Wolfgang Puck to Close Upscale Restaurant at Hotel Bel-Air After More Than a Decade

Chef Wolfgang Puck, one of America’s most recognizable culinary figures, is moving on from Hotel Bel-Air at the end of March, ending an 11-year run overseeing a high-end restaurant at the LA hospitality landmark. The Dorchester Collection-owned property has mutually agreed to part ways with Puck as of March 31, with no new tenant listed for the property as of yet.

Puck is an indelible part of the Los Angeles food landscape, and he has many other restaurants around the world and locally, including spots not far away in Beverly Hills and on the Sunset Strip. Still, the Hotel Bel-Air is an ultra-luxe hideaway for travelers staying in LA, so losing the Puck name there (without knowing who is coming in next) is rather meaningful. The Puck closure also puts the hotel’s annual high-end barbecue series — which has previously featured international names like Francis Mallmann — into limbo.

A full statement from the Dorchester Collection on the separation is below:

The partnership between Hotel Bel-Air and Wolfgang Puck will not be renewed by mutual agreement when it expires on March 31, 2023. Wolfgang Puck has managed food and beverage operations at the hotel since 2011 and we are very proud of the success the partnership has brought over the last 11 years. However, we have now mutually agreed to go in a different direction. Dorchester Collection will continue its relationship with Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group in London with CUT at 45 Park Lane.

Beer party at the beach

Brews & Bites is back at the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel in Dana Point on Sunday, February 19, as part of the luxury property’s Culinary Cookout on the Coast series. This event will feature some of Southern California’s most recognizable craft beer brands including the Bruery and Bottle Logic, as well as Bow & Arrow Brewing (a Native American woman-owned brewery from New Mexico) and the People’s Republic of South Central, the first Black-owned craft beer brewery in South LA. For $150 attendees get unlimited pours of beer as well as snacks like Bavarian pretzels, Korean corn dogs, and more.

Free ramen, and a party

Jinya Ramen Bar has landed its 50th location in Long Beach, its fifth California outlet, with an opening slated for February 6. The quickly-growing chain will drop into 6480 E. Pacific Coast Highway in just one week’s time, with free ramen bowls for lunch and dinner to the first 50 diners in line. There will even be one golden ramen bowl for a lucky diner meant to commemorate the arrival of the group’s 50th location.

Luxury in Santa Monica

Chef Luigi Fineo (Tatel, Luigi al Teatro) is guest cheffing at Papille Gustative at 2823 Main Street in Santa Monica for a few nights next month. Fineo’s Love Letter to Puglia will run as a four-course tasting menu with luxurious touches like caviar, sparkling wine, uni, truffles, and more beginning Friday, February 10, and running through Tuesday, February 14. Expect multiple seatings at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. most nights, with tickets available (with wine pairing, tax, and gratuity) for $195.

Sunday suppers

Botanica in Silver Lake is launching a new series of Sunday Suppers, with collaborations from some of the city’s most well-known names like Bridgetown Roti, Woon, and Fly by Jing. The ongoing events will focus primarily on vegetables spread across a half-dozen dishes or so, and can be booked in advance on Resy.