Kismet Is the Madcapra Team's Forthcoming Middle Eastern Restaurant

Though still months in the making, it seems that things are starting to come together for the Madcapra team’s next venture into Los Feliz. For starters, the upcoming Middle Eastern-influenced restaurant already has a name (and an Instagram), dubbed Kismet.

Kismet is a freewheeling notion that roughly translates to ‘destiny’, which could be exactly what co-owners Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson had in mind when transplanting themselves from New York’s Glasserie to open restaurants in Los Angeles. As far back as 2014 the plan was to secure a duet of restaurants on the West Coast, one a casual falafel shop — Madcapra, check — and another, not-quite-as-casual Middle Eastern small plates restaurant.

That second concept is what Kismet is shaping up to be, thanks in part to the support of Jon & Vinny. Together, they’ve taken control of the former Mother Dough space in Los Feliz, and while construction is still underway, they hope to open by summer if at all possible. In one Food & Wine interview from a few days ago, the pair also discuss the food for the upcoming restaurant, which will focus on "clever shared plates and vegetable-focused mezze." They’re even including a recipe for one such dish, a slowly-cooked freekeh grain dish that’s halfway to becoming a risotto fritter.

Otherwise the menu and other key elements of the restaurant are still coming together, but it’s nice to see things progressing along for Kramer and Hymanson. They certainly seem to have taken to Los Angeles nicely, and a casual Middle Eastern shared plates restaurant could certainly be just what Los Feliz needs right now.

Kismet
4648 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA