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Bad Roman Took Over the Old Palm on Canon Drive, and It Is Not Being Subtle

6 hours ago
3 min read


A boar sculpture, greyhound statues, green velvet banquettes, and a lobster pasta that arrives flambeed.


Bad Roman opened on May 26 at 267 N. Canon Drive, the Beverly Hills address that housed The Palm steakhouse for decades. It is the first West Coast restaurant from Quality Branded, the New York group behind Quality Meats, Quality Italian, Quality Bistro and Don Angie.


The original Bad Roman opened in 2023 on the third floor of the Shops at Columbus Circle. CEO Michael Stillman has described the founding instinct as wanting something warm and irreverent coming out of the pandemic, built on the idea that a restaurant does not have to take itself seriously to be good. The boar mascot is named Boris. Greyhound statues flank the entrance.


Chef and partner Craig Koketsu oversees the group's culinary program, with Clint Ives running the Beverly Hills kitchen. Koketsu told LA Mag that Beverly Hills felt like a natural fit because Italian cooking is already beloved on Canon Drive, but leans traditional, and the group wanted to bring something with more flair to a street that had not seen it.


What is exclusive to Beverly Hills


The menu largely mirrors New York, with two additions built for this address. The spicy lobster campanelle is flambeed tableside, a dish carried over from Quality Italian. And the burrata figliata comes from The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills, a neighbor two blocks away, which brings the cheese in from Puglia every week. La figliata is essentially an oversized ball of burrata, and having it sourced weekly from Italy through a local shop is a genuinely unusual arrangement.


From the menu


All pasta is made in house. Prices from the published Beverly Hills menu:


  • Osetra Caviar Gnocchi, $55. Creme fraiche and chives.

  • Agnolotti Bistecca, $48. Filet mignon with balsamic dolce.

  • Penne Luongo, $45. Black truffle cacio e pepe.

  • La Figliata, $39. The Puglia burrata, via the Cheese Store.

  • Rock Shrimp Chitarra, $38, and Chicken Scarpariello Rigatoni, $38.

  • Eggplant Pull-a-Parm, $35. A riff on mozzarella sticks.

  • Roni Cups and Ranch, $14. The cheapest thing on the menu and the most photographed.


Starters run crispy calamari casino, peekytoe crab Luigi, roasted garlic babka and filet mignon meatballs. Dessert includes a lemon cheesecake shaped like lemons and a layered tiramisu ice cream cake.


The bar


Creative director Bryan Schneider built an Italian-leaning wine list and a cocktail program running on Italian spirits. The Martini Pepperoncini uses vodka, pepperoncini brine and lemon zest. The Tequila Granita pours blanco tequila, lime and Calabrian honey over habanero shaved ice. There is a Strawberry Sbagliato on strawberry-infused Aperol.


What we have our eye on: the figliata, purely for the supply chain. A weekly shipment from Puglia routed through a Beverly Hills cheese shop is the kind of thing that either justifies itself immediately or does not. FJM will report back after a visit.


Visiting


Bad Roman is at 267 N. Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210, on the restaurant row stretch between Wilshire and Santa Monica, a block from Funke and Mother Wolf.


  • Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 5 to 11 p.m. Lunch and weekend brunch have been signaled but are not yet running.

  • Reservations: on OpenTable.

  • Parking: valet available, plus Beverly Hills municipal structures, which offer the first hours free.

  • Dress: smart casual.

  • Good for: groups and celebrations. The room is built loud and the format rewards ordering across the table.


Menus and locations are at badromanrestaurants.com.


Follow along with more LA restaurant news, see what else has opened in our guide to new restaurants in Los Angeles, or browse our picks for the best food in Los Angeles.

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