Brian Dunsmoor Returns to His Rustic Southern Ways With New Restaurant

Glassell Park is readying for another big restaurant, the latest in a slew of options that have hit the greater Glassell Park/Cypress Park/Elysian Valley areas of late. Next up is Dunsmoor from chef Brian Dunsmoor, known for crafting some of the city’s best Southern-leaning and rustic restaurants.

Fans familiar with Dunsmoor’s talents will be happy to know that the plan is much the same here, albeit well east of where he is used to cooking. Dunsmoor made a name for himself first with the Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing pop-up out of Venice, followed by the Hart & the Hunter in West Hollywood, and then at Hatchet Hall, where he worked the flames for six full years. Dunsmoor departed in 2021 with plans to open this project, leaving Culver City’s Hatchet Hall in the hands of chef Wes Whitsell.

At each stop Dunsmoor has worked with a Southern perspective, meandering through everything from artisanal hams and sour milk cornbread to Atlantic coast seafood. At Dunsmoor, the Ohio-born chef and longtime local resident will be keeping much the same view while also adding an array of wood-fired meats and nods to the polyglot cooking that happens inland, like pierogis, preserves, and more. Open fire and lively wine will play a big part in the tone of the place, as will the 18-foot ceilings, terracotta tiles, rich oak touches, and rustic plasterwork. The main dining room offers views of the kitchen and seats 80-plus diners, with another 18 in the wine bar area and 15 outside.

Dunsmoor lands at 3501 Eagle Rock Boulevard as part of a development that has had several big-name operators attached over the past few years. Back in 2019 and early 2020 the space was supposed to go to the Mh Zh team (and then All Time out of Los Feliz) before the pandemic shook up the market and Dunsmoor landed at the corner. Elsewhere at the building is the Grant, a vibey cocktail bar, and the still-in-the-works Bub & Grandma’s restaurant that should be ready to roll by early summer.

The 1929-era Spanish revival building, though, is not without controversy. Gentrification and the displacement of longtime residents and businesses have been particularly acute in and around Glassell Park for nearly a decade, and neighborhood council meetings regarding the Eagle Rock Boulevard corridor where Dunsmoor will sit have occasionally turned contentious. The area is already seeing large-scale redevelopment on the housing front, and other restaurant options like the Wife & the Somm and the incoming Portuguese wine bar in Cypress Park, plus a big new Mexican restaurant in Elysian Valley/Frogtown that are further reshaping the communities.

Dunsmoor hopes to open in Glassell Park this month, with chef Brian Dunsmoor at the helm alongside chef de cuisine Manuel Mendoza. The Whole Cluster Hospitality group behind the restaurant (Taylor Parsons, Johnny Jain, Ali Vazin) is hiring up for other positions at the restaurant now, across both front and back of house. Interested parties can email hello@dunsmoor.la.