Dinner before a show on Bunker Hill is a different puzzle than dinner before a Pantages show in Hollywood. The Music Center sits up on Grand Avenue with the Ahmanson Theatre, the Mark Taper Forum, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, and Walt Disney Concert Hall (with REDCAT tucked into its ground floor) all sharing one plaza. That’s great for parking once and walking. It’s less great for food, because this corner of downtown empties out after the office crowd leaves, and a lot of what looks close on a map is actually a steep block uphill or down. So here’s where I actually send people, sorted by how much time you’ve got and what kind of night you’re after.
The short version
If you want the easiest possible night, eat on the campus itself: Abernethy’s on the plaza or Kendall’s Brasserie below the Dorothy Chandler. You finish dinner and walk into the lobby, no car, no crosswalk. If you want something more of an occasion, cross Grand Avenue to San Laurel at The Grand or walk over to Nick + Stef’s. And if you’re watching the budget, ride Angels Flight down to Grand Central Market and eat very well for very little.
The block at a glance
Every spot below in one table, so you can match the restaurant to your show, your time, and your budget. Walk times are from the Music Center plaza (the Ahmanson and Taper entrances).
| Spot | Style | Best for | Walk from the plaza | Book ahead? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abernethy’s | Rotating chef-in-residence | Right on campus, walk into the lobby | On the plaza | Yes |
| Kendall’s Brasserie | French brasserie | Classic pre-theatre, on campus | Under the Chandler, 2 min | Yes |
| Disney Hall cafe | Salads, sandwiches, wine | A quick bite before WDCH or REDCAT | Inside Disney Hall | No |
| San Laurel (The Grand) | Spanish, Jose Andres | A glamour night across the street | Across Grand, 3 to 4 min | Yes |
| Nick + Stef’s | Steakhouse | Old-school pre-concert dinner | 5 to 6 min, near the Omni | Smart to |
| Redbird | New American, in a former cathedral | Make-a-night occasion | 8 to 10 min downhill | Yes |
| Grand Central Market | Historic food hall | Cheap, fast, lots of choice | Angels Flight + 2 min | No |
Here’s the area on a map so you can see how it sits. Everything on Grand Avenue is walkable from the plaza. Grand Central Market is the one that’s down the hill.
Closest to the door: eat on the campus
The move nobody from out of town knows about is that the Music Center has real restaurants right on it, built for exactly this. You eat, you stand up, you’re in your seat in five minutes.
You finish dinner and walk into the lobby. No car, no crosswalk, no clock-watching.
- Abernethy’s sits on Jerry Moss Plaza, steps from the Ahmanson and Taper doors. The fun part is the concept: it runs a rotating “chef in residence,” so the menu changes every few months as a new chef takes over the kitchen. Right now it’s Northern Italian under chef Lucio Bedon. It opens about 2.5 hours before curtain at the Chandler, Ahmanson, and Taper, so there’s no rush, and you genuinely cannot get closer to your seat. Book it, because it’s small and theatre nights fill up.
- Kendall’s Brasserie is the old reliable, a proper French brasserie tucked below the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion at 135 North Grand. Steak frites, a raw bar, the kind of room that’s been doing pre-concert dinners for years. Two things to know: it’s closed Monday and Tuesday, and its hours move with the performance calendar, so call ahead and tell them what show you’re seeing.
Across Grand Avenue: make it a night
These are a short walk and worth dressing up for. They’re where I’d point a date night or an out-of-town guest who wants the full downtown evening.
- San Laurel is the Jose Andres Spanish restaurant inside The Grand LA, the Frank Gehry building directly across Grand Avenue from Disney Hall (so it’s literally across the street if your show is at the Bowl’s downtown sibling). It’s polished, it’s pricey, and the produce-forward Spanish menu is a genuine occasion. Reserve, and tell them you have a curtain.
- Nick + Stef’s Steakhouse at 330 South Hope is the old-school pre-concert steakhouse, about a five-minute walk over near the Omni and California Plaza. Dry-aged steaks, a serious wine list, the kind of place that’s quietly fed concertgoers for decades. It runs lunch on weekdays and dinner most nights, but weekend hours start later, so check the day you’re going.
