Marcel Vigneron Picks Up Where Another Top Chef Alum Left Off at Hollywood Rooftop Stunner

Lemon Grove — Hollywood’s new rooftop restaurant at the Aster Club and Hotel — officially opens today, October 7. Chef Marcel Vigneron, a familiar name throughout Los Angeles and from Bravo’s Top Chef, is at the helm in the kitchen, where he developed a menu that runs from sun up to sundown. Prior to Vigneron, another Top Chef alum, Sam Talbot, was attached to Lemon Grove.

The rooftop is the real stunner at Lemon Grove, offering an expansive view and expanding the footprint of the 7,200-square-foot indoor-outdoor restaurant. Though the hotel is adults-only with amenities for guests and members who pay $3,600 annually, Lemon Grove is open to the public, with enough seats for 112 diners. Starting today, Vigneron is preparing dishes like a grilled prawn starter with spicy sesame aioli; a modern tri-colore lyonnaise salad; bone-in ribeye; and a chitarra lemon pasta with turmeric, tom kha cream, and tomatoes.

On Top Chef, Vigneron was a fierce advocate of molecular gastronomy and foams, which he still embraces at Lemon Grove. “[I’m most excited by] the fresh chitarra pasta, inspired by our neighbors over there at Capital Records, and the tom kha sauce is a little nod to our other neighbors down the street in Thai Town. Lastly, who doesn’t love a little foam,” says Vigneron. Vigneron’s Los Angeles tenure includes Wolf and Tacos Lobos, which he closed in 2019 to focus on catering.

Lemon Grove operates a sustainable kitchen by partnering with the Hollywood Food Coalition to donate unused food, and the restaurant uses plastic alternatives and sources from local fish and produce suppliers. As for drinks, beverage director and Soho House and Yamashiro bar alum Chris Wheelen put together a menu that spans non-alcoholic cocktails, beer, and wine. For those hoping for some spirits with a kick, Wheelan developed a limoncello spritz, as well as a grilled peach cobbler with bourbon, grilled peach, cinnamon, mint, and powdered sugar.

Lemon Grove joins Hollywood’s new guard in the glamorous Vinyl District, where restaurants like chef Monty Kulodrovic’s Grandmaster Recorders (Lemon Grove’s rooftop competitor), Mes Amis from chef Lincoln Carson, and impossible-to-secure-a-reservation Mother Wolf thrive.

Lemon Grove’s hours are Wednesday and Sunday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., and Thursday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Dinner is available to the public, while lunch is for the Aster members and hotel guests only. Secure a reservation by phone or Resy.