Alba Los Angeles is an Italian vacation disguised as a restaurant

A buzzy New York Italian restaurant concept has just said ciao to Los Angeles. Cobi Levy and Will Makris of Prince Street Hospitality have unveiled Alba Los Angeles, the West Coast sibling of the Manhattan restaurant of the same name. The idea is that diners will encounter a slice of Italy within their bustling cities. And with summer fast approaching, you can bet that the patio of this new Melrose Avenue hot spot will book up faster than you can say pronto.

Wallpaper* dines at Alba, Los Angeles

The mood: La Dolce Vita in L.A.

The owners reached out to GRT Architects in Brooklyn, as well as a curated art program from Creative Art Partners and Artemest to depict the dream of a long Italian vacation. Four colourful, large-scale murals by artist Alex Proba are the focal point of the main room, framed by arched wooden trellises that lead up to the retractable yellow-and-white striped roof, and down towards the distressed brick flooring.

The 14-seat bar is anchored by a red-hued canopy that leads to indoor dining banquettes with ivory leather upholstery. Playful pottery and chrome framed Cesca chairs under the billowing beach-parasol ceiling all nod to the original New York location.

The food: Sicilian coastal fare

Considering executive chef Adam Leonti is the co-author of the Flour Lab book, it is a must to start with an order of his house-made focaccia served with whipped ricotta – a worthy accompaniment to the menu’s orecchiette arrabbiata served with freshly imported burrata cut table-side. Another signature is the rich agnolotti with black truffle fonduta, stuffed with caramelised onions and Parmesan. And while you might think roast chicken is a ho-hum dish, the restaurant’s ‘Alla Diavola’ bird spices things up through a ‘bomba’ sauce made with Calabrian chili.

Alba Los Angeles is located at 8451 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90069, United States; cucinaalba.com