One of LA’s most famed new restaurant and gallery is currently getting ready to launch a new concept across the country.
Manuela is a widely celebrated restaurant and gallery concept from famed art collectors Iwan and Manuela Wirth. The concept began when the two acquired the former Globe Mills complex in Downtown LA and launched Hauser & Wirth Los Angeles, a modern gallery concept that showcases museum-caliber exhibitions and offers public programs and educational activities that contextualize the art on view for diverse audiences.
Beyond its exhibition program, Hauser & Worth also offers a gallery space for their Book & Printed Matter Lab, a planting garden, an expansive open-air courtyard with sculptures, and of course their restaurant – Manuela. Designed by LA native Matt Winter, Manuela was created to unite chef, farmer, and artist – creating an authentic and original dining experience. Celebrating the best seasonal ingredients local to Southern California, Manuela’s serves a wide range of vegetables, grains, fish and game, and offers an exemplary bar program that serves classic cocktails using house-made bitters and tonics.
While the restaurant and gallery complex have been leading the growth of LA’s Downtown Arts District, it appears that the team at Hauser & Wirth is now getting ready to shake up the New York art scene as well. According to a recent liquor license application with the local community bard, Iwan and Manuela are currently getting ready to launch a brand new Manuela expansion that will be unique to SoHo. The team has just acquired the lease for a new space at 130 Prince Street, replacing a former retail and office space that previously occupied the location. According to the application, the team will be opening “a restaurant and cafe/bar with artist interventions offering a community/neighborhood vibe.”
The location at 130 Prince Street offers approximately 4,295 Square Feet of space on the ground floor and 1,168 square feet of space in the cellar. The space is expected to seat about 143 guests inside at one time, and is also expected to feature an expansive outdoor space that will seat an additional 24 guests.
Along with the application, the team has provided a “mock summer menu” for 2023 that will feature cuisine described as “modern heritage American with regenerative agriculture and sustainability at its forefront.” Sample items from the provided menu include appetizers like Akara pea fritters, Hamachi ceviche, potted pink shrimp and cocktail sauce, and barbecued gulf oysters, as well as a wide assortment of organic salads made exclusively with fresh and locally sourced ingredients. Manuela will also serve market vegetables like ember roasted endive, Brentwood corn esquite, grilled okra, and crisp butterball potatoes, as well as larger entrée plates like the venison burger, roasted skate wing, Moulard duck breast, and an enticing 30-day dry aged Holstein prime ribeye served with tallow chimichurri.
Of course, the new Manuela will also feature an extensive beverage program, and the team is currently getting ready to meet with the community board to acquire the necessary liquor license. They are proposing operating hours of 8:00 AM – 11:00 PM from Sunday through Thursday, and 8:00 AM – 12:00 AM on Friday and Saturday. For more information as the project develops, you can follow Manuela on Instagram.
