Enjoyed this restaurant! Did not know it was here, we were looking for a different restaurant that was closed. Glad we decided to try Damian. The staff was on it, they were friendly and attentive. All courses were explained to us by our waiter David. We enjoyed our conversations with David and the overall pleasant atmosphere. We were pleasantly surprised by all courses, they were absolutely delicious. We will be back to try some more delicious dishes. read more

Damian - Hibiscus Meringue - Mexican Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Heard many great things about Damian so I decided to bring my boyfriend here for his birthday dinner. I made a reservation two weeks in advance. Oh my the service was really great. They constantly filled our waters, checked up/updated us on our food wait times. We had to wait 45 mins for our food to come out and the server kept apologizing and gave us a free drink to accommodate the situation. That was very kind of them. For the food, we ordered the octopus huarache, duck al pastor, and tetela. I liked the octopus and duck al pastor but would skip out on tetela next time. The octopus was so smooth and not rubbery, even my bf was impressed. Duck al pastor melted in my mouth and I really enjoyed it with the pineapple sauce it comes with. We wanted to try the chamomile soft serve but they didn't have that when we went so we skipped out on desserts. TLDR: Aesthetics are a vibe. Service is great. Food is good. It's worth a try. read more

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We've been to Damian a few times. The food has always been great - creative and interesting. But what got me to write this review was the most recent experience with my wife's birthday. We had a large group and they were extremely accommodative - and it made the experience amazing. Service could not have been better. It was great read more

Ambiance: very cool mix of industrial and botanical. The outdoor area looks very nifty, as well. Food: The standouts to me were the tlayuda and the lobster Al pastor taco with pineapple butter. My partner's favorites were the lobster Taco and the carne asada. But honestly, even the guacamole was unique- it had Thai Basil, mint, and cilantro leaves on top. All in all Truly magical. And we had the cacao and cherimoya dessert- WOW. So complex and unique and delicious. Cocktail wise, also excellent; I had a sort of riff on a white Negroni that was so good my partner ordered a second for us to split. Given the consistency of how good it all was, I'm kinda shocked this place doesn't already have a Michelin. Everything we had was balanced, and really inspiring. Service: Randi and her sister Remi were AMAZING. When we had to wait awhile to be seated for our res (obviously not their fault) they made it completely worthwhile and gave us some apps on the house and had awesome recommendations. read more

I've tried to love this place... but it's nowhere near on the level of the chef's other restaurants. Let's get into it... Cocktails - some solid thoughtful drinks, some great mezcal suggestions Food - Ceviche -by far the best thing on the menu! Fresh.. tangy.. citrus.. divine. Octopus - solid. Good flavors.. worth a bite Tetela- snooze - uninspired samosa type triangle thing. Pescado a La brasa- fried fish. Not much to see here.. Grab a cocktail.. an appetizer.. then go get some tacos somewhere else. Beautiful vibe.. solid music.. good drinks.. food is forgettable. read more

Pronounced dah-mee-ahn not day-mee-an lol. My family came here to celebrate my Papa's 60th birthday! We didn't know what to expect from "fancy" Mexican food but my dad absolutely loved it. My partner and I are vegetarians and we loved the mole verde with mushrooms, the guacamole filled with fresh herbs like parsley and Thai basil, and an amazing roasted beet salad. We spent the rest of the evening trying to figure out how they created such a delicious dressing! My dad loved the carne asada and the fish (grilled branzino). For dessert we shared the chamomile soft serve & complimentary mini tres leches - delicious. We shared a few aguas frescas (tamarind & lemon) as well. Everything was spectacular and we have plans to come back for more guac, mole verde, and drinks. All in all it averaged to around $65 per person and around 9 dishes ordered for 6 people to share. This is not bad for this level of dining, and I'd expect a higher bill if you drink alcohol as well. The service was also spectacular. We were greeted at the entrance and directed to sit at a table while we waited for our party - and were able to order drinks while we waited. Our servers spoke to us in Spanish (asked what we preferred) and explained everything and gave excellent recommendations. We sat outside and really appreciated the plants and the murals. Beautiful restaurant. read more

