Downtown LA Building Hopes to Add a Second Sky-High Fine Dining Restaurant

A surprising new real estate email is making the rounds throughout Los Angeles today, and it concerns a potentially touchy subject for everyone involved at the US Bank Tower building. In an email sent by Kennedy Wilson, a publicly-traded global real estate company, it seems that the backers of Downtown’s most recognizable piece of property are looking to attract a restaurant tenant for the 72nd floor penthouse, just below the building’s helipad.

Yes, for those paying attention, that would mean this new proposed restaurant would sit directly above 71Above, the Vartan Abgaryan tasting menu showcase restaurant that has made its bones as a sky-high fine dining destination for locals and tourists alike, with unrivaled views to match. Except now 71Above’s landlords want to recreate that ambiance, just in a slightly loftier place.

Eater spoke with reps for Kennedy Wilson who confirmed that indeed the wraparound 72nd floor — long used as offices before being left dormant — is open and available, and that ownership is specifically seeking a restaurateur to take over. Vice President Justin Weiss even says the following in the emailed press release:

“It’s a breathtaking space that a world-class restaurant operator could transform into an international dining destination. There isn’t anything like it on the West Coast.”

Except, there is something like it already on the West Coast. It’s 71Above, and it’s just a floor down.

Eater also asked the Kennedy Wilson team if they had informed 71Above of the proposal to bring a restaurant to the same building, one floor above, but they couldn’t say. Eater then reached out to reps for 71Above, who weren’t able to comment directly on the proposal but certainly seemed to find it curious.

Wonho Frank Lee

As for the space itself, Kennedy Wilson is repping an 8,000 square foot shell of a room with 360-degree views and a height up from ground level of just about 1,000 feet. Reps for 71Above did note that the ceilings are likely lower at the 72nd floor than just below, and that the space is not currently fitted out for a restaurant. That means issues like venting, bathrooms, garbage disposal, and more — all things already considered and worked through by 71Above owner Emil Eyvazoff’s team — will be major obstacles for whoever decides to take up the opportunity. There’s no word on the price, but anyone interested can reach out directly — and any diner eager for those views right now can check out 71Above inside the same building. It’s just one floor down.

• The Essential Guide to Downtown Los Angeles Restaurants [ELA]