LAReview
photo credit: Jakob Layman
Damian
Included In
LA is no stranger to nepo babies. Names like Brooklyn Beckham and Tracee Ellis Ross are commonly understood to be renowned by association. And then there's Damian, a Mexican fine-dining spot in the Arts District that comes from the chef behind Pujol in Mexico City and Cosme in NYC. Famous siblings are cool and all. But remove them from the equation and you’re left with something more impactful: a restaurant that's a star in its own right. Even in a town full of incredible Mexican food, Damian stands out for Baja seafood dishes worth every cent of their budget-busting price tags.
photo credit: Jakob Layman
photo credit: Jakob Layman
photo credit: Jakob Layman
photo credit: Jakob Layman
photo credit: Jakob Layman
Rather than tossing truffles in an enchilada, charging $50, and calling it “boundary-pushing,” Damian interprets tradition with a jolt of the unexpected. Mexican dishes like al pastor, guacamole, and grilled fish you’ve eaten 400 times in LA suddenly feel new again. In the case of the creamy uni tostada, a medley of lettuce, parmesan, and caesar dressing keeps the buttery sea sludge in check. Lobster al pastor glows red and oozes juices from its trips around the trompo, which blend in nicely with the dollop of fluffy pineapple butter on the side. Like Damian’s tight menu—a sub-20 item list that shows off citrusy crustacea and simply seasoned vegetables—the dining experience as a whole thrives on obsessive attention to detail.
The cement-lined room has just enough fine-dining DNA to satisfy the genre’s purists: soft spotlights pointing down on every table, rare bottles of sotol, and servers that are attentive without feeling overbearing. As is typical for most restaurants where you spend $200 per person, the staff moves to a distinct rhythm. Everyone on the floor is so perfectly in sync, it's as if their brains practically touch. The difference is, at Damian, you won’t feel like you’re in a high-end funeral home. Although the early days of untenable reservations may be over, Damian feels alive and well. This dinner destination has only gotten better over the years, substituting pretension with the illusion of settled, carefree ease. Walk in around dinnertime, and you'll see people who can pull off bangs catching up over mushroom mole and mezcal margaritas in curved back chairs, while a table of angel investors work their way through a seafood-packed feast on the patio around back.
A meal here will live in your memory (and maybe your bank account's memory) for years to come. The success of the restaurant on a day-to-day basis—as a place to celebrate an anniversary or simply ball out—has nothing to do with its famous owner’s resume. It could have been a mediocre copycat that relied on its familial privilege, but instead, it's a refreshingly bold Mexican establishment that treats warm tortillas and barbecued fish like royalty. How many other nepo babies can say the same?
Food Rundown
photo credit: Araceli Paz
Duck Carnitas
photo credit: Jakob Layman
Guacamole
photo credit: Jakob Layman
Uni Tostada
photo credit: Jakob Layman
Pescado A La Brasa
Ceviche
photo credit: Araceli Paz