With 94 seats for dining and a timeless neighbourhood vibe, new Southern coastal restaurant Joyce, serves a considered menu centred around soulful fare with an emphasis on sustainable seafood.
Located in DTLA, the kitchen is led by Michelin-award-winning chef and co-owner, Sammy Monsour, who is committed to delivering reimagined southern cuisine to the heart of Los Angeles‘s downtown alongside founders and operators, Prince and Athena Riley (Joyce named after their daughter and her grandmother).
Lauren Waters of Lauren Waters Design worked closely with Athena on the interiors, creating a warm and inviting space that enhances the dining experience without distracting from the food and drinks. The 3,360 square foot restaurant features textural design elements like grass cloth wallpaper and a soft colour palette of greens, natural mixed woods, and brass, alongside subtle nods to the Art Deco design style of the neighbouring buildings, as well as the venue’s Southern influence with small details such as custom cane dividers, rattan hanging pendants, and vintage chairs reupholstered in a velvet palm print fabric.
Entering the space, guests will notice a bar in dark red mosaic stone that complements the red marble tables and emits vibes of vintage Murano with glass light fixtures, hanging pendants, and leather. On par with the restaurant’s ethos of sustainability, many pieces of furniture are refinished or handmade locally to reduce carbon footprint, including U-shaped banquettes fit to accommodate a range of party sizes.
Riley’s mother-in-law Joyce, the restaurant’s namesake, is honoured in the restaurant’s centrepiece, a triptych custom portrait commissioned by local artist Shannon Scates of Unparalleled Art. A love letter to the important women in both Prince and Athena’s lives, the work solidifies everything that is fundamental to Joyce the restaurant; the people, the authenticity and the southern influence.
@joyce_dtla
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Joyce Los Angeles Photography, Sammy Monsour / Elliot Clark.
