New York’s irreverent, maximalist Italian destination, Bad Roman, just made its Los Angeles debut with a new outpost in Beverly Hills. Quality Branded Hospitality, the group behind Don Angie, San Sabino, Limusina, and Quality Italian, opened the restaurant in the former Palm Steakhouse space on May 26.
Bad Roman made its New York debut in 2022, set in the same Columbus Circle building as three-Michelin-starred Per Se. Michael Stillman — the president and founder of Quality Branded Hospitality and the son of the T.G.I. Friday’s and Smith & Wollensky founder, Alan Stillman — seemed to want to color outside the lines of classic Italian cooking. Garlic bread took the form of rippled babka, while charred pepperoni cups got served on their own on a plate
with ranch — no pizza crust in sight. Red leather booths were traded for striped orange seating that would be at home in a Margaritaville, flanked by greyhound statues that look like they could offer passage to another dimension.
Bad Roman brings that same cheeky aura to Beverly Hills, a city known for its suited power lunches, celebrity sightings, and human-looking labradoodles. A menu led by chef partner Craig Koketsu, formerly of Lespinasse, includes the now-famous roasted garlic babka; a seafood tower loaded with Maine lobster, oysters, tuna crudo, and caviar; and a spicy gem Caesar salad. Pastas, made at the restaurant daily, feature kale mafaldine dotted with sun-dried tomatoes, agnolotti bistecca, and Osetra caviar gnocchi. Faroe Island salmon, roasted branzino, and chicken al limone make up the options for larger mains, which can be paired with vegetables such as charred broccoli rabe or spicy Brussels sprouts. Because everything is steakhouse now, two steaks are available: a filet and a Snake River Farms wagyu strip.
For dessert, find blood orange sorbet with whipped zabaglione, a tiramisu ice cream cake, and a caramelized chocolate tart with olive oil gelato. Diners can end the night with sambuca, limoncello, or a Vesuvius Bowl with rum, orgeat, and lime that gets lit on fire.
A beverage menu offers wine, cocktails, plus a handful of Italian Carpool shots, a version of the boilermaker. The Martini Pepperoncini comes tinged with pepperoncini brine and lemon zest; lighter libations include the Spritzy Spritz with prosecco, grapefruit, and Cocchi Americano. Original non-alcoholic options like an espresso shakerato, a Habanero Slush, and a Falso Spritz with St. Agrestis Amaro Falso keep the menu more inclusive. The wine list pulls from across Europe and the West Coast with bottles from Italy, France, California, and Oregon.
GRT Architects designed Bad Roman Beverly Hills, threading in motifs from the New York location, including the looming greyhound statues. The interior channels a wealthy socialite grandmother’s vacation home with palm-printed booths, walls constructed of 1980s-style glass blocks, and ceiling light fixtures resembling a cluster of cells.
Bad Roman marks the latest in a flurry of New York restaurants to make the trek to the West Coast, including Sushi Nakazawa, Alba, Cipriani, and Marea. The trade has gone both ways, in recent months, with Erewhon’s Tonic Bar, Goop, and Canyon Coffee opening in New York.
