Ron L.

We were going to the Obscure Bar in the Arts District for the 6 cocktail we had no clue what at 8pm and while I had walked past this beautiful restaurant a few times roaming around the DTLA arts district, I had never actually eaten at Manuela's. This restaurant is set in the Hauser and Wirth art Gallery complex and since we got there early we toured the front gallery with an incredible assist from a docent named Michael who pointed out the most incredible pieces and steered us to the gallery at the back of the complex behind Manuela's. Both galleries are worth exploring. However, back to Manuela's. Our very friendly server sat us on the large wraparound patio and after my explaining my celiac issues and getting some guidance on their incredible menu, we shared the following after my friend ordered a delicious Sangria while knowing as a lightweight and cheap date I would be having 6 cocktails later, I ordered the Ta Ta Tatiana- Watermelon, ginger, honey, lemon, mint, bitters: Cast iron cornbread, cultured butter, wildflower honey Kusshi oysters, Nantes carrot mignonette Arugula, emerald beauty plum, goat cheese, spiced pecans, aged balsamic Hokkaido scallops, brown butter-bacon vinaigrette, mustard greens The oysters came out first and had a delightful and unusual carrot mignonette. Small and not like Louisiana Gulf Oysters, they were fresh and delicious. Next came the Arugula salad that was tart and tasty as well as a generous portion. The cast iron cornbread was ridiculously so good I joked that I would just order two of them next time. This joint actually makes their cornbread without flour which is sadly rare for me so not only was this a gluten free treat, it was light and just melted in blissful corn flavor. Last came the scallops in a brown butter bacon vinaigrette with mustard greens that was so perfectly prepared these might be the best scallops I've ever eaten, which can sometimes be dicey. With the sauce they could have served blackened, sautéed asphalt and it would have tasted good. Well done to Manuela's all around.

Aimes O.

My girlfriends hosted my baby shower sprinkle at Manuela in the Arts District, and I truly couldn't have asked for a better experience, especially it being most of our first time there. The outdoor space was absolutely beautiful and the perfect setting to celebrate with my closest friends and family. We did a family-style brunch, and let me tell you, they did not miss. We started with the arugula salad, Louisiana shrimp aguachile, and cream biscuits. Those biscuits? Listennnn. Order them. Fight over them if you have to. lol They were THAT good! For the main dishes, we shared the French toast, chilaquiles, and shrimp and grits, along with house-made bacon and butterball potatoes. The French toast and bacon were my favorites by far. My goodness. I am still thinking about them. The shrimp and grits were also perfectly seasoned and packed with flavor. What made me laugh was that our group is usually very chatty. There was so much talking, catching up, and laughing. Then the food arrived and suddenly all you heard were forks and spoons hitting plates followed by a bunch of "mmm," "oh wow," and "girl! you've got to try this." That's when you know the food is doing its job. Our server was amazing and took such great care of us. Everything came out smoothly, and we never felt rushed. Between the beautiful setting, incredible food, and being surrounded by people I love, it was one of those afternoons I'll always remember. I'll absolutely be back, and those biscuits and French toast will be the first things I order.

Derek S.

Came by for lunch the other day and it was a world class experience. Manuela is located in the Arts District and is a Michelin-recommended Californian farm-to-table restaurant. Made a reservation and our table was ready inside the air conditioned dining room with a fantastic view of the open kitchen. Dining is also available on the outdoor patio or at the kitchen counter! Service throughout the meal was excellent. Started off with the biscuits with cured ham and it was world class. The biscuits were super light and went extremely well with the butter-like spread along with the cured ham! The cucumber appetizer was also excellent and super refreshing for a warm summer afternoon! This was also served with slices of super fresh toast. Thse soft shell crab was excellent as it was lightly fried and served over a bed of super fresh vegetables! The hen of the woods mushrooms dish was also a standout dish served over some polenta cakes which were also excellent! The hanger steak was decent and may have been the weaker dishes for lunch. The barramundi entree was perfectly cooked with super crispy skin along with a moist interior. Ended off lunch with dessert which was also excellent! Parking may be trickier within the Arts District. Parking right outside the district may be the answer! ~$65/head after tax and gratuity for lunch.

Leonard K.

