The Restaurant Design Awards: Downtown L.A. wins big

Earlier this week we posted a list of local finalists for the first nationwide Restaurant Design Awards, noting that downtown L.A. was heavily represented. We might even have gone so far as to call downtown L.A. a design mecca. (OK, I admit it was I who called it that, and now I have to admit that I was right.)

In last night's ceremony, held by the American Institute of Architects Los Angeles, three out of six Jury Award winners are from downtown L.A. The jury consisted of L.A. Weekly restaurant critic Jonathan Gold; downtown nightlife baron Cedd Moses (wait a minute, downtown nightlife baron ... just kidding, we trust Moses to be objective); design partner Michael Palladino from Richard Meier & Partners Architects; and graphic designer Louise Sandhaus.

And without further ado, the winners are (follow that jump):

Jury Award, restaurant category

Bottega Louie (downtown L.A., woot!)

Chaya Downtown (downtown L.A., woot!)

Houston's Restaurant (Denver)

KAA Restaurant (Sao Paulo, Brazil)

Jury Award, cafe/bar category

Kara's Cupcakes (San Francisco)

Jury Award, lounge/nightclub category

The Conga Room (downtown L.A., woot!)

The People's Choice award winners (voted in by the public) were:

Restaurant category:La Condesa (Austin)

Cafe/bar category:The Lab Gastropub (downtown L.A.-adjacent, woot!)

Lounge/nightclub category: Yoshi's San Francisco (San Francisco)

-- Jessica Gelt

Photo: Chaya Downtown. Credit: Christina House / For The Times

Comments

[Bryian]

These judges obviously have yet to discover The Rustic

[jessica gelt]

Follow this link for information on nominees and to see some nice-looking pictures: http://www.dwellondesign.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=368&Itemid=75

[Chris Kane]

What cities submitted nominees for these awards? Did New York submit an entry, for example? Where can we see the final results and photos of the winning spaces?
CK