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Seeing art can be intimidating. Typically you’re welcomed by a stone-faced gallerist wearing octagonal glasses. The space is silent, but it’s likely you’ll forget this vital fact and wear your loudest pair of shoes. And when the show turns out to be a conceptual video loop of middle-aged men sitting in silence, you’ll find that you’ve worked up quite an appetite. The good news is, if you’re at Hauser & Wirth, you’re standing 100 feet away from Manuela—a restaurant that, despite being inside an art gallery, isn’t intimidating or stuffy. It’s just a cool place to hang out, whether or not art is part of your agenda.
Located on 3rd Street a stone's throw away from the pricey candle shops and specialty cafes at the heart of the Arts District, Manuela is a charming escape. The part-indoor, part-outdoor restaurant faces an expansive courtyard that feels more like the quaint square of a little European town than a converted milling plant downtown. Maneula’s open-air space extends from a covered patio to a roofless garden that ranks among our all-time favorite outdoor situations in LA. When you step into the lush courtyard hidden behind the gallery’s gift shop, you’ll be met with chickens waddling around a coop surrounded by herb beds, fruit trees, and murals.
photo credit: Jakob Layman
At Manuela, most of the dishes are Southern and involve lots of vegetables. From skillet cornbread to pork chops with charred broccoli di ciccio, the somewhat fancy menu has subtle nods to down home cooking that should mostly feel familiar. That said, most of the entrees are a little disappointing. The $24 deer burger comes on a chalky brioche bun and is in desperate need of salt. And the $31 chicken plate is just that, a $31 plate of chicken that falls flat. With drinks, you could easily spend $100 per person on an underwhelming dinner here, but that doesn’t mean Manuela isn’t worth your time.
Watch and learn from the Arts District regulars sipping negronis and sharing smoked albacore dip at the bar — stick to the small plates. From sweet Kusshi oysters to trout tartare, Manuela has lots of great options to choose from. But their fluffy cream biscuits are a must-order. You get three on a wooden butcher block, along with a small mountain of aged country ham that’ll make you consider selling your car to open a farm. Whether you’re visiting the gallery or not, we can’t think of a better spot than Manuela to stop by for drinks and a light bite in the late afternoon.
Manuela is an art gallery's restaurant, but it doesn’t feel like an afterthought. Sure, you’ll likely be surrounded by people who apparently prefer clothes that require an instruction manual to get into. But Manuela is both approachable and ideal for a laid-back hang in the area. A meal here might not help you understand that video loop in the gallery, but it will lead to some life-changing biscuits on an outstanding patio.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Jakob Layman
Cream Biscuits With Country Ham
photo credit: Jakob Layman
Smoked Half-Chicken
photo credit: Jakob Layman