Bar Avoja
Cocktail bar · Hollywood ·
Roman-inspired lounge with folded pizzas and street food
Roman-inspired lounge with folded pizzas and street food
"Right behind Mother Wolf, Bar Avoja is a reservations-only cocktail spot from the same team with red velvet booths and a wall of caged liquor bottles. The menu leans into Roman street food such as frittatina di carbonara (they look like fancy fried mac and cheese bites), folded pizzas packed with oxtail meatballs, and a few dishes borrowed from Mother Wolf. Cocktails follow the Italian theme as well, with drinks like the Santa Infuocata made with gin, lemon honey, and olive oil. We recently visited Bar Avoja. Read our thoughts." - cathy park
"Bar Avoja is a dim, semi-secretive lounge in Hollywood that requires walking through Mother Wolf to access. It’s a decent spot for drinks and snacks, but keep in mind it requires reservations, so if you show up last-minute before catching a show, you’re not getting in. That said, we’d book a table again for two reasons: a folded pizza stuffed with juicy oxtail meatballs called the portafoglio, and the focaccia, which arrives as buttery, pull-apart garlic knots. Otherwise, the Italian-inspired cocktail menu doesn’t really offer anything you couldn't find at Mother Wolf's bar (which is first come, first served, and offers a full food menu), so it frankly makes more sense to just go there. Food Rundown Sfincione All’Aglione All of Evan Funke's restaurants serve some form of the focaccia made famous at Felix, but this version is on another level. The bread arrives more like pillowy, pull-apart garlic knots heavily dusted in parme. These alone are the main reason we’d book a return trip to Avoja. photo credit: Brant Cox Portafoglio When this bulging half-folded pizza hit our table, several “how are we supposed to eat this?” looks were exchanged. So here’s a tip we got from our server: Press the crust down until the oxtail meatballs are smashed and the meaty juices run over the crust. Then pick it up and inhale. photo credit: Robiee Zeigler Fritattina Di Carbonara A block of deep fried pasta? We’re excited.But this way-less-fancy-than-it-sounds dish ends up a disappointment. It's essentially a hunk of dry mac and cheese rolled arounf in breadcrumbs. You’ll need a cocktail or some other liquid to help get it down. photo credit: Brant Cox Cannoli These picture-perfect little guys passed the eye test, but they crumbled in our hands after one bite. A cannoli decostruito, if you will. photo credit: Robiee Zeigler" - Brant Cox
"Bar Avoja, a new Roman-inspired cocktail lounge from acclaimed chef Evan Funke and Giancarlo Pagani, the managing partner of Mother Wolf Group, has landed in the short-lived former Mars cocktail bar space, tucked behind Mother Wolf. At the bar, Funke serves a menu influenced by handheld Roman street food, alongside folded and thin-crust pizza and cocktails. Frittatina di carbonara is filled with spaghetti swirled with guanciale, black pepper, and egg, while the puffy, folded Portafoglio is topped with oxtail meatballs and braised greens. Cocktails, wine, and mocktails are available to pair with Funke’s cooking at the reservations-only lounge. — Rebecca Roland, editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest" - Matthew Kang
"The Hollywood cocktail bar that operated behind Mother Wolf closed in April 2025. It had opened in January 2024 with a $5,000-per-year membership that came with a personal spirits locker, priority seating, and invitations to special events. The space has since been replaced with Bar Avoja, a new Roman-inspired cocktail lounge from acclaimed chef Evan Funke and Giancarlo Pagani, the managing partner of Mother Wolf Group." - Rebecca Roland
"Opened May 30 as a Roman-inspired cocktail lounge from chef Evan Funke and Giancarlo Pagani (managing partner of Mother Wolf Group) in the short-lived former Mars cocktail-bar space tucked behind Mother Wolf; the reservations-only lounge focuses on handheld Roman street food, folded and thin-crust pizzas, and cocktails. Notable dishes include frittatina di carbonara — filled with spaghetti swirled with guanciale, black pepper, and egg — and the puffy folded Portafoglio topped with oxtail meatballs and braised greens, with cocktails, wine, and mocktails available to pair with the food." - Mona Holmes