Marea Beverly Hills Nails the Coastal Italian-Meets-California Luxury Vibes

This is a very Californian Marea.

Calapa engineered a specifically Californian cuisine for Beverly Hills. “We use artisanal California products as much as we can,” he says. Rockfish, scallops, and sea urchins are sourced from Baja to Santa Barbara. 

Seafood is a natural passion for Calapa, whose family ran a seafood business in Brownsville, Texas. “I’d watch these guys process hundreds of pounds of fish every day,” he says, and then gather for communal seafood meals on the loading dock. “That’s where I learned my first version of family meal,” he says. In L.A., the chef spent months working with Passerotti to develop relationships with local seafood and produce suppliers, creating a similar community. 

While some longtime Marea New York dishes make appearances here (like the famed octopus fusilli), there are several new exclusive-to-L.A. dishes. The artichoke salad, for example, layers fresh shaved local artichokes (“I could never get such consistent artichokes in New York,” says Calapa) with rich hearts of palm, not-too-piquant Fresno chile, and bright lemon. 

And Angelenos know avocados intimately, harvesting them from their own yards, but Marea’s half-avocado appetizer nixes the toast and turns the fruit into a creamy, elegant vessel for Santa Barbara spot prawn tartare, Fresno chiles, fennel, tarragon and chives, all topped with a fennel heart.

Float away on the dreamy nautical decor.

The sumptuous interiors were designed by Alsún Keogh of Nusla Design, who wanted to bring the glamor of a vintage yacht and the softness of the sea to Beverly Hills. “The color palette is deliberately lighter in tone (than New York) — paler wood, softer blues and off-white banquettes, all to reflect the sunny Southern California context of the restaurant,” Keogh says, offset with nautical touches like oversized seashell accents and polished chrome. 

For artwork, Keogh commissioned London-based painter Nasser Azam to create a custom portrait of the Italian movie icon Sophia Loren, which welcomes you at the entrance. (Marea recently debuted a new cocktail menu inspired by the star’s films — more on that in a minute.)

There are three separate areas to dine in. Perch at the bar on an off-white leather B&B Italia Caratos barstool for reading a book and chatting with the bartenders, relax in the lounge with crudi and a cocktail, or head to the interior dining room, a private, soft and low-lit mix of two-tops, four-tops, banquettes and communal tables. 

The influences are more southern Italian than Italian Riviera.

The glamorous interior may give Italian Riviera vibes, but the cuisine leans southern Italian. “Calabria, Sicily—these areas are very seafood-driven, with very little dairy, and with the specific seafood being red prawns, swordfish and sea urchin, very typical to that southern coast of Italy,” Calapa says. “You’re meant to enjoy seafood with beautiful water views, a slower pace of life, and everything surrounded by the economy of the ocean, and the sea.”

The seafood focus is apparent across the menu: Don’t miss the crudi, which play creatively with contrasts: strawberry, tarragon and fennel with Baja-sourced kanpachi; calamansi and pistachio layered on top of rockfish; and oyster crema and artichoke with yellowfin tuna. Passerotti’s personal favorite is the scampi crudo, a combination of fresh langoustine tartare and crispy arancini. “It’s one of those rare rich-on-rich flavor combinations that hits just right — the perfect two bites,” he says. 

The Dover sole is decidedly not local, but it is directly sourced and super fresh: a shipment is picked up by Marea’s purveyor daily, and it’s served with your choice of herbaceous clam pesto; a hearty tomato-black olive sauce; a delicate caviar and butter concoction; or the classic brown butter meunière. 

Order one, two—or three—half-portions of handmade pasta.

If there’s one thing beyond seafood that Marea is known for, it’s pasta — eight of which grace the menu in L.A., all of them handmade. The original Marea fusilli, a signature that never leaves either menu, is a must-try, plated with red wine-braised octopus and bone marrow soaking up its spirals. 

The pappardelle is paired with warm chunks of Dungeness crab and scallion in a brown butter tarragon sauce. But Calapa’s favorite is the twist on the classic spaghetti and clams, accentuated by flavor pops of tender manila clams. The marubini is a play on cheese ravioli, made with ricotta in a cacio e pepe sauce and layered with house-made pomodoro and basil pesto. And if you find yourself forfeiting entrees because you fill up on pasta, Marea offers the gift of half-portions of all pastas, too.

Savory drinks and Italian wines reign at the honey onyx bar.

Marea’s cocktail menu includes a refreshing limoncello spritz with gentian liqueur and torino bianco vermouth; a very Italian old-fashioned with zucchero granella oleo saccharum, mandorla grappa and amaretto; and the aforementioned Sophia Loren collection, led by a fiery mezcal, pineapple and chile cocktail to whet your appetite. The martini combines tomato acqua pazza (meaning “crazy water” in Italian) with guests’ choice of True Italian vodka or Piucinque Italian gin, plus a touch of Castelvetrano olive brine and three different oils: Calabrian chile, olive oil and basil oil. 

Wine director Kaleb Kiger satisfies varied tastes (and wallets) with the wide-ranging list, but the geographical emphasis is on Europe, particularly Italy, with a touch of France and California. “We paid special attention not just to classic wine regions, but ones more off the beaten path,” Kiger says. The list includes ultra-premium wines like Domaine De la Romanee Conti and more approachable wines like Fiano di Avellino from Campania. If you’re having oysters, opt for the 2023 Marisa Cuomo Ravello from Campania, a coastal blend of Falanghina and Biancolella grapes. “Its bright minerality and salty flavor profile lends itself beautifully.” 

Cap your evening with doughnuts and bon-bons.

Dessert at Marea is un piccolo regalo, or a little treat, from the bombolini doughnuts in lemon ricotta, cinnamon sugar or chocolate, to the petite chocolate bon-bon box. Executive pastry chef Lorraine Leotaud created a California tiramisù with local mascarpone, which she says lends a “lighter, silkier” texture to the classic dessert. Pair it with the vin santo, a wine made from grapes dried to intensify their natural sweetness.

Pro tip: For the most romantic table, reserve early.

Reservations open 30 days in advance, and you can request a particular table, though it’s never guaranteed. On a date, opt for table 66, marketing director Dean Sheremet’s personal fave. “It’s the perfect size for two, and you get this incredible vantage point—you’re tucked in just enough for intimacy, but still hold court with a full view of the dining room.”