The Nomad Hotel recently opened in Los Angeles, so a stop at this Downtown LA hotel was a must on our recent trip with Alaska Airlines. From the same team behind Eleven Madison Park and the Nomad Hotel in New York, The Nomad in Downtown LA sets a new standard for Downtown LA hotels and restaurants. The design throughout the hotel is bolder and brighter than its New York counterpart. Vibrant green sofas with floral print pillows and fresh flower arrangements adorn the lobby, and the ceiling (original to the building) is a work of art in its own right.
The Nomad LA building was built in 1923 as the Bank of Italy, which would later become Bank of America. You can see the Italian touches everywhere, from the ornate ceiling and other accents, to the gorgeous metalworking on the giant bank vault downstairs (now the restrooms). The Nomad team has of course updated the hotel with modern amenities, like the stunning LA rooftop pool and bar, while keeping true to the building’s heritage.
The Nomad LA menu is everything you would expect from the award winning team behind Eleven Madison Park, and we appreciate that it manages to be beautiful and refined without being stuffy. The scallops marinated with yuzu and toasted pistachios were stunning (they’re actually served on ice in scallop shells), as was the gorgeous radicchio salad with buffalo mozzarella, bibb lettuce, and lemon vinaigrette.
The sauce on the hamachi marinated with citrus, daikon, and agretti made us want to ask for the recipe (we refrained). Our two favorite dishes were the entrees. The lasagnette with smoked eggplant, Swiss chard, ricotta and pesto was crafted into a beautiful rosette shape, and the tagliatelle with Alaskan king crab, Meyer lemon, chives, and black pepper was at the same time rich and refreshing. We recently learned you can get the recipe for this dish here.
The hotel sets aside half of the Lobby restaurant space for hotel guests, and the other half for general dining reservations and walk-ins to ensure that hotel guests are able to get a table. The lobby also features a coffee bar that serves coffee and pastries by day and snacks and drinks in the evening. The upstairs level of the restaurant serves dinner nightly in a more formal environment.
Since Nomad is so new, everyone wants to go, so we headed back the next evening for meeting over drinks. Between the great cocktails and stylish decor, this is the perfect hotel bar for a business meeting or just to catch up with friends. Speaking of catching up, that’s exactly what every fine dining restaurant and cocktail bar in Downtown LA will need to do, because Nomad LA is seriously raising the bar. Thank you to The NoMad Downton Los Angeles for your hospitality and Alaska Airlines for sponsoring this story.
The NoMad Downton Los Angeles, 649 S Olive St, Los Angeles, CA 90014, 213.358.0000
