LA’s Most Exciting New Seafood Spot Comes From the Team Behind Michelin-Starred Kali

The corner of Highland and Melrose is miles from the ocean, but it may soon become one of the best places for seafood in Los Angeles. Chef Kevin Meehan of Michelin-starred Kali opens Koast on Wednesday, January 29. His first new restaurant in nine years, Koast will be a casual neighborhood spot influenced by East Coast seafood.

The format is a departure from his work at Kali, a restaurant that offers a tasting menu alongside upscale a la carte options like sea urchin pasta and dry-aged duck. Koast is located on the stretch of Melrose that Meehan refers to as the “Michelin mile,” alongside restaurants like Meteora , Osteria Mozza , Kali , and Providence . Opening a second restaurant was always the plan for Meehan and his longtime business partner, Drew Langley, but those plans were put on hold as the COVID-19 pandemic and Hollywood writer strikes devastated the restaurant industry.



As it began to look like a possibility again, the pair struggled to find the right home for the restaurant. “The big problem was this Goldilocks situation,” Meehan says, referring to none of the spaces on the market being the right fit or location. In a twist of luck, Meehan’s wife came across the former Umeya space; it was available and fit the bill.

Initially, Meehan envisioned Koast as a steakhouse under a different name, but after seeing the building, he knew seafood was the way he wanted to go. Both Meehan and Langley are from the East Coast, and so taking inspiration from their upbringing was a natural fit. Joining the duo are executive chef and partner Michael Kerner and general manager and partner Jessica Tripp.

Although Koast has a strong East Coast flavor, the menu features seafood and culinary techniques from around the globe. On the raw menu, find Morro Bay oysters, Quahog clams, sea bream sashimi with ponzu, yellowtail crudo with buttermilk nage, and Spanish yellowtail tuna. A “lightly touched” section offers cured seafood like sablefish in salt and vinegar, white sturgeon caviar, and pastrami-style salmon gravlax.

Cooked starters include a seasonal seafood chowder, Maryland-baked crab dip, a crispy scallop cake that’s meant to imitate a crab cake, and a jumbo shrimp cocktail. Mains include rockfish in cioppino broth with fennel, a rotating market fish prepared with beurre blanc, grilled tiger prawns, a butcher’s steak with chimichurri and anchovy butter, and a dry-aged cheeseburger served on a potato bun with caramelized onions. There’s also lobster baked manicotti, Caesar salad, grilled rye bread, and french fries tossed in Old Bay.

Alongside the food, Langley will curate a beer and wine menu. While seafood often skews more expensive, Meehan wants to make sure Koast feels accessible to diners as a neighborhood spot. “I feel like giving people choices is the way that I’m going to balance this restaurant out to be affordable,” he says.

The restaurant will also aim to educate customers on how certain dishes are priced, whether it includes imported Japanese fish in a crudo or often-expensive geoduck. “I don’t want this restaurant to be expensive. I want this to be accessible,” Meehan says.

“If you want to come in here and get caviar and get Champagne, we have that, but I have kids and would like this restaurant to be an everyday restaurant.” Meehan worked with Cory Surovek of Studio Surovek to design the interior of Koast, which contrasts rich blue banquette seating with exposed steel beams. The design leans into Japanese minimalism, with clean lines, medium-hued wood, and concrete floors.

Outside, a softly lit wood patio with a fire pit overlooks the street. While Meehan is opening Koast, he’s temporarily closed Kali for renovations. (The restaurant is slated to reopen in two to three months.

) He looks forward to offering another option in the neighborhood that has supported Kali over the years. “It’s gonna serve a lot of people well,” he says. “They can come to Kali once a month, and they can come here every two weeks.

This is that kind of restaurant.” Koast is located at 6623 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA, 90038, and holds hours from 5 p.m.

to 9:30 p.m. every day.

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Koast.