With the holiday season coming up, these new bars, lounges, night clubs, restaurants, outdoor spaces, private rooms, and more—even a sleek salon—in and around Los Angeles can accommodate corporate groups small and large for company holiday parties of every type.
1. For a festive holiday event smack in the heart of Hollywood, Lexington Social House opened in the spring near Hollywood & Vine. Chef Mette Williams, formerly of Spago and Cut, created the menu, which the venue describes as rustic modern American with a global influence. Cocktails use fresh, seasonal ingredients. Thomas Schoos is behind the design, which has touches like classic Queen Anne chairs with five legs and modern stick-figure art displayed throughout. The venue has a full capacity of 450 in four distinct environments: the 1,125-square-foot dining room, the 1,020-square-foot lounge-bar area, the 1,600-square-foot garden patio, and the 1,000-square-foot nightclub.
2. Hotel Erwin in Venice just launched its new eatery, Barlo, which a serves breakfast, brunch, and dinner menu of rotating farmers'-market dishes from executive chef Jason Wiggin. The venue, the ground-floor counterpart to the hotel's High Rooftop Lounge, has a patio, a communal table, and graffiti artwork. The space can close down for events, and, with the driveway, the capacity is 90 for receptions or 45 for seated events.
3. Downtown's Salvage Bar & Lounge opened in September with room for 150. Located on the ground level of the 1926 landmark building now known as the Roosevelt Residences, Salvage’s interior elements mix modern design while using fixtures and materials left behind from the historic building’s original construction. The 2,200-square-foot space has been transformed by Nocturnal Entertainment Group. Distressed leather remnants make up ample booth seating, which is flanked by tables made of vintage elevator friezes and 1920’s-era Cararra marble slabs. The back lounge has modular seating made of vintage fabrics, elevator grids, and original wall panels. A chateau-like patio opens to the street.
4. Culver City got a new restaurant and bar with the opening of Rocco’s Tavern. Behind it is Seventy 7, a lounge with a speakeasy feel, available for buyout. It has leather booths, dim lighting, dark wood, and a remote entrance marked by a hanging neon cocktail sign in the alley. Signature cocktails include the Velvet Underground (champagne, Velvet Fulcrum, Crème de Violette) and the Moulin Rouge (Lucid Absinthe, Plymouth Gin, muddled strawberries, passion fruit puree, simple syrup).
5. The new Public Kitchen & Bar at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel has a dining room lined with plush banquettes, a restored mural (which was uncovered on the ceiling during the renovation process), and an airy private garden room with living walls of succulents and greenery. The space also has caricatures from frequent hotel guests, black-and-white photos from executive chef Tim Goodell’s family, and kitchen heirlooms. The private space seats 10 guests at the chef's table and as many as two tables of six for another 12 guests. The restaurant can also add four small round tables of two for another eight guests, totaling 30 people on seven separate tables.
6. For a holiday party venue that acts as a chic blank canvas, Rossano Ferretti Hairspa in Beverly Hills covers 5,000 square feet on two levels. The upper level, known as the Prive, is for clients who want a more intimate, private feel. There are three rooms, in addition to a large lounge space, making it right for private parities and pampering events. The salon's decor includes black velvet curtains that serve as a dramatic entrance and provide privacy. The center of the venue houses a long black lacquer community table, right for meals or snacks. The salon itself is equipped with a stereo system and—a rarity among salons in town—a 12-space private parking lot in the back.
7. The much-anticipated Bouchon Bakery officially opened in August in Beverly Hills. The baked-goods outpost of Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bistro is located adjacent to Bar Bouchon at the base of the stairs that lead to the bistro. While the bakery itself has no private space, Bouchon has two private dining rooms: the 16-seat Escoffier Room and the 10-seat Champagne Salon. Decor is simple with a Parisian feel. Both private dining areas offer access to the balcony, which overlooks the Beverly Canon Gardens.
8. Melrose Avenue got a new nightlife destination with the opening of Bugatta Restaurant & Bar in October. Previously the Bungalow Club, owner Anat Escher closed that space after 10 years, and, with TBC Management, reopened it after several months of renovation. Escher designed the interiors herself, using expansive doors that open up to the corner of Melrose and Formosa. A bar seats 20 and is flanked by dark metallic leather booth seating with custom tables. The outdoor space has an airy, lofty feel. Cabanas have light fabrics and mood lighting. White-washed floors, custom tables, casual bamboo chairs and white leather booths fill the middle of the open-air lounge. For a festive holiday feel, the menu is meant to be shared.
9. Smith House is new in the former Aphrodesiac space in Century City. The space comes from the owner of Capitol City, Curtis Nysmith, and Kristofer Keith of Spacecraft Design Group. The sprawling venue is comprised of 10,426 square feet of brick, woods, and leathers. A private room seats 60. There are 120 beers on tap. A bonus? Guests can text the valet for their cars ahead of their departure.
10. The Writers Room occupies the space known in the 1930s and 1940s as the "back room” of Hollywood’s oldest restaurant, Musso and Frank, where the likes of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and William Faulkner held court. The space reopened in October, led by founding partners nightlife vet Nur Khan (who is behind New York's Kenmare and Electric Room), film producer Holly Wiersma, and Abdi Manavi (principal in the neighboring Supperclub), plus the support of other Hollywood and media personalities. The Writers Room occupies 1,000 square feet off an alleyway behind the restaurant. The total capacity is 120.
