Santa Monica’s Main Street has a new address for handmade pasta and Italian cocktails. Chef Brian Bornemann, the local restaurateur behind the acclaimed sustainable seafood spot Crudo e Nudo, opened Bar Fortuna on October 21 at 2917 Main St., in the storefront that most recently housed Vamos Vamos.
Bar Fortuna marks Bornemann’s second concept on Main Street, and it leans into a different lane than his seafood-focused debut. The new spot centers on handmade pasta and fresh, seasonal ingredients, paired with a cocktail program built around Italian spirits and amari. A dedicated wine list, curated by wine specialist J.D. Plotnick, rounds out the drink menu with a focus on small, lesser-known producers rather than the usual big-name bottles.
For Bornemann, a Santa Monica native, the opening is something of a homecoming move within his own neighborhood. He launched Crudo e Nudo in 2021 as a sustainable seafood restaurant and natural wine bar, and has since built a reputation as a chef ambassador for the seafood brands Seremoni and Omega Azul. Bar Fortuna gives him a second outlet just steps from his first, broadening what’s become a small but growing restaurant footprint on one of Santa Monica’s most walkable commercial strips.
The opening adds to a lively stretch for Main Street, which has seen a steady churn of new restaurant and bar concepts moving in and out of its storefronts this year. For nearby business owners, a new sit-down spot with a bar program tends to extend foot traffic into the evening hours, which can benefit surrounding shops and services well after they’ve closed for the day.
Bar Fortuna is also a reminder of how much of LA’s small business momentum right now comes one storefront at a time: an independent chef taking on a second lease, rather than a chain expanding into the market. Those are exactly the kinds of openings that keep neighborhood commercial strips feeling distinct from one city block to the next, and they’re worth supporting with an actual visit rather than just a passing mention.
If you run a business in Santa Monica or anywhere else in the greater LA area, openings like this are a good prompt to make sure your own listing is easy for neighbors to find.
Source: Beverly Press & Park Labrea News
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