Chef Sanjay Rawat opens Arts District restaurant

Chef Sanjay Rawat opened Brick Lane in Los Angeles’s Arts District on Friday, May 22, giving the Orange County chef his first standalone restaurant in the city, according to Eater LA. Rawat built his reputation in Southern California through Kahani at the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel and earlier work at Irvine’s Clay Oven, outlets that helped make him a known name among diners looking for modern Indian cooking in Orange County. (resy.com) (la.eater.com) The new restaurant is at 1331 E. 6th Street, and reservations were already available on Resy on opening day. ### So what exactly opened in the Arts District? Brick Lane is a modern Indian restaurant, and Eater LA described it as Rawat’s Los Angeles debut. (la.eater.com) Resy says the restaurant takes its name from Brick Lane in London, the street long associated with South Asian food, and frames the project as an homage to that corridor’s “vibrant and snackable street food.” The Arts District address matters because it places Rawat in one of Los Angeles’s most active restaurant neighborhoods, where new openings often compete for destination diners rather than only local foot traffic. (resy.com) That geographic move is an inference from the location and the district’s dining profile, not a statement Rawat made. (la.eater.com) ### Why is Sanjay Rawat a notable name here? Rawat was previously the chef behind Kahani at the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel, where Eater LA profiled him as a chef who had spent years in catering and events before moving into a more prominent restaurant role. Eater’s new report says he also became well known through Clay Oven in Irvine before making the jump into Los Angeles. (resy.com) A 2025 Forbes profile on Kahani said Rawat’s stated aim there was to present Indian cuisine in a way that showed younger chefs it could be adapted while staying rooted in tradition. (resy.com) That earlier positioning helps explain why his first Los Angeles opening is being framed around “reimagined regional Indian fare,” the phrase Eater used in its May 22 report. (la.eater.com) ### What is Brick Lane trying to serve? (la.eater.com) Resy says Brick Lane channels the flavors and energy of London’s Brick Lane into an “elevated yet cozy” restaurant in the Arts District. Eater LA called the restaurant part of Southern California’s growing field of chefs reworking regional Indian dishes for a broader urban dining audience. (forbes.com) That description places Rawat alongside a wider shift in Los Angeles-area Indian dining that Eater and other outlets have tracked over the last few years, with more chefs moving beyond standard curry-house formats toward regionally specific or contemporary menus. (la.eater.com) (resy.com) ### Why does the Orange County-to-Los Angeles move matter? Orange County and Los Angeles County are both home to large South Asian communities, and Eater’s May 22 report cast Rawat’s move as an expansion from one strong base of diners into another. Rawat’s earlier work in Dana Point and Irvine gave him a following before this opening, which means Brick Lane arrives with an existing chef identity rather than as a first-time debut. (la.eater.com) For Los Angeles diners, the immediate practical point is simple: Brick Lane is open now, reservations are live, and the restaurant is operating in the Arts District at 1331 E. 6th Street. On May 22, Resy listed same-day dinner slots and provided the restaurant’s contact information, including a phone number and private dining email for larger parties. (la.eater.com) (resy.com) (la.eater.com)