The owners of New York-based Greek eatery Avra Estiatorio opened their first West Coast location in April. Avra Beverly Hills offers traditional Mediterranean cuisine with an emphasis on fresh seafood, which is flown in daily from Europe; guests choose their own fish from a market-style seafood display. The airy 11,000-square-foot space has 240 seats and was designed by Rockwell Group with floor-to-ceiling windows, moss-covered stone, and fresh lemon trees and greenery. A private dining room seats 40 with a glass-enclosed wine display, while a larger private space holds 150 for receptions.
Located in Downtown L.A.’s Fashion District, City Market Social House is a new contemporary warehouse event space that spans 12,000 square feet. In addition to in-house audiovisual capabilities and event production services, the venue has a kitchen with customized catering from Wolfgang Puck Catering. The space can hold 350 people for weddings, 500 for banquets, 800 for concerts or fashion shows, or 1,000 for receptions. There's also 3,500 square feet of outdoor courtyard space and a green room. The venue officially opened in April.
Restaurant and special event space Castaway opened in Burbank in May. On the restaurant side, chef Perry Pollack serves a menu of seasonally inspired, steak-forward dishes, plus a raw bar and build-it-yourself charcuterie boards. The 12,500-square-foot restaurant has a multi-level dining room that seats 175, plus a multi-level patio that holds an additional 225. A 10-seat chef’s table is also available. The rest of the venue offers seven additional indoor and outdoor spaces for private events, including the 5,000-square-foot gazebo courtyard, which seats 100 or holds 200 for receptions; the 7,200-square-foot Starlight Room, which seats 500 or holds 1,000 for receptions; and a V.I.P. patio that holds 80.
For an upscale small-group experience, José Andrés and Aitor Zabala’s new tasting-menu counter, Somni, is located inside the Bazaar by José Andrés at the SLS Beverly Hills hotel. With only 10 seats, the light and airy restaurant features a $235-per-person, 25-course tasting menu. Somni, which means “dream” in Catalan, aims to remove barriers between chefs and guests, with a bespoke exhibition kitchen. The restaurant opened in March.
Meeting- and workspace-provider Convene opened its first two Los Angeles locations downtown in April. Convene at the Wells Fargo Center (pictured) spans 40,000 square feet and has five meeting rooms, the largest of which holds 250. Smaller rooms include a 16-seat boardroom and an art-driven space that holds as many as 100. The other new venue, Convene at 777 Tower on Figueroa Street, offers 12,000 square feet of event space, with six meeting rooms and a variety of common areas. The largest space holds 142 theater-style, while a smaller game room holds 16. Both locations offer high-speed WiFi, event planning and catering services, and unlimited on-site drinks and snacks.
