The One Who Keeps the Book Los Angeles
How to Get Into Beethoven Market (And What to Order Once You’re There)
At the end of March, the corner of Beethoven Street and Palms Boulevard became one of the most popular spots in Mar Vista. From the moment Beethoven Market opened, business has been booming. Guests throng the bar and spill out onto the sidewalk as they angle for a shady seat on the patio or an indoor table where they can watch flames lick hanger steaks and rotisserie chickens in the open kitchen. Clearly, the neighborhood was hungry — and thirsty — for a place like this.
Located in the middle of a mostly residential area, the restaurant’s vibe is casual enough for families and snazzy enough for date nights — around 7 p.m., the staff dims the lights to amp up the amorous ambiance. As for the food, executive chef Mike Leonard puts forth a slate of pastas, pizzas, and Italian nibbles while adding a few cheeky touches. (The menu description for the Caesar salad reads “little gem, croutons, and what my mother thinks is too much dressing.”)
The mother in question belongs to owner Jeremy Adler, who lives less than a mile away from his newest venture. For 75 years, Beethoven Market was a popular local grocery and liquor store. When it closed in 2023, Adler stepped in. Open daily for dinner, the new iteration of Beethoven Market is a hit. General manager and beverage director Isa Roske, who was previously the wine director at Scopa and the regional beverage director for the Butcher’s Daughter group, has a few tips for getting in.
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How many seats are there at Beethoven Market, both inside and outside?
We have about 120 seats and an 23 additional seats at the bar.
If you sit at the bar, can you order everything that’s on the menu?
Our full dinner menu is available at the bar. You just have to be in a seat.
Currently, you’re just open for dinner. Any plans to expand service?
We are open for happy hour every day as well, starting at 4 p.m., and dinner service starts at 5. We will probably [expand service] in the future. We are going to start with brunch first, on Saturdays and Sundays. That’s probably a couple months out. Following that, we’ll do breakfast and lunch service on weekdays.
How would you describe the food at Beethoven Market?
The way we like to describe it is neighborhood Italian. ‘Italian simplicity with restraint’ is how we talk about it. Only what’s needed on the plate. 80% of our produce comes from the farmers market. We partner with local fishermen and a lot of really great companies. We put a lot of thought and integrity into the ingredients that are going into our dishes.
What’s the scene like at Beethoven Market?
It’s very mixed but at the core, it’s relaxed and casual, warm and welcoming. Depending on the time of day, our guests really shift. When we first open at 5 p.m., it’s a lot of families who live in the neighborhood. Our patio area has an olive tree in the center, and right around 5, there’ll be families with strollers and dogs. Then, a little bit later into the evening, we have some younger folks start to come in.
The restaurant was booming when I ate there and every time I have driven past, which tells me that this particular part of Mar Vista has been itching for a place like this. There’s not anything quite like it in the vicinity.
I totally agree with you. This was a 75-year-old market called Beethoven Market that closed down about three years ago. Jeremy Adler bought the building, and it was under construction for almost two-and-a-half years, so I think it built anticipation and buzz.
It’s an odd place to put a restaurant in the middle of a neighborhood, but I think there’s something very smart about it because I would say approximately 40% of our guests are people who live within walking distance. People come in the door and as you’re trying to seat them, they’re stopping and saying hi to someone at the bar or at another table. It has this really great community feel. That’s what we’re going for at the core.
Our business entity is called Third Place LLC. The concept is that your home is your first place, your work is your second place, and your third place is your local hang.
It feels like we have been losing a lot of third spaces over the last several decades, so it’s nice that people have a neighborhood spot like this.
Yeah, absolutely. When you open a new restaurant, you never know how busy you’re going to be. I think the success is due to a multitude of things. Jeremy is from this area. He lives with his family right down the road, so this was a bit of his passion project.
Then, the team that came together around his vision is so stellar. Our assistant general manager, Brennan Oakes, is phenomenal. We’re like a dynamic duo with such different strengths that are so complementary. And our chef team — Mike Leonard, our executive chef, and Harvin Diego, our sous chef — I think we struck gold with them. It feels really good. But our guests have really brought this concept to life, and now Beethoven Market feels like this living, breathing entity.
