E.P. & L.P. has a whole new reason for you to visit.
On April 5, it debuted Bombo, which takes over what was formerly the indoor E.P. restaurant. Serving up modern Mexican cuisine, Bombo is by Botanical Hospitality Group and helmed by head chef and Food Network Chopped champion Samantha Quintero.
“At Bombo, my vision is to introduce big and bold flavors to diners that are reflective of my Mexican roots, with a modern twist. From wood-fire cooking to house-made salsas, I can’t wait to bring the patrons of West Hollywood a culturally elevated dining experience and I am thrilled to join the creative team at E.P. & L.P. to bring this new concept to life in the spring,” said Quintero.
Signature dishes include Mojara, grilled prawns, taco de hongas and more.
Offering an upscale Mexican dining experience, Bombo is enlivened by pops of color and artwork designed by local Los Angeles and Mexican-based artists. There are also neutral-toned textured arched walls and pendant lights designed by Mexican designer David Pompa that resemble round sculptural objects by daylight and a rich illuminated texture with gray tones by night.
The Bombo concept was designed and branded by Frame, the West Hollywood-based creative agency. The owners of Frame, brothers Sam and Simon Pearce, traveled to Oaxaca and Mexico City to draw their inspiration. The colors and graphics found throughout the space were influenced by hand-painted signage and typography found throughout the cities.
“At the beginning of the pandemic, we operated a Mexican pop-up on the rooftop that we called 'Las Palmas' and it proved to be an instant hit with our guests. It personally resonated with me as a 'when' we should revisit this cuisine, not an 'if',” said co-Owner Grant Smillie of Botanical Hospitality Group. “The new concept feels like it's somewhat of a homecoming from a flavor perspective, and as luck would have it, we managed to connect with Chef Samantha who was the perfect fit to bring Bombo to life. After many iterations of our restaurant, departing from our original Southeast Asian direction that we opened with nearly eight years ago, this is the first time that we are branding the restaurant level as a completely separate concept with its own identity.”
Bombo’s drink selection also adds to the restaurant’s vibrant atmosphere with a robust cocktail program created by Botanical Hospitiality’s head mixologist Milosz Cieslak. Highlighting agave products and authentic Mexican cocktails, the beverage menu includes a cucumber jalapeno margarita, Mezcal-rita and the Mi Amore, which features Dos hombres Mezcal infused with strawberries, Alma Tepac, Campari and Cocchi Torino Vermouth and is topped with Negroni foam made of gin, rose water, coconut milk and orange juice.
Bombo is open Wednesday through Sunday from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. throughout April and will be expanding to be open seven days a week beginning in May.
Bombo is located at 603 N. Melrose Ave West Hollywood 90069.
See also: All The New Springtime Food And Cocktail Offerings At Your Favorite L.A. Restaurants
Photography by: Jennifer Johnson Photography
