10 / 10. Beautiful, poetic food. Contemporary restaurant by Chef Timothy Hollingsworth.
Otium is probably one of our most favorite restaurants in downtown Los Angeles. We first heard of Hollingsworth when we watched Netflix's Final Table. Hollingsworth was a contestant on the show and came with some exceptional honors - Ex-chef at Thomas Keller's The French Laundry, and James Beard Award for Rising Star Chef of the Year.
First to manage your expectations: Otium is a celebrity-chef restaurant, it is a little pricey, quantities are small. Perfect for a celebration, costly for a regular lunch stop by DTLA. Great idea to check out The Broad, a contemporary art museum on Grand Ave when you visit. Brunch or lunch times are good times to visit. Reservations in advance will help. The restaurant offers valet, that's the best way to go.
The restaurant has an open kitchen concept with indoor and outdoor spaces. They had a huge wine list, and we saw folks making pasta. The Otium menu is fascinating with a lot of vegetarian options. The servers were super-duper knowledgeable which is rare to see.
Of course, these photos below paint an artistic picture.
These are all the things we ordered. The menu keeps changing so you may find different items, but there are no bad choices - this place is fabulous! I also do hope they bring back some of these dishes.
This fancy omelette costs $36. Ooh, la la. I know! crazy. It was made with an ancient recipe and it was fantastic.
The Farro salad with cranberries, watercress and sumac was amaze-balls.
Hummus and Muhammara - lovely....tiny portions though. Not dairy free.
Grilled asparagus. Tastes nothing like what you may had had. Just gorgeously grilled!
Grilled cheese (Read: GET OUT! I don't want to share this with my child...!)
Saffron lemonade (just delish, one is enough to make you very happy!)
Website: https://otiumla.com
Address: 222 South Hope Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Opening hours
Brunch - Walk Ins Only! No Reservations. Saturday-Sunday 11:00 AM-2:00 PM
Lunch - Walk Ins Only! No Reservations! Tuesday-Friday 11:00 AM-2:00 PM
Dinner - Tuesday-Thursday 4:30-9:00 PM
Friday-Saturday 4:30 - 10:00 PM
Sunday 4:30-9:00 PM
Closed - Monday
First published: 2/25/2020
Revised: 4/18/2023
LA-based Green Sea Shellsis an online magazine that encapsulates the vibrant essence of Indian-American life, culture, and family travel. Join our community and subscribe to our complimentary monthly newsletter, Roots & Routes. Some of our GSS articles contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking a link, we’ll collect a share of sales at no additional cost to you.