Here's a look at the best new Los Angeles restaurants, corporate event venues, hotels, lounges, and private and party rooms to open for events this summer. These new and renovated Los Angeles venues can accommodate groups large or small for private and corporate events, conferences, meetings, weddings, business dinners, teambuilding activities, cocktail parties, and more.
French bakery Pitchoun opened in downtown Los Angeles in May. It includes what it bills as the city’s largest living wall at a soaring 80 feet high. The venue serves the likes of artisan bread and homemade pastries, as well as French soups and salads, from native French owners Frédéric and Fabienne Soulies's family’s traditional recipes. There's room for about 50 people for a seated event indoors, or about double that for a reception. Outdoors, there's room for 40 seated guests.
This month, the London West Hollywood hotel opened its 11,000-square-foot penthouse inspired by Vivienne Westwood. Guests access the 10th-floor space through a private corridor that leads to 6,000 square feet of indoor space, as well as a 5,000-square-foot private outdoor rooftop terrace. It’s billed as Los Angeles’s largest suite and was designed in collaboration between Richmond Design and the British fashion designer, with exclusive art, decor, and custom furnishings.
Three new Metropolitan guest suites have also debuted on the hotel's second floor; the residential rooms range from 1,600 to 2,200 square feet. This marks the completion of the hotel's overall $25 million renovation.
Boutique hospitality company EveryDay Life opened its newest restaurant and lounge concept, Toca Madera, in April. The West Hollywood venue serves modern organic Mexican cuisine and fresh seasonal cocktails. Toca Madera, which translates to "knock on wood," is a 120-seat space with cuisine designed by executive chef Raymond Alvarez. There’s a high-powered sound system in the 4,500-square-foot venue, as well as a retractable roof and interior patio. The design includes custom woodwork and fire elements, plus a 100-foot crystal quartz bar. Overall, the space holds 250 for receptions.
Jesse Gomez and chef-partner Jose Acevedo (who opened Yxta in 2009, and the Mercado restaurant group in 2011) introduced their third concept, a seafood restaurant called Maradentro in Studio City, in April. Signature dishes include takes on chile relleno, oysters, and carnitas, with handmade corn tortillas, and local farmers’ market produce. The bar offers a selection of tequila and mezcal, as well as 10 draft and bottled beers. Design comes from architect Ana Henton. The space is available for buyout with seating for 90.
Sunset Entertainment Group founders Chris Breed and Alan Hajjar have partnered with promoter Robert Kennedy on the new lounge Confession, slated to open in June in the historic landmark building where the Pig and Whistle and Egyptian Theater are housed. Confession includes a dance hall and an intimate lounge under soaring cathedral ceilings. There will be a full cocktail program as well as food. The total square footage is 4,750, including 2,500 in the main room, 1,000 downstairs, 500 in a V.I.P. section, and 750 in the back lounge with patio. Correspondingly, the capacity for receptions in the main room is 250, 100 downstairs, 50 in the V.I.P. section, 50 in the back lounge, and 30 in the patio section.
This summer, the historic Irish pub Tom Bergin’s Public House will debut its first major addition since opening in 1936: New owner Derek Schreck will launch a Prohibition-inspired, members-only whiskey lounge called Vestry upstairs. (While the venue is housed within Bergin's, it's being billed as a separate entity from the bar.) Guests access through a nondescript door with a speakeasy peephole and travel along a narrow staircase to the space, which has oil-washed walls, reclaimed woods, and stained-glass windows that stylistically match the pub’s originals. In a nod to the new lounge’s name, there are cathedral-inspired design elements, such as vaulted Gothic white ceilings and restored 18th-century oak pews from an Episcopalian church. There’s also historical bar memorabilia, such as newspaper clippings announcing the beginning and end of Prohibition, doctor prescriptions for medicinal liquor from 1931, and a 1919 beer tap from Dublin. Polychrome lighting fixtures from an old San Diego movie palace illuminate copper tables and plush, plaid chairs. A glass-fronted shelving unit displays some of the rare spirits in the lounge’s collection. There’s room for 40 people for receptions.
B.S. Taqueria restaurant opened in April, serving Ray Garcia's lunch, dinner, and snacks. Nightly specials for groups include the Snapper Veracruz, a deep-fried whole fish. Beverages include house-made agua frescas and cebada, a traditional drink made with barley, almonds, and cinnamon. Julian Cox and Nick Meyer oversee the cocktail program, which includes drinks like Hoja Santa (tequila, hoja santa, cucumber, raw agave, and sal de camarones) and Tamarindo (vodka, amontillado, tamarind syrup, bitters, soda, and a straw). The venue seats about 80 guests, including 12 communal seats in the front, six seats at the bar, and 40 on a back patio.
The Laguna Beach House reopened in April after a complete $1.5 million redesign to its 36 guest rooms and public spaces. Situated on the the cliffs two blocks north of sister property the Inn Laguna Beach, the Laguna Beach House is a boutique hotel with a funky beach cottage vibe. Guest rooms feature surfboards mounted above the beds and skateboards as towel racks. Custom-designed Laguna Beach destination posters hang in each room, reminiscent of vintage travel posters. An expanded pool deck has casual lounge furniture and a fire pit. Daily surf reports are displayed on a chalkboard in the lobby, where general manager Rachel Tejeda also hosts nightly wine hours. A new meeting space holds groups of 15.
A location of the Brazilian steak house Fogo de Chão opened in downtown Los Angeles in February at the corner of Figueroa and 8th in the old Roy’s space. The location caters to a business crowd: For instance, it’s the first location to offer light lunch options. It also has an expansive 80-seat private dining space with audiovisual capabilities and a flat-screen TV for presentations. The restaurant chain is known for churrasco experience, with copious amounts of grilled meat carved table-side for diners.
In April, caterers and business partners Ranni Kumgisky and Dane Pearson opened the Detour Bistro Bar in Culver City. The farm-to-table venue is the pair's first restaurant following their previous company, Great Dane Catering and Events. The Detour serves traditional European cuisine, seasonal California-inspired dishes, and signature house-created small and large plates. There’s also a wine cellar. The indoor-outdoor venue has a pet-friend patio and deck. Inside seats 50 or holds 100 for receptions. The patio and deck area seats 20 or holds 35 for receptions.
