Nemo Street is the kind of West Hollywood side street most drivers only pass, a short run of low buildings just off Santa Monica Boulevard and the noise of its bars. At number 9045, in a converted bungalow that once held a Donna Karan boutique, a tall yellow giraffe stands at the door. Beyond it is a dim courtyard lined with trees and hung with white cloud sculptures. On 24 November 2024 Somni, the Catalan word for dream, opened here, and dinner starts before anyone reaches a seat.
From elBulli to Nemo Street
Aitor Zabala grew up in Barcelona and came up through Spain's modernist kitchens, elBulli among them, before working with José Andrés. He has said that elBulli's book on Mediterranean flavours, which he found in 1997, first showed him cooking could be an art. The first Somni opened in 2018 at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills with Andrés as partner and won two Michelin stars. After a break of about four years, Zabala rebuilt the idea with new investors on Nemo Street, and in June 2025 it received three stars. It and Providence became the first restaurants in Greater Los Angeles to reach that tier.
Zabala has built a restaurant that begins well before the first course and treats the walk from the kerb as part of the meal.
The room
The restaurant describes a Spaniard's story told in American materials: a fountain in homage to the Basque sculptor Eduardo Chillida, panot tiles that recall Gaudi's Barcelona pavements, and a long wooden counter facing the open kitchen. The palette is creamy light wood and glass, interrupted by a colourful bull's head brought from the original. The counter is far from intimate, since strangers sit shoulder to shoulder, so bring someone who is happy to share the spectacle. House rule: cooks are servers and servers are cooks.
What to eat
It all starts outside. The courtyard bites include a beet and rose meringue sandwich with blue cheese cream, Parmesan shaped like a feather, and a mushroom-shaped cracker sandwich with truffle. Inside, the tricks come thick. Savoury meringue shaped like a fish carries caviar, with nori powder and smoked butter cream. A dried tomato meringue plays pizza dough under burrata, ham and caviar, a witty nod to Catalan pan con tomate. The best course to remember is the beef tartare in a puffed tempura shiso leaf, hollow and shattering, crowned with purple flowers. Dungeness crab is finished at the table with a foam from crab heads, and a steamed brioche comes with oxtail curry, black garlic and a lingering peanut heat. Iberico secreto supplies the pork, followed by a cheese course with a cracker cut like a cow. Dessert is a piña colada in cloud form.
A hedge: several courses are delicate to the point of timid, including a ravioli and a few pork side bites, and some diners will want more oomph. The evening runs three to four hours, with a chef's monologue for each course, which can feel drawn out, and many guests leave food on the plate.
Drinks
Every guest has a pairing. Wine comes at several levels, and a mocktail version has won its own fans. Most of them go down well, and the first pour is a pea, egg white and mint drink.
A winter evening is the picture: the courtyard lit low beneath its clouds, and Santa Monica Boulevard humming beyond the trees.
- The vibe
- Giraffe at the door, cloud-hung courtyard, wooden counter facing an open kitchen.
- The food
- Spanish tasting menu of illusions: caviar meringue, tomato pizza, shiso tartare.
- The drink
- Wine or mocktail pairing for every guest; the Michelin-starred room expects one.
- A tip
- One seating, so arrive on time; Travels for Stars reports no dietary accommodations.
