Take Out Edition: Coco Queen

Author:Lindsey Shook

Will dining-in at your favorite restaurant seems galaxies away, we can still support small, local eateries and forgo washing dishes by taking out. Today, we launch our new ‘Take Out’ column featuring French rotisserie, Coco Queen located in the heart of West Hollywood, set to open on June 4.

Designed by Yuna Megre by Megre Interiors, the bold black and white houndstooth exterior will soon welcome guests in to the delightful interior that transports you to the City of Lights. The colorful design that includes moments of copper and marble was inspired by the French flag and Paris’ iconic fashion industry. With Chef and owner Angelique Bohbot, you can order signature dishes like the roasted chicken, smothered with butter and a mix of spices, and then skewered on a turning spit and cooked for one hour. Here, we spoke with the Megre on the design the food and much more.

–What was the inspiration to open the restaurant? It was a dream of Angelique Bohbot, a Parisian living in Los Angeles, to bring a real French rotisserie to the city. Back in France, she grew up in a family who run small restaurants in the French Riviera, with her grandmother always making her famous roast chicken for the guests.

After moving to Paris to become a successful Creative Director in the fashion industry, the Parisian rotisseries became a favorite comfort food for her, bringing back memories of a happy childhood. She missed this greatly after moving to LA and felt the city would love the simplicity and deliciousness of a true French Rotisseries. She shared this dream with her close friend, Nathalie Dahan, an entrepreneurial power house, and together they embarked on the journey of creating Coco Queen.

-How did you become involved in the project? Since both Nathalie and Angelique are very creative, they started developing design for the restaurant on their own. It was light, simple and stylish. However, they felt it lacked something. They came to Yuna Megre, who Nathalie knew of through a mutual acquaintance, for advice. After a few hours of discussion, Yuna proposed a radically different approach to design, which they both loved. And that is how bright, bold, daring and unmistakable look of Coco Queen was born.

-Tell us about you and your design philosophy to space. To me, design is all about the concept. After hearing about Angelique and Nathalie’s passion for France, for food, for hospitality, listening to these beautiful women speak about their lives, their children, their love for equality for all, for female empowerment, for love, it became adamant to me that this concept cannot be bland.

–Can you share more about the culinary concept? Coco Queen is an extraordinary concept in an extraordinary place out of pure love. And thus a bold, fun, unapologetic Coco Queen was born. It was crucial to my clients that the design we create will be recognizable and easy to execute, as Coco Queen is set to become a multi-location concept. So, inspired by my clients, by the location in the heart of West Hollywood and all things French, my team and I created a very distinctive look with attention to detail and finishes, not often seen in a casual food concept. MEGRE INTERIORS provided both interior design and logo design services for this concept (branding was then developed by Angelique Bohbot).

The look is rooted in the cultural references and color schemes of a flamboyant Parisian theatre district, and inspired by the Three French Hens painting of an American artist. However, the distinctive hounds took pattern was a collaborative effort. The print was Angelique’s Chanel inspired idea that I fell in love with immediately and proposed with dare to take it outside and paint the whole building. So in the heart of West Hollywood, a city that nurtures creativity, our eye-catching design was given the green light. We invited the world famous ​New Zealand based multidisciplinary artist Cinzah to give us our hounds tooth dream and create a magnificent two storey mural on the side of the building. And with its Parisian cafe weaved chair, copper bound marble tables and red awnings with proud red-white-blue stripes – this WeHo gem is truly unmissable.

Inside, the hound tooth floor ties together an interior of red, blue, white, green and copper and boasts of marble countertops and custom made sofa and chicken mesh chandeliers designed by MEGRE INTERIORS especially for this project. It all culminates in a full wall mural of the Three French Hens, a humorous take on the frenchness of this concept. The unique tables inspired by the French flag match the brands packaging created by Angelique. We complemented the green ceiling with plants both inside and outside of the restaurant.

– What was the chef/restaurateur’s vision and how did you translate that in your design? The clients wanted to create a French Rotisserie fast-casual concept that did not feel and look fast casual but had all the attributes it would need in order to grow and scale as a brand. This translated in creation of very distinctive and easily recognizable design for both interior and exterior of the concept, as well as a logo. They wanted to concept to feel home-made, warm, inviting, fun and humorous, they wanted the guests to feel this is a place of high quality. We delivered that, not only through creative ideas, but through the use of some high end finishes such as marble and copper.

– Were there specific requests that you had to take into account? The houndstooth pattern that was important to my clients of which I spoke in the previous question.

– What were the biggest challenges? Our biggest challenge by far has been space. Coco Queen is only 1100 sq ft. so we had to optimize the space for both guests and staff to make sure everything is ergonomic and flows effortlessly. This became even more challenging when 2 months into construction my clients made a decision that it was important for them to acquire a beer and wine license, which in WeHo requires a second restroom even for such a small space.

Beginning June 4, call (424) 249-3240 for take out, located at 700 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood.