The name translates to “mountain palace” in Japanese, but to any Angeleno, Yamashiro means one thing: spectacular view. The vista includes the Hollywood sign, Griffith Observatory and downtown L.A., as well as Yamashiro’s own gorgeously landscaped, terraced grounds. Nestled in the Hollywood Hills, the Yamashiro restaurant was built 100 years ago as a private estate, complete with a 600-year-old pagoda brought over from Japan. In the 1920s it was the headquarters of the “400 Club,” an exclusive society of Hollywood’s elite.
Today, on Thursday evenings during spring and summer, the hilltop retreat plays host to Hollywood’s hip and healthy, with a weekly farmers market that features local produce, as well as a menu of Middle Eastern pita sandwiches like preserved lemon and honey chicken with pistachio-sesame sauce and harissa shrimp with cucumber relish from Brock Kleweno, Yamashiro’s executive chef. A favorite setting for weddings, Yamashiro also hosts corporate board meetings, receptions and high-profile events like a recent Annenberg Foundation/CNN dinner.
Event spaces include the Garden Courtyard, with bonsai trees, a waterfall and koi pond, and the Skyview Room, a lounge and dancing space on its own or a complement to the Garden Courtyard. For large galas, the entire Yamashiro building and grounds can be bought out.
