clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

The Year in Beautiful Restaurants: 15 Stunners from 2014

Feast your eyes on the best triple-x restaurant design porn of 2014.

by Hillary Dixler Canavan
Via All Year In Eater Coverage [E]
Ironside Fish & Oyster, San Diego.
Ironside Fish & Oyster, San Diego.
Mike Newton
Hillary Dixler Canavan is Eater's restaurant editor and the author of the publication's debut book, Eater: 100 Essential Restaurant Recipes From the Authority on Where to Eat and Why It Matters (Abrams, September 2023). Her work focuses on dining trends and the people changing the industry — and scouting the next hot restaurant you need to try on Eater's annual Best New Restaurant list.

Another year, another crop of stunning restaurants. Eater has combed through the most beautiful restaurants of the year from coast to coast, and below are 15 lookers that do not disappoint. Blissfully low on Edison bulbs, 2014's best looking restaurants each present a unique design in harmony with the restaurant space — whether it's a small storefront in San Francisco's Mission, a rambling mansion in New Jersey, or a historic Nashville theater. Some design motifs to keep an eye on: Art Deco, wood details, playful color choices, and luxe materials. Have a look:

Ladybird Grove & Mess Hall

Atlanta

Address: 684 John Wesley Dobbs Ave, Atlanta, GA
Key Players: Michael Lennox, Kyle Schmidt
Opened: September 2014
The Look: Lots of wood and metal create a sophisticatedly sparse glamping vibe to match the "modern campfire cuisine."
Photos: Matthew Wong/Eater Atlanta

· All Ladybird Grove & Mess Hall Coverage [EATL]

La Brasa

Boston

Address: 124 Broadway, Somerville, MA 02145
Key Players: Daniel Bojorquez, Frank McClelland
Opened: May 2014
The Look: This is a restaurant dedicated to wood-fired grilling, so naturally the decor is wood on wood on wood.
Photos: Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater Boston

· All La Brasa Coverage [EBOS]

Union Provisions

Charleston

Address: 513 King St, Charleston, SC
Key Players: Ben Russell-Schlesinger and Robert Young
Opened: July 2014
The Look: A fresh design adds a dose of contemporary style to a historic space that isn't short on charm and character.
Photos: Evan Eggers/Eater Charleston

· All Union Provisions Coverage [ECHS]

CrushCraft Thai Street Eats

Dallas

Address: 2800 Routh St, Dallas, TX 75201Key Players: Jack Nuchkasem, Paul SinghapongOpened: February 2014 The Look: Eater Dallas hailed Crushcraft Thai Street Eats as a "colorful stunner," which sums up the striking combination of simple decor and colorful Southeast Asian accents perfectly.Photos: Garrett Hall/Eater Dallas

· All Crushcraft Thai Street Food Coverage [EDFW]

Rose.Rabbit.Lie

Las Vegas

  • The library inside Rose.Rabbit.Lie.
  • The library inside Rose.Rabbit.Lie.
  • The library inside Rose.Rabbit.Lie.
  • The library inside Rose.Rabbit.Lie.
  • The study inside Rose.Rabbit.Lie.
  • The study inside Rose.Rabbit.Lie.
  • The study inside Rose.Rabbit.Lie.
  • The library inside Rose.Rabbit.Lie.
  • The music room at Rose.Rabbit.Lie.
  • The music room at Rose.Rabbit.Lie.
  • The music room at Rose.Rabbit.Lie.

Address: 3708 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV
Key Players: Coastal Luxury Management, Wesley Holton, AvroKo, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
Opened: January 2014
The Look: There's a lot of it. This is a combination bar, restaurant, and show at the Cosmopolitan in Vegas with multiple, distinctly styled rooms that could easily enter gaudy territory but definitely doesn't.
Photos: Cal Bingham/Eater Vegas

· All Rose. Rabbit. Lie. Coverage [ELV]

Faith + Flower

Los Angeles

Address: 705 W 9th St, Los Angeles, CA
Key Players: David Bernahl, Rob Weakley, Michael Hung, Michael Lay
Opened: March 2014
The Look: No surprise this looker comes from famed restaurant design group AvroKo; this is a unique-looking space with cool lighting fixtures, a wall of vintage doors, and an expansive floor-plan.
Photos: Elizabeth Daniels/Eater LA

· All Faith + Flower Coverage [ELA]

