Evan Funke's New Hollywood Lounge Goes Big on Roman Street Food
A new Roman-inspired cocktail lounge from acclaimed chef Evan Funke and Giancarlo Pagani, the managing partner of Mother Wolf Group, is headed to Hollywood. Bar Avoja opens in the short-lived former Mars cocktail bar space, tucked behind Mother Wolf, on May 30. Mars first opened in January 2024 with a $5,000 a year membership that came with a personal spirits locker, priority seating, and invitations to special events; the bar closed in April 2025.
At Bar Avoja, Funke will prepare a menu inspired by handheld Roman street food, alongside folded and thin-crust pizza and cocktails. A frittatina di carbonara, a pasta stuffed fritter, is filled with spaghetti swirled with guanciale, black pepper, and egg, or eggplant, mozzarella di bufala, and ricotta salata. A fried arancini, a popular street food in the Eternal City, draws inspiration from cacio e pepe, with crema di pecorino romano and black pepper. At Bar Avoja, Funke will also prepare wood-fired pies. The Portafoglio folded to resemble a pocket, is topped with oxtail meatballs, braised greens, and fonduta di pecorino; the Wolfgang with smoked salmon, herb cream, and trout roe; and the Palermo with sugo di cipolla (onion sauce), caciocavallo, wild oregano, and sauteed bread crumbs. Funke's signature Palermo-inspired focaccia, sfincione all'aglione, will also be on the menu. Gelato and cannoli with ricotta and Santa Barbara pistachios will be available for dessert.
Cocktails are made to pair with Funke's cooking, like the Morso Di Vita with Grey Goose, Chinola passion fruit, tomato, basil, and lemon, as well as the Santa Infuocata, mixing Malfy gin, Meyer lemon honey, and Olio Santo olive oil. Alongside cocktails, Bar Avoja will also serve wine and mocktails.
Bar Avoja retains elements of the luxe Mars interior, like the intimate red leather seating and an accent wall with wire cages displaying bottles of liquor. Small glass tabletop lamps cast a gentle line downward onto dark wood tables, with strips of metal dividing the top into quarters. It's a venue that's easy to settle into for a few hours, catching up with friends over a bottle of wine and bites from Funke.
The bar will be open Thursday to Saturday, by reservation only. For fans of Funke's cooking at Mother Wolf and his eponymous restaurant, Funke, the arrival of Bar Avoja offers an enticing new upscale cocktail option in the neighborhood that's guaranteed to have some top-notch food.
Bar Avoja will open at 1545 Wilcox Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90028 on May 30 with hours on Thursday to Saturday, from 6 p.m. until late. Reservations are required and available on Resy .
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