The best cocktails in New York have landed in LA!

For anyone who is not familiar with Dante, it is one of the best cocktail bars in New York - voted #1 best bar in the world in 2019, no biggie. I like to call myself an amateur at-home bartender, so dining at Dante is always an enlightening experience for me. Not only do they have the best cocktails (most notably their martini), but they also have top tier service and a stunning atmosphere.

I made many visits to both locations of Dante during my trips to New York in the past few years, and was absolutely overjoyed when I heard the news that they were opening a location in Beverly Hills (I’m pretty sure I manifested this). I was even more enthralled when I learned more details about it being located in The Maybourne Hotel, with an outdoor patio and one of the best skyline views in LA.

I would rate reservation difficulty at Dante in New York a medium; I was stunned to see that there was so much anticipation about the Beverly Hills opening that reservations were (almost) impossible - but I rise up to the challenge everytime. The grand opening was in early July, and I was able to snatch up a Sunday Funday lunch slot for late July (not bad, but always room for improvement). I was so interested to see if the Beverly Hills location would be able to match the very high bar set at the New York locations — I think it’s safe to say, I was not disappointed!

I have either done a staycation or dined at a majority of popular LA hotels, but had actually never been inside of The Maybourne Hotel. This short experience alone gave it a five star rating in my eyes, and I would definitely put it at the top of the list for a next staycation. The hospitality of every single person we encountered at the hotel was so warm and welcoming, and there are so many fun elements. Even when just walking in, there is a display of cars right outside of the entrance — I especially love the pink Moke one (reminds me of the Rosewood Mirimar).

We rode the elevator up to the 9th floor, and gasped as we saw a straight shot of the view. I want to emphasize what an amazing job the Dante team did in avoiding creating a copycat of the New York locations, and instead curating a stunning space that reflects the Los Angeles lifestyle. I love every design choice that was made — from the blue rounded velvet booths, ceiling art, flower arrangements and greenery, and even a gorgeous white piano. It was our lucky day as we were seated on the patio, and got to look out at the view while sipping on our delicious cocktails.

The cocktail menu has a mix of core New York classics, and some fun twists just for the LA location! Since this was a Sunday Funday, I tried a variety of their delicious cocktails — the iconic Espresso Martini, Fluffy Chihuahua (a fun LA spinoff of their New York menu’s Salty Dog), refreshing Amalfi Limonata, and branded “Dante Beverly Hills” Honey Bee (great for a photo op)! The quality was up to the New York standard; I will have to come back and sit at the bar as I always love to watch the true art form of the cocktails getting made.

The food menu is Mediterranean-Italian style, and quite different from the New York one so I was excited to try it! There is even a wood fire pizza oven next to the hotel pool right outside of the restaurant — so ordering a pizza was a must. First up, we had the Arancini which was excellent and such a unique dish you won’t find at most dining spots. I was absolutely blown away by their Mare Misto; I truly think it’s the best calamari I’ve had in ages — and I’m also a sucker for aioli sauce.

For mains, we ordered the Bucatini Al Pomodoro pasta and it arrived absolutely stunning (I didn’t want to ruin its beautiful aesthetic), and gets very high remarks from someone who has tried some of the best fine dining pasta in major cities. We struggled with choosing just one pizza but committed to the Diavola, which tasted as amazing as it looks and was such a well balanced pairing of spicy soppressata and hot honey. I would love to come back and try some of the others! All in all, I have to give the award to the Beverly Hills location for best food!

I could tell that the orchestration of service wasn’t quite there yet as it had only been open for less than a month, but I am sure by the time I return everything will be smooth sailing. I cannot recommend Dante enough (especially if you have never been), as its ambiance and quality of cocktails is a tier above anything else you would find in LA. They also have “The Martini Hour”, where they offer $10 martinis daily from 3-5PM — what a steal!

As far as actually getting into Dante, walk-ins may be a bit stricter than other restaurants so you may get turned away — but it’s worth a try. I like having the safety of a reservation, so I normally set alarms on Resy for any new reservation slots that open up. I hope you have just as much of an amazing experience as I did!

P.S. If you want to learn more about Dante New York, you can check out my New York Food Tour blog here!

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