Chances are you know Otium as the buzzy downtown dining destination for museum lovers and date night seekers, but it is so much more than that. Located on Grand Avenue among arts and culture giants such as the Broad Museum and Walt Disney Concert Hall, the restaurant is now celebrating its eighth year in a neighborhood that’s seen many restaurant openings and closures.
French Laundry alum and Otium chef Timothy Hollingsworth attributes this steadfastness to his restaurant’s approachable ethos. He greets some neighbors at least once a week at Otium and knows several Angelenos who have dined there more than 200 times.
“The philosophy has always been to create a restaurant that has the ability and flexibility to be very neighborhood oriented, but also have a really eclectic audience,” he says. “At Otium we do that with our type of cuisine, and how we celebrate American cooking.”
Critics have lauded the restaurant, too. The late Los Angeles Times critic Jonathan Gold called Otium the most ambitious new restaurant when it opened in 2015, and Time Out named Otium a Best Bar-Restaurant Program finalist in 2018. That makes it all the more exciting to visit—or revisit—Otium, where Hollingsworth will soon debut Sunday suppers. Read on for four thrilling reasons to dine at Otium.
1. An elevated dining experience that channels homey vibes
“We are not necessarily a special occasion restaurant,” Hollingsworth says. “We’re trying to be inclusive to everybody.” That means diners come in regularly for a burger or roasted chicken with beer—or they can go all out with swanky vegetable and steak preparations such as grilled asparagus with cured egg yolk and quality steak with pickled ramp chimichurri.
Hollingsworth is reinforcing those neighborhoody vibes with a new family-style Sunday supper that kicks off July 9. Expect a Southern-inspired menu with buttermilk fried chicken, little gem salad, fried cornbread, and strawberry shortcake. Other summer celebrations are also in the cards as Hollingsworth plans to man the restaurant’s grill and serve nostalgia-driven plates on Otium’s patio later in the summer.
2. A menu that adapts to diners’ changing tastes…
Hollingsworth credits the restaurant’s success to his team staying on top of what Angelenos are eating right now. Otium is gearing up to bring back its raw bar just as inventive raw seafood preparations are on the rise in LA.
“Our raw bar is less about cocktail shrimp and more about innovative dishes such as hamachi dusted with nori [and] served with tomato and avocado puree,” Hollingsworth says.
Plus, Southland’s ever-expanding embrace of Mexican food is reflected in brunch favorites, such as mole and eggs with blue corn tortillas and pepitas, and popular dinner items, including street corn agnolotti filled with a bright mixture of chile, lime, and cotija.
3. …while also championing its greatest hits
While innovation is core to Otium, Hollingsworth keeps room for crowd favorites. The spinach bucatini—with bacon, clams, crème fraiche, and a soft boiled egg yolk—is one such megahit that’s been on the menu since day one.
The pan-fried naan, inspired by Hollingsworth’s Lebanese mother-in-law, is another favorite. Hollingsworth recommends getting the crispy and fluffy starter with the decadent chicken liver mousse.
4. An eye for hip collaborations
Hollingsworth embraces Otium’s location next to several cultural icons by frequently collaborating with some of the hottest food-and-drink producers across the city. The restaurant recently partnered with Sawtelle Sake on a tasting menu that spotlit California foods such as Morro Bay oysters alongside a wide selection of sweet and mild sakes.
The chef is also psyched to partner with TransparentSea Shrimp Farm, LA’s first sustainable indoor shrimp farm, that supplies the restaurant with soft-shell shrimp for charcoal-grilled prawns. Continuing to push Otium to work with creative producers is the name of the game, Hollingsworth says.
“There’s a lot of understanding and depth and innovation in our dishes,” Hollingsworth says, “so our interest is in really treating the restaurant well and not trying to specialize in one department.”
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Lisa Kwon is a reporter and writer focused on arts and food culture in Los Angeles, CA. Find Lisa on Instagram and Twitter.
