LAVO Ristorante Opening Brings Al Fresco Italian Dining to Sunset Strip
Perhaps best known for their hospitality success in Las Vegas and around the world, Tao Group is bringing another dining
Ivy Griffith
Perhaps best known for their hospitality success in Las Vegas and around the world, Tao Group is bringing another dining delight to Los Angeles: LAVO Ristorante. It’s a charming modern take on a coastal Italian villa, with a menu hand-crafted to tempt tastebuds in a city full of options. Now open on Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, LAVO Ristorante is the Italian destination locals have been pining for and visitors to Hollywood didn’t know they needed. CELEB takes a peek into the newest Tao Group venue, and explores why you won’t want to miss LAVO.
LAVO Ristorante Designed to Charm
From the minute you walk in the door, it’s clear that LAVO is designed to bring guests on a journey. Tao Group’s in-house design team, led by VP of Design and Development Susan Nugraha, collaborated with Venice-based Studio Collective to create a destination that is light, airy, elegant – and feels like a coastal Italian villa. With seating for 250, LAVO boasts a horseshoe-shaped bar that creates an intimate feel of community and comfort, evoking an Italianate feel.
When first entering, guests will stroll past the bar-height velvet banquette and marble-topped cocktail tables under a two-story entrance with a skylight. Guests then find themselves entering the main room, a bright and open, high-ceilinged room with hand-blown Italian glass chandeliers.
Color palettes throughout include dark wood, creams and soft blues. The dining area extends to both indoor and outdoor spaces, with the interior boasting a three-story glass ceiling that’s retractable in fair weather. The feature piece is a three-story flowering tree that draws the eyes and brings the outside in for that flawless al fresco dining experience.
A decade and a half ago, LAVO was originally opened as a Turkish bathhouse-themed restaurant, but Mediterranean food hadn’t quite hit its stride yet so it closed. However, the restaurant kept its name – Lavo, “to wash.”
LAVO’s Food and Beverage
Because it’s a Tao property, you know the experience is going to be extraordinary. And the dining and beverage options, second to none. The kitchen at LAVO was dreamed up by Tao’s Chief Culinary Officer Ralph Scamardella. It’s a playful mix of Southern coastal Italian food and Southern California flair. Guests can expect fresh pastas made in-house; pizzas made with whole grain, single-source flour, an extensive offering of wood-fired steaks, chops, chicken al mattone, fresh salads, and locally-sourced vegetables.
Here are some of the stand-out signature dishes you’ll definitely want to try:
- Red Prawn Crudo with bronze fennel, pepperoncini and cara cara orange
- Wood Oven Roasted Artichokes with peas and pecorino toscano
- Cacio e Pepe Pizza with pecorino crema, cracked black pepper and escarole
- ’Silk Handkerchiefs’ pasta with white bolognese and parmigiano
- 1 lb. Wagyu Meatball made with freshly ground Italian sausage, veal and wagyu beef and served with marinara and freshly whipped ricotta.
- Other dishes offered include a salt-baked sea bass and a decadent affogato.
The beverage program is run by Beverage Director Craig Schoettler, known for his creations at The Aviary, MGM Grand and more. Highlights of the cocktail menu include Italian-style Gin and Tonic served in a large Burgundy glass, a passion fruit-infused Sidecar, and a signature ‘Lavo-lini’ cocktail made with Absolut Elyx Vodka, lychee, peach and white cranberry topped with raspberry caviar.
LAVO’s hearty wine offerings include over 230 bottles, with a combination of Old World wines and California vintages.
To plan your evening at LAVO or for more information on the menu, visit the website.
Tao Group’s Success Continues to Climb
For Tao Group, LAVO is another in a long line of extraordinary successes. In the last year alone, Tao has acquired hospitality group Hakkasan – making them the largest premium hospitality group in the world.
And in October of 2021, they opened their first Mexico City restaurant, Ling Ling. This January, Tao announced that they would be reopening the long-anticipated Tao Beach Dayclub at The Venetian Las Vegas.
Whether they’re opening premiere nightlife venues or restaurants, in the United States of around the world, Tao is a name that has become synonymous with excellence. At LAVO Ristorante, guests can expect no less.