The 15 Most Anticipated Los Angeles Restaurant Openings, Fall 2017

LA’s restaurant scene is heating up this fall after a tremendous first half of the year that brought on three notable Italian restaurants and a slew of other compelling places like The Exchange, Rosaline, Vespertine, and Verlaine. Now as summer comes to a close and gives way to fall, there’s a full-on New York City invasion coming to Los Angeles, thanks to notable operators and chefs looking to expand their brands, and bring an empire state of mind to the city of Angels. Here now, the 15 most anticipated openings in Los Angeles for fall 2017.

Momofuku’s North Spring

Location: 1725 Naud St., Los Angeles

Momofuku official

Major Players: David Chang

The Situation: David Chang’s celebrated restaurant empire Momofuku is finally coming to Los Angeles, and it’ll arrive in an industrial area north of Downtown Los Angeles. The restaurant is called North Spring and will incorporate over 5,000 square feet of space. Chang isn’t saying what kind of cuisine they’ll be preparing, but it will reflect a completely new menu and approach from the other restaurants in the company’s repertoire. Looking for more hints on what Chang and Co. might be preparing at North Spring? There always the Instagram account. But the official line is that Momofuku will draw inspiration from LA’s seasonal bounty.

Projected Opening: Late November 2017

NoMad

Location: Olive & 7th Street, Downtown LA

Will Guidara

Major Players: Will Guidara, Daniel Humm

The Situation: Celebrated New York City restaurant The NoMad is opening its first expansion into the heart of Downtown’s burgeoning hotel district on the southern edge of Historic Core. Like the NYC restaurant, this DTLA location on the corner of Olive and 7th St will sport high ceilings and a full boutique hotel above it. The restaurant is known for classic New American dishes with a brash Manhattan style, including an epic black truffle-laden roast chicken for two. The NoMad truck has been serving for the better part of year, garnering good will and brand recognition, and bringing on guest chefs to cook up a special chicken burger each month.

Projected Opening: Mid-November 2017

The Hearth & Hound

Location: 6530 Sunset Blvd, Hollywood

Daniel Krieger

Major Players: April Bloomfield, Ken Friedman, Chris Lim, Mike D, Sara Jester, Taylor Parsons, Maxfield Schnee

The Situation: Hollywood’s most important opening of the year is The Hearth & Hound, the long-awaited redo of the former Cat & Fiddle space that will now play host to New York City bigwigs April Bloomfield and Ken Friedman. Bloomfield herself is actually moving to LA for a time to launch the project (and possibly others), and the roster of talent collected for the property — from wine director Maxfield Schnee and sommelier Taylor Parsons to chef de cuisine Chris Lim — is beyond impressive. The only thing left now is the celebrity-studded opening party.

Projected Opening: Mid-September 2017

Dialogue

Location: 1315 3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica

Mariah Tauger

Major Player: Dave Beran

The Situation: Former Alinea and Next chef Dave Beran has arrived in Los Angeles, and his ambitious tasting menu restaurant Dialogue has already sold its first batch of tickets on Resy. The place certainly has an unexpected location, deep inside a food court along Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade. But with that unexpected space comes an intimate, mostly countertop experience that will treat diners to a high-end, almost theatrical experience one might see a place likes Trois Mec. But Beran has the pedigree of two of the country’s most ambitious restaurants in Chicago. It’s a thrilling look at LA’s fine dining future.

Projected Opening: September 5

Guerrilla Tacos

Location: 2000 E. 7th St., Arts District

Google Maps

Major Player: Wes Avila

The Situation: Wes Avila’s first brick and mortar location for Guerrilla Tacos has been a long time coming. First operating as a cart and then one of two trucks, Guerrilla has gone on to become one of the most important modern Mexican dining destinations in Los Angeles, and soon street food-adverse diners will get to enjoy it all from inside a new corner space in the Arts District, just steps from the likes of Bestia and Everson Royce Bar.

Projected Opening: Early December 2017

189 by Dominque Ansel

Location: 189 The Grove Drive

Facebook

Major Player: Dominique Ansel

The Situation: Cronut creator Dominique Ansel is finally making the move out west, and in a major way. The pastry maven will open in The Grove in a multi-story space that will be far more than a simple bakery, what with a full-fledged restaurant in the works in the former Morel’s space. The name harks back to Ansel’s original Soho pastry shop located on 189 Spring Street, and, as luck would have it, the address for the new location is 189 The Grove Drive, which seems to be as good a sign as any that the new location was seriously meant to be.

Projected Opening: Late November 2017

Simone

Location: 447 S. Hewitt, Arts District

Manresa

Major Player: Jessica Largey, Bruno Bagbeni (Fraiche, Bastide), Joe Russo

The Situation: Former Manresa chef de cuisine and James Beard Award rising star chef winner Jessica Largey is taking her talents from the Los Gatos restaurant to the Arts District, where she will run her own restaurant dubbed Simone. The upcoming eatery next to Urth Café will eature everything from an on-site butcher and rooftop garden to complement Largey’s seasonal cooking.

