Everything You Need to Know About Skywalker Grill, the Restaurant at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art
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Anyone who grew up with the films of George Lucas knows how rich and immersive a world he can create. Whether in space, amongst ancient ruins and foreign bazaars, or along the streets of 1950’s America, Lucas has shown himself to be a master of visual storytelling. So when it was announced, nearly a decade ago, that the legendary filmmaker would open his Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles, both cinema fans and art lovers around the world rejoiced.
Sitting on 11 acres of manicured gardens and housed within a five-story spaceship-like structure designed by renowned architect Ma Yansong, the museum is an act of philanthropy from George Lucas and wife Mellody Hobson. But that gift is not just the 37,000 pieces of art spread across 100,000 square feet of galleries. Lucas has also brought his eye for world-building to Skywalker Grill, the new restaurant perched atop the museum. Like his films, the restaurant leaves no detail overlooked. And visitors to the Lucas having a meal here get a chance to experience one of the filmmaker’s more singular (and most delicious) creations.
For chef Diego Cardoso, global vice president of culinary Rhubarb Hospitality, which operates the restaurant, helping Lucas and Hobson create the Skywalker Grill was a dream come true. “Sitting at a table, talking food with George and Mellody, I had to pinch myself,” he says. The Argentina-born chef began his career in the United Kingdom, working under Gordon Ramsay and Angela Harnett at the Connaught Hotel before helping them open London’s Michelin-starred kitchen Murano in 2008. Eventually, he wanted to bring his fine-dining skills to a broader audience.
When he joined the team hired to craft Skywalker Grill five years ago, Cardoso’s background aligned perfectly with the vision: a restaurant that could be dressed up or down to serve everyone. Take, for example, the chicken tenders, cured overnight in buttermilk and fried to a golden crisp. They can be served simply with ketchup or ranch, or fancified with crème fraîche and caviar. That flexibility is core to Skywalker’s ethos. “We always say that if we manage to have three generations sitting at the same table, and everybody finds something in the menu that they want to have and eat, then we’re doing a good job,” says Cardoso.
Whether you’re dining at the Skywalker Grill for a special occasion, or grabbing a seat in between browsing the museum’s galleries, here’s everything you need to know before you visit:
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Fresh produce is at the heart of the menu
For the team, keeping dishes light while tapping into the incredible wealth of Southern California’s produce was a key point. Ryan Kluver, formerly of Wally’s and Downtown L.A.’s Patina, who oversees the kitchen day to day, scours the city’s farmers markets for the season’s best produce and seafood. “The lobster salad, with avocado, olive oil, and sweet pepper jus is a really easy dish to eat,” said Cardoso. “Especially sitting there on the terrace in the afternoon and looking out over L.A.—it’s perfect.”
George’s memories influenced the menu
Hobson made sure the museum offers $2 grilled cheese sandwiches to ensure the museum is accessible to everyone. Lucas also specifically requested a chicken and mushroom crêpe: “He had memories of going to The Magic Pan [a now-defunct chain of crêperies] and loving that,” says Cardoso, noting it might be Lucas’s favorite dish on the menu. And the director also fell hard for the chocolate cake that was a part of Cardoso’s original tasting for the couple. “We almost started the menu working backwards from dessert,” the chef says.
A 360º Skywalker experience
One of the most unique aspects of the restaurant is that diners can have a full-circle Skywalker experience. The beef is from the wagyu cattle raised at Lucas’s Marin County compound, Skywalker Ranch. “We’re in a privileged position to work with it,” said Cardoso, who uses the premium meat in the burger, the porterhouse steak, and specials like a tomahawk steak and filet. Meanwhile, honey produced at Skywalker Ranch and a rotating list of vegetables will also be used on the menu. Wines from Skywalker Vineyards will be added soon, giving diners a literal taste of the Skywalker Ranch terroir, one that’s available in no other restaurant. “There are not many projects I’ve done that are so 360°,” says Cardoso.
Speaking of wines…
Skywalker Grill has a full beverage menu of wine, beer, and cocktails. The wine list leans heavy into Californian and French vintages, which can be ordered both by the glass and the bottle. A Rías Baixas Albariño from Galicia, Spain, stands out of the list of whites, while a bottle from Napa Valley’s Dominus Estate is available from the “Collector’s Cellar” list. A tight beer list offers standards like Modelo and Blue Moon, and a more robust cocktails list ranges from lighter drinks like the Golden Hour (Tanqueray Gin, ancho verde, beets, and lime), to boozier concoctions like the Night Shift (Bullett Rye, Mr. Black coffee liqueur, and Mexican chocolate bitters). As a bonus, the majority of the cocktails can be made non-alcoholic.
The interior matches the architecture
Not to be outdone by the eye-catching structure, the Skywalker Grill worked with the Rockwell Group (Nobu, Din Tai Fung) to design a sleek yet warm dining room. Dark wood paneling lines the walls and ceiling, as well as large columns intended to evoke the redwood trees of Northern California. Sage green leather banquettes sweep across the room atop the black marble floor. A private dining room tucked in the back of the space houses a dramatic beaded-crystal chandelier, and frosted-glass panes can become opaque in an instant to give a truly private experience. The restaurant also has a large outdoor terrace space where, perched atop the museum, diners get unobstructed views of the Hollywood Hills, Downtown Los Angeles, and Exposition Park below.
A restaurant for all
Ultimately, Skywalker Grill is neither a Lucas-themed restaurant nor a museum cafe. It is a space for people to come and enjoy a special meal, whether they’re visiting the Lucas Museum or not. To underscore that point, the restaurant stays open until 8 p.m. most nights (the galleries close at 5), and 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. In fact, sitting on the terrace as the sun sets is one of Cardoso’s favorite moments: “When the night hits and the lights in the city start to light up—it’s magical.”
