Marcel Vigneron's Melrose Vegetarian Spot Beefsteak Could Be Closer Than You Think

Since initially learning that Marcel Vigneron would be taking over the former 8 Oz. Burger Bar location on Melrose (which was also, briefly, a cafe space called ROFL) last year, there's been nary a word on what's to come. Other than the name — Beefsteak — and a vaguely vegetarian concept, nothing much has been said or seen, until now.

After months of bare speculation here comes an ABC license, showing the world that Beefsteak may indeed be closer than anyone realized. What's also interesting is the paperwork itself, which actually lists two different business names — Marcel and Beefsteak by Marcel — for the same address.

That's in part because the previous tenant, ROFL Cafe, actually took to combining what was formerly two storefronts into one, for additional seating. That didn't turn out well, so now it seems that Vigneron is flipping them back as they were, leaving one side to become Beefsteak while the other gestates with a different idea.

So what is Beefsteak going to be? Well beyond the plans for full booze, expect healthy, plant-based food done at a casual price point. Vigneron has been on a national pop-up tour honing his concept for some time now (he even cooked at the White House not long ago), and has found what he believes is a winning combination of quality, flavor, and price point for his meat-free meals.. A listed menu on the restaurant’s website currently shows a variety of soups, warps, bowls, and beyond, all of them plant-based entirely — but how closely that will ultimately track with the opening menu remains to be seen.

As for the adjacent restaurant option, Vigneron says that it's still up in the air. An early plan is to run prix fixe dinners that rely only on a diner's preferred style of eating — one set menu for carnivores, one for pescatarians, one for vegans, etc. — but for now the focus is on Beefsteak solely.

Part of the reason for the extended build-out, Vigneron says, is because the building is so old, and the previous tenants didn't do much of the down-and-dirty work to update the place after all these years. So they're doing it now, from plumbing on up, and that's taken some time.

Nonetheless, Beefsteak is hoping to arrive at or around early 2016.

Beefsteak by Marcel
7661 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA