Beverly Hills is booming (again), especially when it comes to dining. Most of Los Angeles’ hottest new restaurants are opening in the area, and these are 12 of the best.
A post-pandemic Los Angeles has been more grateful and excited about restaurant dining than ever, and with fewer companies requiring employees to return to work, urban Downtown LA – though still a trendy hub – no longer retains the city’s restaurant crown. Most of the action has set up shop further west, in Beverly Hills, with some of the best new restaurants all opening within just blocks of each other.
Yes, Nobu Malibu, Craig’s in West Hollywood, and Bestia in the Arts District are still worthy visits, but those looking for something new need not go far. Some of the city’s top dining spots are now also within walking distance of the city’s top hotels – and each other.
Dante Beverly Hills
Previously available to hotel guests only, the rooftop at The Maybourne (formerly the Montage Hotel) now boasts the Los Angeles outpost of one of New York’s most lauded cocktail bars, Dante, which claimed top spot as the Best Bar in North America in 2019 and 2020. Spectacular views out to the Hollywood Hills (yes, you can see the Hollywood sign) and of the city below make the terrace seating coveted, while comfy royal blue velvet booths and a cosy bar area are equally stunning thanks to interiors from creative director Nathalie Hudson who accented the space in golden hues and colourful frescoes. Come for cocktails like the Dante’s Garibaldi or Tequila Martini or dine on modern Italian fare such as the Dante’s Californian Salad with pickled onions, cucumber and shrimp, or the Pizza Rosa with whipped mortadella, Stracciatella, pistachio and rosemary.
Espelette
The rooftop restaurant and bar at the Waldorf Astoria has been a hot spot for both locals and hotel guests since the hotel opened in 2017 and the views are some of the best in the city. But their new ground-floor restaurant has become a welcome respite too. The casual space relaunched in May 2023 (it was formerly the site of Jean-Georges) under the direction of the five-star hotel’s culinary director, Steve Benjamin, with Mediterranean-inspired fare and an indoor-outdoor setting. Although it seats up to 202 guests, intimate spaces created in both the main restaurant and on the patio make it feel calm and cosy – defying the often-staid ambience of typical hotel restaurants. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to end the evening with a rooftop nightcap while watching the city lights in the distance.
Funke
Few LA restaurants have lived up to the hype the way chef Evan Funke’s Felix has. Ever since it debuted in 2017, the Venice Beach pasta-focused trattoria has been consistently booked well in advance, drawing a mix of devoted locals and foodie tourists. In 2022, Funke debuted Mother Wolf, a Roman-style Italian spot across town, in Hollywood. Meeting in the middle, Funke opened its doors in Beverly Hills in early 2023, combining the best of both menus at a prime, central location within a 1930s Art Deco building. Backed by real estate titan Kurt Rappaport, the three-story space on the eastern edge of South Santa Monica Boulevard features two floors of table dining and a rooftop terrace, Bar Funke, which is for walk-ins only. Plan ahead to try Funke’s coveted pastas and pizzas in the restaurant, or come in spontaneously and head to the roof for cocktails, crudos, and desserts in an al fresco setting.
The Hideaway
Tucked into a courtyard, just away from the action of Rodeo Drive, this casual Mexican steakhouse is a welcome alternative to many of the more formal dining spots that surround it. Stop in after a day of exploring the neighbourhood’s ultra-luxury shops for an upscale Baja menu. Highlights include the tuna tartare, crispy cauliflower, surf and turf, and the branzino. Don’t miss drinks from James Beard Award–nominated bartender Julian Cox, who delivers agave-led cocktails so great, you’ll forget how much you just spent shopping.
La Dolce Vita
For decades, this windowless, unassuming space on South Santa Monica Boulevard welcomed locals (including original investor Frank Sinatra) with red vinyl circular booths and popular chicken parm. Then, hospitality team Med Abrous and Marc Rose of Call Mom (known for The Spare Room and Genghis Cohen) reinvigorated the space, re-opening this year with a renewed vibe and ultra-hip atmosphere. The 79-seat restaurant honours its original, all-booth layout, but has been modernised with cheetah-print carpet, emerald walls, and burled wood accents. Stained glass, ’60s vintage sconces, and ’80s Italian chairs contribute to the vintage-chic vibe. Dim lighting makes it hard to see every detail – or the inevitable number of celebrities that frequent the space – but it’s hard to miss the delectable dishes that have helped make it one of the hottest reservations in town. Tableside Caesar salads for two, veal parmigiana, and clams oreganato are just some of the classic Italian dishes worth indulging in. Come for the scene, come for the food, but don’t come without a reservation: even the seats at the bar can be booked in advance.