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5/5 Such an amazing restaurant, the food, decor, staff, music, everything was perfect. We came over to celebrate our anniversary and the staff gifted us the most delicious tres leches cake we've ever had. We went a little overboard and ordered a bit too much for 2 people but it's because we were super excited to try everything. And we honestly were so glad we did, every plate was delicious! We ordered Duck Al Pastor, Mushroom Tempura Tacos, Octopus Huarache, Shishitos, Tetela, Tlayuda, Guacamole and the Fish Ceviche. My must have list: Duck Al Pastor, Octopus Huarache, Fish Ceviche and (this is where my husband and I disagree) the Tlayuda. (He thought it needed something more and I thought it was perfect and refreshing; even though it's on the bigger side it's light and fresh, loved the shrimp shells on it). Also the Guacamole is soooo delicious, definitely the most expensive guacamole I've ever had but so freaking good. Overall, Damian is definitely a restaurant I recommend visiting! read more

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Food is delicious and worth the price. You can literally taste the fresh ingredients. For the most part, the menu is seasonal. We've been here a few times within the last two years and we have always had a great experience. Service is superb. read more

A delicious, upscale dinner in the Arts Districts of DTLA specializing in authentic and elevated Mexican cuisine. It's right across from one of my all-time favorite restaurants in Los Angeles, Bestia, so I have been meaning to try this place for awhile and I'm very glad that I did. I grew up and moved from San Diego a few years ago to Los Angeles so I am a big fan of Mexican food and have been eating my entire life. Therefore I think I know more than the average diner when it comes to this cuisine so I can say that this food is exceptionally good. Our server, I believe her name was Randy, was very polite and walked us through the entire menu. The manager also stopped by many times to check on us which was very professional and we appreciated it. It can get very busy so I would make reservations and sometimes there is street parking but valet would be the easiest option. The plates are share size portions so they suggest ordering 4 to 6 different plates for two people. We chose four plates and honestly it was a good amount of food, especially considering we plan to be back. We ordered the Fish Tartare Tostada and it was perfectly crispy and delicious. Next came the Gordita which was a tiny panini type sandwich/torta with blue shrimp. This was one of my favorite dishes of the whole meal, the sauce with it was drinkably good. Next was the Fish Tempura Taco and although very different than fish tacos I'm used to I really enjoyed this one too. Finally came the Carne Asada and it was absolutely wonderful. The sweet potato with it really added to the flavors and every bit of the plate was gone quicker than I expected. For dessert we topped of the meal with their signature dessert: the Hibiscus Meringue with strawberries, which was actually my favorite dish of the meal, I really loved it. All around a great meal and I plan to be back in the future. The Arts District has many great restaurant options (Manuela is NOT one of them) and now Damian has joined the good list so I would comfortably recommend to anyone. read more

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Highly highly recommend Damian to anyone who wants a unique Mexican dining experience. The ambiance is intimate and a perfect place to take a date. The service is unmatched with incredibly knowledgeable servers, bartenders, etc. The food....oh the food! The dishes were flavorful - ones that you must enjoy each bite of. We tried everything, but our favorites were the duck al pastor, carne asada, and hibiscus meringue. The meringue had strawberry notes and melted in our mouths and a must try! read more

Service: Honestly, I had a pretty good experience with the staff. Our waiter was super friendly, and I really appreciated their service. We did have to wait past our reservation time to be seated, but the hostess was so friendly and the kitchen comped us a guacamole. That's pretty much where the positives end. Food: Absolutely subpar. I'm not hard to please with food but for the price and the reputation I thought this was about to be really great food, and it was so not. Not super sure why there's so many reviews praising the food. We got two margaritas which were like average at best, I feel like. I could've made the same one at home. We got the fish tartare tostada and it was average at best. We had the fish tempura taco which honestly could've been a reheated filet o'fish from McDonald's it was not it. Lastly, we split the tlayuda and that was hardly edible. It tasted kind of just like dirt and the only saving grace was dosing it in hot sauce. Ambiance: In pictures it looks super aesthetic, but it was kind of meh once I got there. It was not super congested, but even so it was really loud to where we couldn't even hear our waiter speak most of the time. Also, they suggest ordering like 5 items off the menu since it's more like a tapas/plate share thing and I don't really think so. We got 3 things plus some guacamole and that was more than enough. Overall, would not recommend or return. read more

