Business Lunches Are Back: 6 Restaurants for Dining and Deal-Making

After a five-year, $2.5-billion renovation, the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles reopened late last year and is home to French restaurant Lumière. Furnished with antiques, the traditional French-inspired brasserie features a comforting bistro-style menu with dishes such as chicken liver mousse with olive oil jam, a lyonnaise salad with frisée, poached egg, porchetta, sherry, and shallot vinaigrette; and a croque madame with jambon, gruyere, a sunny egg, and mornay sauce. The space holds 12-120 guests.

Located on the 21st floor of the LaSalle Chicago Hotel, located in the city's Financial District, the newly opened Grill on 21 from the Roanoke Hospitality Group serves up contemporary American grill fare such as filet mignon and steak frites, as well as plant-based options like carrot tartare with fennel, crispy capers, and whole grain mustard aioli and hearth-fired cauliflower with pine nuts, golden raisins, and Calabrian chili vinaigrette. With decor that features rich jewel tones, leather, and decadent marble, the space harkens back to the setting of old-school business lunches but with a modern flair. The private dining room within the restaurant seats up to 16 people.

Fogo de Chão, the popular steakhouse from Brazil, recently opened its new flagship location in The Plaza Coral Gables, a newly developed high-end shopping, dining, hospitality, and entertainment destination just outside of Miami. The location features an expansive 280-seat dining room with an open-air churrasco bar where guests can watch chefs butcher, prepare, and grill different cuts of meat. The restaurant also offers an 850-square-foot private dining room on the first floor, which can accommodate up to 50 guests.

In June, Avra Estiatorio Rockefeller Center opened in New York City; it’s the third Greek eatery from The Avra Group, which has sister locations on the Upper East Side and in Midtown East. The 16,500-square-foot, three-story restaurant, located in the historic Time-Life Building, features a Mediterranean courtyard aesthetic with an alfresco dining area, a main dining room, central bar, cellar-level dining room, a mezzanine overlooking the main dining room, an open kitchen, and a market-style seafood display. The menu includes Greek signatures, plus a three-course prix fixe menu for lunch ($32.50 per person) that features spanakopita, Mediterranean spreads, lamb chops, grilled sea bass, swordfish brochette, and baklava. It’s served from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., along with the all-day menu.

Helmed by chef and writer David Tanis, LULU is located in the courtyard of UCLA’s Hammer Museum in Westwood, Los Angeles. Conceived by chef, author, and food activist Alice Waters and Hammer director Ann Philbin, the restaurant aims to support the community through sourcing from local regenerative farms, as well as collaboration with LA artists and designers. The ever-changing menu showcases seasonal ingredients with dishes such as yellow carrot soup with ginger cream; housemade pasta chiocciole with zucchini, squash blossoms, ricotta, basil, and parmesan; and grass-fed beef tagliata with arugula and parmesan.

This iconic New York restaurant, which recently relaunched with chef Michael White as executive chef, in partnership with Grand Tour Hospitality and restaurateur David Rabin, has now reopened for lunch—the first time since March 2020. The new lunch menu at The Lambs Club includes appetizers such as asparagus soup with creme fraiche and basil, followed by a selection of salads and sandwiches including a chopped salad with olives, artichokes, piquillo peppers, bibb lettuce, crispy pita, oregano, and red wine vinaigrette, in addition to lunch-only entrees like chicken paillard with coraline, cherry tomatoes, and balsamic vinegar. The classic look and feel of the 85-seat dining room with red leather banquettes and an 18th-century French limestone fireplace, located inside the Chatwal Hotel, remains the same.