A few weeks ago, I tried a sample of a Venison burger at Sprouts and it was pretty amazing. I felt that I needed to try this here as well. My friend just flew in for a day because his relative had forgot her passport and needed to travel to Korea, so we stopped here. He missed a few meetings, a vet appointment and other things, but also saved the day, otherwise his relative wouldn't have been able to make it to Korea. While here, they ordered a salad with cherries and pecans that was pretty amazing. I think that may have been one of the better salads I've eaten. In addition to that, a cucumber burrata salad was ordered, and that was made well too. When my venison burger arrived, I took a few bites and it had the exact flavor I was hoping for and I thought the burger was done extremely well. My friend also ordered a pork chop, and it was an amazing cut, cooked perfectly, tender, juicy and everything you could ever want in a bone in pork chop. They also cut the entire piece for you and scraped every last bit off of the bone too. The service is really attentive. They come by your table a lot to ensure you have everything you need. The ambiance is a bit dim in lighting which sets a nice mood. And the place just happens to be dog friendly too. Sorry for the lack of photos, but I didn't wanna intrude on everyone else's meals. However, if you come here, definitely try the salad with cherries and the venison burger or the pork chop!

Beatrice V.

I'm obsessed with this restaurant! This place is such a vibe. I came here for brunch to celebrate my bday with my family. It's located within Hauser & Wirth which I discovered is an art gallery. When you walk through the building and enter the restaurant, it's such a big open space and doesn't feel cramped at all. Such a nice ambiance with lovely greenery and decor. Perfect for celebrations or a nice date out! Great for photos too. Across the way from the restaurant, there's even an area with fresh herbs being grown and you can even see a bunch of chickens! So if you come with little ones, they'll be super entertained and will have a great time here. We ordered a whole bunch of food and split everything. Upon seeing so many reviews for the cornbread, we had to get that and wow wow wow it is so worth the hype. Unreal. We had to order 2 because it was that good. Smoked albacore dip, ocean trout tartare, and louisiane shrimp aguachile were all good. The cara cara salad was diviiiiiine, so unique, it's a salad of oranges but it had such a unique flavor and had a slight kick to it. It's one of a kind! Both the grilled yellowtail and hangar steak were delicious, the steak comes with two eggs. Both cooked to perfection. Got a side of grilled asparagus, this one had an interesting twist with seaweed. Tasty but other dishes shined more. We ordered so much food and everything had such a beautiful presentation and was really delicious! I would come back here again in a heartbeat. One of my fave restaurants in LA, by far. Service was great too!

Miriam F.

We came here to celebrate my sister's birthday, and so glad we did! This place is located in the arts district In LA and it definitely has that vibe. We came here with my two kiddos. We ended up sharing a ton of the dishes, but sadly they are unable to substitute or remove dairy or cheese from any of the dishes. My sister and her boyfriend don't eat dairy, so it is a little tricky. That said, the waitress was very kind and she mentioned which dishes had no dairy so they could choose those. The ones that really stood out were the cornbread---we ended up, ordering two! The albacore fish dip dish was really good. The asparagus dish was pretty good, but pretty salty. I don't recommend the grilled fish because it was really dry. The rest of the dishes were great! The ambience is awesome. You're surrounded by plants and it feels like you're eating in a garden. This place is kind of a hit or miss when it comes to kids mostly because all they have a chicken coop in the side, when my kids were wandering about next to our table in this open space, the security guards told us to make our kids sit down. It was not the greatest experience from that standpoint, but our waitress, Ally was great with the kids! TLDR: great flavors, fantastic ambience, wouldn't bring kids here

Karina G.

Super cute indoor/outdoor like decor with lots of greenery and industrial style with big light fixtures with some wood finishes, we dined in, next time I'm asking for the outdoor area, would be lovely to celebrate a birthday here. If you don't want to look for a street parking space (2hr limit) Valet parking is $24. The Manuela sign is small, what you'll see is the Hauser and Wirth signage. Food was pretty good and dessert was even better! It was three of us I really wanted beef and they only had a venison(deer) burger sooo settled for fish, we all had fish. I had the barramundi with some yummy corn and they had the yellowtail which they really enjoyed. I started off by ordering the burrata which I love, it's considered a salad, comes with cucumber, tomato and a spicy urfa vinaigrette, next time I know to order the vinaigrette on the side and polenta toast(first time) interesting choice of bread, it was good just very thick. The cauliflower was good and the butterball potatoes with cremefraiche only (excluded others) were ahhhhmmaziing! They made my meal. And oohhh those biscuits were also a hit, although my friend said they are more like croissants which I can agree boooyyy were they nice and buttery all by themselves. And the star of the show for me was the dessert. A corn tres leches with a beautiful tasty green basil foam topped with cornbread crumble, this concoction is truly chef's kiss, a must try! Oh yeah and our server was great as well :)

Harold V.