We had a wonderful meal on Valentine's Day at this restaurant. Beyond the impeccable service and the delectable dishes our group could not stop talking about the great recommendations from the sommelier and the beautiful wine glasses the wine was served in. So much that I tracked them down and ordered a set form Saks. The music was perfectly set and the vibe was just perfect. We will come back for another special occasion. read more

Damian is Enrique Olvera's latest Los Angeles restaurant serving up upscale modern Mexican cuisine. Similar to its' sister restaurant Cosme in New York City, you can expect modern twists on familiar dishes, with ingredients sourced locally. Your immediate impression is the beautiful space, tucked away in a bustling alleyway of Arts District. Just like the cuisine, it's modern, minimal, and dimly lit for a cozy and intimate ambiance. Out back, there's an open-roof patio area for seating that has plenty of natural light, while still being apart of the restaurant. Despite the plethora of Mexican cuisine in Los Angeles, I have yet to experience anything like the dishes served at Damian. Dishes like Al Pastor, Quesadilla, and Tlayuda are abundant around LA. However, Damian's elevates these well-known classics by doing things like substituting duck for the traditional pork. With the quesadilla, generous shavings of white truffle were served alongside the cheesey and mushroomy bite. It's also great to see the local asian influences in some dishes, such as the pork belly and ribs dish served with Kimchi fried rice. The star of the night was undoubtedly the freshly made, warm handmade tortillas and tostadas that that accompanied most dishes. These purple tortillas were beautiful to look at, and even better to smell and engulf. The aroma was incredibly addicting and unsurprisingly, was a perfect complement to every dish. From the ambiance to the food, Damian is truly a unique and enjoyable experience. It's a great taste of what modern Mexican food is all about. read more

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I have to admit that I have alway been an Olvera fan, but Damian? Is it named after one of his kids? Or the evil demon in The Exorcist? Well there is nothing evil about this Damian, in fact it's pretty amazing. They had me at the corn tortillas, which were some of the best I've ever tasted. Really. We had the tlayuda which came decorated with shaved zucchini and squash blossoms, fried tiny shrimp heads scattered over it providing a salty, shrimpy crunch factor. The tlayuda tortilla was cracker thin. It was probably my least favorite item. The mole costillas and sliced pork belly- the belly was kind of undercooked and could due with some browning. It was tasty, came with a side of sriracha fried rice and some pickled red cabbage cups. At $78 it felt a little over-priced for a half rack of baby backs and 4 slices of belly. The dominant flavor in the ribs was star anise or maybe even 5 spice. Definitely a chino-mex fusion dish. The most interesting dish to me was the celery root. Visually it looked a seared filet mignon, but it was a 2 day sousvide cooked peeled cylinder of celery root that cut like warm butter. It was garnished with chicitana - toasted ants in a complex salsa macha, kind of like a dried, toasted nut and chile oil insect pesto...it came nestled in more thin shavings of really spicy pickled celery root. A culinary study in what can be done with a non Mexican ingredient-its celery root for Christ sakes. Pretty fucking impressive. The $18 guacamole was as pristine and fresh as can be and had some fresh herbs on top to give it that cheffy touch that allows you be somewhat more comfortable with 2 crushed avocados for $18. The other dishes were interesting enough - the rockfish ceviche was cut into perfect 1" x 1" cubes which seems big to me, then served with a salsa that I swear was ponzu. The highlight of the dessert course was the chamomile Meyer lemon, lavender soft serve which some seriously crunchy chamomile streusel like stuff. Tasted like a sour, fragrant new age candle shop, but in a really cool way. Damian is probably the current reigning temple of Mexican fusion Gastronomy in southern cal if not the west coast. The bar offerings were quite nice, mescal heavy as you'd expect in an EO restaurant. I just kept thinking is this all we get for $16? A 5 Oz margarita, well made indeed served in a feather light glass. Worshipping at this alter is expensive, more expensive than it needs to be. By about 20%. I did love the ingenuity and the flavors, but it felt kind of pretentious eating $18 guac in a California restaurant. I urge you to go forth and celebrate here, but bring your platinum expense account card. read more

