If you’ve begun to wonder whether L.A. can have too many restaurants featuring white-tiled walls, marble-topped bars and shiny brass light fixtures, we’re here to tell you that it unequivocally can't—especially after we’ve spent some time in Fundamental’s new Downtown location. The sibling to the popular Westwood spot is now up and running, but this time as a breezy, bright, all-day cafe and bakery.
“It's just so different,” says general manager Jarred Tosto. “Downtown has such a great demographic, and so is the concept of Downtown itself: where it's almost like New York, how everyone is a daily commuter. We have about 1,200 people who walk up and down this sidewalk between twelve and two.”
Unlike the Westwood outpost (which opens for lunch, stops for prep and reopens for full dinner service) Fundamental DTLA serves from 7am to 7pm, catering to the neighborhood’s busy foot traffic and business crowd, as well as its growing number of residents—the new cafe sits beneath the 700-unit Eight & Grand luxury apartments, after all.
There aren’t formal entrées, as there are at the original Fundamental, but you will find a collection of palate- and aesthetically-pleasing dishes. At breakfast, look out for the grain-and-seed bowl with kale, avocado mousse and a soft egg; the house-smoked brisket hash with egg and gochujang; and the turkey-sausage breakfast burrito with aji verde, as well as a pastry case laden with goods baked that morning. (Word to the wise: Don’t skip that cinnamon roll with espresso frosting.) At lunch, opt for sandwiches with meats slow-roasted on-site, such as the chicken torta with crema, guacamole and roasted-tomato salsa.
Fundamental is somewhat of a split concept: dine in with table service inside or on the patio, or walk straight up to the cold case for cookies, s’mores bars, cakes and a range of pre-made sides, such as roasted carrot salad with mint and lime, or Brussels sprouts with lemon zest in a citrus-and-honey vinaigrette. There’s also a full coffee bar with Stumptown nitro and cold brew on tap, and in about a month, they'll offer cocktails, beer and wine.
There’s yet another bonus for the DTLA office crowd: catering comprises 50 or 60 percent of the Westwood Fundamental’s events sales already, so expect catering from the DTLA branch, as well.
“We want to be right in the mix here,” says co-owner Woogene Lee.
Check out more photos from the charming space:
Photograph: Courtesy Fundamental DTLA/Wonho Frank Lee
Photograph: Courtesy Fundamental DTLA/Wonho Frank Lee
Photograph: Courtesy Fundamental DTLA/Wonho Frank Lee
Fundamental DTLA is now open at 750 South Grand Avenue, from 7am to 7pm, daily.