How do reservations for Beethoven Market work? Is Resy the only way to get a reservation?
Our books open three weeks in advance, at midnight. I was kind of on the fence about that. Most restaurants do 10 a.m. but for those who really want it, those hardcore guests, they can stay up late and snag those reservations as soon as they’re released. Because as soon as we open, we’re booked out solid for those three weeks. It’s been very interesting to navigate.
We also want to be very walk-in friendly, so we hold back some tables inside and on the patio for walk-ins. Our bar is first come, first serve. We did launch a section of tables along the sidewalk on Palms as well, which we hold for walk- ins.
And myself or Brennan, we’re here every day starting around noon. So we always tell people, especially our neighbors, our locals, we are pretty booked out but give us a call and we’ll do our best to try to fit everyone in that we can.
If somebody wants to score a walk-in reservation, either at a table or at the bar, what is your best advice for them?
We open for happy hour at 4 p.m. On slower days, like Sundays through Wednesdays, the bar might be half-full. Other days, like Fridays and Saturdays, there’ll be a line of 30 to 40 people out the door when we open at 4. I usually suggest that on the busier days, people come a few minutes early to secure their spot at the bar. If you’re seeking a table, when our maître d’ arrives at 4, you can put your name on the waitlist for a table.
Any other advice for scoring a seat?
We use the Notify list every day, so I always recommend when people call, even if we don’t have room to fit them in the books, I always add them to the Notify list. There are cancellations and no-shows, etc. so we pull from the Notify list to try to get people in.
How long is your Notify list on a Friday or Saturday night?
It could be up to 500.
Whoa! What are your busiest nights? I assume Fridays and Saturdays.
I would say Friday and Saturday but it is odd. I’ve been in restaurants for a long time and generally you open at 5, people slowly trickle in, and your peak dinner rush is around 6:30 or 7. But for us, our busiest push is at 5. We open at 5 and the whole restaurant fills up. Then, we’ll have another pop around 7 p.m. Then, it kind of slows down as the night progresses. But Friday, Saturday, for sure, are our busiest nights.
I guess it really is true: Angelenos like an early dinner.
Yes, it is. It’s my preferred way to eat. Get in early then you have the whole night ahead of you.
Since your biggest rush comes at 5 p.m. and you get another bump around 6:30 or 7, is it easier to get a reservation later in the evening, at 8 or 9 p.m.?
We close at 9, Sunday through Wednesday, and at 10 Thursday through Saturday, so yeah, definitely towards 8 or 9, there’ll be a lot of flexibility. We definitely get some no-shows or cancellations for those later slots, so people can usually nab those the day of.
If someone is coming to Beethoven Market for the first time, what dishes are an absolute must?
Ooh, that’s tough. The chef did such a good job curating this menu. But some standouts are our housemade focaccia with whipped ricotta, and they drizzle a little bit of avocado honey over it. It’s to die for. Our crispy beef meatballs are unique because they don’t use ground beef, it’s actually shredded beef inside. It’s a very interesting twist on a classic meatball and it has this gorgeous crusty, crispy exterior and salsa verde, which is amazing.
I don’t even know if I could pick a standout pizza. The Meyer lemon and clam is, in the chef’s mind, our best pizza. I’m partial to the zucchini and ricotta pizza with pesto, pecorino, and parmigiano. It’s light and delicious.
Pick a standout pasta for me.
The linguine al limone. It’s very unique and it’s garnished with Meyer lemon chips. A lot of people don’t know that those are edible. If you eat them before they soften, it’s this crispy burst of citrusy goodness.
Anything else people should know about coming here?
The last thing I would say, and this is on our listing info, is that we ask people to park on Palms, where there’s four blocks of unpermitted street parking. And we ask guests to always be respectful of our neighbors.
We are in a neighborhood and we’re trying to be here in a good way and not create any disturbances. So just be mindful of noise while you’re leaving the restaurant and be mindful of where you park. We really love being here. We want to be here for a long time, and respecting our neighbors is something that’s really important to us.
