Mother of Pearl
Oyster bar restaurant · Downtown Los Angeles ·
Rooftop Champagne & raw bar with sunset views
Rooftop Champagne & raw bar with sunset views
"Perched on an outdoor terrace on Level 8 that overlooks the Los Angeles Convention Center, Crypto.com Arena and, on a clear day, the Hollywood Hills and the LA Basin, this seafood-forward restaurant from chef Joshua Gil (Mírate) offers a succinct, easy-to-order menu built for sharing and hanging out — Gil says “It’s gonna be a vibe.” Seating includes couches that hold up to 40 plus eight bar seats, and the menu features sand dab sliders, a half dozen oysters served with uni and saffron granita, yellowtail dip, chilled somen noodles, and squid ink spaghetti with lobster meatballs; the raw bar lists Maine lobster, king crab legs, Pacific oysters, Mexican white shrimp, Baja abalone and caviar, and there’s a group platter that combines a bit of everything plus caviar. Level 8’s beverage director Melina Meza has crafted spritz and Champagne cocktail menus (with frosé and a selection of Italian, French and Californian wines), and a Champagne cart roves the gazebo-like space framed by wrought-iron gates, bougainvillea and soft lounge chairs that make for an ideal sunset view. Mother of Pearl opens Thursday to Saturday from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. starting May 8." - Mona Holmes
"Perched on a rooftop in Downtown LA, I found Mother of Pearl to be a standalone open-air lounge from chef Joshua Gil and the Houston Brothers on Level 8 of the Moxy/AC Hotel that leans heavily into raw-bar dishes and champagne, with drinks by Devon Espinosa and champagnes selected by Eric Railsback. The ambitious seafood-forward menu includes a Baja abalone course with abalone liver kosho and nori rice-paper crackers; lobster egg-salad sandwiches on housemade milk bread topped with caviar; a miso crème brûlée using ume and ikura inspired by Gil’s Supper Liberation Front pop-up; chilled shrimp and octopus tom yum blending Thai flavors; seafood towers, oysters, dips, and martinis served with caviar bumps. The design channels a Spanish Colonial gazebo—wrought-iron seating, iron cocktail tables, soft blue banquettes—and Talavera tiles at the outdoor cocktail bar, all pairing nicely with skyline sunsets over Crypto.com Arena and L.A. Live; it feels deliciously over-the-top with a Vegas-like vibe but, to my mind, a better seafood focus. I see it working equally well as a pre-event hangout near the Convention Center or a post-work lounge for Downtown denizens; it is scheduled to open in mid-September (after Labor Day) and will be open Wednesday–Sunday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m." - Matthew Kang
"Designed as an al fresco oyster and champagne bar from Josh Gil, Mother of Pearl promises a breezy, outdoor-focused spot for seafood and bubbly within the Level 8 roster." - Virali Dave
"Near the Brown Sheep is Gil’s other project Mother of Pearl, an al fresco (mostly) raw bar serving oysters and crudos in addition to caviar, cocktails, and wine." - Farley Elliott
"Mother of Pearl already offers delivery, which DeRossi cites as an advantage as he considers how to balance lost revenue from canceled events and declining foot traffic." - Serena Dai