What's next for L.A.'s top fine-dining institution?

PROVIDENCE CELEBRATES 20 YEARS AND, FINALLY, A THIRD MICHELIN STAR

- BY JENN HARRIS

IN THE MIDDLE OF dinner service on a Tuesday evening in the fall, Providence restaurant lost its power. About half of the guests had made it through to the end of their meal. Others were at various stages of the multi-course tasting menu. One couple had flown in from Germany just for the occasion. Another had traveled from China and was leaving the next morning. Elsewhere in the dining room, a party had driven all day from San Francisco. They were to stay just the night, then head back home. There was no time to think about lost revenues, or the hours of prep and execution that went into that night's menu. The staff, including co owner Donato Poto and chef-owner Michael Cimarusti, quickly began calling other restaurants in the area, determined to find a home for each guest to spend the remainder of the evening. Could they get last minute seats at Hayato, Kato, Funke, Mélisse or Meteora? Like Providence, many of these restaurants require months of planning for a reservation. Requests were made. Favors were called in.

What transpired that evening was the execution of a level of hospitality unmatched elsewhere in the city, and one the team at Providence has succeeded in maintaining for the last 20 years.

In Los Angeles restaurant years, that's the equivalent of a lifetime. And the restaurant isn't merely holding on. In 2025, Providence experienced its most celebrated year yet, earning three Michelin stars and a place on the first edition of the World's 50 Best North America list.

It is a restaurant that has appeared on each iteration of this paper's 101 Best Restaurants List since its inception in 2013.