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Hollywood’s Award-Winning Cocktail Bar the Spare Room Reopens After 19 Months

Plus, Botanica returns for on-site dining and one of LA’s best pastry chefs moves on.

A low shot of a cocktail sitting on the corner of a brass bar with orange tones and a grey leaf inside.
A cocktail from the Spare Room.
Wonho Frank Lee
Farley Elliott is the Senior Editor at Eater LA and the author of Los Angeles Street Food: A History From Tamaleros to Taco Trucks. He covers restaurants in every form, from breaking news to the culture, people, and history that surrounds LA's dining landscape.

One of LA’s most celebrated cocktail bars, the Spare Room inside the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, reopens on Thursday November 4 after being closed for more than 18 months. The decade-old upstairs project from owners Marc Rose and Med Abrous of Call Mom returns for drinks and reservation group bowling this week, keeping hours Wednesday through Saturday from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. What’s more, the Spare Room is now welcoming in longtime bartender and former Speed Rack champion Tess Anne Sawyer as bar director, who will oversee the next generation of drinks at the nationally-recognized property. In 2020, the Spare Room was named the best American hotel bar by the international Spirited Awards.

Botanica comes back

Silver Lake restaurant and marketplace star Botanica is once again offering indoor dining as of this week; proof of vaccination is required.

Know a person through their food

The blog for restaurant reservation app Resy takes a look at chef Andy Doubrava and his changing menu over at Rustic Canyon in Santa Monica. The story chronicles six dishes from the chef, from a twice-cooked honey nut squash to sourdough linguine, leaning into how those menu items came to be and what they say about Doubrava and the restaurant today.

Tacos by the waterfront, and beyond

Looking for the best tacos in LA’s sprawling Harbor Gateway area (think Wilmington, San Pedro, and beyond)? LA Taco has it covered, with wide-ranging spots like Sausal in El Segundo and Birrieria GMZ in Hawthorne.

A change in the pastry scene

Rising pastry star Gemma Matsuyama has decamped from Ototo/Tsubaki in Echo Park, saying her final goodbyes to the team on social media earlier this week. Her next move is still under wraps for now.

The return of the Wolves

Downtown LA bar space the Wolves, with its ornate architecture and upscale cocktail drinks, is reopening on November 12. Check out the teaser video below.