For months, it seemed like all of Brentwood was anxiously awaiting the arrival of Great White. Taking over the former space where the Tavern dining room once stood on Darlington Avenue—right behind Suzanne Goin and Caroline Stein’s second location of A.O.C., the Aussie hotspot is the latest beloved upscale restaurant group to expand to the neighborhood. In recent months, locals have welcomed Ospi, Matu Kai and Tu Madre, with more on the way including Italian favorite Terroni in Brentwood Village.
With three other Great White outposts in iconic LA locations—Venice Beach, Larchmont Village and West Hollywood—the founders and co-owners Sam Trude and Sam Cooper are bringing the wildly popular casual all-day café and cool Aussie vibe that they founded in 2017 to the area.
“Each Great White venue, including Brentwood, has been carefully selected for its neighborhood setting and welcoming indoor-outdoor layouts that are intentionally visible from the street,” said Trude. “One of the most exciting elements of expanding the brand is immersing ourselves in all the unique pockets in and around Los Angeles and curating elements of our experience to meet the needs of that specific customer.”
In this case, it’s a striking green-hued façade and white striped awning with an open-air, indoor-outdoor veranda-style patio and dining room that looks like a café you might find in Bondi Beach, Tulum or even Greece. As you breeze past the bar area to a table, two large-scale artworks by Los Angeles-based artist Michael Harnish are a stunning focal point. This collage-turned-painting piece is composed from a blend of botanical books, fashion magazines and commercial signage across Southern California and plays a key role in the designas the owners strive to support artists at all of the locations.
“While each Great White is unique, there are common threads that tie them all together so that guests can experience something different while being comforted by a sense of familiarity,” said Cooper. “At Brentwood, you will see the ceramic sconces that we feature across all Great White locations, rough plastered walls, reclaimed wood and natural stone flooring as well as an evolved color palette in the green exterior that pays homage to the pre-existing green atrium, an architectural lighting concept that welcomes an abundance of sunlight into the interior dining room throughout the day.”
The new 2,700-square-foot space is also fitted with custom hi-fi speakers designed in collaboration with Venice DJ and audiophile Max Ville of Ville Sound—perfect for streaming the brand’s cult-followed playlists. Each of the various speakers throughout the dining room consists of custom, handmade wooden multi-cell horns with each cabinet made from white oak.
As for the food, the Brentwood menu is helmed by longstanding chef Juan Ferreiro and features the restaurant’s signature breakfast classics (available until 3pm), including the Great White Breakie with folded eggs and goat cheese and the breakfast burrito, which has become the “McCarthy Salad” of the menu as it’s the most requested item and contains finely diced avocado, bacon, Oaxacan cheese, scrambled eggs and tater tots with chipotle aioli. The dual lunch and dinner-friendly menu flows into poké bowls, sandwiches, tacos and wood-fired pizzas. A few new seasonal additions to the menu include chicken stuffed crispy gyoza wings, steak frites and a Swim Club sandwich with grilled chicken and basil pesto on a ciabatta bun, plus a specialty strawberry matcha.
The natural wine program showcases biodynamic and organic wines from small, independent producers around the world that rotates. For day drinking, try the Brunch Punch with prosecco, fresh orange and grapefruit juice, or at night a trio of mini martinis that include a “dirty” with smoked olives, vesper and an espresso version. New to the libation menu is the Pretty Pink Drink concocted with patron reposado, mezcal, lo-fi amaro, pineapple and lime; and a Tangerine Margarita with Ilegal Mezcal Joven, citrus and salt; or go with the Zero-Proof Margarita in partnership with LA-based non-alcoholic spirits brand Optimist.
“We’re thrilled by the opportunity to continue to evolve our holistic approach to hospitality in Brentwood,” said Trude. “We’re excited to be able to open our doors to the community and provide locals and visitors alike with a welcoming neighborhood cafe.”
Great White Brentwood; 11660 Darlington Ave.; 424-325-6644; greatwhite.cafe
"While each Great White is unique, there are common threads that tie them all together."