7 Best Celebrity Chef-Owned Restaurants in LA

Situated in an olive grove next to The Broad Museum in Downtown Los Angeles, Otium’s rustic setting is combined with a sophisticated New American menu. Acclaimed chef Timothy Hollingsworth aims to bring American cuisine into the spotlight with dishes influenced by the Italian, Latin and Indian cultures present within the US. You’ll find dry-aged beef tartare, black cod, guanciale gnocchi, and naan with chicken liver mousse – all garnished with fresh herbs and flowers from the rooftop garden.

Rick Bayless is a pioneer in sustainable dining and high-end Mexican cuisine. Apart from founding the only Mexican fine-dining restaurant in the US with a Michelin star, he also serves as culinary director at Red O. With locations in Newport Beach, Santa Monica and La Jolla, Red O delights diners with its lauded mole sauce and dishes like build-your-own fish tacos, which features an entire Baja striped bass. Bayless is known to partner with and support local small farmers, so in addition to top-notch produce, you can have peace of mind that growers aren’t being exploited.

Only seasonal, locally sourced ingredients fill the kitchens of Matthew Kenney’s upscale vegan concept kitchen in Venice. Long-time vegans and also those wishing to have a unique plant-based dining experience will enjoy the eccentric menu, which features some dishes too beautiful to eat. Plant Food + Wine is praised for its high-quality produce, decadent desserts and cozy open-air location.

This laid-back restaurant hidden inside Raffallo’s Pizza Parlor serves up haute cuisine that has garnered international accolades. Frenchman Ludo Lefebvre’s five-course prix-fixe menu is constantly evolving, but you can expect ingredients like foie gras, caviar and wagyu beef to make an appearance. Reservations are hard to come by, but if you happen to snag one, don’t forget to add on the wine pairing for the full Trois Mec experience.

Tom Colicchio opened over five distinguished fine-dining restaurants across the country including Century City’s Craft. The thoughtfully curated family-style dishes feature seasonal ingredients like European sea bass, dry-aged beef ribeye, and hen of the woods mushrooms. The restaurant also participates in the biannual Dine LA event during which it offers a discounted three-course menu.

The wine runs the show at this exclusive “menuless” restaurant by Australian chef Curtis Stone. Located in Beverly Hills, Maude offers a tasting menu inspired the world’s premier wine provinces, and it changes four times a year. Rioja, Spain, Burgundy, France, and Western Australia are just a few of the renowned wine-producing regions featured. Since its establishment in 2014, the quaint 24-seat eatery has racked up a long list of accolades including Travel + Leisure calling it one of the best new restaurants in the world, and LA Weekly naming it 2015’s Best Restaurant in Los Angeles.

LA chef Nancy Silverton may be best known as the founder of the popular La Brea Bakery chain, but she also established four highly praised Italian eateries. Osteria Mozza on Melrose pairs Italy’s “greatest hits” with an extensive 70-page wine list spanning every region of the country. Try one of the notable dishes, like sheep’s milk ricotta and honeynut squash or burrata with braised leeks, from the one-of-a-kind mozzarella bar.