How Beverly Bar's Owners Fell In Love While Crafting Their Restaurant's Menu

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — For Matthew and Justine Raanan, the journey to opening Beverly Bar was not only a labor of love, but it's how they fell in love, too.

After the couple first met during the pandemic, many of their date nights were nights in, perfecting homemade recipes that would one day become some of the key menu items at their Golden Triangle bar and restaurant.

"We made so many pizzas, so many fried chicken sandwiches, so many burgers," Justine Raanan told Patch. "We did plenty of testing in our home kitchen. We fell in love doing that — this became our project."

Since the Raanans opened Beverly Bar at 434 N. Camden Drive in January, they've been welcoming office workers, locals and tourists alike with the kind of atmosphere and menu that they say was conspicuously absent in town.

"Beverly Hills doesn't really have a lot of boutique bars," Justine Raanan said. "We felt there really was a need for that — a place where people could come by, grab a drink, grab a bite to eat and just enjoy the bar vibe."

Matthew Raanan, a longtime Beverly Hills resident and real estate developer, oversaw the buildout of the space himself, while collaborating on many of the menu items with Justine, like the crispy chicken sandwich — topped with avocado, onion aioli, coleslaw and tomato and served on a toasted challah bun.

Others on their team contributed other items, like the roasted shishito peppers, based on their expertise. And the Beverly Bar mixology crew concocted drinks like the Shameless Flirt — Jaja reposado tequila, cucumber, bell pepper, serrano pepper.

"Having a great team of people with diverse backgrounds helped us have a menu that has more variety to it," Justine Raanan said.

The result is a casual, comfortable spot with fresh and upscale twists on bar-food favorites, the kind of place that's perfectly suited for Beverly Hills, she said.

Beverly Bar is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Happy hour runs 2 to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.