Fundamental LA: The Journey from Westwood to DTLA
Image Credit - Eater LA
It’s become one of the worst feelings to see a restaurant in the city has closed down. The aggressive feature that pops up on the right hand side of your google search informing you that said location is ‘Permanently Closed’ has started to feel a bit heartbreaking. The objective of our online resource for exploring LA is to feel a sense of community and belonging to a greater entity. I suppose that this feeling of discouragement when seeing another friend losing its ability to exist in the city shows the sense of community we hope to foster here. Seeing that the Westwood location of Fundamental LA has permanently closed evoked that such feeling of sadness. The initial purpose for this feature was for the closed down Westwood location but the good news here, is that we can still write about it, because Fundamental LA hasn’t ceased to exist completely. A DTLA location is existing and from the looks of it, thriving.
Though we’re ecstatic that Fundamental LA still has a brick and mortar for us to enjoy, the locations do have their differences. In Westwood, known for chain stores and UCLA students, Fundamental LA served as a change of pace to the mediocre restaurant scene there. Small enough to feel almost like a NYC restaurant, Friday nights were all but packed to the brim. With tasteful decor and carefully crafted seasonal menus, Fundamental LA in Westwood gave us a taste of culture in an otherwise ‘College Town’ area of Los Angeles. The DTLA location provides a different experience all together.
With an eclectic combination of bar, bakery, and dining service, Fundamental DTLA has evolved in the last two years of being open. Starting with only lunch and breakfast upon its arrival in October 2017, the popularity of this airy and bright space has extended its services to dinner as well. As much as the Westwood location was small and seemingly novelty, this DTLA location is spacious and fitting to the DTLA vibe. Breakfast and lunch are served Mon-Fri, while weekend brunch is Saturday and Sunday. Dinner 7 days a week and with a great way to re-brand Happy Hour, their ‘Power Hour’ is Tuesday through Friday, 5pm-7pm. Our Westwood location may gone, but we’re just happy to see Fundamental LA is still thriving in downtown LA.