By Jessica Koslow, Playa Vista Contributing Writer
In the 1940s, a mid-century modern neighborhood called the Mar Vista Tract was popping up near Palms and Beethoven boulevards. This very corner became the home of Beethoven Market, which operated for 75 years before shutting its doors.
Local residents would stock up on snacks, drinks and lottery tickets. One of the market’s customers was Jeremy Adler, a partner at Cobi’s restaurant in Santa Monica. Adler and his business entity 3rd Place LLC acquired Beethoven Market in 2023 and spent 2 1/2 years renovating the 1949 historic building.
“Your home is your first place. Your work is your second place, and your third place is your local hang,” said Isa Roske, Beethoven Market’s general manager. “That is the vision behind this restaurant, and Adler decided to keep the name in honor of the history of this place.”
Adler lives with his family less than a mile from his new venture, and it was his dream to create a restaurant that could serve as a community-oriented gathering place.
On March 29, Beethoven Market officially opened for business, making it just over three months old.
“The response has been amazing and overwhelming,” said Roske. “When I first joined the team and met with Jeremy, I thought, this is a weird place to put a restaurant. It’s in the middle of the neighborhood. But I think it has filled a hole in this community. The neighbors were very hungry for something like this, and there’s nothing like it around. We’ve been so unbelievably busy. Our books open three weeks in advance, and we’re pretty much booked out solid. The biggest challenge lately has been how to accommodate walk-ins because we want our neighbors and locals to be able to enjoy being here.”
Roske came aboard about two months before Beethoven Market opened, joining a core group that included assistant general manager Brennan Oakes, Chef Mike Leonard (Rustic Canyon) and sous chef Harvin Diego.
“About 80% of our produce comes from the farmers market,” says Owner Jeremy Adler. of the food; we do a lot with seasonality.” (Chris Mortenson/Staff)
“We were all working 12-hour days, six days a week leading up to opening,” Roske said.
Beethoven Market was originally open six days a week and then quickly expanded to seven. At the end of August, expect brunch on Saturday and Sunday.
With Beethoven Market, Adler had a very specific vision.
“He wanted to create a neighborhood Italian restaurant with reasonable pricing that used quality ingredients,” said Roske. “About 80% of our produce comes from the farmers market, and our chef meets the farmers and brings truckloads of produce to our restaurant every week, which informs the direction of the food; we do a lot with seasonality.”
While Roske estimated that 60% of Beethoven Market’s clientele is local people who live nearby and walk or ride their bike, because of the genuine buzz surrounding the new eatery, the other 40% consists of people from other parts of L.A.
Guests are greeted by a space designed by Tara Bean (Belles Beach House in Venice); an outdoor patio with lavender and rosemary bushes, kumquat trees, and a 30-year-old olive tree; an open kitchen; central bar; and communal seating. Adler had a 16th-century rotisserie custom-built at Grills by Demant in Atlanta.
Roske admitted that the past few months have been quite a ride, but she’s elated to be part of the crew creating this thriving neighborhood hang.
“An idea is just an idea until it comes into fruition, and Jeremy had a very strong idea about what this place could be,” she said. “We were very adamant about hiring the right staff, and so we had a very in-depth interview process. We probably interviewed about 200 people and then landed around 30. We created such a strong team with high-quality people who understand the vision and who represent what this brand idea is to our community. Now it’s this living, breathing thing. It’s been a really cool process to see it evolve, and now it feels like this living, breathing entity that is so much bigger than any of us.”
Beethoven Market
12904 Palms Boulevard, Los Angeles
beethovenmarket.com
5 to 9 p.m. Sunday to Wednesday
5 to 10 p.m. Thursday to Saturday
Ora del Dolce Fa Niente (happy hour) is 4 to 5 p.m. daily
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