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super excited for another great restaurant to join the neighborhood, so we dedicated our first dine-in experience to this amazing meal! The interior and the patio looked tropical yet elegant, the service was amazing throughout the night (shoutout to Roland!). - Complimentary sun-dried tomato mole with crispy tortilla: honestly wanted to bring a tub of the mole home - Rockfish Ceviche with olive kosho and sun gold tomatoes: made our own ceviche tostada and it was great! - Tlayuda: a modern take on a traditional Oaxacan dish, delicious refried beans on a tostada with zucchini, queso fresco, and some umami notes from the shrimp shells. - Pescado a la Brasa: had to be my favorite of the night! perfectly grilled fish with crispy skin and tender meat, it also comes with the best tortillas with kimchi and salsa to make your own fish tacos. - Carne Asada: the meat was juicy and flavorful, it was grilled and sliced for easy taco assembling. the stuffed chile with tabbouleh was also really good with some lime and salsa. - Chamomile Soft Serve: super tarty but I've always been a fan of lemon sorbet! the texture and flavor of the bee pollen and honey crystals really balanced out the dessert. - Palo Santo: the best agua fresca with yuzu and cucumber, our server recommended adding mezcal to it and it was so good! 10/10 already made a reservation to come back again! also cannot wait to try out Pujol in Mexico city once travel opens back up read more

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Food, service and ambiance were a dining pleasure. Each item was tasty without any extreme flavoring except for the shishito surprise burners. The appetizers: ceviche; Dungeness crab Gordita; fish tartare tostada; shishito toreadors; were all delicious. Main dishes: Carne asada; pescado brass; and duck were tasty and served with tortillas and condiments. Desserts: orange blossom panna cotta was refreshing, and banana leaf flan was so good with caramel and salt accents. Service was very friendly and attentive. Patio was decorated with beautiful foliage making for a very soothing vibe and music added to it. All around a high dining experience. read more

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Guacamole Perfectly ripe avocado. Roughly pounded. Topped with a variety of herbs (sort of minty?). Bright and fresh. Also an almond and pumpkin seed mole and pickled olives and cauliflower. Delicious. Ceviche Fresh and delicious Served with tostadas. Very similar to Holbox, which is my favorite ceviche in town. Tetela Triangle shaped corn gordita thing topped with lobster and filled with black beans. Served with a delicious green salsa that had hints of herbs, just like the guac. Sort of minty? Unique and delicious. Duck Al pastor Maybe the star of the show. Perfectly cooked duck breast, seasoned with Al pastor marinade. Crispiest skin. Served with two sauces - cherry/habanero and a pineapple butter. The sauces were so pure and added an incredible sweetness to the dish. Sort of what I always wished cranberry sauce and Turkey could be. Served with white and blue corn tortillas. Carne Asada Medium rare flat iron steak. No notes. Perfect steak. Served with a Japanese sweet potato brushed with bone marrow. Also some kale in vinaigrette. Also great with the tortillas. Meringue Hibiscus meringue with a strawberry sort of curd. Just like that cherry sauce, the taste was so clean and pure. The most strawberry-y strawberry taste I've ever experienced. This place knows how to balance a flavor. Great service, great food. One of the best dining experiences I've ever had. read more

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Let me start off by saying HOLY _______ (trying to keep it PG but you fill in the blank) What an incredible experience. If you don't want to read this review here is a synopsis: I feel like a child who discovered new flavors. Okay now my review. I went here back in November and it took me a while to write because I didn't know how to describe this experience but wow! Also my food may be a little outdated since menus change. Every flavor of every dish, from the salsa macha with chicatanas ants to the lobster to the corn...WOW JUST WOW. My palette was just introduced to flavors beyond this word and my senses were heightened during this experience. My words do this no justice so I'll let my pictures talk but I simply can't wait to visit again. I do recommend getting several dishes as just one will not fill you up. read more

