Step Inside L.A.’s Hottest Restaurant, Dante

When The Maybourne Beverly Hills took over the former Montage in 2020, it became the first American outpost for the namesake Maybourne Hotel Group, whose illustrious properties include Claridge’s, The Connaught, and The Berkeley in London. With its mixture of California cool and European panache, The Maybourne Beverly Hills feels like the playful younger sibling to the aforementioned properties, thanks to its inviting interiors and technicolour collections of contemporary art.

In addition to the Barbie-pink Moke parked out front, guests will enjoy the newly renovated rooms and suites, along with the steady rotation of modern art on view by Damien Hirst, Jennifer Guidi, and Ed Ruscha, to name a few. Downstairs, a sprawling 20,000-square-foot spa beckons visitors to unwind, while on the rooftop, a taste of la dolce vita awaits at the newly opened Dante Beverly Hills.

This summer, the renowned New York restaurant and bar made its west coast debut on the hotel’s ninth floor, subsequently becoming one of the hottest reservations in town. Crescent-shaped banquettes swathed in sapphire-coloured velvet anchor the glamorous dining room, which overlooks the Hollywood Hills and legendary sign. City views aside, however, it’s the restaurant’s striking ceiling, with murals by Los Angeles artist Abel Macias, that lingers most in memory.

Since the hotel’s opening, diners of all ages have flocked to Dante Beverly Hills for the stellar ambiance and award-winning, aperitivo-style cocktails, including its famous negronis and the Dante Garibaldi. Every day from 3 to 5 p.m., Dante’s award-winning martinis are also available for purchase at the piano bar, where the sights and sounds of shaken cocktails and frosty glasses are sure to whet the appetite.

Hotel guests can even enjoy Dante’s full menu by the rooftop swimming pool, be it in the comfort of a private cabana or at the adjacent alfresco terrace. And while lunches in the restaurant are light-filled and leisurely, come dinner, the dim-lit dining room revs up the romance. A cool California breeze dances amidst the flickering candles and sounds of the grand piano while patrons catch up with cocktails in hand. The decadent farm-to-table cuisine draws inspiration from the Mediterranean and incorporates locally sourced ingredients like heirloom tomato and sweet peach salads and crispy king salmon. Much of the menu, including the lineup of savoury pizzas drizzled with whipped ricotta and hot honey, centres on a wood-fired oven, lovingly nicknamed “Dante’s Inferno.” (Both the oven and the multitude of olive trees were carefully hoisted to the roof via crane.)

Recreating Dante’s signature magic, albeit with California flair, was a labour of love for the husband-and-wife co-owners, Linden Pride and Nathalie Hudson, who oversaw the design of the property, as well. “We have always been inspired by Maybourne Hotel Group’s sense of hospitality,” Pride says. “When the opportunity arose for Dante to open at its Beverly Hills hotel, it felt like kismet. The Los Angeles market has intrigued us for some time, and we couldn’t be happier to immerse ourselves in the community.”

Photography by Giada Paoloni.