Los Angeles has no shortage of restaurants with a story to tell, but some come with architecture and history built right in. Across the city, historic churches, cathedrals and other unexpected spaces have been transformed into dining destinations, offering Angelenos a chance to eat, drink and experience a piece of L.A.’s past.
Few things are more romantic than Gothic cathedral architecture. Towering ceilings, stained-glass windows and centuries-old details set the scene for an evening that feels a little more magical than your average dinner. From dining inside a former cathedral to sipping cocktails in a converted church, these restaurants are giving some of the city’s most unexpected historic spaces a second life.
Redbird Credit: Courtesy Redbird For those seeking a romantic evening for two or an aesthetic girls’ night with cuisine fit for royals, Redbird is the ideal spot. The restaurant was built inside 1876’s St. Vibiana Cathedral, designed by L.A.’s early architect Ezra Kysor, which faced demolition after an earthquake. The historic building was saved by the Los Angeles Conservancy, and inside this Downtown L.A. landmark sits Redbird, featuring modern American cuisine from ch...