Italian Specialist Evan Funke to Open New Roman Restaurant in Hollywood

Los Angeles chef Evan Funke is coming back to Hollywood, and he’s bringing all of Rome with him. The star chef and seventh-generation Angeleno, known for hit Westside spots like Felix (and before that Bucato), will open a standalone restaurant called Mother Wolf this fall, with plans to pull from the culinary traditions of Italy’s most storied city.

Funke has spent years learning about, traveling through, and studying in Italy, with a particular focus on the specific pizza, pasta, and antipasti of Rome. The city has its own deep and unique food culture and is considered by many to be among the great gastronomic centers of the world. Funke himself began more directly championing the flavors from the greater Roman region last summer with the temporary pop-up of a different Hollywood restaurant called Fingers Crossed, which has since ceased operations.

This time around Funke is crafting something much more permanent — and only about a block away, inside the revamped Citizen News Building. The project was developed by the Relevant Group in partnership with Ten Five Hospitality, which has been keen to drop a ton of restaurant talent in the area of late. This is the same block where chef Lincoln Carson (Bon Temps) will soon open his French restaurant Mes Amis at the next-door Thompson hotel.

Firm details surrounding Mother Wolf are still coming together, but expect an opening at some point this fall. The restaurant will likely focus on pizzas, pastas, and hyper-seasonal produce for dinner as a start, backed by a deep Italian wine cellar. The restaurant, located at 1545 Wilcox Avenue in Hollywood, is beginning to seek out staff now.

• At Culver City’s New Etta, Meat and Fire Play Nice Together