Angler has closed permanently on the ground floor of the Beverly Center after a challenging four-year run. Opened in mid-2019, the San Francisco restaurant came from former Saison Hospitality chef Joshua Skenes, whose three-star Saison and one-star Angler gained accolades over the years. LA’s version of Angler felt like a close copy to the Embarcedero original, though without the sweet views of the Bay Bridge; it was locked instead inside an enclosed space at the Beverly Center. Still, the dimly lit dining room was a favorite among LA diners and especially local and visiting chefs, who appreciate the restaurant’s upscale service, seemingly simple but groundbreaking seafood dishes, and top-rate beverage menu.

During the pandemic, Angler opened a full-on parking lot dining room just next to its valet area, hoping to capture an outdoor dining crowd. In late 2022, it closed for a few weeks to retool its menu and interior. With the new menu and chef team, led by Paul Chung and Brian Limoges, Angler left behind virtually all of its former favorites, including caviar-topped banana pancakes, grilled Parker house rolls, roasted layered potato, “bleeding” radicchio salad, and even an $888 whole king crab preparation. Those dishes, while popular and beloved for their uniqueness, were discarded.

Jakob Layman

They were replaced in February 2023 with a rice-stuffed chicken wing, caviar-topped seaweed rice, and vermillion sashimi with smoked bone vinegar and puffed rice. These new dishes mainly retained the sensibility of Angler but needed time to gain a following. The wood-fired seafood menu kept most of the minimalism of the prior format but veered less toward luxury and more toward the approachable. In fact, all the prices on the menu seemed to tick downward to improve Angler’s approachability. Even the dining room received a layout refresh to provide more energy and conviviality, the tighter quarters felt incongruous with the upscale, fine dining-level service for which Angler was known.

Saison Hospitality issued this statement regarding Angler’s closure:

Saison Hospitality is proud and honored to have served the Los Angeles community. With great difficulty, we have made the decision to close Angler LA and focus our efforts on our concepts in the Bay Area. We first opened Angler LA just before the Covid-19 pandemic and have been deeply moved by the loyalty of our guests as the concept evolved and reopened this year. We are forever grateful for the Angler LA team and their dedication to our ethos of quality product and sustainability, The Beverly Center for their energy and support, and LA’s inspirational culinary landscape.

It’s unclear what will take over the space or if Saison Hospitality will reopen in another location in Los Angeles. Its closure marks the end of the last vestiges of unbridled luxury by way of San Francisco here in Los Angeles.