Suzanne Goin Converts Brentwood’s Tavern Into a Second AOC Location

In a move that feels slightly like life is returning to normal, Los Angeles restaurant veterans and partners Caroline Styne and chef Suzanne Goin will open a second outpost of A.O.C. in Brentwood in the former Tavern space this May.

Goin and Styne’s Luques Group includes A.O.C., Larder Baking Company and a longstanding presence at the Hollywood Bowl. The Larder at Maple Drive and Tavern closed permanently in 2020.

At the new location, Goin will focus on small plates, similar to her approach on West Third Street. LA based design firm Nickey Kehoe is reworking the space into a full redesign that includes a new color scheme, booths in the bar room, and a private dining area for up to 30 guests.

A.O.C. Brentwood will serve dinner only initially but will eventually expand to breakfast and lunch service. Both owners are award winners from the James Beard Foundation, with Styne winning Outstanding Restaurateur in 2018, and Goin nabbing the Outstanding Chef Award in 2016.

In other news:

• It’s official: Los Angeles County has moved into California’s orange tier. Restaurants and movie theaters can increase indoor service to 50 percent capacity. Bars that do not serve food can reopen open with only outdoor service between 11:30 a.m. and 10 p.m. While breweries, wineries and distilleries can serve at 25 percent capacity, provided tables are spaced eight feet apart.
• Wondering what it’s like to be a bar owner reopening for the first time in over a year? The Los Angeles Times spoke to operators from Downtown’s La Cita, the Greyhound, and ETA in Highland Park.
• L.A. Taco profiled Buford Lewis III, the man who personally introducing South LA residents to ceviche.
• With a fully vaccinated staff, Silver Lake’s Botanica is reopening this Friday with outdoor seating. Get a table on Resy.

• Toddrickallen observed an ABC application on the former Everyday Cafe Seletto in Beverly Hills, which will soon transform into a new restaurant called Beverly Bar. Rumor is the owner Matthew Raanan is partnering with Toca Madera and Tocaya Organica’s chef Felix Garcia.
• If you tried driving up to Griffith Park on Sunday and were unsuccessful, officials temporarily closed it, citing capacity issues during Easter Sunday.