Restaurant Review: Viento

I had the wonderful opportunity to have dinner at Breeze’s newest pop up restaurant, Viento, located in the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza. Viento is a “Pan-Latin inspired restaurant featuring mid-century modern design and an inventive selection of farm-to-table tapas and fresh cocktails from Executive Chef Felix Nappoly’s culinary team.” They’re open for dinner daily from 5:30PM-10PM.

The first thing you see when you walk into the restaurant is the beautiful bar. You can always eat here if you want a more casual dining experience. For the rest of us, there’s plenty of space to sit down.

I didn’t bring my DSLR because restaurants are normally dimly lit, but I immediately regretted that decision the moment I saw our table. There was plenty of light, natural and artificial. I loved being able to see my food clearly. I hate when I can’t see what I’m eating!

Chef Jack Gushchyan brought out everything that we desired… plus more. Honestly, I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. The staff was extremely accommodating, our glasses were never empty, and my DH and I got to taste a little bit of everything!

For appetizers, we had the Mini Duck Sopes, Octopus Ceviche, and Pork Belly Torta Sliders.

I’ve never had octopus before, so I braved it and gave it a try. Surprisingly, it wasn’t bad! It doesn’t really taste like anything (the texture was the meh part for me)… but the pedro ranch avocado on the plate was just about heaven on earth. I almost licked the plate clean because of it. My DH and I both agreed that the pork belly sliders were our favorite. It might even be our favorite dish from the whole night!

Next, we got to try the Chipotle Kale Caesar Salad and the Aztec Amaranth Salad.

The avocados in the caesar salad were out of this world. Seriously, where is Viento getting their avocados? I need a batch for myself. 

For our main meal, the chef brought out two entrees for us to try before our other entrees. We tried the Achiote Salmon, Strauss New York Strip, Natural Filet, and Chicken Mole.

My favorite was the salmon, while my DH loved the NY strip. I’m not usually a kale fan, but I could eat the kale lollipop that came with the salmon all day long. They were crisp and buttery, just the way I like my vegetables. 

Last but not least came dessert. There was Helado de Aguacate, Rompope Panna Cotta, and Fruta Fresca. I pretty much ate the avocado ice cream by myself while my DH ate the panna cotta. I LOVE avocado as a sweet dessert, but my DH said that’s an “asian” thing. I grew up drinking avocado smoothies, so avocado ice cream was right up my alley. My DH was a little more weirded out by it, but no complaints here… we didn’t have to share dessert!

Overall, I think Viento would be a great place to meet up with friends or even for business. The ambiance is inviting and comfortable. It’ll only be around for six months before the pop up turns into something else, so go taste the menu before it changes! Don’t forget to order the pork belly sliders!

Hyatt Regency Century Plaza
Viento
2025 Avenue of the Stars
Los Angeles, California, USA, 90067
For reservations, call 310-551-1334