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For the past couple of years, Downtown has been a hotbed for major restaurant openings, like Nightshade, Majordomo, The Manufactory, Bavel, and so forth. Momentum is swinging west with the latest batch of hotly anticipated openings. Preservationists are reviving beloved institutions, like Helms Bakery in Culver City and Formosa Cafe in West Hollywood, with a modern point of view.
In addition, local luminaries such as Caroline Styne and Suzanne Goin, along with Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, are serving up new culinary concepts with a side of seasoned hospitality. There’s a lot to look forward to in the coming months. Here now are the biggest openings projected to land in Los Angeles this summer, though some might open later depending on construction timelines.
Onda
Location: 702 Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica
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Major Players: Jessica Koslow, Gabriela Camara
The Situation: Onda will plant its flag at the upcoming Proper Hotel in Santa Monica. According to the hotel chain’s landing page, Koslow and Camara’s restaurant will “draw from California and Mexican flavors, techniques and ingredients” and will feature an open kitchen and restaurant bar.
Projected Opening: Summer 2019
Fuku
Location: 1315 Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica
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Major Players: David Chang, K2 Restaurant Group
The Situation: Majordomo chef David Chang’s West Coast empire continues to grow with the arrival of fried chicken restaurant Fuku. The quick service chain, which has multiple locations in the East Coast, will be part of a new food hall called SocialEats. Fuku is best known for boxes of quarter and half chickens available in different styles, as well as a very popular fried chicken sandwich.
Projected Opening: Summer 2019
Helms Bakery
Location: 3220 Helms Avenue, Los Angeles
Major Players: Sang Yoon, Megan Potthoff, Anthony Greco
The Situation: For over four decades, Helms Bakery supplied local residents with bread delivered “Daily at Your Door.” The Sang Yoon-led redesign includes a multi-space layout with a full-service daytime restaurant, a dedicated bakery with prepared foods for takeaway, as well as a retail section full of local products.
Projected Opening: Fall 2019
Formosa Cafe
Location: 7156 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood
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Major Players: 1933 Group, Bobby Green, Dimitri Komarov, Dima Liberman, David Kuo, Arthur Dong
The Situation: West Hollywood’s longstanding Formosa Cafe is almost ready for its big return. The deep red 94-year-old dive bar has spent the better part of the past three years all closed up. David Kuo of Little Fatty will cook up a classic menu that spans the gamut from traditional Chinese and Taiwanese dishes to more Chinese-American fare like walnut shrimp and a Chinese chicken salad.
Project Opening: June 2019
M.Georgina
Location: 777 Alameda Street, Los Angeles
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Major Players: Melissa Perello, Studio Unltd
The Situation: San Francisco chef Melissa Perello, the James Beard-nominated chef/owner of Frances, who also earned a Michelin star for her second restaurant Octavia, will open a new restaurant at the ROW development in Downtown Los Angeles. The restaurant will cover 4,200 square feet with an open kitchen, live-fire cooking, and room for outdoor dining. There will be a full bar, lunch, brunch, and dinner menus, and plenty of seasonal vegetables.
Projected Opening: Summer/Fall 2019
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
Location: 700 South Flower Street, Los Angeles
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The Situation: Things are getting close for the Alamo Drafthouse in Downtown. The Austin-based food- and booze- friendly movie theater has been in discussions since 2013 to take over some serious real estate at The Bloc. Expect 12 “dine-in” screening rooms that each seat around 80 with full food and beverage options.
Projected Opening: Summer 2019
Pasjoli
Location: 2732 Main Street, Santa Monica
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Major Players: Dave Beran
The Situation: Dialogue chef Dave Beran is adding to his Westside portfolio with a new restaurant called Pasjoli, which will be inspired by classic French dining, with particular nods to the Escoffier era. Look forward to caviar service and a mobile duck press like at New York City’s The Grill.
Projected Opening: Summer/Fall 2019
Caldo Verde
Location: 1106 Broadway, Los Angeles
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Major Players: Caroline Styne, Suzanne Goin
The Situation: Located on the ground floor of the Proper Hotel in Downtown’s South Park neighborhood, Caldo Verde will lean heavily into Portuguese-by-way-of-California flavors. Expect shareable portions of the namesake soup, as well as seafood like octopus braised in squid ink and the famous pork and clams. Communal seating, as well as a bar, will round out the room.
Projected Opening: Late Summer/Fall 2019
Socalo
Location: 1920 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica
Major Players: Mary Sue Milliken, Susan Feniger
The Situation: Located inside the Gateway Hotel, Socalo will be open seven days a week with plans to serve breakfast, lunch, dinner, and happy hour. The menu will be inspired by the chefs’ recent travels to Tijuana. Get ready for tacos and ceviche with small batch tequila and mezcal pairings.
Project Opening: Fall 2019
Death & Co.
Location: 810 E. Third Street, Los Angeles
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Major Players: Proprietors LLC team (Alex Day, David Kaplan, along with Death & Co. partner Ravi DeRossi and Devon Tarby)
The Situation: Notable New York City cocktail bar Death & Co. will land along Wurstkuche, Inko Nito, Manuela on an already busy stretch of the Arts District. Widely considered to be one of America’s greatest cocktail bars, the original Death & Co. in the East Village is renowned for its attention to detail and its craft approach to everything from bartop setups to ingredients. A tight menu of bar bites, similar to the New York City menu, will also be available.
Project Opening: September 2019
Bicyclette
Location: 9575 West Pico Boulevard, Los Angeles
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Major Players: Margarita Manzke, Walter Manzke
The Situation: The Manzkes are taking over both the former Picca and Sotto spaces on Pico Boulevard. Details are still scarce on exactly what’s to come from the place, but reps say that Bicyclette will, at least in part, operate as a French bistro, which is in some ways not unlike the evening service at Republique is now.
Project Opening: Winter 2019