Restaurant by restaurant and bar by bar, Los Angeles’ Umbrella Hospitality Group reinvents the definition of Southern California-style eating and drinking. You can see all of this in full swing at Melrose Umbrella Co. in West Hollywood, Corner Door in West Los Angeles and Umbrella Social Club, perched at the top of SIXTY Beverly Hills Hotel … itself a much-welcome update of Beverly Hills’ old-school affluent lifestyle sensibility.

Ella, the new venue anchoring the hotel, embodies the Welcome to Los Angeles spirit, with its mix of daytime coffee bar, bottle shop, mixology cocktail hangout and dinner spot. The ambiance, as conceived by SIXTY Hotels founder Jason Pomeranc and Umbrella Hospitality’s Austin Melrose, has a touch of post-Prohibition style melded with ‘70s bohemian good vibes, with the former becoming more pronounced as cocktails replace coffee orders and a DJ spins a mix of classic pop and alternative rock.

What makes the new place a magical spot for visitors and locals alike is chef Brian Min, brought in by Umbrella Hospitality Group principals Zachary Patterson and Melrose as the secret weapon in swapping out familiar Beverly Hills bistro and steakhouse fare with original spins through well-chosen Korean and Middle Eastern influences that update even the most familiar crowd-pleasing appetizers and mains. This runs the gamut from charred eggplant dip; focaccia with elderflower honey and black truffle butter; a Spanish-tapas top flatbread; glazed duck wings; dry aged Kampachi with tamari chili relish; and Prince Edward Island Mussels in Calabrian chili broth with lime and Thai basil.

Locally sourced produce woven into said appetizers and salads earns much of the spotlight on the menu. That being said, you also can’t go wrong with zingy pasta dishes and flawless beef main courses. Fresh herbs and artisanal produce elements also find their way to the bar, courtesy of Dorian De Tappan. De Tappan collaborated with Patterson to create a menu with a contemporary spin on classic drinks, such as the Kimchi Bloody Mary, About Artemis (blending delicate coconut-ashed premium gin with pineapple, lime, green chartreuse, falernum and celery bitters) and the show-stopping Pompeii, with Maestro Dobel Diamante tequila, golden beet, orange, lime, agave and a live flame.

However, one aspect of Ella that ties its goal to be both a destination eatery and a neighborhood restaurant are the waiters, as friendly, kind and astute as they come, especially in Beverly Hills. It goes to show you can reflect the most stylish, creative and tasteful things about your location without attitude or pretension.

Ella Beverly Hills

SIXTY Beverly Hills Hotel
9360 Wilshire Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
tel 310 273 1400