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Just dined on 3-24-21 and despite high expectations I left feeling very underwhelmed. First the positives, service was warm, welcoming, and attentive. The industrial space and the patio was quite beautiful and many details were very nice including the dinnerware, although only offering a huge table spoon was a little weird. in our group of 4 we tried the striped bass ceviche: Awesome dish, one of the best ceviches I've ever had. Great citrus that stayed in balance with spice. This dish was worthy of a Michelin star. Gordita with Crab: very nice dish no complaints, very fresh and again in balance. Uní Tostada: total disappointment, uni gets lost on top of the cesar salad, lack of balance and seasoning on the dish. Fish Tempura Taco: $14 for one very basic fish taco. Yes it was tempura fried and yes it's was cooked well but it lacked creativity and seemed very basic for both the cache of the chef and price. Also would be better giving 2 tacos with more ingredients and charging more. I was actually angry after eating the dish as street tacos in Ensenada are far superior with better flavor. Tlayuda: also not a fan, they used fried shrimp shells that were very sharp and hard to eat. Dish was beautiful but again I found the flavors muted and again lacking a punch. Dish was not finished by the group. Carne Asada: another dish we had a problem with, steak was cooked well but lacked any real flavor, was served with a Chile relleno which was a hollowed pepper stuffed with israelí couscous and lacked flavor. The chili wasn't charred, their was no cheese in it and was bland. No one at the table liked it and it's was left. The sauce that it was served with was also very spicy but lacked salt. In general many dishes lacked basic seasoning. Hibiscus Merengue: The only other dish worthy of a star, excellent, creative, full of flavor, surprising textures and beautifully presented. Camomile soft serve: Awkward desert, not sweet, and very tea like. Very creative but didn't taste that good. Overall despite high hopes we left feeling disappointed. Again it's covid but in general the food lacked flavor and seasoning. We are big fans of Enrique Oliveras but can't imagine he has much input on what is coming out of the kitchen. Even their wine list was so French focused and did not showcase either local wine or wines of Mexico. We are willing to wait a bit and give this place another chance. Hopefully by then they figure it out. But for now a very disappointing 3 of 5 stars. read more

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One of the WORST experiences I've ever had in LA. Placed in a back alley with the trash, freezing cold spot, pathetic table service. I had Booked this table 3 months ago for my fiancé who loves Olvera's food. We were both so disgusted! read more

Damian - Mexican Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Another New {CuisineName} restaurant in the heart of Downtown's Art District. Located across Bestia, Damian brings a more intimate dining experience than other hyped restaurants nearby which tend to lean towards energetic group meals. The cocktails and dishes will transport the diner to Mexico City (with the pricing and produce of California). We ordered 4 cocktails, all of which were very solid but not mindblowing. If you like tequila/mezcal cocktails go for it, but I don't think any of these were must trys: 1. Kimchi Martini - Not actually a kimchi flavored drink, rather this is a pairing of a martini with a side of kimchi. Don't typically order martinis but it seemed fine while the kimchi was forgettable. 3.5/5 2. Que Sabor! - Tasty and not too spirit forward nor sweet. 4/5 3. Shades of Green - Akin to a spiked healthy drink. The Avocado Cucumber being the main driver of this refreshing flavor. 4.5/5 4. Margarita - Solid Marg 3.5/5 We weren't terribly hungry so we only ordered 4 dishes: 3 appetizers and 1 main. 0. House Tostada - Complimentary with any meal. Honestly, haven't had too many but these seemed solid. Included are a side of Almond Mole and some diced up Cauliflower. The Almond Mole was fire! A nice nutty and sweet spread to go on top of the tostadas. 1. Mushroom Tempura Taco - Overpriced and pretty bland. For $16 that is entering quality seafood taco levels at many of LA's famous taco spots. The ponzu had basically no additive flavor and there was only ONE taco with a mediocre tempura'd mushroom inside. Either the filling needs to be more fleshed out with toppings or sauces, or a second taco included to make this dish feel worth the price. 1.5/5 2. Fish Tartare Tostada - About what one would expect of a fish tartare layered on top of a tostada. Tostada is same size as the complimentary ones. If you like tartare you'll like this. The most novel aspect of this dish is the sesame seeds sprinkled atop adding another dimension to an otherwise normal seeming Mexican dish. 3.5/5 3. Octopus Hurache - This is where we felt the meal started to pick up. This was my first hurache and the octopus was well cooked and tender. The supporting hurache was nice and fluffy. Would comfortably recommend this dish to others. 4/5 4. Duck Al Pastor - This. This is the type of dish that sticks with you long after leaving the restaurant. It's the type of dish you tell your friends to go to a restaurant just to have it. Easily one of my favorite/top ways I've had Duck prepared and the remix of a traditional Al Pastor was delightful. The duck comes with a basket of tortillas (don't worry, they'll give you more if you run out). Included is a Pineapple butter spread and lime. Grabbing a tortilla, spreading a thin layer of the pineapple butter, finishing with 2 slices of the duck breast, the taco looks fairly unimpressive but once consumed you are reminded why venturing to such a place can be worth one's while. While the duck isn't spit roasted, it is pan seared which crisps the outside ever so gently while keeping the meat perfectly tender. The pineapple butter then reminds you of the Al Pastor this is inspired from. Tiny jalapeno slices scattered over the duck add just the right amount of kick. 5/5? 7/5? By now, we were stuffed and skipped on dessert as they didn't carry the churros our friend recommended. Those can be found at Ditroit Taqueria. If I were to run this meal back, I would stick to two cocktails (1 per person): Que Sabor! and Shades of Green being my favorites. I would also hard pass on the Mushroom Taco and probably pass on the Fish Tartare. Initially the meal was pretty unimpressive with our first two dishes being forgettable. The duck singlehandedly redeemed the meal. The ambiance and service were on point. A great date spot among the Art District restaurants. I would be open to trying this restaurant again to see if there were any other dishes on the same level as that duck. Maybe forego the cocktails altogether unless you're a big fan of tequila/mezcal drinks. A solid 4/5 experience read more