Worth the short walk: Redbird
If the show is the excuse and the dinner is the point, Redbird is the one I’d build the evening around. Chef Neal Fraser’s restaurant lives inside the former rectory of Vibiana, an old cathedral, about a 10-minute walk downhill (or a three-minute rideshare if you’re in heels). The room is gorgeous, the New American menu is one of the best in downtown, and it’s a real occasion. Note it’s closed Mondays, and leave yourself a cushion, because you will not want to rush this one.
On a budget: ride Angels Flight to Grand Central Market
Here’s the local hack. Angels Flight, the little orange funicular, runs from California Plaza on Grand Avenue down to Hill Street for about a dollar. At the bottom, walk two minutes to Grand Central Market, the food hall that’s been feeding downtown since 1917. It’s open daily until 9pm, and you can eat extremely well for a fraction of what the Grand Avenue rooms cost: tacos, fresh pasta, an Eggslut sandwich, Thai, ramen, whatever the table votes for. It’s the move when you’ve got a big group with different appetites, or when the splurge is going toward the tickets, not the food.
A dollar down Angels Flight, and you eat at a 1917 food hall for a fraction of the Grand Avenue price.
The Bunker Hill budget move
The only catch is timing: the market and Angels Flight both get busy, and you’ve got the ride back up the hill, so don’t cut it to the bone. Eat by 6:45 for an 8:00 curtain and you’re fine.
How to actually make curtain
The Music Center wants you seated early, and Bunker Hill traffic is its own thing. A few rules I follow:
- Eat on campus when the show is on a tight schedule. Abernethy’s or Kendall’s means zero transit between fork and seat. That alone is worth booking ahead for.
- Aim to be seated for dinner by 6:00 or 6:30 for an 8:00 curtain, earlier if you’re at Redbird or Grand Central Market and have to get back up the hill.
- Tell the restaurant you have a show. Every place on this list knows the Music Center routine and will pace your meal if you say “we’re at the Ahmanson at 8.”
- Park once. On a show night, moving your car twice is a mistake. Sort the car first with our Ahmanson and Music Center parking guide, then walk to dinner from wherever you land.
- Check the day of the week. Kendall’s is dark Monday and Tuesday, Redbird is dark Monday, and a lot of Bunker Hill runs on the office crowd, so a Sunday matinee leaves fewer options than a Friday night.
If you’re pricing out the whole evening, dinner plus parking plus tickets, our show-night cost calculator does the math, and the cheap LA theatre tickets guide can claw some of it back so the dinner doesn’t have to be the cheap part. For the wider scene, see the best live music venues in LA pillar, and check what’s on in LA theatre before you book. Doing the Hollywood side instead? Here’s where to eat before a Pantages show.
Restaurant hours, menus, and chef lineups downtown change often, and on-campus spots like Abernethy’s and Kendall’s open on a performance schedule that shifts with the calendar. Everything here is accurate as of June 2026. Confirm directly with the restaurant, and mention your show, before you build the night around it.
Frequently asked questions
What’s the closest restaurant to the Ahmanson and Mark Taper Forum? Abernethy’s, on Jerry Moss Plaza, is right at the Ahmanson and Taper doors, and Kendall’s Brasserie sits just below the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion a two-minute walk away. Both are on the Music Center campus, so you finish dinner and walk straight into the lobby.
Where can I eat near Walt Disney Concert Hall before a show? Disney Hall has a casual cafe inside for a quick bite about two hours before showtime. For a full dinner, San Laurel at The Grand and Nick + Stef’s Steakhouse are both a short walk, and Kendall’s Brasserie below the Chandler is just across the plaza.
Is there cheap food near the Music Center? Yes. Ride Angels Flight down from California Plaza to Hill Street, about a dollar, and walk two minutes to Grand Central Market, a historic food hall open until 9pm with dozens of affordable stalls. It’s the best-value option near the venue by a wide margin.
How early should I eat before an 8:00 show at the Music Center? Aim to be seated for dinner by 6:00 or 6:30, and earlier if you’re eating off the hill at Redbird or Grand Central Market and have to get back up. Tell the restaurant you have a show so they can pace the meal, and remember Kendall’s is closed Monday and Tuesday and Redbird is closed Monday.
