Italian restaurant Settecento is moving into Maguire Gardens, adjacent to the U.S. Bank Tower in downtown Los Angeles.
The restaurant’s owner Global Dining Inc. has signed a 15-year lease for 4,000 square feet at 700 5th Street, according to real estate firm Silverstein Properties. Settecento will move into the space previously occupied by Café Pinot, which closed in 2019 after 25 years.
Silverstein said the restaurant lease marks an important milestone in its strategy to transform the U.S. Bank Tower and surrounding district into a vibrant cultural center for the downtown Los Angeles community.
“Great food, art, culture and music are all part of a successful 24/7 mixed-use neighborhood,” said Lisa Silverstein, vice chair of Silverstein Properties, in a statement. “This partnership with Global Dining is an exciting step forward in achieving our vision of a new downtown Los Angeles. Settecento will not just bring high-quality authentic Italian food to the Gardens, but a dynamic new experience with outdoor dining and live music to the neighborhood.”
Settecento, scheduled to open to the public in early 2023, will offer traditional local Italian recipes and handmade pasta, wines and cocktails. The restaurant will have about 50 seats indoors and 200 seats outdoors.
The architect is Kris Keith of Spacecraft Group, and the designer is Jamie Rezaie of DI Group.
Settecento will be Global Dining’s third restaurant in the Los Angeles area. The company opened La Boheme in West Hollywood in 1991 and 1212 Santa Monica on the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica in 2016.
Settecento’s executive chef will be Luca Maita, a native of Catania, Sicily, who is currently the chef at 1212 Santa Monica.
“This is a very special location at 700 5th Street, where we felt an instant connection to the park and the space, and decided to honor it with our name Settecento — ‘700’ in Italian,” said Global Dining CEO Lucian Tudor. “We will bring a soul to downtown, and create a place for people to connect with the beautiful garden and celebrate life with exquisite food in this city of tall buildings.”
Silverstein Properties acquired the U.S. Bank Tower in September 2020 and announced a $60 million capital improvement program in May 2021. Silverstein said the contract with Global Dining is part of its effort to improve not only the building but the surrounding neighborhood as well.
This summer, Silverstein plans to work with Liberty & Co. to offer cultural events in the area in and around the U.S. Bank Tower, including the Gardens and the adjacent steps. Programming will range from culinary and cocktails to music, art and culture.
In March, Silverstein two new leases at the U.S. Bank Tower, with law firms Skiermont Derby LLP and Dechert LLP. Other tenants at the building include U.S. Bank, Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith, Thomson Reuters and Marsh USA.
The U.S. Bank Tower was designed by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners and built in 1989 by Maguire Properties.
Harlan Strader III and Peter Johnston led lease negotiations on the Global Dining deal on behalf of Silverstein Properties, along with Lee Shapiro and Justin Weiss of Kennedy Wilson Brokerage. Global Dining was represented by Michael Lushing and Evan Weiss of Lushing Realty Advisors.