Inside Atrium, Los Feliz’s Biggest New Restaurant in Years

This is Atrium, a sultry new indoor-outdoor alleyway addition to the neighborhood that comes complete with tucked-away open air seating and a gorgeous bow truss dining room.

Atrium is the latest installment from serial restaurateurs Beau Laughlin and Jay Milliken, who are responsible for places like Kettle Black and Sawyer in Silver Lake. This time they’ve brought on chef Hunter Pritchett as a partner as well as Gregory Baumgartner to oversee the pastry side of things. Pritchett has worked all over town (Melody, Son of a Gun), while Baumgartner earned high praise at the soaring 71Above in Downtown.

Speaking of soaring, take a peek inside Atrium’s warehouse-like dining room and kitchen, where wooden ceiling beams lead to exposed brick and rustic metal touches. There’s even a full tree growing inside, and lush banquettes lining the walls. The real summertime stunner is sure to be outside though, as tables line the entryway to the adjacent Skylight Theater off Vermont Avenue. The space, which Laughlin designed himself, is set well off the sidewalk, meaning there’s room to chat, drink, and dine without succumbing to the hum and rattle of the street beyond.

As for the menu, Pritchett is winding his way through a variety of Los Angeles flavors, from crudite to a beef carpaccio done with carne asada flavors, to a seasonal roasted squash agnolotti or crispy maitake mushrooms with eel sauce glaze. Expect a full lineup of cocktails from beverage director Jordan Young as well, plus Baumgartner’s signature desserts. The opening menu is below.

All told, Atrium runs some 3,200 square feet of bar, patio, and indoor dining room space, as well as a private dining area tucked into the back. The restaurant opens to the public on Thursday, keeping hours from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday, with an extension to midnight Thursday through Saturday. Reservations can be made now.

Atrium. 1816 ¹⁄₂ N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA

Shift Drink with Sichuan-infused tequila