EATER: Belles Beach House Blends Breezy Hawaiian Resort With Izakaya-Style Fare

Given the sort of laid back mentality and restrained wealth in Venice, it’s a bit of a surprise that no one had gone full-on Tiki lounge in the Westside neighborhood before Belles Beach House, which opened on October 19 at the end of Windward Avenue. Of course classic Venice dive Hinano had some elements of Tiki in its look, but the swankier digs at Belles gives it real “White Lotus” vibes. Belles comes from the Wish You Were Here dining group, which first earned its stripes in the upscale lounge genre with the Eveleigh in Sunset Strip, carrying it over to Kassi Club (which closed and resurfaced in Las Vegas’s Virgin Hotels), and then mastered the recipe with the breezy rooftop of Elephanté in overlooking Santa Monica beach. The formula they try and replicate is: Better food than you would expect, well-executed cocktails, and the ambience to match.