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Nueva Venice’s colorful covered outdoor patio in Venice, California with yellow and blue chairs.
Nueva Venice
Wonho Frank Lee

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Venice’s Modern Mexican Cantina Nueva Has Plenty of Colorful Outdoor Patio Dining

Pandemic-ready outdoor dining and modern Mexican cuisine from Vartan Abgaryan and Mesraim Llanez

Matthew Kang is the Lead Editor of Eater LA. He has covered dining, restaurants, food culture, and nightlife in Los Angeles since 2008. He's the host of K-Town, a YouTube series covering Korean food in America, and has been featured in Netflix's Street Food show.

It wasn’t going to be long that a prime Venice dining space was going to remain unused, even during a pandemic. The former Sunny Spot opens as Nueva tomorrow afternoon transformed into a mostly outdoor, equally colorful place with chef Vartan Abgaryan and Mesraim Llanez doing easy-going modern Mexican fare. Restaurateurs Jared Meisler and Reiss Co.’s David and Patti Reiss have partnered with the two chefs to do an approachable cantina menu of hamachi and uni ceviche, octopus tacos, potato quesadillas, and wood-grilled branzino with mole rojo.

At full strength the expansive restaurant can seat 160 people, though with restrictions against indoor dining to slow the spread of COVID-19, it’ll be exclusively outdoor seating to start. A covered area connected to the interior space serves as the main outdoor area while a separate 50-seat street-facing section has even more spaced out tables. Design comes from Jared Meisler, who also operates The Friend in Silver Lake, with the triptych artwork and the restaurant’s graphics coming from Tria Meisler.

Much of Abgaryan (who also cooks at Yours Truly on Abbot Kinney) and Llanez’s menu sticks to familiar flavors, such as a shrimp and octopus seafood coctele, chicken tinga taco, a sweet corn elote, and a grilled ribeye with roasted vegetables. It’s not meant to be challenging or overly expensive either, with agave-infused cocktails and a nifty clarified paloma designed by Adam Fournier (NoMad) making for refreshing companions to the food. Brunch dishes include chilaquiles, chorizo scramble, and a cast iron pancake with mezcal maple syrup.

When Nueva opens on August 11, it’ll serve dinner seven days starting at 5 p.m. until midnight, with later Thursday to Saturday closure at 2 a.m., plus weekend brunch from 10:30 a.m. on (plus a bonus lunch service on Fridays, since this is Venice). Eventually, Nueva’s bar will have happy hour Monday to Thursday from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., another boon for beach bums and tech workers in need of an afternoon sipper. Dishes and beverages will be available for takeout and curbside pickup.

Nueva’s outdoor patio covered with pergola and colorful chairs. Wonho Frank Lee
Outdoor dining area with tree, and peek into indoor at Nueva.
Nueva’s circular banquettes opening to outdoor space.
Nueva’s indoor dining area tables in Venice, California. Courtesy of Nueva
Bar area at Nueva in Venice with hanging lights.
Front patio at Nueva in Venice with blue striped umbrellas and colorful metal chairs.
Front patio at Nueva
Distanced outdoor tables at Nueva in Venice. Wonho Frank Lee
Nueva sign with tables.
Raicilla cocktail with raicilla, tequila, amontillado, pepitas orgeat, crushed Ice.
Raicilla cocktail with raicilla, tequila, amontillado, pepitas orgeat, crushed Ice
Tepache mule cocktail with mezcal and pineapple tepache.
Tepache mule cocktail with mezcal and pineapple tepache
Plating half chicken dish at Nueva.
Plating half chicken dish at Nueva
Chips and guac at Nueva with hand dipping chip.
Chips and guac
Seafood coctele on a ceramic plate with wood table background.
Seafood coctele
Street cart salad with mango, pineapple, jicama, cucumber, radish in a white bowl.
Street cart salad with mango, pineapple, jicama, cucumber, radish
Branzino with mole rojo.
Branzino with mole rojo
Pork belly chicharron taco.
Pork belly chicharron taco
Trio of tacos on a white plate. Wonho Frank Lee
Dishes prepared at Nueva in Venice.
Dishes prepared at Nueva in Venice.
Wonho Frank Lee

Nueva

822 Washington Boulevard, , CA 90292 (310) 747-6050 Visit Website
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