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Damian is super cute, directly across from one of my favorite restaurant, bestia! Pull up in the same little ally way. The food is very different and uniquely made! I love every single dish and I also love the ambiance of this whole restaurant! Started by chef Enrique Olvera whom owns Pujol, in Polanco Mexico City, ranked #12 best restaurants in the world! read more

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Another hidden gem found on the LA bike tour. We had the cauliflower Al pastor and the churros. Service was kinda slow but the food was good. Lacked spice but had some flavor. The churros made it worth it. They are huge enough to share so order or eat accordingly. read more

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Reservations were easy to make online. Valet was $9, but you can park for free at the ample nearby street parking. At the designated appointment time, the restaurant seated me without any waiting. The restaurant patio was enclosed on 4 sides and had infrared heaters. The kitchen is at the back of the patio, so you might want to request a seat that is not too close. Food came out quickly. Gordita with dungeness crab, meyer lemon, avocado shiso salsa: Amazing, way better than Taco Bell. My favorite bite of the night. $19 for a portion half the size of a Taco Bell gordita. Guacamole: Mostly avocado. No tomatoes or onions. There were some microgreens on top. I'm not sure this is worth $19. Tlayuda with zucchini, queso fresco, and shrimp shell: Huge portion, about the size of a Celeste frozen pizza. The best tlayuda I've ever had, especially since it had so many vegetables on top. The "shrimp shell" included shrimp meat inside. I would describe the "shrimp shell" as deep-fried small shrimp pieces with shells left on. $28 Celery root with chicatana salsa macha and xnipec salsa: The celery root was nicely smoky and sweet. it wasn't excessively charred. I didn't like the spicy tart celery root slices surrounding the whole celery root. $26 Carne asada: the meat wasn't as tender as I would have liked. But certainly better than the typical carne asada found at taco stands. I liked the accompanying grilled bok choy. $44. Hibiscus meringue with strawberry and hibiscus: This seemed to be the most popular dessert coming out of the kitchen. Another table seemed to be licking off every bit. This dish included a pink hibiscus merengue stuffed with whipped cream and a custardy cream. Kind of like a pavlova without the fruit. I thank the waitress for recommending this dish. $14 Carrot tamal with pineapple and golden raisin: It was a sweet tamale Think of pineapple or carrot tamale. The carrot flavor wasn't strong. There was a bit of sweet potato inside the tamal. The pineapple ice cream was refreshing. The carrot raisin was like a soft cracker? $14 Chamomile soft serve with meyer lemon and honey: Not too sweet. It wasn't as creamy as I would have liked for soft serve. The texture bordered on sorbet. The bites with the crunchy bits were the best. $14 read more

