The year’s end is upon us, but there is still time to make plans for New Year’s Eve. The Courier has compiled some of the top special menu and dinner party options around town for a final blowout, or low-key evening to help you ring in 2025 with style.
Dinner and Dancing
The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills has recently debuted a speakeasy concept, Veil & Velvet, that has transformed the former bar-lounge into a sexy venue inspired by old-school piano bars and A-list private dining clubs.
Rich wood paneling, leather seating and velvet banquettes are perfect for a cozy night with the martini menu and a Wagyu burger “Royale with Cheese” served with thin truffle fries. The most playful and indulgent addition is the “press for caviar button” that can be found inside a small silver jewel box on the table. The options are full Petrosian service or just a bump served on a pearl spoon in an ice crystal vessel. Decadent desserts from new Executive Pastry Chef and Food Network personality Riccardo Menicucci include a banana split or Napoletano with gold dust.
Venture back to the Roaring ‘20s with the Great Gatsby New Year’s Eve Celebration on Dec. 31 from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. (minimum spend per table of two is $400) that includes live entertainment and midnight Champagne toast.
Photo courtesty Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills
Live Entertainment
For a stunning rooftop skyline setting, Dante at the Maybourne will offer a cocktail party evening on New Year’s Eve from 8 p.m. until 12:30 a.m. Enjoy signature libations, passed canapés and gourmet food stations, along with live entertainment ($295 per person).
If you’re in the mood to boogie, head over to the New Year’s Eve Disco Ball party at Espelette at Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills. The night will feature live entertainment, passed canapés, and an open bar with cocktails, wine and beer ($275 per person). The Rooftop Beverly Hills will offer an á la carte brunch and three-course prix fixe dinner ($275 per person) and party, featuring the flavors of East and West.
If a multicourse, seated dinner is more your style, AVRA Beverly Hills is offering a five-course New Year’s Eve dinner with seatings beginning at 9 p.m. The special menu includes Chilean sea bass, prime New York strip and lobster pasta, paired with fine wines. Guests will enjoy live music, a DJ, party favors, a photo booth and Champagne toasts throughout the evening ($275 per person).
Jade on Canon Drive is offering an array of prix fixe dining and live entertainment options beginning with seatings at 4:30 p.m. or 7 p.m. to a late-night party starting at 10 p.m. ($150 per person). There is also a VIP table experience from $250 per person that includes sushi specialties, a bottle of Taittinger Champagne, plus premium bottle service. Or you can opt for open bar tickets starting at $125 for entry at 10 p.m. or $75 for late entry after midnight.
On New Year’s Eve, BOA Steakhouse on Sunset Boulevard will serve a special prix fixe menu featuring hamachi tartare, grilled lamb lollipops and a maple leaf duck breast by Executive Chef Brendan Collins. Festivities also include a Champagne toast at midnight, a live DJ and party favors. (First Seating 5-7 p.m. for $125, Second Seating 7:30 p.m. for $215).
Sunset Plaza Drive seafood destination Saltie Girl will ring in the New Year with Champagne, oysters and live music. With a minimum spend of $90 per person, guests will receive a complimentary Champagne toast and hors d’oeuvres for the table. From 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., the dining room will morph into a piano bar, and they encourage guests to have their song requests ready.
Elegant Dinner Options
Celebrate like a star at The Beverly Hilton’s CIRCA 55. On Dec. 31, guests are invited to “Start the Night in Style” with premium cocktails from 6-9 p.m. From 5-10 p.m., enjoy a grand five-course dinner and sparkling wine, complemented by live jazz ($164.26 per person). Enter the New Year with the “Glam & Groove” package from 10 p.m. to 1:30 a.m., while enjoying premium cocktails, an open bar and DJ.
Costa Covo Osteria at L’Ermitage Beverly Hills is offering its first season of holiday dining menus. Ring in the New Year with a choice of two seatings (6-8 p.m. $175 per person) and late (9 p.m. to 12 a.m. $275 per person) with an array of options including a three-course meal with blue crab éclair or beef tartare, and options of goose liver terrine, butter-poached halibut, Rohan duck breast and Black Hawk Farms Wagyu New York strip. Festive holiday cocktails and mocktails will be curated by Moët Hennessy.
For an unforgettable sushi experience, Sushi by Scratch Restaurants at SLS Beverly Hills will offer its signature 17-course omakase with special one-night additions ($285 per seating). A $100 enhancement can be added, which includes exclusive truffle and caviar additions to the restaurant’s unique nigiri pieces. The evening includes a complimentary Champagne toast to close out 2024.
Affordable Newcomer
Marea Beverly Hills, currently in a soft-opening phase, will serve dinner starting at 5 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. A festive evening will ensue beginning at 9 p.m., for a very reasonable $125 per person. This exclusive ticket includes passed canapés in the bar and lounge, complemented by a welcome cocktail and a glass of prosecco for toasting at midnight.
Photo courtesy of Lawry’s Prime Rib/Eugene Dela Cruz
Early Birds
Lawry’s The Prime Rib Beverly Hills will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on New Year’s Eve for a limited menu featuring its legendary roasted prime ribs of beef, carved tableside from silver carts. Other seasonal options include roasted butternut squash soup and salmon Rockefeller, to name a few, all while enjoying the roaming Christmas carolers in the dining room. For a toast, opt for a decadent house-made eggnog crafted from Heaven’s Door Ascension Kentucky Straight Bourbon, with cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla.
A.O.C. on Third Street is ringing in the New Year with a lively New Orleans-style celebration starting at 6 p.m. Suzanne Goin has crafted a festive multicourse NOLA-inspired menu, along with “Boozy Big Easy” cocktails and a Champagne flight curated by Caroline Styne ($150 per guest for food and one glass of sparkling wine).
For something low-key, just a few doors down on Third Street, Cesare Ristorante is a new romantic, hidden gem, showcasing family recipes from meatballs to pasta, along with whole grilled fish and meat, and a fine wine selection. Restaurateur Cesare Vietina hails from his family’s Michelin-starred restaurant in Forte Dei Marmi, Italy before he helped to open Giorgio Baldi in Beverly Hills, and he co-owned the legendary Madeo, along with his wife Pamela, who makes everyone feel at home. Reservations are open from 5:30 p.m. on New Year’s Eve.
