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Otium, a large, glassy and steel restaurant, sits next to the Broad Museum.
Otium, Downtown LA
Wonho Frank Lee

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Los Angeles Restaurants With the Most Stunning Design

All the reasons why Los Angeles is a design-forward restaurant city

Matthew Kang is the Lead Editor of Eater LA. He has covered dining, restaurants, food culture, and nightlife in Los Angeles since 2008. He's the host of K-Town, a YouTube series covering Korean food in America, and has been featured in Netflix's Street Food show.

Los Angeles has always had a taste for standout restaurant design. With Otium's opening last fall, Los Angeles got a serious sense for what the efforts of dedicated design teams and over a year of work can produce in a landmark location. Timothy Hollingsworth's Broad Museum-adjacent eatery is important for a number of reasons, as Jonathan Gold boldly declared it "LA's most ambitious new restaurant in years."


Otium, designed in conjunction with Studio UNTLD, House of Honey, and Osvaldo Maiozzi, represents a new kind of look for the casual, but upscale dining culture the city is currently enjoying. House of Honey's Tamara Kaye-Honey was looking for a cohesive feel for diners who walked into the stand-alone restaurant, which features a Damien Hirst mural on the side (how many restaurants can boast that?) while eliciting a variety of experiences depending on which part of the establishment they're sitting in.

It's this kind of thoughtfulness toward overall experience that's helping to lead Los Angeles as a design-forward restaurant city. Here now, some of LA's most stunning restaurant designs, from Downtown's Otium to the classic Clifton's Cafeteria remodel to the whimsical look of The Bazaar in Beverly Hills.

Inside Otium, Timothy Hollingworth's Crown Jewel on Bunker Hill

[Otium in Downtown LA's Bunker Hill. Photo by Wonho Frank Lee]

Cassia, Santa Monica's Landmark Southeast Asian Restaurant

[Cassia in Santa Monica. Photo by Wonho Frank Lee]

Simbal, a Southeast Asian Restaurant in Little Tokyo

[Simbal in Little Tokyo, winner of Eater LA's Stone Cold Stunner for 2015. Photo by Wonho Frank Lee]

Elizabeth Daniels

[Republique on La Brea. Photo by Elizabeth Daniels]

The Rose Venice Jason Neroni

[The Rose in Venice. Photo by Wonho Frank Lee]

Herringbone Santa Monica, Brian Malarkey's Latest Seaside Restaurant

[Herringbone in Santa Monica. Photo by Wonho Frank Lee]

Inside Hamasaku's Lovely Remodel Near Century City

[Hamasaku in West LA. Photo by Wonho Frank Lee]

Roku Wide

[Roku in West Hollywood. Photo by Wonho Frank Lee]

B.S. Taqueria Wonho Frank Lee

[B.S. Taqueria in Downtown LA. Photo by Wonho Frank Lee]

Superba Food & Bread

[Superba Food + Bread in Venice. Photo by Elizabeth Daniels]

Viviane Beverly Hills

[Viviane in Beverly Hills. Design by Kelly Wearstler. Photo by Wonho Frank Lee]

Clifton’s Republic

[Clifton's Cafeteria in Downtown LA. Photo by Wonho Frank Lee]

[Nick & Stef's in Downtown LA. Photo by Wonho Frank Lee]

[Jon & Vinny's in Fairfax District. Photo by Wonho Frank Lee]

CUT interior CUT [Official photo]

[CUT by Wolfgang Puck in Beverly Hills. Design by Richard Meier]

The Bazaar Interior. The Bazaar

[The Bazaar in Beverly Hills. Design by Philippe Starck. Photo courtesy SLS Beverly Hills]

White tablecloths, chairs, and a fireplace. Spago

[Spago in Beverly Hills]

WP24 Interior

[WP24 in Downtown LA. Design by ICRAVE.]

The Bazaar by Jose Andres

465 South La Cienega Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA 90048 Visit Website

Hamasaku

11043 Santa Monica Boulevard, , CA 90025 (310) 479-7636 Visit Website

Cassia

1314 7th Street, , CA 90401 (310) 393-6699 Visit Website

Superba Food + Bread

1900 Lincoln Boulevard, , CA 90291 (310) 907-5075 Visit Website

The Rose

97 Main Street, , CO 81632 (970) 855-0141 Visit Website

Viviane

9400 West Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90212 (844) 328-2566

Clifton's Republic

648 South Broadway, , CA 90014 (213) 627-1673 Visit Website

WP24

900 West Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90015 (213) 743-8824 Visit Website

Republique

624 South La Brea Avenue, , CA 90036 (310) 362-6115 Visit Website

Philippe

8620 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90211 (310) 289-3500

B.S. Taqueria

514 7th Street, , CA 90014 (213) 622-3744 Visit Website

Simbal

319 E 2nd St #202, Los Angeles, CA 90012 (213) 626-0244 Visit Website

Otium

222 South Hope Street, , CA 90012 (213) 935-8500 Visit Website
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