Bestia

Burrowed at the end of a gritty alleyway, it’s best to get to Bestia by car (there is a valet). Voted Top Newcomer in Zagat's 2014 Los Angeles Restaurant Survey, the revamped coal warehouse evokes a butcher-shop vibe, with chopping-block tables and meat-hook chandeliers designed by Studio Unltd. The restaurant pulls an upbeat crowd, who rave about its Italian menu for the tasty roasted bone marrow, gutsy veal tartare and house-cured meats from the charcuterie bar. For the red-meat averse, options include grilled whole branzino (sea bass), gorgonzola and kale pizza and a smoked sea-urchin bottarga and chicory salad. Homemade and in-season ingredients define executive chef Ori Menashe’s approach; for dessert, his wife, pastry chef Genevieve Gergis, makes a decadent tangerine-topped crème fraîche panna cotta. Will it stand its ground against the newly-introduced creamsicle torte? Only time will tell. Dinner reservations are recommended.  

Location

Downtown Los Angeles is basking in its moment. The transformed heart of Los Angeles city is now alive with new storefronts, an influx of residents and a slew of condos and restored loft buildings. Its Arts District is undergoing a Brooklynisation, attracting chefs, artists and entrepreneurs.

Bestia | 2121 7th Place, Los Angeles | +1 213 514 5724