We made it — we’re officially in the summer season, which brings long summer days with ample opportunities to dine out.
The City of Angels has seen its fair share of new kids on the block. Here are five new restaurants in LA to check out this summer.
The Benjamin Hollywood
The founders of the streetwear brand The Hundreds are expanding into the restaurant industry. Ben Shenassafar and Bobby Kim's new restaurant The Benjamin opened on June 25 in Hollywood. Housed in a 1920s art deco building on the corner of Melrose and Formosa, The Benjamin is “a contemporary homage to classic restaurant hangouts,” per the restaurant’s website.
Executive Chef Johnny Cirelle drives the menu, which sees items like deviled eggs, roasted branzino, and The Benjamin Burger, which features a house blend of meat, American cheese, hickory sauce, grilled onion and house pickles. (It’s enough to make even the biggest burger connoisseur come a-runnin’.) Cocktails, too, by Jared Meisler are not to be missed.
Marelle
The people of Santa Monica are now privy to another all-day eatery with the opening of Chef Raphael Lunetta’s Marelle in the stunning Sandbourne hotel.
Open daily from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., the food at Marelle is by no means fussy, showcasing local and seasonal ingredients. Breakfast items include lemon ricotta pancakes with blueberry butter and shakshuka while the dinner menu includes dishes like roasted mushroom arancini and pan-roasted Ora King salmon with white wine-brown butter emulsion.
Leopardo
Chef Joshua Skenes of Saison fame is giving Angelinos what they want with the wildly anticipated opening of his Leopardo. Housed in the former La Brea Bakery space on S. La Brea Avenue, the wood-burning hearth is at the heart of the restaurant, which delivers delicious pizzas that Chef Skenes and his team worked tirelessly to perfect.
Pies include a classic margherita and the “Hello Satan” with spicy tomato sauce, chile, salumi, wildflower honey, garlic and herbs. Other menu items on the dinner menu include ocean tilefish crudo, elk tartare and marro, wild boar parmesan and whole-grilled whitefish “in the Lord’s water.”
Sirena at The Georgian Hotel
California-meets-Coastal Italy at this stunning new restaurant with panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean. Sirena, which is owned by BLVD Hospitality, is open daily for brunch and dinner. Menu items from Chef David Almany include buttermilk pancakes and an Italian Benedict with rosemary ham for brunch, while dinner options include sheep’s milk ricotta mezzaluna chicken Milanese and jumbo scallops alla piccata.
Burgette
Summertime is for burgers, and if you haven’t made your way to Chef Sean MacDonald’s Burgette in Santa Monica, now’s the time to make moves.
As the sister restaurant of Bar Monette (which slings pizza pies) Burgette brings forth burgers of all kinds. Burgers include the restaurant’s namesake, a smash burger of wagyu beef, cheddar, Parisian sauce and pickles, as well as a salmon belly smash burger with gribiche aioli. A selection of cheese, charcuterie and small plates like fries and haricot verts are also on offer.
