Header: Ema Peter
Baldi is a new Tuscan steakhouse on the ground floor of the luxurious Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, where the steaks are cooked over a grill fired with olive wood and the guests are surrounded by mid-century modern aesthetics. It belongs to the chef Edoardo “Edo” Baldi, who is part of the second generation of a family of Italian restaurateurs in Los Angeles. The 880 m² of interiors, furniture included, were designed by Ezequiel Farca Studio, a practice with offices in Mexico City, Milan and Los Angeles.
The old Jean-Georges
The restaurant is located where the dining room of the French chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten once was, which had been open since the hotel’s launch in the summer of 2017 and closed in 2023. As the former room was built on a very large scale, the studio decided to break it up into smaller areas with slatted wooden partitions, latticed screens and semi-enclosed booths. The gaps in the slats and the screens let guests see from one area into the next without compromising on privacy and intimacy.
The dining room revolves around a stone bar and is complemented by a separate private room and a semi-enclosed terrace with open-air pods, small seating areas and olive trees – on the latter, these can also be found indoors, helping foster a genuine Italian atmosphere. The grill, which is, perhaps, the restaurant’s golden element, can be seen from the dining room.
“We were inspired not only by the architecture and landscape of Tuscany but also by the rituals of Italian hospitality: gathering around a table, sharing food, and creating an atmosphere that feels generous, familiar, and deeply personal.”
Ezequiel Farca
Terracotta, wood and marble
When reaching the restaurant, guests are welcomed by a mural of an Italian dinner party created by Drawing Room NYC, which immediately sets the upcoming experience. As one steps in, the warm terracotta tones bring one back to the old world of Tuscany, inspired by the chef’s own house in the famous Chianti wine countryside.
The studio was careful to work with materials and colours that complement each other and fit the client’s personal style, so the team worked with oak, walnut, natural stone, a strongly veined marble, leather and woven textiles. The floor was laid in a traditional herringbone pattern, a zigzag still seen throughout Italian homes, and the lighting is warm and inviting, with custom-woven lanterns hanging from the ceiling.
The Baldi family
Edo Baldi was born in Seravezza and grew up in Forte dei Marmi, on the Tuscan coast, having moved to Los Angeles at the age of ten. His father, Giorgio Baldi, had left Tuscany in the early 1980s, later opening the Santa Monica restaurant baptised with his name and running it for 36 years – and there’s no end in sight.
Edo opened his own restaurant, e.Baldi, on Canon Drive in Beverly Hills in 2006, so the steakhouse arrives in the year his first restaurant turns 20. Beny Alagem, whose company, Alagem Capital, owns the hotel, has been a regular at e.Baldi for years.
“For me, contemporary means understanding what makes traditions meaningful and allowing them to evolve naturally.”
Edoardo Baldi
Project information
Interior Design Company: Ezequiel Farca Studio
Lead Designer: Ezequiel Farca
Design Team: Rafael Figueroa, Romelia Hernández, Cecilia Martínez, Tiara Corona, Victor Lima, Rubén Hernández, Marlon Millan, Antonio Zarco, Cristina Muñoz, Alejandra Tellez, Regina Carriles
Other Credits: Drawing Room NYC (mural)
Photography: Ema Peter
Location: Beverly Hills, USA
Date: 2026
