These new (and renovated) restaurants, hotels, bars, and lounges in Los Angeles are opening in the coming months and have indoor, outdoor, private, and semiprivate spaces for small and large groups, for meetings, events, holiday parties, and business entertaining.
1. After a two-year closure, the iconic Hotel Bel-Air is slated to reopen in mid-October and debut the extensive renovation it has undergone. Hotel Bel-Air’s restoration was a collaborative effort between the design teams of Alexandra Champalimaud and Rockwell Group, and blends the indoor-outdoor experience as well as vintage '30s, '40s, and '50s inspirations. Wolfgang Puck will oversee all of the property’s food and beverage operations, which include the restaurant and bar, room service, catering and events, and the garden terrace. The restaurant will be called Wolfgang Puck at Hotel Bel-Air, and the menu will focus on modern California cuisine with European and Mediterranean influences.
2. Planned for an October opening on Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica is the Shore Hotel, a Silver LEED standard property that offers eco-friendly accommodations with views of the Pacific. Independently owned and operated by the Farzam family, the hotel features a California modern design conceived by Gensler Architecture. It offers 164 rooms done in shades of teal and orange and outfitted with custom-made teak wood furniture. The open-air, U-shaped design of the main hotel building includes an outdoor pool and patio. The main building also has a three-tier sky bridge that connects it to a second collection of rooms. Amenities will include two dining establishments, a fitness center, meeting and event spaces, and a four-story underground parking lot.
3. Michael Voltaggio's Ink. is slated to debut in mid-September. The Melrose restaurant will include an omakase bar, with eight seats reserved for this style of muticourse dining, in which guests entrust the culinary team to provide the dishes of their choosing.
4. Chef Jose Acevedo and partner Jesse Gomez will introduce a new contemporary Mexican dining concept with Mercado, set to open in Santa Monica in October. Dishes will include family recipes passed down for generations, with signature offerings from various regions of Mexico, like Acevedo’s carnitas, costillas de res en mostaza-moritra salsa, and sopa seca de fideo en mole. The space is meant to have the feel of a small village produce market, with a warm, rustic, slightly industrial atmosphere, and materials including wood, leather, and steel. Mercado will be Gomez’s second upscale Mexican dining space; he opened Yxta Cocina Mexicana downtown in 2009.
5. The Hotel Wilshire is now taking reservations for September onward. OSM Investment Company and Greystone Hotels is adding to its collection with the launch of the 74-room boutique hotel property. The hotel is designed by Killefer Flammang Architects, is LEED-certified, and offers accommodations including a penthouse suite with 570 square feet of private patio, multimedia suites, and a rooftop pool, restaurant, and lounge with panoramic views. The interiors, designed by KNA Design, are modern with gray and yellow accents.
6. SBE's new Mercato di Vetro will be in the old Mi-6 space, planned for a late September opening. The venue's two floors are connected by a massive wine rack, and each floor has a bar. The Italian restaurant will serve rustic small plates, with an open kitchen so guests can see all the activity. Next to the kitchen is the chef's table, for six. Upstairs, there are family-style dining tables for larger groups, with private dining that can be sectioned off. And there's a private cigar room for 10. Mark Zaff is designing the space, and executive chef Danny Elmaleh will oversee the menu.
7. Roy Choi's Beechwood will remain open until late fall or early winter, making way for a new space shortly thereafter. In its place will be a new restaurant, with a name yet to be determined, with a West Indian menu and a completely new look.
8. Livello is slated to open in September at L'Ermitage Beverly Hills Hotel. Chef Joseph Elevado, known for his Asian-inspired cuisine and training under chef Nobu Matsuhisa, will lead the creation of a new concept for the signature restaurant and lounge. The new menu aims to fuse Italian and Asian cuisines. Alongside the culinary remodel will be the launch of a wine program that will focus on Old World selections.
9. Joie De Vivre has newly refreshed the Custom Hotel, the boutique hotel near LAX, officially relaunching in mid-September with updated amenities, a revamped restaurant and bar, updated social and meeting spaces on each floor, and an aesthetic that pays homage to mod '60s air travel. There's a new restaurant, Deck 33, with Katsuo "Naga" Nagasawa at the helm. The restaurant and lounge overlooks the pool and serves food and drinks with a Pacific Rim influence. The property offers lounges that tie into the airport theme—Subsonic, Altitude, and Mile High—for breakouts and meetings. Additionally, Hangar 39 on the ground floor is a gallery space with a private entrance and full bar.
10. An outpost of cult favorite Umami Burger is coming soon to the Grove shopping center. It will be across from the Whisper Restaurant and Lounge. The flagship location, scheduled to open this fall, will be built with a sustainable green design and represents the ninth location for the rapidly growing burger brand. The Grove location will use recycled building materials, solar panels, Energy Star appliances, and integrate other green practices into the design of the indoor-outdoor venue with seating for 175. The LEED Certified space will have approval from the Green Restaurant Association. The expansion news came weeks after Umami Restaurant Group announced its strategic partnership with SBE.