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Please note, the average per person with 2 alcoholic beverages is $150 per person. Food was OK but nothing you would call Mexican. The guacamole was $20 and literally probably fed one person. Salsas were good. This place exaggerates though. Ambiance felt like we were at Rainforest cafe. Service was good but left hungry. Highway robbery!!!! Do better. read more

I knew the food was going to be BOMB because there were actual Mexicans working here. None of that LA Arts District gentrified stuff here, kinda (it is LA after all). As someone who grew up in a traditional Oaxacan household, I can really appreciate the Chef's modern taken on traditional plates. Suuuuuuper friendly, warm and attentive staff! In short, come from the great food, stay for the fire playlist. read more

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Food is amazingly well balanced and flavor profiles are excellent, but my steak was undercoocked. The menu changes too often and is far too limited. Serves are knowledgeable but lack efficiency even with being detail oriented. For every positive Damian has there is something equally negative. read more

Service and ambiance is good. Really enjoyed the aquachile with heart of palms. They had sent out an undercooked chicken, but quickly remade it and took it off the bill. I would return to try the other dishes. read more

Would have loved to give this place 5 stars but the food failed. Date night: 328$ +50 tip. Food: 5 plates 3 drinks I suggest you all find another mexican place to eat. . I promise you will find better else where. Food here is not up to par with pricing. Everything is overpriced and not worth it. Only reason Im giving 3 stars is due to the staff, all well educated on menu and owner and history of the Chef and his background. read more

The ambiance: A eco minimalist's dream come true. The aesthetics is simple and minimal yet elegant. Damian mostly attracts and upscale crowd with a simplistic approach to dining out. The indoor-outdoor venue is perfect for dates and small groups. The concrete bar is appropriate for drop-ins and lone guests. The food: A modern Mexican menu that infuses organic California produce, plenty of fresh seafood. Standout savory items include the branzino, the uni tostada and the duck al pastor, while the hibiscus meringue was one of the top notch desserts. read more

Expectation was high knowing this is Enrique Olvera's restaurant but wowwww it did not disappoint. Patio was so cute service was great and food was fire. - uni tostada: A leveled up caesar salad with uni and jalapeño 10/10 - celery root: This was my favorite dish. The combination of different flavors and textures made it so perfect. It's acidic and spicy, and the salsa macha is truly one of a kind. - costillas enmoladas: rib was cooked so perfectly, it's tender and juicy and fell right off the bones. Loved the pickled vegetable on the side, the acid helped with the fattiness of the meat (but it was overall not very heavy). It's also a pretty big, great for sharing. Came as a party of 2. Initially I did not think this was going to be enough food but it was plenty. Definitely coming back to try more next time. read more

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Damian has made its way to the top of our faves list. A+ service from Victor (all his recs were spot on), ambiance, and the amazing appetizers, entrees and dessert. Hubz and I went for our 3 year anniversary dinner after some solid word of mouth from our friends. We did "patio" seating which was still indoor-ish and covered. Felt like we were in a tropical greenhouse. We took recommendations from our server Victor who was knowledgeable and explained where ingredients came from and how things were made. They give you a mole sauce starter (their version of bread and butter) and we ordered their ceviche and their clams for appetizers. Both incredibly fresh and bright with their in house made tostadas. Next we had the octopus huarache with a chipotle ailoi and the shrimp gordita came with a guac salsa. That first bite of octopus was...unbelievable. Was in loveeee! Probably the fave dish of the night! Shrimp gordita was good but I think we should have had it after the octopus. For our main entree we went with the duck al pastor that came with a pineapple butter and tortillas to make tacos. They also leave you all the other sauces from your previous dishes to mix into your next dish as you please. The dish seemed simple enough but man was that duck incredibly tender and packed with flavor. Perfect for two tacos each. Last but not least, we ordered the café con leche soft serve which came with a little cookie that you can scoop the soft serve with (amazing!) but they also threw in a cut of tres leches cake for our anniversary (so sweet!) which when eaten together was the perrrrfect pairing! All in all a fabulous restaurant and we'll be back soon. Better to go as a twosome so you get more bites of each dish but if you go with a bigger group you can maybe try more things. See if you can ask for Victor - he was spot on with suggestions! read more

