Très LA Opens and Brings French Glamour to West Hollywood’s Design District

I’ve lived in West Hollywood for a very long time. Like many of you, I know the shortcuts, the hidden patios, and have my favorite spots where the light hits just right on a Sunday morning.

Then Très LA opened at the PDC and I felt something I haven’t felt since I lived in the Marais nearly twenty years ago. There’s a particular kind of place in Paris — not the overcrowded tourist spots on the boulevards, but the ones tucked into quieter streets, where the walls are deep green and the mirrors are gilded and you feel like you’ve wandered into someone’s beautiful private life. Hôtel Particulier in Montmartre has that quality. Like you stumbled into someone’s living room or secret garden and you want to stay forever. And order another glass of wine.

Très LA Bistro & Café, nestled inside the PDC, has that same energy. And it’s only five minutes from my front door.

Let me be clear though — this is not a quiet little bistro. This is glamorous. Dine inside for the gorgeous aesthetics, or opt for the striped-umbrella patio for great people-watching and Creative City hustle. The kind where you immediately sense that Design District business is being done at the table next to you, deals are being closed over steak frites, and everyone somehow knows each other. People mill between tables. It has that rare quality of a place where you might actually talk to other people — a party you didn’t know you were invited to until you walked in.

And yet. You can absolutely have a lovely private lunch here too. That’s the magic. The space itself is layered with intentional design — checkerboard floors, lacquered green walls, burnished leather, rose-colored sofas and beautiful tasseled chairs inviting you to the bar. There’s a marble coffee bar crowned with cascading crystal chandeliers, and an alfresco patio with striped umbrellas that catches our beautiful, ever-moving LA light.

This is what founder Allan Dunn was reaching for — a place that feels like a beautifully collected private residence rather than a restaurant. He’s done events at Carondelet House and The Ebell, spaces with soul and story. Nothing here feels corporate turnkey, it’s his first brick and mortar, afterall. He brought that same intentionality — and coupled it with a genuine desire to make this place fun.

That’s the hidden gem part. The PDC isn’t exactly the first place you think of for lunch. But Très LA wants you here, and they mean it. Validated 90-minute parking seals the deal — as does Happy Hour throughout the resto, not just the bar.

Executive Chef Julio Castorena’s menu presents French technique rewritten in California handwriting — Grilled Prawns Provençale (my fave), Pan-Seared Branzino, Steak Frites, a Cobb salad that feels elevated without trying too hard.

The café program features Intelligentsia coffee and Mariage Frères tea, which tells you how seriously they’re taking the details. Save room for dessert, especially the carrot cake — and say yes to the mocktails — or hell, champagne. Pourquoi pas?! You’ll have fun either way. The service matches the room — top notch and genuinely warm.

I love that delicious feeling of being transported from everyday life. I felt it wandering past Notre Dame on my way to my writing workshop at Shakespeare & Co. when I lived in Paris. I felt a version of it walking into Très LA on a Monday for an al fresco girls’ lunch.

Location: 8687 Melrose Ave, Suite G180, West Hollywood, CA 90069
Phone: 323-332-1951
Website: treslacafe.com
Instagram: @treslacafe

Hours of Operation
Monday–Friday: 8 a.m.–3 p.m. (Opens April 13)
Happy Hour & Dinner: Launching May 11, dinner reservations available to book
Weekend Service: Launching June

Editor’s note: This is not a paid advertisement. This is a community profile. If you have suggestions for additional West Hollywood businesses you’d like to see us profile drop us a note at brian.holt@wehoonline.com