With planning for corporate and office holiday parties under way, these new and recently renovated Los Angeles venues provide suitable options for company celebrations. The venues, which include bars, lounges, nightclubs, restaurants, private rooms, cultural spaces, and hotels, can accommodate small and large groups for Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year's Eve, or holiday parties of any type.
In September, Fig & Olive’s two-story Melrose Place location unveiled a $1 million renovation with airy new South of France-inspired decor. It’s a play on the restaurant’s original design, with warm limestone, white-wash stucco walls, terra cotta accents, and fresh green rosemary and olive trees. The 8,000-square-foot space also has an open kitchen illuminated with shelves of olive oils and a hand-crafted wrought-iron candle wall. The restaurant holds 450 for events, or 800 when combined with the courtyard space.
Imperial Western Beer Company opened in September inside Union Station downtown. The brewery and restaurant holds 307 in an Art Deco-style main room; 48 on a patio that has its own bar; and 77 in the Streamliner, a craft cocktail bar helmed by Eric Alperin. The venue offers games, pool tables, and shuffleboard, and brewery tours and tastings can be incorporated into events. A menu focused on shared plates and family-style options is curated by David Lentz.
New to Los Feliz is Atrium, open since late October. The 3,200-square-foot, indoor-outdoor restaurant has an open, modern design that incorporates woodwork, rich blue accents, skylights, and an olive tree in the center of the room. A private dining room, which seats as many as 26, can be enclosed with sliding metal doors. The main dining room seats 102; when combined with an outdoor private walkway, the entire space holds 250 for receptions.
H.wood Group’s new country club-inspired sports lounge, 40 Love, opened in late October. The space is decorated with dark wood, lush greenery, and white brick, and it offers large booths, more than 25 flat-screen TVs, and a sun-filled patio. A semiprivate room has a 12-seat table; the entire venue holds 125 for buyouts.
Bacari W. 3rd opened in West Hollywood in late September, and its design is notable for its Europe-inspired patio with a large Magnolia tree and an indoor-outdoor bar. Israeli chef Lior Hillel creates a menu of Italian-style tapas with a Mediterranean twist, and the bar program offers wine and beer; cocktails are expected to be added in 2019. The 3,000-square-foot venue holds as many as 130 people for full buyouts.
Boomtown Brewery in the Arts District downtown opened a new private event area in September. The 4,000-square-foot space is fully furnished and has a private bar, an HD projector, and games such as giant chess, ping-pong, foosball, and board games; it holds 300 people or can be combined with the public taproom for larger events.
Located inside the Castaway event space in Burbank, the Green Room is a new speakeasy-like cocktail lounge that opened in early November. For events, there's a seven-seat bar, an 80-seat lounge, or a 25-seat patio. Cocktails served in hand-blown glassware are inspired by the film industry, such as a Beauty & the Beast-inspired drink served in a bell jar and garnished with rose petals. The stylish venue, designed by Hatch Design Group, has an elegant jade and gold color palette and hilltop views of Los Angeles.
The Waterfront opened in Venice Beach in late October. The all-day dining destination has a full-service restaurant, a patio, an oceanfront beer garden, a lounge area, and a taqueria; the entire space seats 250 or holds as many as 500 for buyouts. The Waterfront aims to be a positive addition to the community through partnerships with the L.A. Community Healing Garden and other local organizations.
Downtown cocktail spot Here & Now opened in October. The space comes from Westbound owner Sarah Meade and Va’La Hospitality, and takes over the train depot-inspired space formerly occupied by Westbound. The bar menu features drinks reminiscent of Los Angeles, with names such as “Frontier Money,” “Arrowhead Trail,” and “City Lights and Business Nights.” The venue seats 65 inside and 25 on a patio; the entire space holds 90 for buyouts.
H.Wood Group’s newest venue opened at the upcoming 1 Hotel West Hollywood in late September. Harriet's is a stylish, indoor/outdoor rooftop lounge designed by John Sofio from Built Inc. with 1920s-inspired decor featuring a burgundy, dark green, and white color scheme and plenty of string lights, greenery, and city views. Chef Lord Maynard Llera provides a menu of shared bites, while bar director Justin Campbell offers garden-inspired cocktails. The 2,836-square-foot space holds 175 people.Â
