Bavel

What do you get when you take the husband and wife team behind the essential LA hotspot Bestia and give them full reign to cook up the food they always seemed inclined to make? The answer is the best new restaurant in LA that isn’t from a proud Burgundian or New York’s Ssäm sovereign. At Bavel, which is located in none other than the Arts District the couple helped popularize, Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis are drawing upon their cultural heritage and fully exploring the Middle Eastern flavors they so often teased us with at Bestia. Whereas at Bestia one may have ordered charred shishito peppers with paprika aioli, at Bavel that very same person may be inclined to try the marinated okra served atop whipped feta and liberally seasoned with a vibrant combination of cumin, mint, turmeric, black lime, and marash pepper. Guests with a penchant for the pan-roasted chicken gizzards at Bestia would be well advised to spring for Bavel’s oyster mushroom kebabs with lovage and cardamom puree. The skillful roasting of these massive skewers is a show in and of itself and in our opinion, the charred funghi just might top the rustic offal counterparts served at the sister restaurant. It wouldn’t be a complete meal without some bread and we highly advise insist that all guests at Bavel indulge in the Malawach, a crispy layered bread served with dill creme fraiche, an aged egg, and piquant strawberry zoug. We’d also be doing you a disservice if we didn’t tell you to order the duck ‘nduja hummus, a dish that you’ve probably seen all over your IG feed if you haven’t been living in a cave. While you may be stuffed by this point, don’t even think about leaving Bavel without attempting to tackle the slow roasted lamb neck shawarma. This fall-apart tender dish will literally turn heads as it makes its way to your table, and while the tower of meat served with tahini, fermented cabbage, pickled turnips, and laffa just might be a little too much at this point, you’ll be thankful for the leftovers when lunchtime rolls around the next day and your coworkers are unwrapping cold turkey sandwiches packed from home. It’s no secret that Gergis is one of the top pastry chefs in the country, and as much as we like to promote moderation, who are we kidding. Starting with the licorice ice cream bon bon is a perfect way to wade into the sweet end of the menu and we couldn’t imagine closing out a meal here with anything other than the warm rose clove chocolate donuts with a textbook sherry diplomat cream.