After months of waiting, it’s finally official: NoMad Los Angeles has unveiled its darling rooftop café to the public. Located high above the former Bank of Italy building at Giannini Place, the new 5,178-square-foot, 154-seat café attracts guests with sweeping views of downtown L.A. and a menu optimal for poolside lounging. But plan accordingly: while the bar is open to the public, the pool is reserved for hotel guests only.
The menu, designed by the property’s executive chef, Chris Flint, is offered beginning at noon everyday. Plates include whipped fava beans with herbed ricotta hummus topped with pumpkin seeds and served with crispy lavash; yuzu-marinated scallops with toasted pistachios; and fried chicken with chile-lime yogurt. The Cobb salad, burger and fried chicken serve as anchor menu items and will vary with the change in seasonal ingredients available at local markets.
No rooftop is truly complete without a bar. Bar director Leo Robitschek broke the menu down into five sections: Poolside Classics, NoMad Classics, Sunrise, Sunset and Frozen Drinks. “‘Sunrise’ include those easy-drinking cocktails that are ideal for daytime drinking—a bit lighter and lower ABV,” says Robitscheck, also noting that the Sunset cocktails are still light, but are transitioning guests into drinks that can be enjoyed well into the evening.
Cocktails fit for poolside revelry include the Sherry Painkiller with amontillado Sherry, Guatemalan rum, pineapple, coconut and orange; a spicy Paloma with jalapeño-infused tequila; and the “Jungle Bird,” made with Guyanese rum, Black Strap rum, Campari, pineapple, lime and topped with St. Croix. Robitschek has brought a popular Hawaiian frozen combo to the rooftop as well: the lava flow. The layered drink is comprised of a daiquiri on the bottom and topped with a piña colada, allowing the bottom (typically red) liquid to float to the top, resembling that of a lava lamp. “We’ve borrowed this technique and will be exploring a number of combinations and cocktails this summer that create this effect,” he says. First up: the Blue Hawaiian, featuring a piña colada base with blue curaçao and green chartreuse.
The NoMad Rooftop is open everyday with reservations beginning at noon. Last call for food and drink vary throughout the week.
649 South Olive
Los Angeles, CA 90014
Hero image courtesy of NoMad Los Angeles.