We finally made it to Manuela for date night after years of seeing it all over social media. And honestly? The space lives up to the hype. It's inside a massive historic warehouse in the Arts District and the restaurant feels like an oasis hidden inside an industrial building. There's a cool open-air courtyard in the middle where sunlight pours in, so even though you're technically indoors, it feels partially outside. Tons and tons of plants, a beautiful bar and high ceilings make the place feel special. And that's what I wanted for date night. Not just dinner 20 minutes from home, but somewhere that felt special. The food absolutely delivered. The roasted chicken was simple but perfectly executed with juicy meat and crispy skin. The smoked albacore dip with rice chips was subtle, smoky and not overly fishy. Great starter. The soft shell crab was excellent too, but I was surprised that the snap peas and yellow squash alongside it stole the show. Perfectly crisp and farmer's market fresh. I usually don't even care about those vegetables. The drink menu also deserves love. Huge wine list, beautiful cocktails, and super funny cocktail/mocktail names. My wife loved the "Ta Ta Tatiana" mocktail and I had a Japanese lager I'd never tried before and it was great. Now for the reason this is a 3-star review instead of 5. The service just didn't match the quality of the food or atmosphere. The host barely acknowledged us while fake-typing at the computer. The guy who seated us felt like he was dropping off luggage. And our waitress had absolutely zero warmth or energy. Asking her to describe the smoked albacore dip seemed to physically inconvenience her and she almost talked us out of ordering it. Overall, we were just one of her tables she had to drop food off to. I'm not trying to trash people working hard service jobs. I worked those jobs too when I was younger. But when you're charging these prices and creating this kind of experience, hospitality matters. There's so much to love about Manuela. The space is beautiful. The food is memorable. But welcoming guests should feel like part of the experience, not an afterthought. On a side note, although he wasn't our server, but the server for all the tables around us, big shout out to Angel! We longingly watched him as he chatted up his guests and made them laugh as he described dishes and told stories. Give that man a raise.

Larry C.

Wow, an amazing lunch at an amazing spot! this hit all the notes for me, easily 4+ stars We had a light lunch: the smoked tuna dip with these giant crisps somewhere between papadum and shrimp chips, also the famous biscuits -these are so fluffy and flaky, and served warm out of the oven, and third an arugula salad that was great, but compared to the other dishes -well it's hard to be a salad, amiright? I also had a phony Negroni that was pretty darn tasty, especially dressed up with lemon carve, a sprig of rosemary, and a big block of ice. The setting is gorgeous, an open indoor-outdoor space inside the Hauser & Wirth gallery, makes you want to just sit and relax all day. And the staff was super friendly.

Shak B.

If you're looking for the perfect Sunday plan in LA, start with brunch at Manuela and then wander through the galleries at Hauser & Wirth. They're in the same space, and it makes for such a great experience. This was my second time at Manuela, and it was even better than the first time. The brunch menu is excellent, the food is delicious, and the service is on point. The ambiance is one of my favorite parts... lush greenery everywhere with a relaxed indoor-outdoor feel that's very LA but still feels unique. We ordered the eggs Benedict (served in a brioche bread bowl) and the French toast... both so so good. Highly recommend. I'll definitely back.

Christina N.

We had a reservation for brunch and was seated almost immediately after checking in. Thankfully we did because the wait seemed long for those without reservations. Our server was very attentive and through in explaining the menu and providing recommendations since it's our first time here. Beignet - excellent! Super fluffy, slight chewy (tasted like mochi flour?) and not too sweet. Must order. Shrimp & grits - well balanced and good sized portion. It has a little bit of heat but overall very tasty dish. Venison burger - good burger, well balanced flavor overall, but it didn't really "wow". That's not to say it wasn't good. It's definitely still a very solid burger. Vibes are . We also walked around the art gallery after our meal. Parking can be challenging but there's valet.

Ran C.

It's odd how sometimes Yelp sometimes show pics from previous visits to a restaurant on a review, then in cases like this one, only showing my most recent visit. Whatever the case - it's time to finally share my thoughts ... This most recent visit was during DineLA 2/2026. Dropped in on a weeknight and enjoyed it just like I have before. This was my third time. Parking was the same. Street parking or nearby garages. This time parked in the garage behind the brewery. $25. No validation. Other lots and street parking in the area too. Service was as expected. Excellent. Attentive. Friendly. Efficient. Clearing tables (was seated at a small table and space was an issue with all the plates) and refills. A genuine nice - not something feigned making you feel like the server is working the gratuity. Food was good - see pics. Went with the DineLA menu (Venison) and added a few menu items. And drinks. Enjoyed the ingredients and how everything blended together. It may not be for all, but the dishes that this team offers works for me. By the way, there's a bar - which I didn't know is open before dinner. Had a few cocktails before dinner until my table was ready. On another note, there's both indoor and outdoor seating. I've not sat outdoors yet but next time will try. The indoors area is cool because you can see all the action but it can get a little loud. Yes, you read that right. There will be a next time.

Thomas Q.

Wednesday afternoon, cool breeze , surrounded by eclectic art, bricks and old warehouse vibe . Easy service. Fresh ingredients taste better .