The Final Piece of NoMad Los Angeles Is Finally Open to the Public
The final piece of chef Daniel Humm and Will Guidara’s NoMad Los Angeles dining/drinking wonderland has opened to the public.
NoMad’s reservations-only Rooftop is available for you to book as of Thursday, and this café and cocktail bar promises to be a prized poolside perch with sweeping city views above Seventh and Olive Street. One thing to note, though: Taking a dip in the pool is only for hotel guests. You might question the logic of this policy when you’re feeling frisky after a few of bar director Leo Robitschek’s drinks. But remember, NoMad is a place where decorum matters.
Expect the Rooftop, where you can reserve tables or standing-room bar access, to be a lively spot for day drinking. Robitschek’s got new cocktails here, including the Dewin’ It with jalapeno-infused tequila, mezcal, Suze, roasted poblano pepper, and lemon; the Blistered in the Sun with whiskey, sherry, passionfruit, and lemon; and a weekly featured frozen drink.
This being a Daniel Humm production, you can also have a elegant meal at your leisure, with dishes including a prawn roll, a club sandwich, and some NoMad favorites like fava bean hummus, carrot tartare, and fried chicken. Want a dry-aged burger and fries with a piña colada? That works too. For dessert, there’s a cookies-and-cream ice cream sandwich as well as NoMad’s ethereal milk-and-honey ice cream sandwich. The Rooftop is open for lunch on Sundays and Mondays, and for both lunch and dinner the rest of the week.
"We wanted the Rooftop to be a place for our guests to gather, relax, and hang out — a serene escape from the proverbial hustle and bustle below,” says NoMad Los Angeles general manager Jeffrey Tascarella. “We're pursuing the same level of service, cocktails, and food at any of our restaurants, but it just happens to be poolside in sunny L.A. with gorgeous sunsets and cityscape views. And the toasted coconut frozen piña coladas from Leo don’t hurt!”
NoMad is the latest high-profile entrant in downtown L.A.’s rooftop sweepstakes. Just a quick stroll away from NoMad is Broken Shaker, which blends tropical flavors and L.A. influences in a relaxed-chic setting. Broken Shaker is on the roof of Freehand Los Angeles, another new hotel opened by NoMad developer Sydell Group.
Meanwhile, the new Spire 73 at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown, is an open-air drinking destination that’s 1,100 feet above street level, atop the tallest building west of Chicago. There are fire pits and a big whisky selection to warm you up on colder days.
And while it’s not technically on a roof, we doubt anybody will complain about the views that thrill at 71Above, which is 950 feet above the ground and is a place to grab drinks or taste chef Vartan Abgaryan’s exemplary tasting menus.
Downtown L.A. has clearly graduated to the high life. At NoMad Los Angeles, the Rooftop’s cocktail menu includes a section called Sunrise and a section called Sunset. It feels like this is a place where lingering will be easy and leaving will be hard.
The Rooftop at NoMad Los Angeles, 649 S. Olive St., 213-358-0000