Laurea

Montreal

Address: 381 Avenue Laurier Ouest, Montréal, QC
Key Players: Jeff Stinco, Éric Le François, Cindy Simard, Hakim Chajar
Opened: August 2014
The Look: The glitzy trappings the space had when Gordon Ramsay's name was on the door have been stripped and the space's historical charm has been played up with elegantly restrained furnishings.
Photos: Ariel Tarr/James Brittain/Eater Montreal

· All Laurea Coverage [EMTL]

Sinema

Nashville

Address: 2600 Franklin Pike, Nashville, TN
Key Players: Dale Levitski, Q-Juan Taylor, Colin Reed, Sam Reed, and Ed Reed
Opened: June 2014
The Look: A vintage movie theater is transformed into a sleek and opulent two-story restaurant, complete with black and white photos of famous actors and a Twiggy mosaic.
Photos: Justin Chesney/Eater Nashville

· All Sinema Coverage [ENSH]

Pizza Domenica

New Orleans

Address: 4933 Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA 70115
Key Players: Alon Shaya
Opened: April 2014
The Look: A casual pizzeria goes high-end with finishes like reclaimed wood, matte copper beer taps, a marble bar, and leather banquettes.
Photos: Josh Brasted/Eater NOLA

· All Pizza Domenica Coverage [ENOLA]

Jockey Hollow

New Jersey

Address: 110 South Street, Morristown, NJ
Key Players: Chris Cannon, Kevin Sippel, Resistance Design
Opened: October 2014
The Look: Eater NY's Stone Cold Stunner of the Year occupies a rehabbed New Jersey mansion whose multimillion dollar facelift exudes taste and class.
Photos: Daniel Krieger/Eater NY

· All Jockey Hollow Coverage [ENY]

Jackknife

Portland, OR

Address: 614 SW 11th Ave, Portland, OR
Key Players: John Janulis, Jake Carey, Justin Diaz
Opened: April 2014
The Look: This a hotel bar through a luxe deco lense, with a 65-foot curved marble bar, stained glass ceilings, double-sided fireplaces, patterned wallpaper, and an eclectic mix of seating.
Photos: Dina Avila/Eater PDX

· All Jackknife Coverage [EPDX]

Ironside Fish & Oyster

San Diego

Address: 1654 India Street, San Diego, CA
Key Players: Jason McLeod, Arsalun Tafazoli, Paul Basile
Opened: April 2014
The Look: Playful twists - like octopus punch bowls, vintage diving gear, a wall of metal fish faces, and so much more - make for a unique take on classic nautical style.
Photos: Mike Newton/Eater San Diego

· All Ironside Fish & Oyster Coverage [ESD]

Chino

San Francisco

Address: 3198 16th Street, San Francisco, CA
Key Players: Joe Hargrave, Telmo Faria, Mike Barrow
Opened: May 2014
The Look: Quirky and colorful, with lots of tiny touches like '70s toys, action figures, and all sorts of bric-a-brac make for a cozy yet cool restaurant that gels with the fun pan-Asian menu.
Photos: Patricia Chang/Eater SF

· All Chino Coverage [ESF]

The London Plane

Seattle

Address: 300 Occidental Avenue South, Seattle, WA
Key Players: Matt Dillon, Katherine Anderson
Opened: March 2014
The Look: Behold Eater's Stone Cold Stunner of 2014, a combination cafe, flower shop, and grocery with an earthy color palette, amazingly high ceilings, and charm for days.
Photos: Eater Seattle

· All The London Plane Coverage [ESEA]

Tico

Washington, DC

Address: 1926 14th Street NW, Washington, DC
Key Players: Michael Schlow
Opened: June 2014
The Look: Street art served as the inspiration for this restaurant's energetic design, with graffiti-style walls, paint-splashed brick, and simple yet eclectic furniture.
Photos: R. Lopez/Eater DC

· All Tico Coverage [EDC]

More From Eater

The Latest

A Mincemeat Recipe for My Father

By Angela Burke

Ask Gastropod: Is the Burn From Foods Like Wasabi Different From Chile Pepper Heat?

By Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley

Filed under:

The Feasts We Remember

Eater’s holiday banquet celebrates the food traditions we return to in memory, time and time again

View All Stories

The Perfect Artifice of ‘May December’’s Pineapple Upside Down Cakes

By Bettina Makalintal

Your Neighborhood Restaurant Now Serves Caviar

Once a luxury reserved for posh dinners, fish roe has become the snack du jour at restaurants across the country — and it’s blurring the lines between casual and formal dining

By Jaya Saxena

Everything We Know About New McDonald’s Chain, CosMc

By Jaya Saxena