Where to Eat in April: La Dolce Vita, Isla, Coucou and More

Welcome La Dolce Vita back to Beverly Hills. The small but storied red sauce joint, which opened in 1966 but closed during the pandemic, has been brought back to life by Marc Rose and Med Abrous, the restaurateurs behind Genghis Cohen and The Spare Room. New flourishes include cheetah print carpets, bone-in veal parmesan, bespoke staff uniforms, and an extensive amaro collection.

Read more about La Dolce Vita here.

The sophomore restaurant from Crudo e Nudo duo Brian Bornemann Leena Culhane has arrived, gracing Santa Monica with more delicious seafood—done here over wood fire—plus poultry, veggies, wine, and cocktails. Isla is located in the former Little Prince space, with owner Shane Murphy on board as a partner, and will be open all day for lunch and dinner. Expect skewers and other charred meats and produce, with influences from California and coastal Spain.

This Fresh-inspired bistro serving oysters, steak frites, and chips with crème fraîche and caviar is the latest addition to Venice, and a win for the Westside for two key reasons: one, the menu boasts everyday dishes like a burger and a vegetarian French dip, and two, Coucou has a full liquor license, which means espresso martinis and white Negronis. Despite the upmarket styling like caviar service, the vibe is still neighborhood-friendly.

Head to Loreto in Frogtown for sea bass and leche de tigre ceviche, scallop-and-uni tostadas, prawn-and-pineapple tacos, and other Baja-style fare. This new seafood-focused spot, the sister restaurant to the Arts District’s Cha Cha Chá, also boasts an impressive cocktail program. Look for agave-based drinks like margaritas and palomas, lots of mezcals and tequilas to sip on, and wines from the Valle de Guadalupe.

Barras Santos is a new and cozy Portuguese spot in Cypress Park from Last Word Hospitality, the folks behind Found Oyster and Nossa Caipirinha Bar. Chef Melissa López (formerly of Bestia) is the chef, and her menu—inspired by trips to Lisbon—includes sliced jamón ibérico, bacalao fritters, and piri piri chicken. Order everything to share, and enjoy it with a porto tonico, some sherry, or a few glasses of Iberian wine.

No reservations. Find more info here.

The Naples-born pizzaiolo Daniele Uditi has been on an expansion tear over the last few years, and the latest beneficiary is Silver Lake. Now, eastsiders can get their fill of his signature Neapolitan-meets-California pies in flavors like diavola and cacio e pepe, in addition to salads and antipasti. This location will also have its own signature pizza, a puttanesca based on the classic pasta, made with farmers market tomatoes, garlic, olives, capers, and anchovies from Cetara on the Amalfi coast.

Some evenings (Fridays, or when your parents are visiting), call for a proper night on the town: A buzzy room, an open hearth, a nice bottle of wine. For this, Dunsmoor is the place to be right now. Chef-owner Brian Dunsmoor cooks “American heritage” cuisine, and his baby albacore with ginger root relish and shallot, cast-iron sour milk cornbread with white cheddar and cultured butter, and beef ribeye with smoked bone marrow are all hits. If the main room is packed, linger over a glass of wine and some snacks at the attached wine bar.

Find reservations here.

With seafood-focused restaurants currently in vogue (hello Angler, Isla, and Saltie Girl), let’s not forget about one of L.A.’s tried-and-true gems for shrimp cocktail, lobster rolls, and moules frites. L&E Oyster Bar continues to put out some of the city’s very best seafood dishes, and better yet, it’s open seven days a week. Bonus points for the upstairs cocktail bar, a date spot par excellence. 

No reservations. Find more info here.

The team behind the popular Thai Town wine bar Tabula Rasa are now doing their thing in Beverly Hills at Sur le Vert, in the former Bar Bouchon address. The space, awash in emerald green, is notably bougier in look and feel than its East side sibling, and the food menu includes crudos, a dry-aged New York strip, and Petrossian caviar service. (This is Beverly Hills, after all.) The beverage menu is wide-ranging when it comes to wine, beer, after-dinner drinks, and non-alcoholic offerings.

No reservations. Find more info here.

Every well-versed restaurant-goer needs a BYOB go-to. Especially now that it’s spring, The Silver Lake House by Leela Thai is a very good contender. A good portion of the restaurant is taken up by a tranquil patio. They serve fresh coconut water inside the shell. And to eat, there are drunken dumplings sauced with green curry, pork jerky dipped in tamarind sauce, and lots of noodle soups. Add it to your list and thank us later.

No reservations. Find more info here.