GATHER AROUND FOR WAGYU AND OCTOPUS SKEWERS AT HOLLYWOOD’S VIBEY NEW LEBANESE HOTSPOT
Chef Charbel Hayek’s second LA restaurant in just over a year, Laya, opens a block away from the Hollywood Farmers Market, where the chef shops for produce every week. Hayek, the season two winner of Top Chef: Middle East, debuts Laya on Tuesday, July 2, inside the former La Mesa Lounge and Restaurant with a familiar yet casual menu that takes cues from his 2023 opening Ladyhawk.
With Laya, Hayek’s got an easy approach by incorporating farmers market ingredients with California, Lebanese, and other flavors from the Middle East. “I’m excited to show the world how much you can do with this cuisine while also keeping the identity,” says Hayek.
Hayek organized the menu with appetizers, skewers, and shareable plates like charred beetroot hummus with a house-made pita that comes out piping hot. Starters include lamb ribs, butter lettuce radicchio salad, and fried kibbeh topped with hummus, pickled onion, and jalapeño. On skewers come wagyu beef or octopus with lemon, with charred cucumber tzatziki and ancho chile.
The Lebanese-born chef takes full advantage of the grill with red seabream with a mojo chile tahini and pomegranate molasses. A group can try a mixed grilled platter with wagyu, chicken shish taouk, and beef kofta surrounded by roasted tomato and chile, grilled onion, and pickled cucumber.
Sunset Entertainment Group (SEG) recruited Hayek along with Studio Mood design to rework the 6,500 square-foot mostly outdoor space. The custom cover will keep things warm in colder months, and 157 total. Situated one block south of Sunset Boulevard on Cahuenga, Laya has Tulum vibes for days with muted tones, custom built-in banquettes, a fire pit, and two bars.
Former Republique, Bavel, and Lucques sommelier Adam Ohler created the wine list specifically for each menu section with bottles from Lebanon, France, California, and more. Longtime bar specialist Bobby Jackson took care of the cocktails, with either original drinks or twists on the familiar while paying homage to Laya’s flavors. The Llamas de Vida cocktail is made with Union mezcal, cantaloupe, firewater, and a house-made Aleppo pepper rim inspired by Tajín.
26-year-old Hayek has found success in LA since opening his West Hollywood restaurant in 2023, succeeding with that didn’t exist in West Hollywood: an upscale Middle Eastern restaurant. Now that SEG has brought him on for their latest restaurant, Hayek appears well-positioned to boost Southern California’s modern Lebanese and Middle Eastern dining scene.
Starting Tuesday, July 2, Laya is open from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The bar remains open until midnight. Laya is located at 1430 N. Cahuenga Boulevard, Hollywood, 90028. Reservations can be made here.
