How the award-winning chef renders precision artistry with his culinary team
Chef Aitor Zabala’s Journey Soars to Astral Planes
How the award-winning chef renders precision artistry with his culinary team
At the end of June 2025 Aitor Zabala was awarded three Michelin stars for Somni, his LA restaurant that opened in 2023. It’s the guide’s first three star rating in the city since the guide started reviewing restaurants there in 2008. With a mere seven months at the new West Hollywood location under his belt, this rare distinction might seem quickly earned, but in reality the journey has been a long and winding road of hard work, passion, talent and grit—an overnight success years in the making.
I want to do things with a connection that creates a feeling that is a bit intangible
Aitor Zabala
Born in Barcelona, Zabala has cooked in kitchens including El Bulli with Ferran Adria, where he learned that cooking can be an art form, to immersing himself in the whimsical maximalist energy of The Bazaar with Jose Andres at the SLS Hotel in LA. Zabala originally opened Somni in a private room tucked inside the bustling scene at The Bazaar. When the restaurant closed in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, Zabala began searching for a new home for Somni. He persevered through finding an ideal location, navigating the pandemic, dealing with delays, and enduring construction challenges. All the while he cooked, practiced with his team, and geared up for opening.
In 2023, COOL HUNTING traveled with Zabala to Seoul during the Frieze Art Fair where he created a Somni menu at Myomi restaurant at the Arario Museum. We drove together for many hours to meet Jeong Kwan, the celebrated Buddhist monk known for teaching people from around the world (and many renowned chefs), the world of Korean temple food. For Zabala, each experience helped keep the inspiration and ideas flowing.
Now tucked away on Nemo Street in West Hollywood, Somni finally reopened in late 2024. An evening at Somni begins at the valet, where guests are greeted by name, escorted through the doorway, walking past a tall yellow giraffe sculpture, and entering the secluded garden. “We want to bring a full experience to the guest from the moment people arrive,” explains Zabala.
To help set a relaxing tone, an array of eye-catching snacks accompany a seasonal welcome drink. Guests are then invited into the dining room and seated along a curved maple wood counter. The serene dining room seats 14. Elements of the design reflect Zabala’s Basque and Catalan roots with Gaudi style floor tiles by Escofet, ceramic tableware by Luesma & Vega, a colorful geometric Bullhead by Okuda San Miguel, and uniforms by Barcelona-based premium workwear design studio Bastida for Work. “This is a fusion of the culture of my home country and my new country,” says Zabala about bringing together the flavors from Spain with touches of Los Angeles.
Zabala describes his intention for the space as meaningful minimalism. “We want the table to be the main thing with the connection and the interaction as the backbone,” he says. “Somni represents who we are. It’s elegant but traditional, with clean lines that mix tradition and modernity.”
Throughout the meal, the Somni culinary teams flow into a synchronized presentation of plates. Sauces are ladled, final elements are delicately placed, and drinks are carefully poured. It’s a sensorial experience of delicious ingredients with precise choreography and warm hospitality. “We are all back of the house and we are all front of the house,” says Zabala. “Everyday we are tweaking everything to be better. How we synchronize and present the plates. I want to do things with a connection that creates a feeling that is a bit intangible.”
After the initial Somni location being so close to the hustle and intense energy of The Bazaar, Zabala can now orchestrate the full experience in this stand-alone space. He considers keeping the tempo and flow of the meal going an integral key to the success of the experience. “It is a constant progression,” he says. “We present many dishes and show the guests many things. The tempo is important to connect every dot. We want the room to feel organic with life.”
Zabala refers to one original Somni dish that has made a reappearance on the current menu as Pizza Meringue. Zabala takes tomatoes and separates and clarifies the water, then makes a meringue with it. The mixture is poured into a pizza shaped mold and set to dry for 12 hours. The slices are topped with tomato powder, and torched to look toasted, then tomato, burrata, cream, pork jowl, basil and oregano are delicately placed on top.
A recent dish that has become a guest favorite pairs summer tomatoes with a garam of sardines, cucumber, green almond, vinegar and lemongrass. “It’s simple, not conceptual,” says Zabala. “Start with good ingredients. Treat them well. Add a little salt and just the right amount of everything and people are crazy about it.”
The Somni team achieves this level of complexity and detail in a surprisingly compact kitchen. As Zabala looks around the rooms he explains. “We gave all of the space to the guests to make them comfortable, and (we) have a really small kitchen.” One day Zabala hopes to have some more elbow room in the form of a test and experimentation space.
Just before being awarded three Michelin stars, Zabala was still thinking about improvements he wanted to implement and how to work more efficiently. “The plates are never finished. We are always tasting an evolution of the dishes,” he says. “We are passionate about giving people the best experience possible. We want to create new memories.”