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Located in DTLA Damian provided an evening of delicious food and a beautiful ambience. The service was fantastic and although the presentation of the drinks left something to be desired, the mezcal and complexity of flavor in the cocktails were incredible read more

One of the newer restaurants located at the Arts District. The ambience of the restaurant, both indoor and outdoor were completely on-point. It transport you to a serene, tropical paradise once you stepped foot in the outdoor patio after walking through the indoor part of the restaurant. The service was attentive but not overbearing. Our server was friendly and nice. Now the food was good, but not great. We ordered the Fish Tartare Tostada. This was delicious but not wow. The Chamomile soft serve tasted ok, but the felt a little slushy?! I also tried the smoked clam with cucumbers while I can taste the freshness of the clam and the smokiness of the preparation, it felt like the dish was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of sliced cucumbers. Overall the experience was good, but for the price we paid, I expected more. I may give this a try again because of the ambience and try something else the next time. read more

Today was brunch day with friends to celebrate a retirement. Food was excellent starting with fresh guacamole and tostadas. Next was the scallops and coconut then tuna ceviche! Burris and homemade tortillas was next! Yummy!! We ended with yogurt and corn drink. Delicious food and great company! Thank you Ramon and Ruth!!! read more

The carne asada is good but kind of small portions. Uni tostada was delicious. The guac is great, im curious how they made it cause damn I wish I could make that. The soft serve was good too, kind of like a sorbet which I like. Oh and the pescado was good. I made so many tacos with all of them. Service was great. Cocktails were delicious. Yeah go here. Kind of pricey but yea read more

I love the aesthetic of this place! It was the first time I had eaten indoors since the start of the pandemic, and I love the decor. They were also following covid guidelines so the staff made us feel really safe. Only complaint would be that the bathroom is really dark, haha! The food is delicious and you have to try their cocktails! They have a really creative menu and I wish I had been able to try more things! I'd definitely recommend the crab gordita, ceviche, and carne asada. The pescado a la brasa was also super delicious. I love all of the salsas that these dishes come with. The only thing I didn't love was the truffle quesadilla. It was really a little too rich/heavy, but I'm still glad we tried it because it was different than anything I've tried before. read more

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Expensive but totally worth it. The ambiance was perfect gem in the art district. The drinks were amazing as well.

The food here is goooood with quality ingredients, presentation, great vibe, and excellent service. My only wish is they have more soft drinks besides Coke, Diet Coke, and this mocktail of cucumber/yuzu. And I would come back here to try other items if they have a different menu for all the seasons. I really liked the food, we got Uni Tostada, Ceviche, Carne Asada, Octopus, and wine. It also came with a free app of whole tostada shells and sauce/dip to eat as chips. We also got free Tres Leche cake for my friend's bday since we didn't order dessert. My fave was the Carne Asada which came with 4 soft tortillas that were black. We also saw a celebrity here. I actually saw 2 celebs this weekend as I also ate at Olympic and Sawtelle on Saturday and then came to Damian on Sunday. Anyway - the only reason I didn't give 5 stars is because the food was good, I just didn't find anything on the menu that I would CRAVE. (Where if I thought about the food I would drool and dream of when I could come back to eat here again. Or my other standard is some really unique dish.) This is why I am curious to see if other dishes at other times of the year would do that for me as the food here is outstanding. read more

Ok this amazing decorated restaurant reminded me of Tulum. I read some reviews on Yelp rating everything 5/5. How can I choose what to order then. So here's mine: Celery root: 3/5. This dish taste like hot and sour sauce over boiled carrots, though it looks like potato. The cabbage around the celery root are spicy as well. Maybe a favorite dish for vegetarian. Chicken Liver: 2/5. Taste blend. And it served half raw with blood. Not a big deal but it would be better with a reminder that this is a medium rare dish. Tlayuda: 5/5. Must order. Nice mix taste of reduced fish sauce mix with cheese and cilantro. Never taste it elsewhere and never think they can mix so well together. It's basically a zucchini pizza but it's good. Grill fish: 4/5. It's a nice grill fish with tortilla. For dessert I ordered hibiscus meringue it's ok. Not the best no the worse. 3/5 read more

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