The Hottest New LA Restaurants Of Summer 2023

The Los Angeles restaurants that need to be on your radar this summer.

SUPERFINE PLAYA 

Photo Credit: Emma Arends

Steve Samson of Sotto and Rossoblu fame has made his way to Silicon Beach with Superfine Playa (appropriately named for its Playa Vista location), a California osteria serving light fare with fresh, local produce. The menu, like Samson’s other eateries, has an Italian focus. Here by the beach, that means housemade pastas, wood-grilled meats and fish, and dishes highlighting produce from the local Playa Vista Farmers Market accompanied by a full-service bar with craft cocktails and a wine list focused on family growers and winemakers. The space perfectly pairs with its cuisine in that it has a low-key, rustic vibe with both outdoor and indoor spaces — inclusive of a 16-seat communal bar — full of plants native to Southern California. 12746 Jefferson Blvd., Suite 2200, Playa Vista, 90094

Photo Credit: Emma Arends

LA DOLCE VITA 

Photo Credit: Shelby Moore

Legendary LA hangout La Dolce Vita is back in a big way. Although the eatery Frank Sinatra and George Raft originally opened in 1966 has new ownership in Marc Rose and Med Abrous of Call Mom (the team behind The Spare Room, Genghis Cohen, and Panorama Room), the space is still a throwback to the glory days of old Hollywood. As such, it has been reimagined with much respect to its past: the all-booth dining room and sophisticated bar area remain, though modern touches like the cheetah print carpet, muted lilac-painted brick, plush emerald walls, mirrored columns, and burled wood are new. Its vintage décor — sconces, custom stained glass, refurbished Italian chairs, estate sale artwork, and custom-made replicas of the Charles Hollis Jones “Sinatra” bar stool — is a juxtaposition of the old meeting the new. Here, the staff will serve up classic cocktails, like a thrown 50/50 martini and the Flame of Love (popularized by Dean Martin), and housemade limoncello while wearing uniforms courtesy of Beverly Hills atelier Denis Frison — a golden beige wool jacket with vintage gold buttons from the original La Dolce Vita uniform, along with forest green ties and floor-length, white pleated aprons — looking like they’ve come straight from filming Scorsese’s Casino. The fare, too, is a twist on the classics. Executive chef Nick Russo’s menu is replete with Italian comfort foods like clams oreganata, spaghetti & meatballs, stuffed manicotti, and veal parmigiana. 9785 S. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills, 90210

Photo Credit: Shelby Moore

STEAK 48 

Photo Credit: Wonho Frank Lee

Jeffrey and Michael Mastro, the founders of the feted Mastro’s Steakhouse and Mastro’s Ocean Club hot spots, are back in Beverly Hills with a whole new brand. After selling their high-end restaurant chain in 2007, they turned their focus to the Steak 48 franchise, which has newly landed in Los Angeles. As they’ve done time and time again, the James Beard-nominated brothers have created a warm, contemporary atmosphere, filled with art, that embodies the essence of a true old-school Hollywood steakhouse. The options at hand are meant to please any luxury lover — high-grade Japanese A5 wagyu, prime USDA cuts, colossal shrimp, Alaskan king crab, Maine lobster, and freshly shucked oysters in a space that features an in-house butcher shop and a custom raw bar (on display through a glass-enclosed open kitchen). The menu also features handcrafted cocktails made from local ingredients, an impressive Scotch selection, and a world-class, nearly 6,000-bottle collection of fine wine. 9680 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 90212

Photo Credit: Wonho Frank Lee

SALTIE GIRL 

Photo Credit: Mike Cotrone
Let us assure you: you’ll be anything but salty at new, buzz-worthy West Hollywood hot spot Saltie Girl. This is the Boston-based brand’s third location (there is also one in London), offering the same sustainable, seafood-centric experience of a classic seafood eatery, with influences and ingredients from revered coastal regions around the world. Here at the LA outpost, the vibe is relaxed and fun thanks to a light and airy space where the brand’s signatures — fried lobster and waffles, Gloucester lobster rolls, clam chowder, and snow crab toast — are served alongside new, California-influenced dishes inclusive of seasonal crudos, seafood towers, caviar, and tinned fish. Dessert stays on the same track, with specialty buns created to complement the caviar service. The fun culinary experience is rounded out with a well-balanced drink list including wines from international and biodynamic producers, the brand’s proprietary rosé, and a champagne-by-the-glass program. 8615 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, 90069

Photo Credit: Mike Cotrone

DRAKE’S HOLLYWOOD

Photo Credit: Kathy Tran/Drake’s Hollywood

Drake’s is another spot on our list that throws it back to another era … or two, as it happens. Inspired by the metropolitan restaurants of the 1930s and 1940s, Drake’s, which is owned and operated by Vandelay Hospitality Group, has a distinct vibe, one with a vintage yet modern feel. For example, the restaurant hosts a live jazz night on Sundays, but on Friday and Saturday evenings, it’s all about DJs (which, we can all agree, did not exist in the ’30s and ’40s). Either way, you’ll be having one heck of a good time in this beautiful space, which is highlighted by red leather, gold-studded booths surrounded by original art, inspired by famed New Yorker cartoonist Edward Sorel, featuring iconic characters in Hollywood history. Standout culinary items include a Melrose cracker-crust pizza selection, a steak program focusing on high-end cuts like wagyu, a sturgeon caviar menu sourced by Thomas Keller’s Regiis Ova, fun desserts like homespun-to-order cotton candy, and a classic cocktail list to boot. 8747 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, 90069

Photo Credit: Drake’s Hollywood