Enrique Olvera Envisions Late Summer Opening for Dual LA Mexican Concepts

Enrique Olvera and Daniela Soto-Innes are starting to hone in on their upcoming Los Angeles openings, and are leaving a breadcrumb trail for those eager for details.

A big new batch of tidbits just hit the LA Times, who first lay out what exactly Soto-Innes and Olvera will be up to in the Arts District. The primary restaurant, a sit-down spot for modern Mexican flavors, has been in discussion since 2017, though Times food editor Peter Meehan newly notes now that it’ll be called Damian. Just a few weeks ago, an Instagram account by the same name popped up with an email address linked to the chef’s Grupo Olverara. Emails to that account were not returned last month, and so far nothing has been posted to the feed.

The plan with Damian will be to marry some of what Soto-Innes and Olvera do well at Cosme and Pujol with a purely California sensibility. There will be a mezcal bar inside, some tacos, and lots of a la carte options. Designer Alonso de Garay has previously said the restaurant should carry around 160 seats, with minimalist features and lots of plants.

The second restaurant will be called Ditroit, reports the Times. Originally it was envisioned as a kind of taco window rather than a standalone restaurant, but now it seems those plans have evolved somewhat to fully make Ditroit its own thing. The focus will still be on casual eating, with housemade nixtamalized tortillas and mostly vegetarian tacos.

As for timing, that’s the final piece of the big puzzle. There’s no firm date set for opening either spot just yet, though it seems an early fall or late summer arrival is most likely. The restaurants themselves are still under construction, and can be seen directly across the alleyway from Bestia, to the left of the H.D. Buttercup warehouse space.

Damian, Ditroit. 2132 E. 7th Place, Los Angeles, CA.

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