Providence
Seafood restaurant · Hollywood
5955 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038
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Highlights
Innovative seafood tasting menus with unparalleled service and design
Innovative seafood tasting menus with unparalleled service and design
"Opened in Hollywood on June 17, 2005, chef Michael Cimarusti and GM and co-owner Donato Poto immediately earned attention — and sparkling reviews — for a fun take on seafood-focused fine dining; over the years the team has earned three Michelin stars, overseen an oceanic renovation that captured local attention, and remained in operation for 20 years. Cimarusti reflects on running the restaurant: "When I first started, I had a feeling like I knew what we were doing. Today, I think I have a much more holistic view of what running a successful restaurant means. When I was younger and less informed, in my mind, people were just coming for the food. And obviously I knew that service was important, but what I’ve learned over time is how incredibly important a team is. My partner of 20 years, Donato, is one of the best in the business, period. And we worked together to figure out what worked, and what didn’t." He recounts the menu evolution in detail: "Back then, the menu we started with was just way too ambitious. We had an a la carte menu, and then we had two tasting menus. One tasting menu was called the California coastline, and it really just focused on all things California. And then the other menu was a bit more all-encompassing of seafood. We realized, we can’t do all of this at once, it’s just way too much. So then we started to methodically pare down the menu, and it just evolved over time. We went from being two tasting menus to an a la carte to just two tasting menus, and we ultimately arrived at where we are now: We just serve one menu and a vegetarian option." On the dining room and design, he notes that they took the space formerly occupied by chef Joachim Splichal of Patina, hired a local architect and design firm to reshape the interior, and in 2023 worked with Bells + Whistles to redesign the space around a sea theme. He situates the operation in Hollywood and the broader LA scene: "We’re in the heart of LA, and we love that. You’ve got to get in the car and drive here. We’ve never spared a dime, knowing where we’re located, and the expectation that folks have come to have of our restaurant. The ability to serve and do all technically perfect cooking, and provide a high level of hospitality, is obviously super important. Great wine service is super important. We had elements of all of that, and that’s why we really thrived." He also sums up the philosophy toward hospitality and expense as a commitment to guests: "always focused first and foremost on the guest experience. In many ways, that means cost be damned. It’s just our way." Finally, he acknowledges external pressures that have affected the Hollywood dining landscape, including COVID-19, the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike, and the devastation of the 2025 California wildfires, and notes the historical nearby patronage of Paramount Studios executives in the restaurant’s earlier years." - Michael Cimarusti
"Providence was finally upgraded from two to three stars, coinciding with chef Michael Cimarusti and business partner Donato Poto’s 20-year anniversary. Michael Cimarusti offered an extended reflection on the team's role and the restaurant's staff: "I had no idea. I thought we lost when the list of two-starred restaurants came out. I had no pretensions about it. We just go in and do the work, and if it comes, it comes. Thankful to be supported by an incredible team at Providence. Honestly, I think we’re the best we’ve ever been, in the kitchen and also the front of the house. I’m happy and elated but more than anything happy for Donato [Poto], my wife, Donato’s wife, Tristan Aitchison, our chef de cuisine of 20 years, our cooks, prep cooks, fish cutters, runners, bussers, servers, captains. It’s difficult, it’s not always as rewarding as you might hope it would be. At this time of the U.S., to be surrounded by a group of people who feel apprehension and dread every day for what might happen to them or in their community, family members, or friends, to work with people who are experiencing that right now, it’s very difficult. I hope that this achievement, which they’ve all been a part of, brings a little pride and maybe eases their burden a little bit. I’m proud to have employed probably a team of 80 percent immigrants ever since the restaurant opened, and Providence wouldn’t be Providence without them. None of these people in this room right now would be here were it not for immigrants, and I’m very proud to be an employer of dozens of immigrants who cook, clean, serve, and do all the very hard work day in and day out. I’m proud to be a part of this industry, representing Los Angeles." Colleagues echoed the importance of the moment: Jon Yao called Providence "the north star" for cooks, and Ryan Bailey remarked, "This is big for LA — LA needed this. To see a restaurant like Providence doing it for 20 years, that’s the most inspiring thing. I look at what Donato does with service, the passion, and the energy. It is hard to sustain that in our city for that long." - Matthew Kang
"Three stars. Providence has finally reached the pinnacle of Michelin glory with its third star. Chef Michael Cimarusti opened Providence 20 years ago on Melrose Avenue serving a world-class seafood tasting menu with unparalleled service. The recent redesign makes the suave environs one of the best places to enjoy fine dining in Los Angeles." - Eater Staff
"Michael Cimarusti’s seafood tasting-menu restaurant was awarded three Michelin stars, bringing Los Angeles’s total of three-starred restaurants to two." - Rebecca Roland
"Chef Michael Cimarusti opened the restaurant with partner Donato Poto in 2005 as a tasting-menu, seafood-focused fine-dining destination that has defined upscale dining in Los Angeles for more than two decades. It earned its first Michelin star in 2008, a second in 2009, and was elevated to three stars in the 2025 California guide, a recognition of its lasting impact and the chef’s role among the city’s top cooks. The kitchen’s seafood-driven repertoire includes standout courses such as Pacific oysters with dongchimi and lime, red abalone with egg sabayon, Hokkaido scallop, and the signature uni egg — an eggshell filled with sea urchin, Champagne beurre blanc, and brioche croutons. The room and service reflect traditional fine-dining touchpoints — sleek dining rooms redesigned in 2023, white tablecloths, and highly anticipatory service — and the restaurant’s acclaim includes the top spot on Jonathan Gold’s “101 Best Restaurants” list, a James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant in 2006, and a Best Chef win for Cimarusti in 2019." - Rebecca Roland