Projected Opening: October 2017

Eataly

Location: Westfield Century City

Eataly

Major Player: Mario Batali, Lydia Bastianich, Joe Bastianich

The Situation: It has been a long, long road for Mario Batali’s long-awaited Los Angeles location of Italian food haven Eataly. The marketplace and multi-restaurant concept in the revamped Westfield Century City has been in the works for many years now, and will be a massive boon for the area which has become something of a dining desert while the luxury mall continues to undergo major construction.

Projected Opening: Early December 2017

Broken Shaker

Location: 416 W 8th St, Downtown LA

Facebook

Major Players: Gabriel Orta and Elad Zvi

The Situation: Miami’s renowned Broken Shaker bar comes to Los Angeles in a matter of weeks. The rooftop entity takes over some prime real estate atop Downtown’s Freehand Hotel, and offers imbibers the chance to sip on award-winning cocktails with a view of nearby skyscrapers and a pool that’s just within reach.

Projected Opening: September 2017

The Mighty

Location: 108 W. 2nd St. #105, Downtown LA

Google Maps

Major Players: Quinn and Karen Hatfield

The Situation: Quinn and Karen Hatfield have big plans for Downtown, after opening a successful duo of restaurants along white-hot La Brea. The Mighty will be a sort of all-day player, with options for Stumptown coffee and pastries in the morning before transitioning to casual California fare at night. That means everything from rotisserie chicken to pastas, with a focus on seasonal ingredients and, of course, big flavors.

Projected Opening: October 2017

Tesse

Location: La Cienega and Sunset, West Hollywood

Tesse [official photo]

Major Players: Bill Chait, Raphael Francois, Sally Camacho

The Situation: Serial restaurateur Bill Chait, who helped found everything from Bestia to Republique, is opening a full-fledged restaurant in West Hollywood called Tesse. Raphael Francois brings a highly-trained classical mentality to the kitchen, with Michelin-starred experience in Europe and recent stint at Restaurant LeDesales in Washington D.C. Sally Camacho is a longtime Wolfgang Puck veteran, with experience at WP24 and The Hotel Bel-Air. Francois plans to serve his signature dishes, including a crab simplissime, served with tarragon and potatoes. Chait is also gearing up to open Tartine Manufactory, with a big contribution from Chris Bianco, at the ROW DTLA some time in late 2017/early 2018.

Projected Opening: November 2017

Hotel Figueroa

Location: 939 S Figueroa St

The Hotel Figueroa

Major Players: Dushan Zaric, Casey Lane

The Situation: Downtown’s Hotel Figueroa sits just steps from L.A. Live, a tourist destination that draws millions annually. The Moroccan-tinged property gets a patio-to-rooftop overhaul, including a slew of new drink and dining options by Dushan Zaric and chef Casey Lane, respectively. Look for casual Spanish/French/Italian flavors and an omakase-style cocktail bar on the second floor, among other things.

Projected Opening: October 2017

Pearl's BBQ

Location: 444 Violet St., Arts District

Major Player: Dana Blanchard

The Situation: One of the most anticipated new barbecue operations to head for LA this year is Pearl’s, an Arts District player that aims to smoke meat outdoors and keep people happy with big picnic tables, string lights, and drinks. The humble newcomer carries a particularly Austin bent, and should arrive just in time for the cooler mid-fall weather.

Projected Opening: October 2017

Corporation Food Hall

Location: 724 S. Spring St.

Corporation Food Hall

Major Player: Pacific Investment

The Situation: A big new food court is headed to the heart of Downtown Los Angeles, and while the restaurants opening inside aren’t necessarily chef-driven, they’re likely to draw in massive daytime crowds coming in from offices and residences in the bustling district. Restaurants slated to come into the nine-stall food hall include Buddha Belly, Bardonna, Poke2Go, Soom Soom, The Sixth Nickel from the On the Thirty Group, Pig Pen Delicacy, Funculo for pastas, and Tacos tu Madre. The place will open on Spring Street between 7th and 8th Streets.

Projected Opening: Early September 2017

Slab BBQ

Location: 8136 W. Third Street

Clay Larsen

Major Players: h.wood Group, Burt Bakman

The Situation: The H.Wood Group is known primarily as a nightlife organization, with some room for restaurants thrown in as a kind of crowd-pleaser. That's changing with Slab BBQ, a new outfit from Burt Bakman of hidden Texas-style hit Trudy's Underground BBQ. Bakman and H.Wood are partnering together for Slab, which hits West Third Street by year end to deliver big slices of brisket, beef ribs, and sides to the city.

Projected Opening: Early December 2017

On the radar:

Howlin' Ray's expansion, Pine + Crane follow-up, Nicole Rucker project, Nyesha Arrington Santa Monica restaurant, Tartine Manufactory, Umi by Hamasaku