The first thing you notice when you walk into a restaurant is its style — even if you think you aren’t paying attention, even if your main concern is sitting down to alleviate your hunger. As you walk to your table you take in the sights and sounds. There’s the music playing, the gleam of glassware, the attire of both the servers and guests, the convergence of light and color and sound — with every gesture, the place conveys a message. The most stylish eateries, like the most stylish people, come across as cool and collected, but they do so in a way that feels natural. Whether quirky or classic, shabby-chic or industrial, a well-styled eatery immediately communicates that you’ve come to the right place. Here are five of our favorites across the country.
Photography by Yoshihiro Makino
Stellar Jay
Stellar Jay sits atop Populus, a new Denver hotel celebrated for both its eye-catching wavy design and environmental mindfulness, so it makes sense that this rooftop hotspot would overflow with flourishes that pay homage to nature. The green cork walls, for instance, dovetail with earthy furniture tones of brown and gold to give you the subconscious impression that you’re perched in a tree house — a sensation that’s enhanced by the Canopy, a light installation by fabrication studio Raw Creative. Its steel disks bounce the glow around like the dappling of sunlight through leaves. Amble back to the bar and you’ll find an entire wall of charred tree-trunk cross-sections created by artist and activist Katherine Homes, inspired by the Japanese practice of yakisugi. And then, of course, there’s the Colorado clincher: a sweeping view of the Rocky Mountains in the distance.
Photography by Brian Doll / Design by Design 4 Corners
Leu Leu
Just as anyone can sing in the shower, anyone can decorate. But enjoying a meal at a truly stylish restaurant is like listening to a song sung by a voice so distinct that you’ll never hear it the same way again. That’s Leu Leu. It’s situated on the Pacific Coast Highway in a stubbornly Bohemian enclave of San Diego County, and its exterior looks like a motel because, well, that’s what it used to be. Chef Claudette Zepeda — who grew up on both sides of the border between California and Mexico — has converted that space into an indoor/outdoor bungalow and boudoir that celebrates music, wine, romance, family and personal reinvention. In the corner of the dining room is a shrine abounding with vinyl albums and wine bottles, but taking a look at the more minuscule details throughout the restaurant unveils the scope of Zepeda’s vision — from the vintage goblets into which she heaps her madcap sundaes to the way the bill appears inside a cookie tin along with a poem and spool of thread. “I’ve always said that restaurants are living organisms and are incredibly sensitive to changes of energy within them,” she says. “I have felt the need to fly my freak flag as high as possible here, without holding back.”
Photography by Matt Battiest
Oliver’s
This Windy City eatery boasts “classic flavors and retro charm,” but this isn’t another restaurant predictably mining Mad Men nostalgia. Created to conjure the spirit of a supper club in 1930s Los Angeles with Persian rugs, velvet booths, portraits of pioneering jazz musicians and a martini that comes accompanied by a relish tray, Oliver’s pairs the ritziness of another era with the knowingness of now. As Creative Director and General Manager Alexandria Duarte puts it, “we’ve tried to make it relevant to today.” So there’s a roast chicken and slabs of sourdough bread fried in beef fat — thanks to chef Alex Carnovale, who grew up in Los Angeles — but there are also tiger prawns with garam masala and diver scallops with calamansi vinegar. The South Loop by way of Old Hollywood with a layover in Southeast Asia? What’s more stylish than dreaming about what might’ve been?
Photography by Evan Sung
Crevette
Entering Crevette is like taking the subway to Provence, France. It pulses with colors — sky blue and sunshine yellow and birthday-party pink — and it glows with a light that seems positively oceanic. “We wanted the restaurant to feel like it could open onto the Mediterranean Sea,” says co-owner Patricia Howard. “Like you’re on vacation, like you’re not in New York City.” She and chef/co-owner Ed Szymanski shipped in antique wood chairs from France, selected curtains and lampshades from the stripe maestros at Colours of Arley in London and commissioned Los Angeles artist Michael McGregor to paint a 10-foot-long painting of “a dinner table in bright beachy colors.” But they didn’t stop there — because the ideal vacation never ends. “The bathrooms are painted in bold color combinations inspired by the beach umbrellas of Capri,” Howard adds. “The exterior’s awning is yellow with cream stripes. The host stand is pink. Even the steak knives have brightly colored handles — pink, orange, blue, yellow.” Indeed, the vibrant hues of Crevette can transport you to sun-soaked days, no matter the season.
Photography by Nicole Guglielmo
My Loup
The menu here is always in flux, but if you’re lucky, you’ll encounter a signature dish that looks like something Mom or Dad might have served as an afterschool snack if they happened to have spent a semester at Le Cordon Bleu: a plate of cold roast beef slices meant to be wrapped around French fries, radishes and sprigs of watercress to be dipped in aioli. Such a seemingly effortless (and absurdly delicious) dish reflects the homey aesthetic of My Loup. Many restaurants have a little pile of cookbooks for sale; this one has an entire wall of bookshelves. This curated clutter reflects the bountiful-but-no-frills spirit that chef Alex Kemp and his partner, Amanda Shulman, bring to everything they build. “It’s important to us that My Loup feels personal and intimate,” he says. “The bookshelves give us a chance to add trinkets and personal belongings — photos, sports memorabilia, cookbooks — to make the guests feel like they’re eating at their best friend’s house.”
