Noe Restaurant & Bar
Bar & grill · Downtown Los Angeles
251 S Olive St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Highlights
Creative Japanese-influenced meals, late-night bar, relaxing atmosphere
Creative Japanese-influenced meals, late-night bar, relaxing atmosphere
"Made famous by Inspector Gadget and infamous by subway flashers, the trench coat is a polarizing piece of outerwear, but when done correctly, it’s the ultimate power move. And that’s exactly why you’re going to NoMad for its debut. The Downtown restaurant/bar/hotel is one of LA’s most impressive pieces of architecture, and a meal inside their main dining room feels like you’re at an invite-only Gotham City fundraising gala. The menu is a somewhat standard mix of fresh vegetables, crudos, and big plates of meat, but it’s all tremendous, so you don’t care. Also, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better cocktail in the neighborhood." - brant cox
"Perfect For: When Your Parents Are Architecture Buffs (And You Like Cocktails) At some point between freshman year and graduation, your mom and dad took up staring at architecture as a hobby. You, on the other hand, just need alcohol to put in your body now that finals are over. Head to The Restaurant at Nomad where your parents can compare notes on the stunning neoclassical space (it used to be The Bank of Italy) and you can drink some of the best cocktails Downtown. Throw in the honey-glazed duck and sea urchin bucatini, and everybody walks out even happier." - jess basser sanders, brant cox
"Maybe because it’s technically a hotel restaurant, or that it doesn’t have a real name, but The Nomad is a massively overlooked spot for big-deal dates. It’s one of the best places in town to celebrate something - the huge art deco bank-turned-hotel feels like a private club. One that has cocktails served in golden skulls, plush velvet chairs, and the only roast chicken we will ever recommend spending $100 on. Plus, sometimes you want to get dressed up when you go out." - brett keating
"NoMad is one of Los Angeles’ best special occasion restaurants, in a beautiful hotel lobby that will make you want to try and reenact Eloise. But, they also know that if you’re spending $100 on an (extremely delicious) roast chicken, you might be looking to save a little when it comes to wine. This place has one of the more accessible high-end wine lists around, with some great value finds and a few cool natural options hidden amongst the Napa big guns. Also, there are no fewer than eight pages of champagne on the list." - jess basser sanders
"If you ever went out to a fancy dinner as a kid dressed in the nicest clothes you owned and then proceeded to have the best night of your seven-year-old life, that’s pretty much what dinner at The NoMad is like, except you’re an adult. This hotel restaurant in DTLA might be an NYC import, but it’s the absolute highest expression of a thing LA does well: the casual fancy restaurant. You can order four-figure bottles of wine and $100 truffle-stuffed roasted chickens here, but they also won’t forget your existence if you stick to $40 wines and a couple of servings of fava bean hummus. Put on your best outfit and get ready for a truly fun night, starting with a large format cocktail served in a bronze rooster, placed at your table as the waiter whispers “cock-a-doodle-do.”" - jess basser sanders, brant cox
