It’s always a good idea to get a rooftop drink in Los Angeles—a city that, on average, has 275 days of sunshine per year and cinematic views that stretch from the Santa Monica Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. But it’s a great idea to get a drink at Dante, the new ninth-floor bar at the Maybourne Beverly Hills that opens this July.
The name might sound familiar—Dante’s New York City location, after all, was ranked the number one bar in the world in 2019. Yet co-owners Linden Pride and Nathalie Hudson have long had their sights set on an outpost in the city of Angels. For starters, California boasts a similar climate as their native Australia, where they started their hospitality career. Second, California offers the best local produce in the United States. (In fact, it produces nearly half of U.S.-grown fruits, nuts, and vegetables.) Access to fresh quality ingredients and an abundance of sunshine? It was a culinary dream come true. “The Californian lifestyle feels natural to be in,” Pride tells Vogue.
Indeed, both the cocktail and culinary menus lean into staples of the state. Several drinks feature California citrus—from their Mediterranean tonic, to the Seville Spritz, to the Dante Garibaldi (which consists of Campari and freshly-squeezed orange juice.) A standout drink is the Celery Paloma, comprised of blanco tequila, green chartreuse, St Germain, celery bitters, verjus, and lime. “It’s so herbaceous, bright, and beautiful,” Pride says.
For the food, freshly caught seafood abounds. Their Californian Salad comes with pickled onions, cucumber, grilled and chilled shrimp, avocado, and red wine, whereas the grouper ceviche embraces caper leaves, Calabrian chili, citrus, and olive oil. Then there’s the Fregola ai Frutti di Mare with Baja shrimp, scallops, and calamari. (Oh, and there’s also plenty of gourmet pizza.)
The interior, overseen by creative director Hudson, features Pacific Ocean blue banquettes as well as a fresco by Abel Macias. It evokes a garden with its colorful abstract palm leaves and hummingbirds; in the corner sits a lemon tree.
Perhaps the most striking visual element, however, is the outdoor terrace, which boasts a sprawling view of the city and the Hollywood Hills beyond. At sunset, the room is bathed in a dusty pink glow, while at night, the city lights almost make the room twinkle. “We wanted it to have an al fresco feel—to effortlessly have the indoors as an extension of the outdoors,” says Pride. An ideal place to have an artisanal drink… or, considering it is Dante, two.
