The Exchange Restaurant - downtown

Just opened few weeks ago. The restaurant is led by the team behind Bar Lab, who brought us the beloved 27 Restaurant at Freehand Miami, and Angeleno chef Alex Chang, best known locally for his Paladar dinner series. Similar to 27 Restaurant in Miami, where dishes explore the city’s many flavors through a Latin lens, the menu at The Exchange explores the multi-cultural flavors of urban LA through an Israeli lens. This is the first restaurant in California from the design team Roman & Williams.
They offer both lunch and dinner. There's dining area, but also there's bar/lounge area so you can come here just for drinks.

We got to try almost everything on the menu. Everything was healthy and delicious. But my favorites were fried rice, sweet potato, eggplant, lebneh, and hanger steak. 

menu

Grapefruit black pepper - Clarified California grapefruit & citrus with black pepper, tarragon,  absolut vodka, dry vermouth & seltzer, served long with fresh  tarragon leaves $10

Kefir & Honey - Lebanese yogurt with local honey, cucumber, citrus, beefeater gin, st germain & apricot brandy. Served with a cucumber ribbon & pomegranate seeds $12

Turmeric & pineapple $8, and pomegranate lemonade $8

This turmeric & pineapple was everyone's favorite drink! A must try. It's REALLY good.

Arabic Salad - cucumber, tomato, sumac, onion, local olive oil & citrus $8

Pate - chicken liver & foie gras mousse with tangerine jam & fermented date honey $12

Cucumber - smashed cucumber with sesame, chili oil & fennel $7

Pickles $6

Burnt eggplant - mixed with blue lake beans $8

Labneh  - shaved squash, preserve lemon ponzu, crispy fish skin $10

Beets - bbq beets, barberry pink peppercorn, mint & aged goat cheese $9

Avocado - jj's daughter cubed avocado, black sesame, long hot peppers & seasonal fruit $9

Fries - hand cut shortening with amba mayo $9
It was too salty for me. 

Fried rice - chef Chang's blue crab fried rice $14

Cauliflower - preserved lemon aiolo, almond, pecorino & pita breadcrumbs $8

Hanger Steak - grilled hanger steak with black harissa, fingerling potatoes, & charred leeks $26

Exchange Chraime - fish collar, prawns, squid, mussels & clams in spicy tomato dashi, & charred tomatillo $46

Lamb kabob - grilled lamb kebab with stuffed poblano chili, kale, feta, potato & pistachio $24

Sweet potato - grilled o'henry sweet potato, creamy almond,chile morita, local greens & cilantro $16

Pargiyot (chicken) - grilled chicken with shawarma spice. Carrot mole & yogurt $22

Daily catch - grilled sea bass with black olive & seaweed chermoula, fennel pollen & citrus MP

Exchange burger - burger with brown butter, american cheese, lettuce & grilled onion $16

Dessert time!

Almond milk custard - with strawberry granita, rhubarb & rose geranium $10

This was my favorite dessert!

Olive oil cake - with yogurt sorbet & pistachio baklava crumble $11

Dark chocolate cake - confit cherries, ricotta & mohleb sorbet $12

Date biscuit - with buttermilk ice cream, orange sorbet & puffed bulgur $8

The Exchange Restaurant
416 W. 8TH ST,
Los Angeles, CA 90014

Sunday: 8AM–3PM, 5:30–11PM
Monday-Tue: 7–11AM, 11:30AM–3PM, 5:30–11PM
Wed-Thurs: 7–11AM, 11:30AM–3PM, 5:30–11PM
Friday: 7–11AM, 11:30AM–3PM, 5:30PM–12AM
Saturday: 8AM–3PM, 5:30PM–12AM

https://freehandhotels.com/los-angeles/the-exchange/

https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-exchange-restaurant-los-angeles-2