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These Are The Hottest New Los Angeles Openings of 2024
The new year kicked off with buzzy openings in Los Angeles. And there are many more anticipated in coming months. The city awaits the return of Somni, Aitor Zabala’s Michelin-starred tasting menu restaurant, and the unveiling of Jônt, the Washington, D.C., favorite (with two Michelin stars). There’s Maydan Market, Rose Previte’s culinary destination, also coming from D.C., and Scarr’s Pizza, the popular New York City slice shop. Stella, Janet Zuccarini (of Felix fame) and Rob Gentile’s Italian eatery, is expected to take over the original Madeo space, and Daniel Boulud will make his West Coast debut with Café Boulud — to name a few. Just coming on two months into 2024 has already brought some noteworthy hot spots. Here are the standouts.
Cipriani Beverly Hills
It was in Venice, Italy, in 1931 that Giuseppe Cipriani opened Harry’s Bar, attracting an impressive list of regulars who reportedly included Ernest Hemingway, Katherine Hepburn, Orson Welles and Charlie Chaplin. His son Arrigo Cipriani, now in his 90s, continued running the business and expanded its hospitality ventures. And it’s Arrigo’s son, the younger Giuseppe, who develops and manages the string of operations today alongside his sons, Maggio and Ignazio. The name has turned into a brand with locations globally in food and nightlife, notably opening in New York City with Cipriani in 1985. For the first time, the hot spot has come West. “We found a wonderful property in the heart of Beverly Hills, and the timing was perfect,” Maggio Cipriani, fourth generation of the Italian family, says of the new location. The 7,000-square-foot of space on North Camden Drive has been two years in the making. Cipriani Beverly Hills opened on Jan. 10th.
Mars
There’s a somewhat hidden spot behind Mother Wolf, Evan Funke’s popular ode to Roman cuisine. If you know, you know: Mars is a cocktail lounge accessed through an outdoor side entrance or — more swiftly — a back door inside the restaurant. “Once guests who are dining at Mother Wolf are paying their check, they can inquire with their server about being escorted to Mars,” says Giancarlo Pagani, its co-owner and founder of Pagani Hospitality. “We wanted to create an elevated lounge experience in Hollywood that caters to the guests traveling from all over Los Angeles to dine at Mother Wolf,” he adds of Mars, which had its grand opening late last month. The table minimums during DJ programming start at $500 — but visitors are also free to grab a seat at the bar. Those looking to return as VIPs can inquire about Mars’ membership program, which offers priority bookings, invitations to exclusive events and access to rare spirits and wines. Members will have their own “spirits lockers,” inscribed with their monikers, and can bring, store and enjoy their own bottles from their personal collections.
Norma
Alican Bayar is the man behind Norma, a spot he’s dreamed of opening since he was a kid, he says. “Growing up, I loved the time I spent with my family in our living room and kitchen, cooking and eating amazing meals,” Bayar continues. “I have always had the desire to host friends and family at my home and cook for them. These were family traditions instilled in me, and I wanted to create a place that also represented these traditions.” Raised in Istanbul, Bayar came to the U.S. at age 16. “I decided to invest in myself,” he says of the move. He studied restaurant management and business at UCLA before running Mama’s Secret Bakery and Cafe on West Third Street. Now comes Norma, a much bigger endeavor. “I felt like I was ready for this larger operation.”
Stay
It’s booze-free at Stay, the first non-alcoholic lounge in L.A. Its opening was driven by the need for a welcoming space to enjoy a cocktail lounge atmosphere without alcohol, say owners Summer Phoenix and Stacey Mann. Located in Chinatown, there are zero-proof cocktails, wine and beer — though you have to be 21 or over to enter due to the “true cocktail bar atmosphere.”
Text by Ryma Chikhoune | Photo credits on wwd.com | Read More Here
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