Led by the culinary team of  Michael Teich, David Johns and SLAB’s Burt Bakman, the h.wood Group has brought a new pop-up restaurant to the rooftop of the Beverly Hilton featuring a vibrant and exciting authentic Mediterranean menu in a stunning setting with sprawling rooftop views.

Open for brunch on weekends and dinner during the week, Sant’olina is the best thing that has happened to the Hilton since Merv Griffin’s Le Petit Escoffier, the plushy French restaurant that left the space in the ‘90s.

Energetic and updated, the 8th floor overlooking Beverly Hills and Downtown L.A. offers a vegetable forward menu, which includes options like honey whipped yogurt with housemade granola, stewed cherries and apricots topped with fresh berries.  

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Honey whipped yogurt with housemade granola, stewed cherries and apricots (Michele Stueven

The warm and oozy Tunisian shakshouka of tomato and peppers is highly recommended and served in a cast iron skillet. It’s topped with two bright orange sunshine yolk Hi Desert Eggs and crusty housemade bread for dipping alongside a bright and vinegary herb salad. 

Also worth a try is the salty phyllo baked halloumi cheese with herbed yogurt, chermoula, green tahina crowned with two sunshine yolks, a savory contrast to the weekend mimosa.  

There are also sweet options like the babka French toast made with chocolate, caramelized bananas and vanilla cream.

While the landscape of the Beverly Hilton has changed – the legendary Trader Vic’s is also gone and the adjacent historic Robinson’s department store has been leveled – the original entrance to the exclusive Le Petit Escoffier still stands and the new Sant’olina radiates an energy that evokes memories of the Hilton’s illustrious history.

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Sant’olina at the Beverly Hilton (Michele Stueven)

 

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