Plant-filled Manuela, located inside the Hauser & Wirth art gallery in the Arts District, offers a sunny atmosphere that stands out from its industrial neighborhood. The hyperseasonal restaurant sources from its own on-site organic garden as well as from small growers across Southern California for Southern comfort fare and vegetal cocktails featuring homemade bitters and tonics. The restaurant is known for its lively brunch scene, but many of the same dishes can be found at lunch and dinner as well (looking at you, cream biscuits).
Think upscale garden party: The outside gallery includes commissioned artworks from artists like Paul McCarthy, Mark Bradford, and Raymond Pettibon. The on-site organic garden, which provides herbs and greens for the menu, surrounds the dining area, where skylights in the ceiling and supplementary string lights emit a warm glow in the otherwise concrete building.
The wine menu has been specifically curated to complement the acid and smoke at the core of the menu. My group all ordered different drinks for the first round, but the clear favorite was the earthy Archie, with beet-rested Illegal mezcal, Oro blanco, and lemon.
Antsy kiddos will love watching the restaurant’s chickens in the adjoining space. These cool gals even have their own Instagram.