at iPic Theater Westwood, serving American fare. Cocktails draw inspiration from Hollywood’s Golden Age, including punch bowls meant to be shared. Dishes include Santa Monica farmers' market nightly specials, brioche-crusted Maryland crab cakes, reuben croquettes, and grilled rib eye. The venue has room for 250 guests standing, or 75 for seated events. The Parlor Room holds 60 standing, or 30 in lounge seating. The Den holds 40 seated guests, or 60 for receptions. And the Conservatory holds 25 seated guests, or 70 for receptions.

InterContinental Los Angeles Century City has introduced several new dining concepts, marking the final phase of a recent multi-million-dollar renovation. Led by executive chef Jonathan Wood, Copper Lounge and the new signature restaurant Mari Los Angeles opened in July with a menu of globally inspired dishes. Wood has served as the executive chef and director of food and beverage at the hotel for eight years. The reception capacity for Mari Los Angeles is 150, and 75 for Copper Lounge. The hotel’s renovation also brought enhancements to all public spaces, function space, and newly redesigned guest rooms and suites. The new one-bedroom premier terrace suites feature expansive, furnished outdoor space overlooking downtown Los Angeles and the Hollywood Hills. Upgrades to the hotel’s spa and new Grand Chateau Ballroom were also completed last year.  

Opened in June, there are two new, multifunctional event lawns available at Concourse Hotel LAX; they were the first parts of the hotel’s $75 million total transformation to become Hyatt Regency Los Angeles Airport, and help groups take advantage of the city’s year-round temperate climate. Regency Park has 7,000 square feet, and holds 500 banquet-style or 650 for receptions. The 5,000-square-foot Regency Grove space holds 200 banquet-style, or 500 for receptions.

Ciel Spa at the SLS Beverly Hills has been acquired by Pearl Wellness. The 5,000-square-foot Philippe Starck-designed space reopened in August with new luxury services, product lines, and options for festive group entertaining. There are six treatment rooms including a couple's massage room with side-by-side soaking tubs, as well as the 1,000-square-foot relaxation lounge offering snacks from SLS culinary director José Andrés. There is room for 150 people for reception-style events on a flow. Groups can rotate guests through treatments during the course of an event.

Brent Bolthouse opened doors to the Bungalow Huntington Beach in July. The space offers signature cocktails paired with bites off the new menu from the venue’s exclusive culinary partner, Bear Flag Fish Company. A design collaboration between Studio Collective and Bolthouse, Huntington Beach marks the Bungalow brand’s second location and incorporates elements from the popular Santa Monica space while paying homage to Huntington Beach's surf history and community. There’s room for 470 for receptions in the venue.

Obicà Sunset Plaza opened in September, the third location for the mozzarella bar restaurant, with views of the city and new menu items. Obicà Group’s corporate executive chef Erind Halilaj serves a selection of signature dishes, such as mozzarella imported twice a week from Italy, as well as new additions. The fare emphasizes regional Italian cooking—like pizza ouvo (with egg), and cavolfiore al forno (oven-cooked cauliflower). The venue is available for buyouts and seats about 120.

Partners Beau Laughlin, Brett Cranston, and Jay Milliken opened their Silver Lake restaurant Kettle Black in August, following the success of newly opened nearby sister restaurant Sawyer. Executive chef Sydney C. Hunter III helms the kitchen. Originally home to the California Bank, the space seats 105 guests and features a modern take on a rustic vibe with artisanal and handmade food and cocktails. The venue prominently displays an original vault from when the building was first built in 1922. Centerpieces of the look include 17-foot ceilings, original tile, brick, and vaulted wood truss beams. Modern updates include mid-century dining chairs, hexagon marble floor tiles, custom iron and walnut chairs, banquets made with raw denim fabric, tapered legs with brass fittings, and Carrera marble table and bar tops. There’s an enormous brass back bar, a recessed front patio off of Sunset Boulevard hidden by a roll-up door, a topography-inspired art installation, 120 contemporary wood pendants hanging over the dining room, custom firewood racks, and a potted succulent installation on the patio.

Winsome, recently named one of Bon Appetit's 50 Best New Restaurants, opened for dinner in August. The neighborhood eatery’s new dinner menu includes plates meant for sharing such as whole roasted branzino or rib eye, with pastry chef Leslie Mialma’s Faloodeh and Almond Milk Slushy (rose water and rice noodle granita, housemade vanilla almond milk, market strawberries) for dessert. There’s a wine and beer list, plus cocktails from beverage director Edwin Cruz such as the At Last (pisco, matcha tea and fresh lychee syrup, lemon juice, egg white, angostura bitters-soaked finger limes). Seated capacity is 90, or the venue holds 100 for receptions.

Universal Studios’ newest event space, known as 1220, opened in late March. It has a sleek and modern design with floor-to-ceiling windows. It comprises two large open areas, offering more than 5,800 square feet with a capacity for 299 guests for receptions. It also comes with convenient parking, and the option for catering from Wolfgang Puck. Groups can pair the event with a private backlot tour.