Arresting New Downtown LA Restaurant Is a Peek Into the Future of Interior Design

There may not be a more vibrant restaurant to open in 2019 than V DTLA, the self-styled social dining hub arriving Friday in Downtown. The “multi-sensory” dining experience is a bright and colorful mishmash of shapes and tones and flavors, all held together under one gorgeous ceiling.

V DTLA is the work of co-founder Christian Lagerlöf and Benjamin Calleja of Livit, a tech-forward restaurant operator out of Sweden who focuses on building comfortable spaces with a fast casual dining ethos. By using design to drive sales, Calleja and partners are able to aim for higher profit margins without alienating repeat customers. That means controlling everything from temperature and textures in the space, as well as coordinating the music, color scheme, and the food.

To that end, expect V DTLA to focus on a variety of fan favorites, from quick-fire Genovese-inspired pizzas to classics like tuna ceviche, burrata and grabs, cauliflower bowls, salads, and more. There is a full bar centered in the main dining area, offering cocktails in the $12 range alongside inexpensive pours of wine and beer. A secondary marble bar hugs the ornate ceiling up on a second-floor mezzanine.

The 5,600-square-foot V DTLA opens on Friday, and will keep breakfast through dinner service daily. Hours run 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday and Monday; 10 a.m. to midnight Tuesday through Thursday, and 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

V DTLA. 515 W. 7th St., Los Angeles, CA.

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