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Girl and the Goat, One of Chicago’s Biggest Restaurants, Opens in LA

Top Chef winner Stephanie Izard brings her most famous Chicago restaurant to the Arts District

A whole cooked fish topped with shredded vegetables on a ceramic plate.
Whole branzino
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.

It’s taken more than three years, half of that spanning a global pandemic, but Top Chef’s Stephanie Izard has arrived in Los Angeles with what is sure to be one of the biggest restaurant openings of the year. Girl and the Goat is a crown jewel restaurant for Izard and the Boka Group (that’s Rob Katz and Kevin Boehm), the kind of perpetually busy dinner spot that is just as beloved today as it was a decade ago. Now the crew is hoping to recreate that success out west, landing a big, bright corner space in the center of the Arts District, just steps from Bavel. Here’s what to expect.

Izard is a James Beard Foundation Award-winning chef and Chicagoland staple, known for infusing her family-style shared menus with everyday comforts and riffs on flavors from across the globe, albeit occasionally with unintended consequences. For the LA location, that could mean a plate of goat empanadas or bowl of goat curry one night, followed by an evening of simple wood-grilled broccoli and whole branzino the next. The former JBFA best new restaurant nominee (2011) and current Michelin bib gourmand recipient does a little bit of everything, from its deep wine list to standalone bar program to weekend brunch complete with peanut butter and jelly pancakes. The plan is to balance the staple Chicago dishes with new inspirations from California’s seafood and produce bounty, while also donating proceeds from one-off rotating dishes to various area charities like School on Wheels.

As for the space, the At Mateo development property’s design comes via Chicago group Studio K, led by partner Karen Herold, who helped to usher in the first Girl and the Goat in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood. Here, the triangular brick restaurant shifts between rattan chairs and leafy houseplants to larger design decisions like the long L-shaped kitchen and tall warehouse-like ceilings. Natural light floods the room, while a shaded courtyard patio helps make room for up to 200 diners at a clip.

Longtime Boka Group employee Jason Beliveau will serve as chef de cuisine for the Los Angeles opening, while Mike Zell oversees the bar. Einstein Park, previously of Jean-Georges Beverly Hills, will serve as general manager. While reservations are now available, the first full day of service won’t come until July 15, with hours from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and an extension to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. Brunch runs Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Tall ceilings in a new dining room of a restaurant with off-white seats.
A fully prepped dining room
Greenery and tall ceilings for a new restaurant during daytime.
The airy, leafy inside
A side angle of a new restaurant dining room with lots of plants and lights.
A tall half-wall of sunlight out into a restaurant courtyard.
Lights glow under a bar inside of a new restaurant.
A new restaurant shows off an indoor-outdoor space, bar, tables, and booth seating.
Looking towards the bar
A dark corner of a new restaurant with long tables, near the open kitchen.
A private dining area with lots of greenery and big table.
Room for private dining
AN open restaurant with art on the walls, lots of warm light, and more.
Pops of color
Wicker chairs inside a new restaurant with pendant lights.
Off-white tables and chairs and leaves inside a new restaurant.
A tall wall of glass inside of a new restaurant at daytime.
Outdoor patio seating at a new restaurant lined with brick.
A plant wall outside of a new restaurant named Girl and the Goat.
A teal bowl showing beets and greens in a light sauce.
Roasted beets
An overhead shot of green beans on a plate covered in horizontal stripes of sauce.
Sautéed green beans
A close-up shot of fried chickpea squares with mint and tomatoes in a tan bowl.
Chickpea “chaat”
A light blue bowl hides a side of fish with crispy skin.
Pan-seared opah
Cubes of pork belly braised and set in a bowl with rice and greens.
Pork belly and rice
A dollop of ice cream plus popcorn and sauce in a dessert bowl.
A sweet popcorn dessert
A golden margarita with rim of salt.
A tall purple cocktail made with ube.
An off-white cocktail with marigold on top.
An overhead shot of a full dinner of food, with fish, sides, and more.
All lined up
A chef in a blue t-shirt and green apron smiles for the camera.
Chef Stephanie Izard
A group of restaurant workers in aprons stand in a new dining room.
The team
A smiling logo of a goat made into a dinnertime restaurant neon sign.

Girl and the Goat LA

555 Mateo St, Los Angeles, CA 90013 Visit Website
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