Plant Food + Wine
Technically, the Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills has a West Hollywood zip code, but its residential setting on Doheny Drive and Burton Way still gives it the feeling of being in the 90210. For more than 10 years, acclaimed vegan chef Mathew Kenney operated Plant Food + Wine on Venice Beach’s Abbot Kinney Boulevard, but now the plant-based pioneer has brought his celebrated fare to a poolside space at the Four Seasons. Make it a full day of wellness by booking a massage (the hotel’s spa is just steps away), and then meander over in your bathrobe to the sundrenched space for a delicious, healthy meal. The outdoor cafe is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, offering everything from French toast on brioche with coconut whip and hibiscus syrup to huacana udon noodles with baby vegetables, and saffron Arancini with tomato jam.
Steak 48
With perennially popular nearby steakhouses Mastro’s and Wolfgang Puck’s Cut offering respective traditional and contemporary dining experiences, it may seem redundant for a new steakhouse to try and squeeze its way into town, but Steak 48 quickly found a way to carve its niche since opening earlier this year. This expansive, dark, contemporary and sleek setting caters to every kind of diner: sit at the bar with a martini and snack on heirloom tomatoes topped with king crab, or settle in for a multi-course dinner and indulge in crispy shrimp deviled eggs, creamy mac and cheese, and elevated cuts of meat. Each Steak 48 (additional locations include Phoenix, Houston, and Chicago) has its own butcher shop and master butcher in-house and offers high-quality USDA cuts of meat, both wet and dry-aged, as well as Wagyu from Japan and Australia. The seafood stands on its own, too, with Chilean sea bass and scallops offering stellar options for non-beef eaters. Leave room for the warm vanilla caramel cake or peanut butter pie.
Sur Le Vert
Looking for a great glass of wine and some charcuterie in a chic setting? Sur le Vert aims to please with a curated-yet-unpretentious wine list mostly from family-run wineries, along with a limited menu featuring imported burrata, chopped salads, Petrossian caviar (with potato chips), crudos, and 35-day aged beef. Proprietors Zach Negin and Nicole Dougherty (of Hollywood’s Tabula Rasa) infused the intimate space with a curved bar designed for socializing as well as a handful of tables. Located on North Canon (just across from the Maybourne Hotel), expect a vibrant atmosphere, conducive to plenty of Instagram-worthy moments.
Hotel Bel-Air Annual Barbeque
Set within a stunning oasis just north of Beverly Hills, the Hotel Bel-Air (sister property to the iconic Beverly Hills Hotel) is a lush escape amid one of the city’s best residential neighbourhoods. To celebrate the end of the summer, the hotel hosts an annual celebrity-chef-studded barbeque. This year, on 12 September, guest chefs Francis Mallman, Eric Werner, Burt Bakman, Tacos 1986 and Leonard Botello IV will join the hotel’s culinary team for an extravagant evening on the hotel’s front lawn.
Sushi by Scratch Restaurants
Until 31 October 2023, award-winning chefs, Phillip Frankland Lee and Margarita Kallas-Lee of Sushi by Scratch Restaurants (their Montecito location has boasted a Michelin star two years in a row) are hosting a pop-up at the Beverly Wilshire, a Four Seasons Hotel. The reservation-only restaurant takes over the hotel’s eighth-floor Royal Suite to host a 17-course menu featuring fish and shellfish that are primarily flown in from Tokyo’s famous Toyosu Fish Market. The intimate dining experience sees just 12 guests, seated face-to-face with three chefs, at a sushi counter set within the plush suite that overlooks the city.
COMING SOON…
Cafe Boulud Beverly Hills
Debuting in early 2024, the first West Coast restaurant from acclaimed Michelin-star chef Daniel Boulud will open at the new Mandarin Oriental Residences, located on the south side of Wilshire Boulevard, at the eastern end of Beverly Hills. While Boulud will also run the private dining service for the building’s residents, the street-level French cafe will be open to the public.
Marea
In 2024, New York and Dubai sensation Marea will open its doors on North Camden Drive, a quieter section of Beverly Hills, where neighbours like the Gagosian Gallery and headquarters for mega-talent agency William Morris Endeavor attract an elevated business crowd. Fans of the New York City destination will be excited about menu items like gnocchietti with ruby shrimp, octopus, bone marrow fusilli, lobster astice with burrata, and the salt-baked branzino – while fans of design will appreciate ICrave’s plans for neutral-toned space, complete with a stone bar and light wood walls.
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