Former Maré Chef Leads New French Restaurant Inside DTLA’s Belasco Theater

Dining before or after a show at the Belasco will get a little bit easier when French restaurant Les Coulisses opens in Downtown on November 1. Francis Li, former head chef for Eric Greenspan’s now-closed Maré and also part of Providence’s opening team, will helm the Les Coulisses kitchen. Belasco Theater Hospitality Group’s Marc Sittinfield is a founding partner in the restaurant.

Li creates a coastal French menu with a heavy dose of seasonal produce. Sittenfield oversaw the change from Belasco’s former Vintage 10 Fifty wine bar to a frumpy French backstage look, hiring TINI Interior to complete the design. It makes sense since Les Coulisses translates to backstage in French. The high ceilings feature vintage mirrors, neon LED lights, heavy lounge sofas, and gold accents throughout. It’s pretty tacky, but perhaps that’s in line with the Belasco’s overall feel.

Les Coulisses

Built in 1926, the Belasco is one of LA’s oldest theaters. Les Coulisses is located right next to the venue’s lobby, but diners can visit the French-backstage themed restaurant through a private entrance on South Hill and 11th. The venue went through a $14.5 milion dollar renovation in 2011, and is part of the current wave of Downtown around South Park.

Les Coulisses
1050 S Hill Street
Los Angeles, CA

• Eric Greenspan Says Goodbye to Maré on Melrose and in Santa Monica [ELA]
• South Park: Mapping 27 projects on the way to the Downtown LA neighborhood [Curbed LA]
• The Belasco History